Articles about Wi-Fi

It is fair to say that the internet plays a huge role in our lives. It keeps you company, offering you many options to kill time during moments of boredom. It provides you with all the information you want in a matter of seconds. It also allows you to search for feel-good music and ASMR videos to help you relax at the end of a busy day.

Therefore, it has become almost impossible to find a home that does not have an internet connection. Most pubs and restaurants have followed suit, with Wi-Fi codes in plain sight at the bar to invite guests to take advantage of the building’s free internet access. In this respect, public transport is adapting and upgrading too.

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Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) used to be the future of wireless connectivity, but nowadays, it is the present. Yes, with more and more devices having Wi-Fi 6, now is the time to buy such a router if you haven't already. Look, with many of us spending more time at home nowadays -- including for work -- we all deserve to have a high-quality router, right?

Today, Linksys unveils its latest wireless router, and it is quite cute and stylish. Called "Hydra Pro 6" it supports Wi-Fi 6 and has a USB-A port on the rear for connecting a USB storage device. In other words, the router (SKU: MR5500) can pull double-duty as a makeshift NAS. Best of all, it has mesh support baked in, so you can set up a mesh network using other compatible Linksys products.

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When it comes to broadband internet, many parts of the USA are forced to use just one ISP as that is the only option. Sadly, whoever controls the wires that run into the homes has all the power. Even worse, in some rural areas, there are no wires going to homes, making broadband an impossibility. A local ISP may even ask you to shell out many thousands of dollars to cover the cost of running the cables from the street to your home.

Thankfully, 5G wireless can change all of this. Monopolistic companies that run wired ISPs have a current stranglehold, but that is coming to an end. Soon, 5G connectivity will be so ubiquitous, that it can serve not just as your smartphone's mobile internet, but your home's main internet too! Today, NETGEAR unveils a new networking solution to transform a 5G (or 4G LTE) wireless signal into whole-home Wi-Fi. The Orbi 5G WiFi 6 Mesh System (model number NBK752) even utilizes tri-band Wi-Fi!

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Regular Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is great, but Wi-Fi 6E is even better -- that's why many consumers wisely skipped Wi-Fi 6 and stuck with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) a bit longer. But wait, what exactly is the difference? Does that letter "E" really matter? Actually, yes, because it indicates the use of a 6GHz band -- a much-less crowded frequency compared to 2.4GHz or 5GHz. This extra bandwidth, lower latency, and reduced congestion is why Wi-Fi 6E is so exciting. 

To truly take advantage of this new standard, you will need both a router and clients with the capability. Today, NETGEAR announces the most exciting Wi-Fi 6E system yet. Called "AXE11000 Orbi WiFi Mesh System (RBKE963)," it is a quad-band system consisting of a Wi-Fi 6E router and two 6E satellite access points. It is designed to blanket even excessively large homes with cutting-edge wireless networking. Sadly, it carries a shockingly high price tag -- this mesh system is expensive AF!

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If you don't yet have a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) wireless router, you are making a big mistake. Even if you don't currently have any Wi-Fi 6 devices, you can score such a router for less than $79.99. Seriously, folks, it's time to upgrade your aging wireless networking gear already. If you have a large home, however, you will want to consider a more powerful mesh system. And yes, there are mesh Wi-Fi 6 solutions available.

Looking to upgrade to both 802.11ax and mesh? Good news -- TP-Link has a new "whole home" Wi-Fi 6 system that is rather affordable. The "Deco X68," as it is called, offers Tri-Band AX3600 Wi-Fi via two access points to blanket your home in connectivity. In fact, TP-Link claims it is capable of providing up to 5,500 square feet of coverage. Adding a third access point increases that to 7,000 square feet.

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You do have a Wi-Fi 6 router, don't you? No? Oh heavens. You may want to consider upgrading soon. Look, even if you don't have any Wi-Fi 6 devices yet, you can score such a router, like the TP-Link Archer AX10, for less than $100. Seriously, folks, at these prices it's time to upgrade your aging wireless networking gear already.

While the aforementioned Archer AX10 is a great basic Wi-Fi 6 router, you may want something a bit better than entry level. In that case, you ill want to check out TP-Link's all-new Archer AX73 router. Yeah, it costs more, but it is still very affordable at less than $200 -- especially when you consider its promised AX5400 performance. It even has a USB 3.0 port and an impressive six antennas!

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Remember Bufferbloat? It’s a subject I was among the first to write about a decade ago, starting with a prediction column just like this one in 2011. The problem at the time was that every video or audio application -- the big bandwidth consumers -- was trying to solve performance issues through pre-buffering. You’d launch Netflix (just one example -- they all did it) and it would pause for a few seconds filling a huge buffer intended to smooth-out any playing glitches. Except performance didn’t improve and in fact got worse because of buffers buffering buffers. These extra buffers were defeating TCP/IP’s own flow control mechanisms, often leading to total failure of the connection. Jim Gettys from Bell Labs called it Bufferbloat, then Jim and Dave Taht spent the next three years or so fixing the problem, or so they thought.

Well Bufferbloat is back.

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A smart home is a happy home as far I am concerned. Since going all-in on smart devices in my house, my life has been much improved. I can control my thermostat without getting out of bed, and when I leave a room, I can tell Google to turn off the light. If I hear a bump in the night, I can pull out my phone or tablet to monitor my Wi-Fi cameras. We are living in the future, and it is great.

For my smart lighting, I have outlet adapters connected to lamps, and for the most part, this works well. If I could do it over, however, I would probably just get smart bulbs. Today, TP-Link unveils its latest such product; the KL125 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Light Bulb. This 800 lumen bulb is notable for being both dimmable and multicolor, meaning you can change the color and the brightness of the light -- something you cannot do with a smart outlet adapter.

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The Wi-Fi 6E revolution is upon us, and very soon, the market will be flooded with routers that utilize the new standard. If you aren't familiar, Wi-Fi 6E is notable for utilizing a 6GHz band. Of course, only Wi-Fi 6E devices can take advantage of this new technology, so not only will you need a router, but in the case of laptop and desktop computers, new Wi-Fi cards too.

While Wi-Fi 6E USB dongles are sure to hit the market eventually, desktop owners would be wise to instead opt for a PCIe card for maximum performance. Thankfully, at CES 2021, ASUS announced such a card and it looks incredible. Called "PCE-AXE58BT," it plugs into a PCIe 1x (or larger) slot and utilizes an external antenna base which, thanks to its cable, can be moved around for optimal placement. This is superior to cards that come with antennas that connect directly to the card.

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Regular Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is great, but Wi-Fi 6E will be even better -- that's why many consumers skipped Wi-Fi 6 and stuck with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). But wait, what exactly is the difference? Does that letter "E" really matter? Actually, yes, because it indicates the use of a 6GHz band -- a much less crowded frequency compared to 2.4GHz or 5GHz. This extra bandwidth, lower latency, and reduced congestion is why Wi-Fi 6E is so exciting.

Of course, to truly take advantage of this new standard, you will need both a router and clients with the capability. Thankfully, popular networking hardware-maker, TP-Link, is rolling out an all-new lineup of Wi-Fi 6E routers. This company has quickly become one of my favorite router manufacturers thanks to reliability and affordable prices -- I recommend this sub-$80 router all the time.

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High-end routers typically come with lots of advanced features and settings usually not found in lower-spec models, or those provided by your ISP.

However, you don’t need to spend a fortune replacing your existing router to gain access to these features as you can supercharge your existing device (or a spare one) by replacing its firmware with a third-party open source alternative, such as DD-WRT.

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You do have a Wi-Fi 6 router, don't you? No? Oh my. You may want to consider upgrading soon. These routers are not only faster because of the superior 802.11ax protocol, but thanks to WPA3, they are often more secure too. There are many great models on the market, starting as low as 80 bucks. There's no excuse for not upgrading, folks.

Today, Zyxel announces its latest router, and holy moly, it is a beauty. Called "Armor G5," this Wi-Fi 6 router has an insane 13 internal antennas. It has four gigabit LAN ports, as is typical, but it has some additional multi-gig magic too. You see, it also has a 10G LAN port and a 2.5G WAN port. The Armor G5 even has a USB-A port on the rear. All of this is housed in a beautifully sleek body.

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When Amazon bought eero, many people were worried. After all, Amazon is a massive billion-dollar corporation -- there were legitimate concerns that the privacy of eero devices were in jeopardy. So far, however, eero has largely operated independently, and its routers and mesh systems are still very well received by consumers. In other words, it seems all the doom and gloom was probably for naught.

Earlier today, Amazon unveiled the all-new eero 6 Series. Like previous eero devices, the new 6 line ranges from a single router to multiple units that operate in conjunction to create a mesh network. If you aren't familiar with mesh networking, it is essentially a series of access points that work together -- under a single SSID -- to provide a lot of Wi-Fi coverage. What makes eero 6 different, is the use of Wi-Fi 6 (aka 802.11ax) for the first time. There are two models from which to choose -- eero 6 and eero Pro 6. Both have integrated Zigbee smart home hubs.

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If you don't have a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router, you are not living your life properly. Look, even if you don't have any Wi-Fi 6 devices yet, you can score such a router for as low as $79.99. Seriously, folks, its time to upgrade your aging wireless networking gear already.

For those of you hardcore gamers looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6, NETGEAR has a new router that is sure to tickle your fancy. The "Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000," as it is called, runs DumaOS 3.0 -- a gaming-optimized firmware and interface. Not only will you benefit from the power of 802.11ax, but DumaOS will allow you to tune things to best meet your online gaming needs.

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For a while, Wi-Fi 6 (aka 802.11ax) was the future of wireless connectivity, but now, it is the present. Yes, with more and more devices having Wi-Fi 6, it is time to finally buy a compatible router now. If you already have a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) router that you love, you probably don't need to run out and upgrade immediately. However, if you find yourself needing a new wireless router, it would be foolish not to go with 802.11ax -- there is no downside.

Today, Linksys unveils its latest wireless router, and it is very affordable. Called "MR7350," it supports Wi-Fi 6 and has a USB-A port on the rear for connecting a USB storage device. In other words, the MR7350 can pull double-duty as a makeshift NAS. Best of all, it has mesh support baked in, so you can set up a mesh network using other compatible Linksys products.

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