Articles about Network

Today is officially the day -- BetaNews is celebrating its 20th birthday! While people typically get presents on their birthday, we are flipping the script a bit. To celebrate the occasion, we will be doing giveaways all month long. This is our way to thank our dear readers for two decades of loyalty. Whether you have been a reader since the beginning or you are new to the site, we wish you luck in our many June giveaways.

The first giveaway is a really exciting new product from Linksys -- the all new Velop Dual-Band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System. If you aren't familiar with mesh networking, please know its like having a router with super-long range. How does it work? Several access points -- in this case three -- work together to blanket your home in glorious Wi-Fi. We have one system to award as a prize, with the value being $299.

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Quality routers don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Nowadays, believe it or not, a solid Wi-Fi router can be had for under $100. No, these aren't using outdated specifications -- they are 802.11ac.

Today, TP-Link launches a new router that is shockingly affordable. The "Archer A7," as it is called, features dual band 802.11ac, a USB 2.0 port, three high-power antennas, and gigabit Ethernet. Despite its low cost, it has Amazon Alexa integration too. You can even manage the router settings using a smartphone app -- in addition to the web interface.

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If you have ever experienced spotty or weak Wi-Fi coverage in your home, you know just how frustrating it can be. Look, like it or not, we all crave to be connected to the internet at all times these days. When we can't connect, it can feel like pure misery (first-world problems, I know). Yeah, you can buy range extenders or run Ethernet cable, but that can be a pain in the butt.

Thankfully, mesh networking is here to save the day. If you aren't familiar, this is is where several access points are used simultaneously to blanket a home in Wi-Fi. Then, your devices will seamlessly connect to the closest/strongest access point automatically -- you don't have to manually select them when moving about. Linksys has its own such solution called "Velop," and today, it announces a new lower-cost dual-band variant which joins its existing tri-band offering.

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Mesh networking systems are all the rage these days, and it isn't hard to see why. Traditional wireless routers can be deficient in large houses, failing to reach all of the rooms. It can be quite frustrating to experience dead zones in your home, and fiddling with range extenders can be annoying. Mesh networks blanket your home in glorious Wi-Fi by utilizing several well-placed access points.

Today, ASUS unveils its latest mesh networking system. Called "Lyra Trio," it is comprised of three AC1750 access points. The 802.11ac devices are pyramid-shaped and contain vertical 3x3 MIMO antennas. If you don't have experience with setting up a home network, don't worry -- you can use a special smartphone app (Android and iPhone) to do so easily.

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Network control company Infoblox is announcing an enhanced partnership with McAfee to offer organizations an increased level of sophisticated threat intelligence, as well as faster response time to combat cyber threats.

Using a combination of behavioral analytics, machine learning and up-to-date threat intelligence data at the DNS layer, the comprehensive solution can identify potentially infected devices and block DNS-based data exfiltration, including zero-day attacks.

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With Net neutrality in the midst of upheaval, there are significant changes afoot for both businesses and consumers in terms of internet access and control. New rules are expected to create differing service categories, allowing ISPs to prioritize access and bandwidth for certain customers. This will undoubtedly create confusion in the market leaving IT executives to make adjustments based on any new restrictions. To be ready, IT leaders would be well-served to keep the following in mind:

Threat factor #1: Internet fast lanes with potentially higher prices

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Managing security policy can be a headache for organizations with lots of users. But now business-driven security policy management specialist AlgoSec is launching an as-a-service policy management solution.

AlgoSaaS allows enterprise organizations to quickly and easily get the benefits of cloud-based security service offerings. It needs minimal end-user maintenance and is scalable to cope with business growth.

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In many households and small businesses, there are gigabit Ethernet devices in use. Believe it or not, most of them are not being used to their full potential. Why? Well, most internet providers don't offer service that can saturate it. Where 1Gbps hardware can be beneficial, however, is for sharing files between hardwired devices on a network, such as PCs and NAS. With the prevalence of Wi-Fi, that is largely a rarity these days.

With all of that said, there are cases where 1Gbps connections are being used fully by home and business users. On top of that, sometimes even more speed is desired. Luckily, cards capable of 10Gbps are becoming both more popular and affordable. Today, QNAP launches the QXG-10G1T -- a 10GBASE-T PCI-E network interface controller for QNAP NAS devices plus Windows and Linux computers.

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Growing complexity is a major issue in securing and managing corporate wide area networks according to a new survey.

The study by software-based networking and security specialist Versa Networks shows 68 percent of respondents think deploying and managing network security devices at branch locations is the most challenging aspect of WAN management, followed by increasing costs (53 percent) and information security risks at branch locations (49 percent).

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The wireless router is the number one technology US consumers can’t live without for more than day, according to managed services provider iQor.

A working router is necessary for consumers to enjoy smart devices and the connected lifestyle, including smart TVs and streaming devices, multiplayer gaming, tablets, voice controlled virtual assistants and smart speakers, IoT-enabled security systems, and more. According to the survey 64 percent of US adults say they couldn’t be without Wi-Fi for a day.

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As businesses increasingly turn to cloud solutions they rely more on encryption to protect their data. Gartner predicts by 2019, 80 percent of web traffic will be encrypted, but that leads to a problem as it can allow malware to travel undetected.

Detecting malicious content in encrypted traffic is difficult without decrypting it, forcing network operators to choose between privacy and security. A new solution from network specialist Cisco solves this conundrum by allowing traffic to be scanned without decrypting it.

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We are living in very scary times, and I'm only referring to technology. Concerns about nuclear war and unstable world leaders aside, our computers and devices are like Swiss cheese nowadays thanks to Spectre and Meltdown. Hell, there are hardcoded backdoors in consumer devices! What a sad state of affairs...

If you want to help keep your home network safe, a quality router is always a smart purchase. Not only do you want something that is reliable, but it should be from a reputable manufacturer that issues regular updates. One such company is D-Link, and today, it unveils a new 802.11ac wireless router that leverages the McAfee Secure Home Platform to keep you safe. Called "DIR-2680," it features an absolutely gorgeous industrial design that, quite frankly, makes it appear as something other than a router entirely.

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The new DS218+ is the most impressive NAS in Synology's two-bay range for home users. It's got powerful hardware and lots of features that you expect in the high-end segment, like a versatile operating system, a solid selection of ports, and support for 4K video streaming.

Those specs make it a very attractive option for power users and consumers who want a future-proofed NAS. Question is, does it have what it takes to also impress in real-life? I've tested the DS218+ to find out.

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Mesh networking is all the rage nowadays. If you aren't familiar with the concept, a mesh network links several access points into a single wireless network, providing improved range and speed. The problem with a mesh network, however, is that it requires you to purchase all new hardware. If you already own a great router, but need to eliminate a dead zone in your home, it might not make sense to invest in mesh right now.

If you love your existing router but want to expand your Wi-Fi coverage, a range extender is a smart buy. It is a device that connects wirelessly to your existing router and then provides access to your dead or spotty zones. Today, Linksys unveils one of the most beautiful such devices. The "RE9000 Max-Stream Tri-Band AC3000 Wi-Fi Range Extender," as it is called, has four antennas and promises to improve your home's Wi-Fi coverage. It can also serve as an access point to convert up to four hardwired gigabit device connections into wireless. Linksys even provides a useful app to help you find optimal placement of the extender -- nice.

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A new survey of IT security professionals reveals that 92 percent of respondents say employees at their organizations try to access information that is not necessary for their day-to-day work.

The study from identity management company One Identity also shows that IT security professionals themselves are among the worst offenders for corporate data snooping. One in three respondents admit to having accessed sensitive information that is not necessary for their day-to-day work -- showing an ongoing abuse of elevated rights given to the IT security role.

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