Linksys is onboard the WiFi 6 train, with the new Velop WiFi 6 system arriving to deliver the latest wireless standard in mesh form. Joining the Velop range, the new routers promise WiFi 802.11ax at up to four times the speed of the last-generation models, along with a boost in range.
A group of researchers from BYU that was led by a computer engineering professor has created a protocol that can significantly extend the distance a WiFi-enabled device can send and receive signals. The most interesting part about the new protocol is that there is no new hardware required. The new protocol is aimed at Internet of Things devices.
Google has offered a mesh router called Google WiFi since 2016, but today we're seeing the successor to that system. During its Pixel 4 event today, Google got up on stage and announced Nest WiFi, a new mesh router that improves on the Google WiFi formula. For starters, Google says that Nest WiFi is more capable than Google WiFi, boasting as much as twice the speed and 25% better coverage.
Today the Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus system was revealed - or re-revealed, depending on how you look at it - for smart home systems. This is Google's full home security system coverage subscription service for Google Home / Google Nest products. Google also revealed the Nest Mini today for $49 USD - making it pretty much a new Google Home Mini with a slightly different hardware package - just a TINY bit different.
With WiFi 6 certification landing last month, it was only a matter of time before we saw manufacturers begin to roll out compatible routers at a faster pace. Many of the WiFi 6 routers released thus far have been pretty expensive devices, but today, TP-Link announced two new WiFi 6 routers that attempt to move in the other direction.
The Google-made device called Nest Wifi was leaked this morning with a few details on expansion. Nest Wifi will require a single base router and at least one (and likely several) beacons. Nest Wifi will reportedly be like other mesh wifi systems, but with the added benefit of microphones and speakers on each beacon for use with Google Assistant.
After a fair amount of build up, WiFi 6 certification is rolling out today. With this certification comes the promise of better and faster WiFi, just in time for the arrival of 5G and home networks powered by it. Of course, there are a number of manufacturers who didn't wait for the WiFi Alliance to launch this certification program, but now that it's here, devices can go through the process and carry official branding afterward.
While smartphone makers and network carriers are all hyping 5G, some of those are also pushing for advancements in Wi-Fi technology. Wi-Fi 6 is the battle cry of that industry but it seems that some tech companies are rallying behind a subset of that new spectrum. They're calling it VLP 6GHz short for Very Low Power 6 GHz Wi-Fi and it could be the kind of wireless connection that portable devices and services will need to truly thrive.
In the constant struggle to stand out in a sea of other smartphones from a variety of different manufacturers, Oppo and Vivo are both looking to make your smartphone's WiFi connection more reliable. Both companies (which are subsidiaries of BBK Electronics) have revealed that their flagship phones will both use Dual WiFi. Today, we got to see it in action thanks to a pair of videos those companies uploaded to Weibo.
The folks at AirTV are dead set on creating a television experience where everyone can have every single piece of programming available in the world, all at once. To do this, they've created the device "AirTV Mini", a device that connects to your television's HDMI port and connect with your OTA antenna and AirTV Wi-Fi-enabled network tuner.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 will be one of the first smartphones to support WiFi 6, the latest version of the wireless technology that promises more speed, range, and resilience to crowded networks. WiFi 6 is the new branding for 802.11ax, a WiFi upgrade so new, it's actually rare to find a router that supports it.
The simplification of elements having to do with smartphones in their current state seems to be the overarching theme of mobile tech today. The iterating of elements - screen size, shape, amount of cameras, piddly things - seem to be what's most important to smartphone manufacturers. What's it going to take to change the whole industry? Could a battery system that harvests radiation from Wi-fi to charge batteries do the trick?