Razer embraces 5G with its Sila home router concept
Just don't expect to see one on sale anytime soon.
Turns out, not even Razer is immune to the hype surrounding 5G right now. In addition to its tiny, modular Tomahawk desktop, the company also revealed today it's been working on a home 5G router thanks to a little help (otherwise known as "some grant money") from the Singaporean government.
The router -- code-named Sila -- is pretty understated by Razer standards. It's just wide black cylinder with a hint of RGB lighting illuminating its base. Curiously, there's also a built-in battery inside the router so you could, say, lug it to a park and enjoy super-high-speed data connections on your laptop or portable gaming console. This being a Razer product, it probably comes as no surprise that the router also packs a handful of game-friendly features. Let's say you're about to sit down to burn a few hours on Xbox Live -- you can prioritize bandwidth to the Xbox over other gadgets. And when you migrate to your PC, you'll be able to use the iOS or Android companion to prioritize network performance for specific apps and games. (Too bad Razer couldn't show us how this works yet.)
Most importantly, the router uses a Qualcomm 5G radio that plays nice with both mmWave and sub-6 GHz 5G deployments; in other words, that means this router could feasibly convert 5G signals into WiFi far beyond just Singapore. We'd advise you don't hold your breath, though. The company's 5G developments efforts are still a long way from final and locking down carrier certifications is no small feat, so it'll be a while before we hear about this router (or something like it) officially launching. Long story short, don't expect Razer's first 5G routers to go on a world tour any time soon.
