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A router is essential to your network. It allows you to connect, manage, and redirect internet traffic to the devices in your home. Because it is central to your network along with your modem, you may want to update its default settings. Using a computer to access your router's admin panel is common, but it can also be done from a Chromebook. You can log in to your router's admin panel using a web browser from any device with access to your network.
Take $100 off an Eero 6+ mesh router 3-pack with this Prime-exclusive deal
Say goodbye to dead spots and weak signal before the in-laws invade this holiday season
Mesh Wi-Fi systems are all the rage these days. Unlike standard black box routers, which have a single access point, a mesh system combines two or more access points to create a bigger, stronger Wi-Fi network that can cover larger areas with fewer dead spots. This means you can do things like play games and stream movies from anywhere in the house, without fear of losing connection. Amazon claims its Eero 6+ mesh system can cover up to 4,500 square feet with fast and reliable gigabit speeds, and right now, you can get it for $190.
Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review: Wi-Fi 6E might not be an upgrade
Amazing performance spoiled by frequent bugs
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I ask a lot of my Wi-Fi network. At any given time, I have between 40 and 60 devices connected, some of which are constantly streaming video, pinging remote servers, and syncing data. I also live in a suburban US house that was built without any regard for wireless signal propagation. My wife and I both work from home and need reliable connectivity, and this has set me on a quest to find the best home Wi-Fi solution possible. Some Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers can deliver, and others can't.
Russian hackers' Cyclops Blink botnet targets Asus routers around the world
Don't get hijacked by Voodoo Bear
We're closing in on one full month since Russia invaded Ukraine and the slow drip of related threats continues. The war is, after all, happening online as well, and the net cast by state-sponsored Russian hackers is getting wider every day. Whether it's attempting to break into systems to find classified data or worse, the cyberfront is active and there are plenty of targets. A recent report from cybersecurity software company Trend Micro about activity from the ominously-named Russian botnet Cyclops Blink is just the latest example.
Fix your crappy Wi-Fi coverage with a three-pack of Google Wifi routers for $50 apiece
Google Wifi 2020, that is, not the 2016 model or Nest Wifi
Google's mesh routers might not be great for power users — you can't even manually choose between 2.4 and 5 GHz — but they're fantastic options for less demanding users who have a lot of space they want to fill with Wi-Fi. You can score a particularly sweet deal on 2020's Google Wifi today: the three-pack is down to 0, $50 off its normal going rate.This is the newer model of Google Wifi, which, compared to the more premium Nest Wifi, has lower top speeds (1,200 Mbps versus 2,200 on Nest) and a smaller coverage area (1,500 square feet of coverage per point to Nest's 2,200 square feet). But it's hardly slow, and considering the average home size in the US is something like 2,300 square feet, 4,500 square feet of total coverage is surely enough for most of us.
Spread Wi-Fi 6 across your room or your entire house with Eero deals starting at $83
These deals are from Best Buy... on eBay
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house... without beautiful Wi-Fi. And you may ask yourself, "How do I get out of here?" The answer is with your feet. Or, if you own the darn thing, get a better Wi-Fi solution. You can pick up a three-station Eero 6 mesh network right now at a record-matching price.
Should you buy a WiFi range extender or a mesh router?
Range extenders are often more trouble than they're worth
With it likely your home Wi-Fi network is dealing with more devices in more places than ever these days, it's not surprising if you've considered making the upgrade to a modern mesh network system, or whether one of those cheap range extenders will get the job done for adding coverage to some rooms of your home. In our experience, this is one area where dropping cold, hard cash really is the only bulletproof solution. While there are situations where a simple range extender can get the job done, they're such an imperfect solution that they may just end up just making you want a mesh system more in the end. And while mesh certainly isn't cheap, it doesn't have to be truly expensive—and we think the costs are worth it given the benefits.
CES 2020 gave the networking device market a solid head start for the rest of the year. We not only saw a more capable Wi-Fi standard come into being but also mainstream brands jumping in with a pile of new routers and mesh systems. Besides an expanded security camera lineup, D-Link’s CES announcement includes a long list of routers and range extenders that integrate the EasyMesh and Wi-Fi 6 standard.
It's no longer cool to have just one router. This is the age of mesh routers, and Eero is one of the top brands. The company (an Amazon subsidiary) recently unveiled a new version of its routers, and that one is on sale along with the older "Pro" variants. You can save as much as $150 on new mesh routers if you go all out.The new Eero kit is cheaper than the older Pro, but it's slightly less capable. It's dual-band, and you have to set the access points on a table. The Pro has a hub that needs to sit on a flat surface, but the "beacons" plug right into a wall outlet. The Pro is also a tri-band system.
You can still get a single router if that's your speed, but most manufacturers have started pushing mesh systems. TP-Link has a few, and you can add another one to the list today. The budget-oriented Deco M4 comes with three AC1200 hubs and support for smart home automation for $179.99.The Deco M4 is a dual-band mesh system that runs on 2.4GHz and 5GHz. You can also choose to add a wired gigabit connection to each hub for dedicated backhaul. If you don't do that, you'll lose a little bandwidth to the connection between the mesh units. TP-Link says the Deco M4 can accommodate up to 100 devices while covering 5,500 square feet.Some of the more expensive Deco kits have enhanced capabilities including tri-band wireless and integrated Zigbee radios. However, $180 for three AC1200 mesh hubs is not a bad deal. The Deco M4 has integrated support for Amazon Alexa as well as IFTTT. So, you can use either service to make tweaks to your network performance. There is, of course, an app for setup and management, too. The Deco M4 goes on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers today.
You probably have a Wi-Fi router, and you might have a smart home hub of some sort as well. Why not make those devices the same thing? That's Samsung's latest router, which it calls the SmartThings Wifi. This replaces Samsung's old Home Connect router with SmartThings integration. This time, Samsung's system has Mesh networking thanks to a partnership with Plume.
Using a single router is so 2014. Now, everyone is into mesh WiFi systems like Eero and Google Wifi. Not to be outdone, Comcast has its own mesh system that connects to the Xfinity Internet Gateway. The new xFi Pods are now available as a three-pack for $119.
The wireless connectivity veterans at Asus announced a new mesh WiFi system today called Lyra Trio. The white-and-blue devices are pretty functionally similar to last year's Lyra system: Lyra Trio comes as a three-pack (obviously), the three individual routers working in concert to blanket a large area in WiFi coverage. This year's model is cheaper, though: the Lyra Trio will retail for $299.99, as opposed to the 2017 model, which went for $399.99 at launch.
Having a single router in your home is so 2015. Everyone is doing this mesh router thing now, which means you have two or more access points in order to provide better coverage. Netgear is looking to take its mesh router beyond the confines of your indoor space with the new Orbi outdoor satellite. While it's not supposed to be "official" until CES next week, Netgear has made all the details available.The outdoor satellite (RBS50Y) pairs with your existing Orbi system, which includes between two and four individual APs. It's IP56 rated, so it can be left outside in the pouring rain. Taking it for a quick dip in the pool would be a bad idea, though. It can also operate in "subzero" temperatures, but Netgear doesn't offer specifics here.
Remember the days when you would just have one router? How did we ever survive? Today's home WiFi systems come with mutliple access points connected in a mesh network for better coverage and throughput. Google has Google Wifi, Linksys has Velop, and there are many more. Today, Asus' new Lyra mesh networking system is available for purchase. It's a bit more spendy than some of the competition, though.[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dau1_y-O5pY&feature=em-uploademail[/EMBED_YT]A three-pack of Asus Lyra routers will cost you $399.99. Like most other routers in this product category, Lyra supports 802.11ac and can cover a few thousand square feet of indoor space. The hubs communicate with each other over the 5GHz band, then you can have both 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals for connecting your devices.
Google Wifi came out last year to join the increasingly competitive mesh router market. It has a competitive price compared to the competition, and we found the performance to be solid. It might be nice if it had a few more features, though, right? That's where the GaleForce project comes in. You can use GaleForce to tweak your Google Wifi and gain root access, but it's not for the faint of heart.
Google's mesh router system only launched in late 2016, but it looks like a new version is already in the works. An FCC filing from Google appears to describe a new version of Google Wifi. The model number is different than the current device, and one of the wireless bands is missing. What's up with that? It looks like Google is ditching the ZigBee IoT protocol.
One router just isn't cool anymore. Everyone who's anyone has released a mesh router system that uses multiple APs to blanket spaces with wireless coverage. TP-Link, which made the first OnHub device for Google, has now released its own mesh router system called Deco M5. It will compete directly with Google Wifi, Netgear Orbi, Eero, and others.As with other mesh systems, the Deco bundle comes with three small, stylish routers. They have a neat spiral design here. It doesn't seem to do very much that's different than the other mesh routers on the market. It supports dual-band AC1300 with a top speed of 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps on the 5GHz band. There's an app you can use to monitor and control the network as well.Deco includes a number of features we've seen before like smart routing for your data across the network, parental controls, and the ability to expand your network with additional hubs. TP-Link points to the built-in antivirus protection as one of Deco's defining features. The PR actually makes a rather big deal of it. The AV powered by Trend Micro can intercept malicious files, quarantine infected devices, and actively prevent intrusion of your network. However, it's only free for three years. After that you have to pay a monthly subscription if you want to keep using it.The Deco M5 system is available now for $300 on Amazon and other retailers.
Modern routers can do some cool things, especially if you're using the new Google WiFi mesh routers. They can cover your home in a healthy glow of electromagnetic waves, intelligently connect to devices, and keep track of your data usage. However, linking Google WiFi with an OnHub can result in some weird data usage stats. Google now says it's aware of the issue and is working on a fix.
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How's your OnHub doing? Still pretty much the same as it was a year ago? Yeah, me too. Google never pushed many updates to the OnHub, which was supposed to be a hub of home automation. Hell, the USB port still doesn't work. The OnHub isn't dead, but Google is clearly moving on with the announcement of Google Wifi. This networking solution takes more of a mesh approach to cover your home, rather than using a single unit with a bunch of fancy antennas.