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D-Link ships its AC1200 802.11ac WiFi router / thermos doppelganger
True, D-Link's AC1200 may better resemble the container keeping your coffee hot at work than a traditional WiFi router, but it remains a rare take on networking design that's frankly appreciated. We're glad to report, then, that it's shipping to stores. The device (seen in the middle) is the more affordable of D-Link's two 2013-era 802.11ac routers at its $130 street price, keeping costs in check by peaking at at more modest 867Mbps speed with the new standard and 300Mbps on old-fashioned 802.11n. It still dishes out wireless on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands, offers wired connections to four gigabit Ethernet devices and shares content from drives attached to its lone USB 3.0 port. When devices like the HTC One and Galaxy S 4 are arriving with 802.11ac built-in, we'd say the AC1200 is a timely solution -- just don't pack it with your office lunch.
Linksys reveals a trio of 802.11ac WiFi routers with beamforming, and a USB adapter to match
Like most of its peers, Cisco's Linksys badge started off modestly in the 802.11ac WiFi world last year, offering just one router and one bridge for early adopters. It's taking the complete plunge in 2013 with three new routers and a USB adapter. The AC 1200 (EA6300), AC 1600 (EA6400) and AC 1750 (EA6700) routers all introduce beamforming, which optimizes the signal path and theoretically doubles the real-world speeds versus many past routers. The trio likewise carries gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 to maximize the speed for wired and shared devices, although you'll need to upgrade to higher-end models to enjoy brisker wireless speeds. The AC 1200 tops out at 867Mbps on 5GHz airspace, while springing for the AC 1600 or AC 1750 supplies the 802.11ac spec's full 1.3Gbps capacity; Linksys' lone USB adapter, the AC 580, tops out at a relatively pokey 433Mbps. A few software tricks are also up the company's sleeve with the new routers. It's possible to set up any of them with a phone or tablet, in addition to a tap of an NFC-based card that's now included in the box. Life gets easier once everything's up and running, too -- a new visual network map provides a better sense of just where any bandwidth bottlenecks might be. Linksys hasn't given pricing for any of the upgraded WiFi devices, although it's just as well when they won't ship until the spring. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
D-Link launches a raft of routers, cloud cameras at CES
Unfortunately for D-Link, the unbroken blue skies of Nevada aren't helping the company promote its latest raft of cloud-connected networking products. It's launching a pair of coke cans dual band routers and cloud-connected cameras that'll let you coat your house in WiFi and broadcast your antics across the internet. The cameras will save VGA footage to a hard drive, while the routes promise to offer speeds of up to 1750Mbps. If you want an impromptu security system, the cameras will arrive in February, the 1050 setting you back $80 and the 1150 a cool $100, while the routers make their way into stores from April -- the AC1200 costing $150 and the AC1750 marked up at $170. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub. Dana Murph contributed to this report.
