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Razer claims Sila is the fastest gaming router you can buy
It's not always easy to hook up your console or PC to a wired internet connection to make sure your online gaming endeavors are as seamless as possible -- especially if your modem is on the other side of the house. WiFi can be unreliable, but Razer may have cracked the code with what it claims is the fastest gaming-focused router on the scene.
The CIA has been rooting around in your WiFi router
A recent Wikileaks document dump revealed that the CIA has been hacking wireless routers. The documents suggest it has been going on for years and as many as 25 devices from 10 different manufacturers were targeted.
Samsung squeezed a smart home hub into a WiFi router
Samsung isn't content with simply unveiling the Galaxy S8 today. In addition to its latest flagship phone, the company is also showing off a new Gear 360 camera, a desktop dock and, interestingly enough, a router. The Connect Home Smart Wi-Fi System is a mouthful of a name, but the device itself may actually reduce clutter in your home, since it removes the need for a separate SmartThings Hub. Samsung hasn't shared information on price and availability yet, but we do know the Connect Home system will be sold on its own or in a three-pack. A so-called Pro version will also be available.
Engadget giveaway: Win a Portal WiFi router!
Not only do many of us tax the limits of our bandwidth and routers, but if you're in a crowded environment and scan networks, you'll often see a long list of neighboring ones all up in your space -- Bill Wi the Science Fi anyone? Portal has come up with a method to avoid the noise by using more channels of the 5GHz WiFi spectrum than other devices. These FastLanes, as they're called, help your data move along without any neighboring interference, making them ideal for crowded environments. Plus, the onboard WiFi AutoPilot continuously monitors your network and optimizes data lanes to avoid congestion. A Portal WiFi router is capable of covering 3,000 square feet on its own, but since they're mesh network-capable, you can easily expand your coverage area with additional units. This week, Portal has provided us with three of its breakthrough devices for a trio of lucky readers. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a Portal WiFi router. Winners: Congratulations to Bobby O. of Independence, KY; Nathaniele W. of Valdosta, GA and Sean C. of Campbell River, BC!
Netgear WiFi routers are vulnerable to more security exploits
Netgear's WiFi router security woes aren't quite over yet. Researchers at Trustwave are drawing attention to two vulnerabilities that lets anyone recover your router's administrative password, opening the door to botnets and other hostile takeovers. You're only susceptible to internet attacks if you've enabled administration from outside the network, but anyone who can connect to the local network can take advantage of it. And there's a real chance that you're affected -- about 31 models are at risk, including higher-end models like the Nighthawk X8 you see here.
The Linksys EA9500 pierced my apartment's WiFi-proof walls
I live in a two-bedroom San Francisco apartment built in 1916. It has a view of the bay and the top of the Golden Gate bridge. There's crown molding, high ceilings and some pretty dope neighbors. It should be perfect. And it is -- if you're cool with plaster walls blocking 90 percent of all WiFi signals.
AVG is crowdfunding a router, but wait for its privacy policy
Antivirus company AVG is taking to Indiegogo to crowdfund a router called Chime that it believes will fix your home's WiFi issues. Solitarily, a Chime is a fairly simple 802.11ac dual-band router. Used together, multiple Chimes can instantly band together and blanket your house in a strong signal by utilizing the same Mesh WiFi systems you'll find in office buildings, malls and airports. It's not the first company to offer Mesh WiFi to consumers -- San Francisco startup Eero's boxes ostensibly do exactly the same thing -- but AVG believes the additional security features offered by Chime will be enough to persuade users to jump aboard.
ASUS has the world's fastest WiFi router... for now
Hey look, a new router from ASUS and, apparently, it is super, super fast. According to the Taiwanese company, its RT-AC87 is "the world's first" with Wave 2 features, which bring better reliability, major speed boosts and overall performance improvements to the 802.11ac generation of WiFi routers -- one that, by the way, has yet to break through to the mainstream. Thanks to this novel technology, ASUS' RT-AC87 can beam out 5 GHz signals with up to 1.73 Gbps speeds, making it a great option for someone who has a lot of different 802.11ac-equipped devices under a single roof. People that, you know, love watching stuff on Netflix, like to livestream games to the internet or just have too many connected things happening all at once. The RT-AC87 will be available "shortly" for $270, though it'll be limited to North America. For the time being, ASUS can enjoy having the speediest router in town, at least until D-Link, Netgear, Belkin and the rest of them show up to the party.
There's no such thing as too many antennas for ASUS' high-end router
Six antennas, apparently delivering up to 3,200 Mbps. Those are some impressive credentials, especially from the typically sleepy world of wireless routers. ASUS reckons its new six-pronged WiFi brick is not at all sleepy either: The RT-AC3200 will come with an adaptive Quality of Service feature that allows users to manage their bandwidth and traffic, working on tri-band 802.11ac. Meanwhile, AiRadar will apparently intelligently strengthen and tweak your wireless coverage. ASUS is promising that this will give improved signal stability, range and optimal speeds. If it sounds like something that could need technical support and a lengthy troubleshooting phone call, rest assured, ASUS is promising a 30-second set-up time that's friendly to router rookies. There's no pricing alongside the technical specifications, but we reckon it could well be the kind of router you'd likely need to make the most of Google Fiber and similar high-speed internet connections.
Satechi makes world travel easier with Smart Travel Router and Adapter
As a bona fide world traveler (yeah, I know -- only 50 countries so far), I love to see new products that make life easier for gadget-toting travelers. Now Satechi has come out with a multi-tasker that should find its way into a lot of gizmo bags. The Smart Travel Router and Adapter (US$44.99 introductory price) is a mashup of that staple of international travel -- the plug adapter -- and a WiFi router. The charger / adapter works in more than 150 countries. It's a plug adapter, so there's no voltage / frequency conversion, but most modern electronics chargers work equally well on 220V / 50Hz and 120V / 60Hz systems. This gives you one AC power port and a 2.1A USB port that can be used simultaneously to charge a couple of devices. The travel router is really useful, creating an IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless network from an Ethernet connection. There are four router modes available, allowing everything from traditional secure router functions to acting as a network extender. The Smart Travel Router and Adapter is available for purchase from Satechi's website and Amazon.
Netgear intros sharing-savvy N750 Premium Edition router, powerline and WiFi adapters for media fans
Netgear is giving its home networking the same sort of tuneup going into the fall that you'd give your car -- not a complete overhaul, but enough to keep it running in top form. Headlining the pack, the N750 Premium Edition router you're looking at above upgrades the original N750 through a better ability to play with others: the dual-band WiFi hotspot's ReadyShare file access expands to the cloud, while its USB support now envelops Apple's AirPrint and Time Machine as well as TiVo Storage. Media sharing mavens also get their own, more specific add-ons. The Powerline Media Extender can pipe audio (and USB printing or storage) over a 200Mbps link, with a major emphasis on AirPlay streaming; the N900 4-port WiFi Adapter is a slightly less exotic, 450Mbps wireless-to-Ethernet bridge for multi-device home theaters. If Netgear's refresh is tempting enough to prompt a trade-up, you can snag the N750 Premium Edition immediately for $120 or wait until September and October for the respective launches of the N900 adapter for $80 and the Powerline Music Extender in its single pack ($99) or dual-device starter kit ($139) editions.
D-Link expands Cloud lineup with two new routers and NAS drive
D-Link is expanding its Cloud lineup today, announcing two new routers and a two-bay NAS device. The Cloud Gigabit Router N300 is capable of up to 300 Mbps, while the Cloud Gigabit Router N600 hits 600 Mbps. Both products include a USB port for sharing content over a network, along with DLNA support and Gigabit Ethernet ports. The routers will also feature the company's mydlink Cloud Services functionality, which lets users keep tabs on their networks via an app for Android and iOS. D-Link also introduced the new ShareCenter 2-bay Cloud NAS, which supports up to 3TB hard drives and handles RAID 1, RAID 0, Standard and JBOD configurations. Like the two routers, the 2-bay Cloud NAS offers DLNA support and works with the mydlink mobile app for monitoring your network remotely. According to SlashGear, the N300 will go for £64.99 (about $100), while the N600 will cost you £84.99 (about $131). The NAS should set you back about £89.99 ($139), and all three devices will be available for pre-order on July 16th.
Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video)
Cisco won't be the fastest out of the gate with an 802.11ac WiFi router, but it's certainly one of the most ambitious. The dual-band Linksys EA6500 and a companion, single-band Universal Media Connector network bridge hike the bandwidth up to 802.11ac's 1.3Gbps peak, each of them carrying their own quartet of gigabit Ethernet jacks. A pair of USB ports on the EA6500 should make sharing storage that much faster as well. If you ask Cisco, however, the real highlight is the new Cisco Connect Cloud app platform. Not unlike Novatel's MiFi apps, the software helps either manage the router itself (think parental controls) or tap into other devices around the home, including AirPlay sharing and remote camera monitoring. There's even a new SimpleTap hardware integration platform that will pair third-party WiFi gear like Onkyo receivers to a router through Android and iOS smartphone apps. Eventually, that should include a gentle NFC-based nudge. A Linksys Developer Community is starting now with six app developers already lined up, and support is due for any access point Cisco deems worthy of the Smart Wi-Fi Router name. That said, you'll have to wait awhile if you want the 802.11ac tag attached to that router at the same time. The currently-without-a-price EA6500 doesn't hit shops until early August; you'll have to wait until September for the equally priceless Universal Media Connector. %Gallery-159086%
D-Link unveils Cloud Router 1200 and 2000, dishes out WiFi in tube form
We'll admit: one of the biggest appeals for us in D-Link's new Cloud Router 1200 and 2000 is that tube shape, which is a nice break from the amorphous blobs we're used to as our WiFi routers. Not to say that there aren't convincing technical reasons to like them. Both will let you remotely administrate the 802.11n router's devices from an Android or iOS app, and they both carry four gigabit Ethernet jacks as well as a USB port for some network media storage. The differences lay exclusively in the wireless support, where the single-band 1200 caters to the frugal set at 300Mbps and the simultaneous dual-band 2000 hums along at 600Mbps. Thankfully, the prices of the just-shipping access points are both about right for what you get: the Cloud Router 1200 is a cheap and cheerful $60, and the 2000 won't strain the wallet much more at $100. You can catch the full details of our new cylindrical overlords friends after the break.
Netgear melds 802.11ac WiFi with cable modem, gives us a cable gateway we'd actually like
If you're reading this, you're likely the sort who looks down on the hybrid cable modem and WiFi gateway your cable company foists upon you: it's like setting your wireless network in stone. Netgear is hoping to make that all-in-one experience a little more pleasurable by merging the best of two very fast worlds. It's planning to show a cable gateway (not pictured yet) that unites a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem, no slouch in itself, with even speedier 802.11ac WiFi to share the connection in the home. The router side has all the familiar extras, such as DLNA media sharing, guest networks and shared USB storage, but it's clear the real perk is simply making sure the hundreds of megabits per second in bandwidth from that cable pipe carry through to your future laptops and tablets. Netgear hasn't said how close it might be to shipping the cable gateway, but it'll be showing the practical device at the ANGA Cable trade show this week -- along with a 1.2Gbps download, 320Mbps upload cable modem that could give even Google Fiber a run for its money.
Apple slips out new AirPort Express with simultaneous dual-band WiFi (update: photo!)
Tucked in amidst talk of new MacBook Air and conventional MacBook Pro updates, Apple has trotted out a new AirPort Express. The new pocket WiFi router has a reworked design -- not unlike a white Apple TV -- as well as newfound support for simultaneous dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless. That's certainly good news if you want separate public and private hotspots when you're online at the hotel. The audio-out jack and USB 2.0 port are still there to share your sound or printing, and there's an extra Ethernet jack to feed wired devices. It's available now, and the $99 asking price certainly hits a sweet spot.
Buffalo beats others to the 802.11ac WiFi punch, ships 1.3Gbps router and bridge
As intrigued as we were by the Netgear R6300's high-bandwidth chops, it won't be the one to claim the early 802.11ac WiFi crown with a shipping product. That distinction is instead going to a Buffalo AirStation router and a matching bridge, both of which should be on shelves now. Either can hit the eye-watering 1.3Gbps peak speed of the standard if you get cozy on the 5GHz band -- and if you have a computer or mobile device that recognizes the spec, for that matter. The duo still has a more leisurely paced 2.4GHz, 450Mbps WiFi option as well as a quartet of Ethernet jacks if you prefer your gigabit speeds the old-fashioned way. Both the router and the bridge will set you back $180 each, so there's not much of a penalty versus high-end alternatives to satisfy your need for network speed.
Netgear at CES 2012: Powerline, wireless routers, home networking and more
As it seems to do every year, Netgear's chosen the Consumer Electronics Show to unveil, well... everything under the sun. Up first, the outfit's launching its WN2500RP, a universal dual-band WiFi range extender ($89.99) that runs both 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands concurrently. Over on the home networking side, the Powerline 500 Nano and N900 convert a conventional wall outlet into a high-speed network connection, with the former shipping this quarter for $119.99 and the latter this summer for $79.99. Over on the non-product side, Netgear's trumpeting its reception of CableLabs DOCSIS 3.0 certification for the industry's first voice and data gateways (CGD3700B / CGE3700B) with concurrent dual-band WiFi. Head on past the break for specifics across the whole line.
Asus to launch 5 new routers, moving data never looked so good
It may just sit in the corner, silently feeding you internet, but why can't it look good while doing it? Asus is one step ahead of us with this one by extending its Black Diamond design to a new range of five more room enhancing products. The baby of the bunch, the RT-N10 LX, stylishly serves up bog standard 802.11n, while the undoubted prom queen is the RT-N66U which brings simultaneous dual band and gigabit speed L/WAN speeds to the packet shifting party. Two more equally svelte models -- the RT-N10 LX and RT-N15 -- cater for those networking inbetweeners, and finally, for those that accessorize, a dual band USB dongle squeezes in 2x2 MIMO as well as matching perfectly with those new shoes you bought.
Netgear's N900 dual-band router hits 900Mbps top speed, pats itself on the back
Stopping just short of bundling its announcement with an "Eye of the Tiger" MP3, Netgear's rolling out the hyperbole carpet for its now available N900. Heralding it as "the most advanced wireless home router," the sleekly-designed $180 box packs six antennas for an extended WiFi range, and is capable of speeds up to 900Mbps -- that's with both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands delivering data at a full 450Mbps. Sure, TRENDnet's already called First! with its own 450Mbps concurrent dual-band device, but the real focus here is on the added extras. In addition to the two USB ports -- capable of 30% faster transfer rates -- Netgear's thrown in a suite of goodies, like its Genie network monitoring application, Live Parental Controls, printer sharing, video stream optimization, DLNA, gigabit wired ethernet, guest access, WPA and WPA2 security protocols, usage meter and, lastly, a shutoff timer. Clearly, this isn't your ordinary wireless router, and that's exactly the company's point. Click on past the break for the official presser.
