Items tagged with wi-fi-6
TP-Link is hoping to give your home network a speed boost with its new Archer AX73 router based on the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard introduced a few years ago. Pricing checks in at $200, so it is not a budget model by any stretch. However, on the surface it appears to offer some decent value for the asking price, particularly in terms of raw speed/bandwidth. First let's talk about Wi-Fi 6. Routers based on the Wi-Fi 6 standard are better equipped to handle multiple connected devices, by way of a technology called orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). This essentially shares channels to both increase network efficiency and reduce latency, for better all-around performance. The...
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As technology takes over the automotive space for more intelligent driving experiences, there are increasingly more powerful processing platforms to control various powertrain, infotainment, and safety subsystems. Such is the case with Qualcomm's new 4th generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platform. This new connected compute platform combines multiple sensors with computer vision, artificial intelligence, in a high-performance SoC. Qualcomm apparently is going all out, as the new Snapdragon Automotive Compute Platform is based on the 5nm process node, which is shared with the company's recently introduced Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform. The platform will tie together various functions...
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ASUS has unveiled a new mesh Wi-Fi system that promises to deliver wireless connectivity everywhere, securely. The product is called the ZenWifi AX Mini (XD4) and can be purchased in a package of three with coverage for up to 4800 square feet and more than five rooms. A smaller system promising to cover up to 3300 square feet and four or more rooms is also available as a two-pack. Both systems support true 8K streaming and Wi-Fi 6, with data throughput of 1800 Mbps. ASUS says that 1800 Mbps is up to 1.4x faster than Wi-Fi 5 routers. One caveat is that a compatible Wi-Fi 6 device is required to achieve those speeds, meaning devices that don't natively support Wi-Fi 6 won't get the full speed the...
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Just when you thought it was safe to upgrade to a Wi-Fi 6 router and complementing wireless devices, here we are with a new wave of Wi-Fi 6E chips that will be launching in new products later this year. For those not in the know, Wi-Fi 6E is a new version of Wi-Fi that leverages 6GHz spectrum that was the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened up for unlicensed use earlier this year. This is perhaps the biggest upgrade that Wi-Fi has seen since it first burst onto the scene in commercial products roughly two decade ago. Devices running on 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E will of course be backwards compatible with existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi solutions. Qualcomm is jumping into the Wi-Fi 6E fray with...
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It seems as though mesh Wi-Fi routers are all the rage these days, but AmpliFi is going a taking a slightly different approach with its new Alien router. At first glance, you can tell that AmpliFi is beating to a different drum compared to the rest of the industry, as the Alien has an integrated portrait-style touch screen display. The screen measures 4.7 inches diagonally (274x1268) and can display the time/date, network status, and the number of connected devices (among other things). The touch display even supports haptic feedback, which is something that we're more accustomed to in a smartphone than a router. AmpliFi has included a LED ring on the bottom of the unit that lights up when the...
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TP-Link has announced the launch of new WiFi 6 routers that it calls "highly affordable,” which include the Archer AX3000 and Archer AX1500. Both of them support 802.11ax wireless connectivity, which is WiFi 6. The Archer AX3000 has an Intel chipset and supports dual-band speeds of up to 3 Gbps, which is up to three times faster than the previous generation WiFi 5 connectivity. The router supports 1024-QAM and 160 MHz channels for faster data transfer. The router promises plenty of bandwidth for 4K and HD video streams. The AX3000 sells for $129.99 and will land in Walmart next week. Features include: Wi-Fi 6 powered by Intel Dual Core Processor 4 Stream AX3000 WiFi 2402 Mbps on 5 GHz and...
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Over the past few months, we have seen a spattering of Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) routers enter the fray, including the ASUS ROG GT-AX11000 and Netgear Nighthawk AX8, both of which we recently put to the test. There was a caveat to our testing, however—we had to benchmark them using Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) hardware, because at the time, Wi-Fi 6 had not yet really permeated the marketplace on the client side. That's to say, practically every modern device with Wi-Fi connectivity is sporting a Wi-Fi 5 adapter. In a sense, companies like ASUS and Netgear had put the cart before the horse. It is not that these companies are obtuse. Rather, they recognized where the market was headed and essentially got...
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We know that Google has a hardware event coming up next month, but what exactly will the company introduce? One of the items is rumored to be a new mesh router system, presumably built around the latest Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard. Assuming the info is accurate, it will be sold as a "Nest Wifi" system with accompanying beacons. Google already sells a mesh router called Google Wifi. Pricing starts at $99, which gets you the main router, which is covers up to 1,500 square feet. There is also a 3-pack available for $259. By the power of mesh networking, the 3-pack covers larger spaces, up to 4,500 square feet. Citing sources who are apparently familiar with the matter, 9To5Google says a refreshed...
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Faster wireless technology is officially ready as the Wi-Fi Alliance announced that Wi-Fi Certified 6 is here. New devices that launch under Wi-Fi 6 are IEEE 802.11ax compliant and bring with them new features and capabilities. The Wi-Fi Alliance says that the new wireless standard offers users "substantially greater" overall performance under challenging environments like stadiums, airports, and industrial parks. Wi-Fi 6 promises security, and interoperability with capacity, performance, and latency improvements compared to past standards. Wi-Fi 6 devices support peak performance in demanding conditions for enterprise users, like those requiring low power and low latency for smart homes or industrial...
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Home networking has not traditionally been a sexy affair, though more recently, router makers have released spiffy looking models with easy setup routines and whole home coverage. Keeping the modern vibe going, Netgear on Friday announced the release of its Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh System, which is a fancy way of saying it's a bundle of two Wi-Fi 6 wireless routers for broad coverage. Sleek and relatively attractive (as far as routers go), the Orbi WiFi 6 models utilize mesh networking to offer wireless coverage for large homes, up to 5,000 square feet. While they look identical, one of the units is the main router, and the other is a satellite that you would place in a separate location. The advantage...
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We are no longer on the cusp of Wi-Fi 6 (otherwise known as 802.11ax) connectivity -- it has arrived -- just not in earnest yet. It will take some time before the Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) standard is truly shoved aside in favor of the new kid on the block, the one that is faster and more adept at juggling multiple wireless devices simultaneously. Nevertheless, early adopters who want to live on the bleeding edge have options. One of them is the beastly ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 we will be showing you here. As you might have surmised from the ROG branding, the GT-AX11000 is geared towards power users and gamers. That is also evident by the physical design, which we will discuss in a bit. In terms...
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Qualcomm is one of the leaders in the Wi-Fi chipset business and the company is updating its product stack with new Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) offerings that are marketed under the Networking Pro family (supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands). As with Qualcomm's family of popular Snapdragon SoCs for smartphones, there are four separate SKUs with increasing levels of performance and features. But before we get into the nitty gritty regarding the specs of Qualcomm's new Wi-Fi 6 chipsets, maybe we should give you a quick refresher on what exactly Wi-Fi 6 brings to the table compared to its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). Wi-Fi 6 adds support for uplink and downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple...
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There is a fledgling wireless standard that effectively renders the vast majority of home networks out of date -- don't panic though, your stuff isn't necessarily obsolete. It is called Wi-Fi 6, if using the simplified nomenclature that the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced last year, or 802.11ax if you want to stick with the more technical (and potentially confusing for the average consumer) description. Either way, what we have is a bleeding-edge standard that router makers are just now starting to adopt, one that is better equipped to handle the growing number of wireless devices that are commonly found in our homes (PCs and laptops, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, smart speakers, and so forth)....
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Netgear on Tuesday announced four new high-end Wi-Fi 6 wireless routers for increasingly connected homes. The expanded lineup arrives as households see an increasing number of gadgets vie for bandwidth, from PCs and game consoles, to smartphones and a growing base of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This is where Wi-Fi 6 is designed to shine. Otherwise known as 802.11ax under the old nomenclature, Wi-Fi 6 does not just bring faster speeds compared to Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), but also better handling of multiple devices simultaneously. This is accomplished through a technology called Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM). "Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) enables efficient...
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As video and image files grow with higher resolution cameras and sensors, it takes an increasing amount of bandwidth to transfer those files around a wireless network. To support the need for faster transfer speeds, the Wi-Fi Alliance is working on ever faster Wi-Fi technology. It has announced Wi-Fi 6, the designation for devices that support the 802.11ax standard. The introduction of Wi-Fi 6 marks the beginning of the Wi-Fi Alliance using generational names for certification programs for all major IEEE 802.11 releases. That means instead of devices being called 802.11ax compatible, they will be called Wi-Fi Certified 6. The new numerical naming convention will be applied retroactively to previous...
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