wifi

If you haven’t heard of WiGig yet, don’t fret. It might not matter anymore anyway. Advertised by the Wi-Fi Alliance last year as the future of Wi-Fi and the IoT industry, WiGig just lost one of its biggest supporters. Well, somewhat. Intel has just told partners that it will be discontinuing controllers and cards for what is formally known as 802.11ad Wi-FI. That said, what it isn’t saying, formally or otherwise, is that it may still plan to use WiGig for making wireless VR headsets not only possible but also usable.

Continue Reading

The growing number of devices in our homes and the complexity of home networks mean that conventional networking devices like simple routers are no longer enough. Once considered just something for geeks, mesh networks are starting to become more commercialized, easier to install and use. There will, however, always be a business around installing such networks for customers. To appeal to this professional installation market, eero is launching not just a new adapter and mount to let users install the Wi-Fi system anywhere they want as well as a remote management tool for keeping those networks in check.

Continue Reading

Many would agree that Facebook's mobile apps, in addition to the social network as a whole, is a bit bloated with useless, unnecessary features. Fortunately the newest one will definitely be handy when in a pinch. Called "Find Wifi," the feature lets users search for nearby businesses and locations that offer free WiFi for public use.

Continue Reading

No good idea in the tech world goes without replication, and while eero may have started the home mesh networking segment, it can't afford to rest on its laurels. Throw open your doors, therefore, to the second-generation eero and the new eero Beacon, promising more flexibility, a more competitive price, and more speed. Indeed, performance is said be as much as twice that of the original eero, which launched back in 2015.

Continue Reading

AT&T's Fixed Wireless Internet service has just expanded into 8 new states, extending connectivity options in more rural regions through the US. Fixed Wireless Internet is designed specifically for AT&T's rural customers, and involves the company installing an antenna on the customer's property that then works with the closest cell tower. The result is wireless Internet that is at least 10Mbps in speed.

Continue Reading

eero kick-started the home mesh WiFi revolution, now it's rolling out two new models and a subscription based filtering and security service to keep its edge. The 2nd-generation eero, eero Beacon, and optional eero Plus network protection package promise more speed, more safety, and even more flexibility. Still, they also take pains not to undermine the reputation for plug-and-play ease that eero has become known for.

Continue Reading

Routers may not be sexy but they can definitely be ambitious, with Qualcomm looking to replace your Echo, router, and smart home bridges with a single unit. The company unveiled its Mesh Networking Platform and Reference Design at Computex 2017 this week, an all-in-one that combines mesh networking, self-healing and -organizing configuration, voice agents like Alexa and Google Assistant, and all the radios to talk to your connected lights, locks, speakers, and more, in a single box.

Continue Reading

TP-Link has announced a new home WiFi system that seems to take security just as seriously as providing a consistent WiFi signal. Like many other WiFi systems these days, the Deco M5 creates a mesh network to keep your WiFi signal strong in every room of your home. While mesh networking may not be as new and exciting as it once was, TP-Link is hoping that Deco M5's built-in security features will pull customers away from the competition.

Continue Reading

A new collection of NETGEAR Orbi home internet hardware has been revealed with packages including routers and wall plug satellites. To make this extremely simple: the router sends the internet out into the users’ home, while the satellite picks up the signal and bounces it back, making it stronger throughout the area. Two new Orbi Tri-band WiFi Systems are coming to stores very soon, both made by NETGEAR.

Continue Reading

Mesh networking favorite Eero has cut the price of its router system, aiming to get its distributed WiFi system in as many homes as possible before adding more ambitious functionality. Launched a year ago, the unimposing white boxes led the charge in domestic mesh networks where, rather than a single router being the point of contact for every WiFi device, several act as nodes for broader coverage. That way, both speed and network availability is improved.

Continue Reading

Modern WiFi is fast, but Qualcomm's latest range of chips is all about getting best performance in the increasingly crowded wireless spectrum. The new Qualcomm 802.11ax chips - one for network infrastructure like routers and cars, and another for client devices like laptops and smartphones - promise up to four times the capacity for WiFi traffic. That more efficient use of the spectrum has big potential pay-offs, with the possibility of up to 4x the throughput and longer battery life from your device overall.

Continue Reading

Smarter routers with swifter response to malware and IoT exploits are a growing segment now, and Norton is wading in with its own striking wireless router. The Norton Core not only looks like a miniature Spaceship Earth from Epcot, but inside the geodesic dome there's a mixture of parental filters, real-time security scans, and automatic updates. Even the shape has been designed with practicality in mind.

Continue Reading