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BearExtender Turbo equips older Macs with 802.11ac WiFi
BearExtender today announced the availability of the BearExtender Turbo (US$79.97, special launch pricing on Amazon of $69.97), which is a high-speed USB WiFi adapter for Mac that operates at up to 867 Mbps on the 5 Ghz 802.11ac band. While only 2013 model MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros and iMacs come with built-in 802.11ac support, the BearExtender Turbo makes it possible to give older Macs a way to take advantage of 802.11ac routers like the 2013 AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule. The BearExtender Turbo plugs into a USB 3.0 or 2.0 port, and can work with Macs running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard through 10.9 Mavericks. Roland Saekow of BearExtender noted that "BearExtender Turbo nearly triples the bandwidth available to earlier 802.11n equipped Macs, and doubles the speed for 2012 Mac models with 450 Mbps 802.11n." TUAW readers are reminded that their internet speeds and bandwidth may be limited by their internet service provider and not by their WiFi network.
BearExtender Turbo starts shipping today for $80, brings 802.11ac WiFi to older Macs
Yes, it took a little longer than we originally expected. But, starting today, BearExtender is finally making its 802.11ac WiFi adapter available to Apple laptop and desktop owners who are missing out on the novel wireless standard. Much like the company's BearExtender 1200, the Turbo is also designed to add WiFi functionality to Mac computers. However, the BearExtender Turbo differentiates itself by supporting USB 3.0 and dual-band 802.11ac connectivity (2.4 and 5GHz), which is said to allow it to handle up to 867Mbps throughput speeds on the 5Ghz band. Naturally, BearExtender notes that this will depend on your internet service provider and the router being used -- for example, it recommends this year's AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule to achieve maximum performance. At $80, BearExtender's Turbo has potential to be a decent solution, one that could, perhaps, hold you over until you finally decide to upgrade to a new, 802.11ac-equipped machine.
BearExtender offers two new WiFi signal extenders
There's nothing worse for an internet power user than a weak WiFi signal. Maybe a bear attack, but if you're safely near WiFi, bear attacks shouldn't be a problem. But thanks to BearExender's two new WiFi signal extenders, you can attack your weak WiFi signal problems with the metaphorical power of a bear. There are two new options available, the BearExtender 1200 and BearExtender Turbo. The 1200 model is an improved version of the earlier BearExtender release and reportedly adds 70 percent more power to your signal boosting options, thanks to a new, high-gain 5 dBi antenna. It will set you back about US$50 when it arrives this fall. For users in need of a little 802.11ac functionality, the BearExtender Turbo will be the weapon of choice. While the Turbo will also be hitting stores this autumn, no price has been announced for the add-on yet. If you often find yourself bemoaning a weak signal, or wishing you could throw your router to the bears, maybe you should consider picking up a BearExtender.
BearExtender has two new WiFi signal extenders for your Apple laptop
Stop worrying: BearExtender is not in the business of enabling the bear population, but rather WiFi signal strengthening. The company's two latest products -- the BearExtender 1200 and BearExtender Turbo (how's that for a name?) -- offer that service in two different flavors. The 1200 is a much stronger version of the company's previously released BearExtender, adding "70 percent more power" to signal boosting, while the Turbo is specifically designed to bring 802.11ac functionality to Macs. Both arrive this fall, with the 1200 ($50) landing in mid-August and the Turbo (not priced yet) available in October. Again, neither is designed to extend the reach of murderous bears, nor is the Turbo designed to speed up said murderous bears. That said, it's best to keep an eye out and stay vigilant.
BearExtender turns its product mini at Macworld | iWorld 2012
Just before I headed out of San Francisco at the end of Macworld | iWorld last week, I met up with a few of the guys from BearExtender, who make an impressive product that will boost the Wi-Fi signal coming into your Mac. The guys were in San Francisco to show off the BearExtender Mini, which will eventually replace the current product. The reason it will replace the standard BearExtender (so named, by the way, because it was developed for dorms at the University of California Berkeley, where the network is in fact called AirBears) is that it's just better. The standard Bear Extender runs at 700 milliwatts, where the mini is about half the size of the original product, and runs at 1000 milliwatts. Your MacBook typically receives Wi-Fi at a range of about 200-400 feet maximum. The BearExtender expands that to about 1500 feet, which is a sizable difference. That varies, of course, depending on what kind of building you're in and your line of sight to the core signal. The Bear guys gave me a demonstration using Macworld | iWorld's press Wi-Fi network, which they boosted from a 50% signal all the way up to 100% The BearExtender Mini should be out sometime in February, and should run about the same price as the current model, or US$49.97. I also asked the guys about a possible model for the iPad, but they said that because of Apple's restrictions on power usage from the iPad's docking port (likely because Apple wants to make sure battery life is as high as it can be), the BearExtender wouldn't be able to pull enough power to work well. But they had a solution ready to go anyway -- if you need to reach a signal on the iPad and have a Mac around, you can use the BearExtender on the Mac, and then share the connection over to the iPad. Finally, the guys had one more product on offer. The BearExtender Mini will sell with an optional powered cable that will extend the product out another 10 feet away from whatever USB port you're plugging it into. The power is required in the cable to keep the signal from degrading over that last 10 feet, and the cable will also help as an auxiliary antenna, to grow the reach even farther. There will be an extra charge for the cable, but it's clear the BearExtender team is very serious about making Wi-Fi signals reach where they need to go. If you're in a position (the guys say they've heard from soldiers in Afghanistan, and researchers out in the field as well) where you need to reach as far as possible for a Wi-Fi signal, the BearExtender setup is definitely worth a look.
BearExtender PC review
Signal. You can never get enough signal. Got full bars on your laptop? Something will come up, cause you to move, and then you'll be down to three, and then two, and before you know it your downloads will be failing and you'll be holding your device up and waving it around, hoping the fickle gods Micro and Wave will smile upon your plaintive dance while everyone else in the coffee shop sneers over mochas. You could avoid this scene with a BearExtender PC, a $45 device that will give you signal enough to curse them all and work out on the patio if you feel like it. Read on to see if it's worth it. %Gallery-110290%
Macworld 2010: Interview with Roland Saekow of BearExtender n3
At the TUAW booth on the Macworld show floor the other week, I was fortunate enough to interview Roland Saekow, the developer of the BearExtender n3, a product that replaces your Airport card giving any wireless network a much wider wireless range. The best part is that is sells for US $49.97, about one third the price of its competition. Roland and BearExtender n3 were nice enough to do a TUAW givaway that ended last week. The contest garnered over 600 comments from entrants, a huge number, which speaks to the general interest in the product. Roland has a fascinating story to tell, and you can see and hear him tell it by clicking on the 'Read More' link to watch the video it in Viddler. To see it on your iPhone or a Bluetooth-enabled iPod touch, you can click on this YouTube link. We apologize for the poor audio sync.
BearExtender n3 grabs WiFi from afar
We've seen a few WiFi extenders in our day, but the BearExtender n3 has a few critical advantages over the rest: it's cheap, effective, and, uh, legal. The $45 external WiFi adapter for Macs was developed by Roland Saekow, a Berkeley grad who wanted access to the campus "Airbears" network from wherever he was -- and it seems to do the trick, as TUAW's informal testing revealed stronger signals and higher throughput when using the BearExtender over internal WiFI. Sure, it's a little bulky, but that just makes you look hardcore, right?
