Securfi Almond+ hands-on (video)

Posted on 09/01/2013 by Joseph Volpe

Wireless routers aren't the sexiest of gadgets to come across on the CES showfloor, but Securifi's doing its best with the Almond+. The all-white router, an update to last year's OG Almond, still features a 2.8-inch touchscreen, but now supports the 802.11ac standard for high speeds over 5GHz, in addition to Zigbee and Z-Wave for home automated control. That latter bit is a recent addition to the Almond+'s UI interface, allowing users with compatible Zigbee or Z-Wave products to control lights around the house or even monitor and receive notifications (cloud-synced via a free iOS or Android app) when their door is being opened or closed. Around back the innocuously designed device sports one USB 2.0 and five for gigabit ethernet. At present, Securifi intends to launch the Almond+ on Kickstarter for $99 sometime within the next week, so look for it to debut there soon. While you wait, take a look out our gallery below, as well as video demo just after the break.

Gallery: Securifi Almond+ hands-on

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Corsair outs Voyager Air with WiFi storage, NAS, USB 3.0 and repeater all in one

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

Corsair is very much associated with devices that need a physical connection to work, whether they're thumb drives or memory sticks. It's looking to cut the cord in style through its new Voyager Air. You'll have seen some of what it does with a predecessor like Kingston's Wi-Drive, with media streaming to Android and iOS devices, a WiFi repeater mode and USB 3.0 support, but Corsair's drive goes the extra mile by serving as network attached storage through a gigabit Ethernet link. The 7-hour battery life when completely wireless certainly helps its prospects, at least among its immediate rivals. Corsair plans to ship the Voyager Air by early February in a 500GB version for $199 and 1TB for $229 versions; either price sounds reasonable for a home media server that ultimately doesn't have to stay at home.

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Filed under: Storage, Networking

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Source: Corsair

Netgear intros sharing-savvy N750 Premium Edition router, powerline and WiFi adapters for media fans

Posted on 29/08/2012 by Jon Fingas

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.

Continue reading Netgear intros sharing-savvy N750 Premium Edition router, powerline and WiFi adapters for media fans

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking

Netgear intros sharing-savvy N750 Premium Edition router, powerline and WiFi adapters for media fans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video)

Posted on 26/06/2012 by Jon Fingas

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: Linksys EA6500, Universal Media Connector and Cisco Connect Cloud

Continue reading Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video)

Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D-Link unveils Cloud Router 1200 and 2000, dishes out WiFi in tube form

Posted on 23/06/2012 by Jon Fingas

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.

Continue reading D-Link unveils Cloud Router 1200 and 2000, dishes out WiFi in tube form

D-Link unveils Cloud Router 1200 and 2000, dishes out WiFi in tube form originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jun 2012 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Belkin’s new 802.11ac wireless routers feed next-gen networking needs

Posted on 21/06/2012 by Michael Gorman

Broadcom rolled out its new wireless Gigabit 802.11ac chips in January of this year, and since then Buffalo, Netgear and ASUS have all delivered routers packing the speedy new new tech. Well, Belkin's finally joining the party with its new AC1000 and AC1200 dual-band routers sporting 802.11ac/b/g/n wireless and four Gigabit Ethernet ports. Courtesy of the ac chip inside, the $140 AC1000 delivers a max throughput of 665Mbps on the 5GHz band, while the AC1200 ups that speed to 867Mbps and will set you back $160. Once they go on sale at the end of June, you just gotta grab an appropriate ASUS laptop or find a phone packing Marvell's latest WiFi silicon and you'll actually be able to take advantage of that massive throughput -- assuming your broadband connection cooperates, of course.