wifi

Wi-Fi is pretty much the wireless technology that binds us all to the Internet. Given the prevalence of laptops and mobile devices and the costs of cellular data like LTE, Wi-Fi is still the preferred way to connect to the Internet both at home and outside. So much so that when the KRACK vulnerability was discovered, there was an even bigger panic than with Meltdown and Spectre. While those holes have mostly been patched up, the Wi-Fi Alliance, the caretakers of the technology, quickly moved to finalize WPA3, the first Wi-Fi security update since 2003.

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TP-Link has a new mesh router on the scene, and it seems to do a little bit of everything. Today the company revealed the Deco M9 Plus, a tri-band router that can cover the same area with fewer nodes than previous releases in the Deco line. Beyond that, the Deco M9 Plus has a few tricks up its sleeve as well.

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Wi-Fi meshes are now the hot thing in home networking. Once just a feature in offices and more sophisticated environments, home networks have become just as complicated to require their assistance. There is no shortage of Wi-Fi meshes from popular router and networking equipment makers, but, while more open and flexible, they may not always work with ISPs proprietary technologies. That is why Comcast has just launched their own xFi Pods mesh system so that XFinity subscribers won't have to look elsewhere or give anyone else their money.

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Mesh WiFi systems promise to spread wireless internet access to every dead-zone in your house or office, but now the Wi-Fi Alliance wants to make them play nicely together, too. Systems like Google Wifi, eero, and Linksys Velop are all designed to support multiple units - or mesh nodes - to which your phones, laptops, consoles, and IoT gadgets connect to for ubiquitous coverage, but so far you've had to commit to one brand.

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The US is home to several ultra-low cost airlines, one of them being Spirit Airlines. The carrier has announced that it will be the first budget airline to offer in-flight WiFi, though customers won't have access to it until next summer. Once available, travelers will have access to the network on all Spirit flights via tech partner Thales Group.

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Home WiFi company eero has announced the launch of eero Labs, a way for customers to get access to features that are still being tested. eero calls the new Labs an "innovation playground." The first beta feature to be made available under the program is called Smart Queue Management (SQM), a way for devices on the network to share bandwidth "simply and fairly."

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Netgear has a new mesh router in its Orbi line-up, but as well as filling in dead-spots in your home WiFi, it also wants to save you money. The new Netgear Orbi Tri-Band WiFi Cable Modem Router System combines the mesh networking of the other Orbi routers with a built-in cable modem.

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We have come to a point where regular home routers are no longer sufficient for, well, homes. Increased Internet use, multiple devices, and nontrivial room layouts require nontrivial equipment. That's were WiFi meshes come in, expanding and extending your home network to accommodate all your browsing, streaming, and gaming needs. The latest to join that growing market is Linksys, who is expanding its Velop WiFi Mesh system with a new line that has one less WiFi band in exchange for shaving a few hundred dollars off the price tag.

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Apple may be killing its AirPort router family, but there are some great mesh networking replacements that promise just as much convenience but even more speed. Rather than focusing on a single box to which every WiFi device in your home is connected, mesh routers use two or more units in different locations, spreading coverage in the name of keeping performance at its best. Read on for our top four picks.

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Apple will stop selling its AirPort routers soon, bringing an official end to the product line it hasn't updated in years. The discontinuation applies to the AirPort Express, Airport Extreme, and the AirPort Time Capsule models. Existing customers won't need to find an alternative in the near future, however, as Apple plans to continue supporting the products for a few more years.

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There is very little these days that differentiate homes and small offices in terms of network needs. Multiple devices, increased Internet usage, and nontrivial room layouts leave simple home routers ineffective. Sometimes you even need more than just one router to cover all your bases. For those instances, you'd want a WiFi mesh instead and ASUS is positioning its Lyra Trio, first revealed at CES 2018, as the perfect mix of power, ease of use, and peace of mind.

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There's a Hifi music player called HiBy R3 out in the wild this week, and it's made for Tidal alone. This is a mobile music player made by the folks at HiBy Music. It has a touchscreen and connects to Wi-Fi to play music specifically and solely through Tidal. It's not made by Tidal, but it works with its own version of the Tidal app - and that's it. This is the specificity you've been waiting for.

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