Routers

Are you ready for Wi-Fi 6? Here's everything you need to know about the latest Wi-Fi standard that promises better, faster Internet for your smart home.

NETGEAR announces new Wi-Fi 6E routers including the Orbi AXE11000 whole home mesh Wi-Fi 6E system with three bands and 10.8 Gbps throughput.

Smart thermostats, smoke detectors, door locks and appliances have gone mainstream and are finding their way into more homes than ever. What sometimes gets lost in the list of cool things those smart devices can do is that they are connected. Without an Internet connection, most of them fizzle. Poor Wi-Fi means a poor user experience and for many people, their wireless router is the weak link in the smart equation. In this post, I’ll review the network and computer essentials for a smart home that lives up to the billing.

 In part five of The Smart Home Series, I take a spin with Securifi’s Almond+ Wireless AC Router and Smart Hub combination. After setting this unit up in my house, I quickly realized the power it has to provide increased Wi-Fi speeds, as well as serve as a home automation hub to manage gadgets like the Peanut Wireless Smart Plug.

Covering your home with a solid Wi-Fi connection is made a little easier with a mesh network. Google Wifi is the latest system meant to do just that.

 If you’re like me, you’ve probably grown to hate your router, loathe your range extender and wonder why you have so many Home Automation hubs doing unrelated jobs. The Almond+ takes care of all of those, capable of acting as a router or range extender and a Home Automation business rule hub for connected Z-Wave and Hue compatible devices. The best part it’s all done through the hardware or an app and only takes a few minutes. Check it out.

Wrapping up my overview of the big names in routers, the final instalment in the series is Netgear. The US-based company has a long history of manufacturing telecommunications gear (it was once a division of Canada’s Nortel Networks) and has an extensive line of wireless routers, Wi-Fi extenders and adapters for the home and small business market. You probably know it best for the Nighthawk series of blistering fast AC routers.

My review of the ASUS ROG Rapture AC5300 tri-band Wi-Fi gaming router, one of the most powerful Wi-Fi routers on the market.

If you have spotty internet coverage at home, you should check out my review of the D-Link Covr Powrzone Tri Band Mesh Wi-Fi System.