First announced during CES, Linksys has brought into Singapore a family of products that the company says will take the hassle out of home networking.
With increasing numbers of devices connecting to home networks, speeds and dead spots are correspondingly increasing. Even moving within the house can cause problems when you encounter areas where you can’t reliably stream music or video.
Linksys aims to solve that problem with MU-MIMO (Multi- User, Multiple-Input, Multiple Output), the next generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wave 2 technology, which helps improve overall performance and efficiency of a Wi-Fi network while providing dedicated bandwidth to MU-MIMO capable client devices as if they have their own dedicated router. Routers based on older technology are unable to keep up with bandwidth demands.
Similar technology is already widely used in enterprise hardware, and the challenge Linksys says has been getting the protocols implemented in the chipset.
Linksys is promising with this technology is that you’ll be able to assign it the same SSID to the range extender as your Wi-Fi router, and your devices will automatically switch to the source that’s generating the strongest signal in relation to where you’re at.
Linksys EA9500 Flagship Router
New technology isn’t always pretty and router have been getting bigger and bigger over the years.
The EA9500 is no exception with eight antennas that cover the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The tri-band router that can serve up speeds of up to 1,000Mbps on the single 2.4GHz channel and up to 2,166Mbps on each the two 5GHz channels.
Eight LAN ports is one of the best features of the device allowing multiple connectivity to multiple devices.
Wi-Fi leveraging Seamless Roaming Technology
With the launch of the Max-Stream AC1900 Range Extender (RE7000), Linksys is introducing Room-to-Room Wi-Fi with Seamless Roaming to the entire Max-Stream product line. New to the consumer market, Seamless Roaming brings an enterprise-level Wi-Fi experience into the home. This technology helps enable client devices to roam around the home always connected to the optimal access point, either router or range extender seamlessly without having to manually connect or lose connection. Seamless roaming works much the same way devices work in an office environment where users can move room to room, floor to floor always staying connected to the office Wi-Fi connection.
When Seamless Roaming is added to routers, range extenders and mobile devices, the mobile devices are able to switch and connect to the strongest Wi-Fi signal at all times. Users can run an uninterrupted Facetime or Skype session on their smartphone, or watch YouTube/Netflix on their iPad while moving from one room to the other without dropping the signal.
Linksys MAX-STREAM AC600 USB MU-MIMO Adapter (WUSB6100M)
The Linksys AC600 USB Adapter is the first MU-MIMO enabled adapter on the market and enables users to connect their Windows- based laptops and computers to a wireless-AC network as well as a MU-MIMO router which helps improve the overall efficiency of your home Wi-Fi, so users can easily stream high-definition video and enjoy high-speed gaming.
Additional features include:
- AC Wave 2 - MU-MIMO (AC433/N150)
- Beamforming for more reliable connections
- Simple plug and play setup
- Works with Any Wi-Fi Router; Optimized with Linksys Max-Stream solutions
SRP: S$129
As part of its launch, the Linksys EA9500, one of the world’s most powerful routers and winner of the Network World Best of CES 2016, will be made available at a discounted rate of S$100 to Singtel Fibre Broadband customers from 14 July 2016. Singtel Fibre Broadband customers can present their latest broadband bill at selected Challenger outlets to enjoy the offer. This promotion is offered exclusively by Singtel.