River Networks is injecting a bit of
artificial intelligence (AI) into is Killer Intelligence Engine to bolster wireless connections. The general idea behind this is to constantly monitor and "score" Wi-Fi access points in order to ensure a user is connected to the best available one, thereby resulting in a stronger, faster, and more reliable connection.
According to Rivet Networks, simply moving to a better access point can have a dramatic impact on the wireless experience, reducing latency by up to 50 percent and increasing throughput by over 100 percent. I'm not sure where Rivet Networks plucked those specific figures from, though the company is correct in asserting a stronger access point is more desirable than a weaker one—it's not exactly rocket science.
So, how exactly does it work? Rivet Networks says its Killer Intelligence Engine uses AI to analyze and score all available access points, based on "several key wireless metrics." It's not clear what those metrics are, though I would guess signal strength is almost definitely the most heavily weighted one.
"If a
higher scoring access point becomes available, the Killer Intelligence Engine will
automatically switch the user to the better access point if it is on the same network. If
the better access point is on a different network, the Killer Intelligence Engine will
provide a 1-click method to switch to the better access point," River Networks explains.
River Networks contends that users have not had a good way to know if they are on the best available connection up until now. Incidentally, there are third-party programs capable of detecting nearby Wi-Fi signals and showing how strong each one is, and I'm not sure how this new AI ranking system differs, other than being integrated into the Killer ecosystem. However, Rivet Networks says the use of AI can "significantly improve" wireless performance.
This is something we will look into at a future date, especially after being impressed with the company's surprisingly affordable
Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 module. In the meantime, Rivet Networks says its upgraded Killer Intelligence Engine is available now for products from Acer, Dell/Alienware, Gigabyte, and MSI.