News — Wi-FI

Google Wifi, which is hitting stores soon, is sold individually for $129 or as a three-pack set of $299. Google says a single unit can cover a 1,500-square-foot home, while a three-pack will span a 4,500-square-foot residence. Additional units can be added for coverage beyond that. I’ve spent the past week testing a three-pack of Google Wifi in my modest, two-story home. To put Google’s claims to the test, I compared it to other routers on the market. Though my home isn’t especially large, it presents challenges to traditional routers, thanks to older construction and lots of walls. It’s an...

With a little effort, you can replace your ISP’s modem or router – Comcast, AT&T, Cox, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and Charter Spectrum – and, in doing so, save money and improve your Wi-Fi signal.  What is the Difference Between a Modem and a Wi-Fi Router? A modem and a router have very distinct jobs. The modem’s job is to communicate with your ISP over the Internet line to get the data you have requested, whereas the router’s job is to create a wireless network and then make sure each of the devices in your home gets the right data.  Why Replace Your ISP...

On Friday, June 9, Bloomberg published a report that Intel's (NASDAQ:INTC) gigabit class cellular modem would not be available in time for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) next generation of iPhones. It's well known that Qualcomm's (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon X16 modem is already capable of gigabit download speeds and is incorporated into the Snapdragon 835 system on chip (SOC) used in the Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) Galaxy S8. Because Apple designs its own SOCs and doesn't have the ability to design its own cellular modems, it buys discrete modem chips. Last year, for the first time, Apple split its modem chip orders between Qualcomm and Intel. The article...

Wireless networks have come a long way in the past couple of decades. And if you’ve ever messed around with your Wi-Fi router’s settings, you’ve probably seen the word “channel.” Most routers have the channel set to Auto. But many of us have looked through that list of a dozen or so channels and wondered what they are, and more importantly, which of the channels are faster than the others. Well, some channels are indeed much faster — but that doesn’t mean you should go ahead and change them just yet.  Channels 1, 6, and 11 First of all, let’s talk about...

What is a Router? A router is a networking device that connects computer networks, for example, connecting a home network with the Internet. Routers are the workhorses that transfer packets of data between networks to establish and sustain communication between two nodes in an internetwork.  What is a Network Switch? A network switch connects devices together on a single computer network. A switch is also called switching hub, bridging hub, or MAC bridge. Switches use MAC addresses to forward data to the correct destination.  Function of a Switch vs. a Router A router is a more sophisticated device than a...