I’ll say it. My porch is a bit lifeless. It’s lovely to sit out there in the day but on dark cloudy nights, it’s simply too dark to enjoy.

As a result, string lighting has been on my “to buy” list for a while. That’s when Wiz’s Smart Outdoor String Lights arrived.

Waterproof, weather proof, app controlled with colours, light levels and smart home functionality! It was everything I needed… Everything I wanted… and more.

Initially, I was rather intimidated by the 14.8m length. After measuring my porch I thought I had far too much, with no option to shorten it. It wasn’t until I started hanging the lights that I realised it was perfect. The lights look much better when they are draping down, which means 14.8m is really just the maximum distance. You can make anything less work.

As I was weaving them through my porch supports, I just added an extra loop here and there to space them out nicely. It did end up being a 2 person job, but that was just to save time.

The lights have been up for a few weeks now, and that weatherproof and waterproof label has been put to the test. There have been some windy nights, howling with rain, and sunny days blaring down heat, but the Wiz Smart Outdoor String Lights have held strong. In the past, I had fairy lights hanging on the porch. They didn’t last a month. I am confident Wiz have made their products to last.

You may notice in the photos that I was unable to utilise the smart lighting functionality on my porch. It’s important to note, for any smart lighting from any company, you’ll need 2.4 gHz WIFI to use the smart functions. However, you can always buy a 2.4 gHz extender, but that’s an expense you should be aware of up front. You can find the details for your WIFI on the bottom of your router.

Before hanging up the lights at mine, I took them to a friend’s house (with 2.4 gHz WIFI), and the setup was a dream. The Wiz lighting app “Wiz Connect” is exactly what you want from a smart device app. It runs you through exactly what to do, step by step, and it covers troubleshooting too. I can tell the app was made for first time users, and because of that… We had the colours going in no time!

Without the app, you can still turn the Wiz Smart Outdoor String Lights on, off and dim them using a button on the cable, but the standout feature is the quick release section just before the lights. It’s hard to explain in words, but let’s say your property is like mine and the easiest way to power these lights is by plugging them in through a window. You don’t want your window to be permanently wedged open, so the cable has a section before the lights that disconnects and connects with ease. I didn’t realise it until I saw it, but it really is a must have feature for a lot of homes.

Overall, the lights are fantastic. It’s a shame I can’t use them to their full capacity unless I buy the extender, but I do have a new slot available on my “to buy” list…

As for my rating, if you have 2.4ghz WIFI, this product is a solid 4.4. It’s exactly what you want from smart lighting, and more.

Even without the 2.4ghz WIFI, these lights get a 3.8 from me! As they really have brought life to my time out on the porch.

The post Wiz – Smart Outdoor String Light Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Acer today unveiled the Acer Connect Vero W6m mesh router, its first eco-friendly Wi-Fi 6E router that incorporates post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials in its chassis and features an Eco mode for efficient energy consumption.

The router is powered by a quad-core 2 Ghz processor and includes a bundle of enhanced connectivity, coverage, and security features, including Wi-Fi 6E Tri-Band AXE7800 capability and compliance with Radio Equipment Directive (RED) EN 303 645 articles 3.3 Cyber Security Standards.

“We are thrilled to expand Acer’s portfolio of network devices with the launch of the Acer Connect Vero W6m Wi-Fi 6E mesh router, engineered with support for Wi-Fi 6E tri-band connectivity to provide swift and secure connections with vast network coverage within any home or office locations,” said Wayne Ma, General Manger, IoB, IT Products Business, Acer Inc.

“The performance-driven router is also the latest addition to our growing Vero line of ecoconscious products, embodying Acer’s commitment to fulfilling its environmental responsibility and helping minimise carbon footprint.”

The Acer Connect Vero W6m, Acer’s first eco-friendly router, comes with Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and conforms with security standards set by the European Commission’s Radio Equipment Directive. Capable of supporting Wi-Fi 6E Triband (2.4 Ghz/5 Ghz/6 Ghz) AXE7800 throughput, the device provides speeds of up to 7.8 Gbps to deliver fast, stable internet connections when online.

The Wi-Fi 6E router can also be paired with up to 4 units and features impressive network ranges of up to 465 m2 on a dual mesh system and up to 930 m2 on a quad mesh system to help eliminate dead spots in larger coverage areas. Powered by a state-of-the-art quad-core 2 GHz A53 processor with 1 GB LPDDR RAM and 4 GB memory capacity, the Acer Connect Vero W6m is engineered to keep up with high-bandwidth requirements.

The new Vero router also gives great importance to data protection and security as it is the first Wi-Fi 6E mesh router to pass EU EN 303 645 (RED) Cyber Security Standards. It also comes with a dedicated WPS button for effortless network security setups. The router is further optimised with intelligent device/application recognition and standard LAN and WAN ports for added connection flexibility.

Designed with the environment in mind, Acer’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions is reflected in every aspect of the device, from its chassis to energy-efficient features. It also utilises 100% recyclable paper in its packaging.

The Acer Connect Vero W6m’s minimalistic and compact aesthetic is made with 30% PCR plastic and painted with a cobblestone gray finish to let it blend in with any office or home setup. The dedicated Eco mode function optimises the router’s power consumption, along with other connected devices by managing their sleep time when not in use and efficiently regulating its data frequency distribution.

The Acer Connect Vero W6m router availability and pricing is to be announced.

The post Acer Unveils its First Eco-Friendly Wi-Fi 6E Mesh Router appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Who says bigger is better?

Amazon prove that solid, reliable tech does come in small packages with their eero 6+ WiFi Mesh kit.

You can opt to buy singularly, but if you’re wanting full cover for home, no black spots (and mine has a few) then the three pack of eero 6+ routers is the way to go.

My home is a smart home. Which means my bandwidth is choca loaded with devices all screaming out, demanding an IP address.

The routers that telco’s hand out just don’t cut it.

Having so many smart devices, lights, security, entertainment and more all connected swapping out a router can be a nightmare.

But Amazon have made it super easy with the eero 6+.

Your eero app (iOS or Android) is your go to. It will guide you through the set up assist with reconnecting devices and even tells you what is connected.

First the app is going to need to use Bluetooth on your smart device. Once one of the eero 6+ units is plugged into your existing modem it’s simple as from there.

If you already have an Alexa device in your home an Alexa skill is automatically added (providing you log in to your Amazon account during setup). This allows you to have some voice control over your eero 6+ mesh.

The three pack has a trio of tiny sized eero 6+ routers. One to be the main device and the other two extenders. Brilliantly, you do not need to use a specific eero 6+ to be the primary – they are smart enough to know what’s connected and who’s the boss.

Each unit has two 1GBps ethernet ports. This might be a bit of a downer if you’re someone who prefers to hardwire your gear in, but for WiFi it’s not going to matter.

Spreading the eero 6+ devices throughout your home will see the end to those annoying dead zones – and it did for me.

Upstairs has always been a bit iffy. After setting up the eero’s I was getting full and same coverage anywhere in the house.

They are dual band  WiFi 6 @ 160 MHz and also backwards compatible for those older connected devices. The eero 6+ are smart enough to distribute the load accordingly. Honestly once set up, there’s nothing you need to do but chill, game, stream and more.

There’s some security too. You can block apps, block ads and create rules via profiles (if you set these up) and of course see your in-home data usage which can detail individual devices connected to your eero 6+ network.

When compared to similar kits the Amazon eero 6+ is value for your dollars, coming in at near to half the price of competitors (for the three pack).

Give your home based devices the freedom and connectivity that they deserve with Amazon’s eero 6+ and stream content in your home like a pro.

The post Amazon eero 6+ WiFi Mesh Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Netgear introduces the next generation of faster, all-purpose, no-compromise WiFi connectivity with the arrival of the Orbi RBKE963 Quad-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System and their Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-Band WiFi Router.

The first to market launch coincides with national 6GHz certification from the MBIE and will ensure, fast, smooth and easy WiFi connection for homes across the country.

Working, learning, and video streaming from home has placed greater demands on home WiFi networks. Devices in these ultra-connected households have been in a constant contest for bandwidth on crowded WiFi networks. WiFi 6E resolves these congestion issues by adding previously unavailable 6GHz WiFi spectrum that can be used to broadcast WiFi signals and connect to more devices with faster speeds and reliability.

Up until the introduction of WiFi 6E, WiFi routers have been limited to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The new third 6GHz band will dramatically increase the capacity of networks to support more devices.

“As a leader in networking for more than 25 years, NETGEAR is committed to creating best-in-class WiFi products that maximise the benefits of the latest WiFi technology. This next technological leap represents everything we’ve been striving for,” said David Henry, President & GM of Connected Home Products and Services at NETGEAR. “From the moment multi-Gigabit Internet enters your home through our 10 Gb Ethernet port, to our quad-band architecture, 2.5 Gigabit LAN ports and improved 5GHz performance all the way down to your latest WiFi 6E devices, there’s not a single bottleneck in this system. Our new Orbi RBKE963 Quad-Band WiFi 6E Mesh and Nighthawk WiFi 6E systems deliver top-of-the-line performance for not only today’s needs, but also for the future requirements of even the most demanding and sophisticated smart homes.”

The new Orbi Quad-Band WiFi 6E system builds on NETGEAR’s top-of-the-line Orbi Tri-Band WiFi 6 system (RBK853) by adding a fourth band for the newly available 6GHz WiFi. This new band provides the much-needed additional WiFi spectrum to handle multi-Gigabit WiFi speed on new smart phones and laptops, free of interference from other devices on the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

Devices running on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi bands will also experience an improvement in coverage and increased speeds of up to 30 percent with the Orbi RBKE960, due to the system’s upgraded WiFi radio and antenna designs relative to the previous flagship model.

The industry’s first quad-band WiFi 6E system, Orbi ensures maximum throughput with 16 WiFi streams, the highest specification available, at all 3 bands, 2.4, 5 and 6GHz.

Furthermore, similar to the previous tri-band Orbi systems, the RBKE963 uses a dedicated WiFi 6 backhaul, pioneered by NETGEAR, for data exchange between the router and satellites without impacting the performance of connected devices.

For added peace of mind, Quad-band Orbi WiFi 6E includes a free 30-day trial of NETGEAR Armor service to protect the connected home from online threats.

Unlike traditional endpoint Internet security products, NETGEAR’s Armor is built into the router as a comprehensive security solution to monitor activity going to and from the Internet, protecting all the devices on a network, including Smart TVs, security cameras, game consoles, smart speakers, streaming players, and other smart home gadgets which typically would not be able to be loaded with Internet security protection software by users.

NETGEAR’s Armor also protects traditional computing devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops and desktops, while eliminating the need for multiple security subscriptions or software on each of these computing devices. Also available as a paid subscription on the new system is NETGEAR’s Smart Parental Controls, which help parents easily manage their children’s time and access online across all connected devices, ultimately promoting safe and healthy screen habits.

Technical Specs:

• Industry-first quad-band WiFi System – Supports four WiFi bands -2.4, 5 and 6GHz, for connecting the router / satellite to all your devices and an additional dedicated fourth 5Ghz WiFi band for connecting the router to the satellites.
• Supports all-new WiFi 6E 6GHz WiFi band – The 6GHz WiFi band adds more than double the bandwidth of 5GHz, resolving issues with interference and congestion in the 5GHz WiFi band, and enables amazing multi-Gigabit WiFi speed for connected WiFi 6E devices.
• 16 WiFi Streams – To provide the best speed, range and performance to blanket your home with Internet speeds similar to what you receive from your Internet provider.
• 10 Gbit Ethernet port for Internet – Future-proof your home network with support of up to 10 Gbps Internet speeds.
• 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port for wired connections – Multi-gig Ethernet port for wired connection to network storage, LAN gaming, in-home media streaming, or use it to set up a wired multi-gig connection between the router and satellites with structured Ethernet wiring in your home.
• More Flexibility to Manage your Home Network with support for four different WiFi Networks – Main mesh WiFi Network for all your devices using the latest WPA3 for secure connections; IoT Network for all your legacy and IoT devices; 6GHz Only WiFi Network for all latest WiFi 6E devices and Guest WiFi Network.
• NETGEAR Armor Security for your Home – Advanced security for your home network and an unlimited number of connected devices. Also available as a paid subscription on the new system is NETGEAR’s Smart Parental Controls, which help parents easily manage their children’s time and access online across all connected devices, ultimately promoting safe and healthy screen habits.
• Orbi App – Easily set up your WiFi System, manage your network remotely, pause the Internet on any device, track your Internet data usage and more.

Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router

The Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router is designed to provide the fastest WiFi speed possible with higher capacity, lower latency, and the latest WPA3 security.

With cutting-edge technology, the new WiFi 6E router expands WiFi for more capability, capacity, and experiences for a new world of uninterrupted connectivity for distance learning, video conferencing, and 4K/8K video streaming. With the new 6GHz band, this Nighthawk performance router delivers faster speeds, smoother streaming, and less interference, compared to previous Nighthawk models.

This means that consumers can enjoy an overall enhanced experience for their array of WiFi hungry applications and smart devices.

Technical Specs:

• New 6GHz Band– With up to 200% more available spectrum than dual-band (5GHz and 2.4GHz) WiFi alone.
  • Ultra-Low Latency – Very few devices on new 6GHz band means lower latency for gaming and real-time traffic.
  • More High-Bandwidth WiFi Channels – Blazing-fast speed and less interference with 3X more high-bandwidth 160MHz WiFi channels.
• 12-Streams Tri-Band WiFi – Four streams of 6GHz, four streams of 5GHz, and four streams of 2.4GHz equates to more available bandwidth and less congestion for all devices on WiFi.
• WiFi 6E Optimised Powerful Processor – Ideal for Gigabit Internet speeds, a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor ensures smooth 4K / 8K UHD streaming and gaming.
• Multi-Gig Ethernet Port 2.5G – 2.5X the wired speed of a typical Gigabit port, to be used for LAN or Internet connectivity.
• Five (5) Gigabit Ethernet Ports – Connect more wired devices for faster file transfer and uninterrupted connections. Aggregate two Gigabit LAN ports and two Gigabit WAN ports (configurable) concurrently.
• Pre-optimised Antennas – Unfold and set antennas on the router; no further adjustment required. The Nighthawk RAXE500 antennas come pre-optimised for the best WiFi performance.
• NETGEAR Armor Security for your Home – Advanced security for your home network and an unlimited number of connected devices. Also available as a paid subscription on the new system is NETGEAR’s Smart Parental Controls, which help parents easily manage their children’s time and access online across all connected devices, ultimately promoting safe and healthy screen habits.
• Automatic firmware updates – Latest security patches delivered to the router without the need for user intervention.

The Orbi Quad-band Mesh WiFi 6E System and NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router are now available for preorder from mid October 2022.

The post NETGEAR DEBUTS WIFI 6E w. Orbi & Nighthawk appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

New Zealand based ISP Orcon has completely reimagined itself with the future of working and home connectivity in mind.

Chief Executive Taryn Hamilton says the ISP has scrapped ‘business’ and ‘residential’ distinctions and will instead tailor technical solutions which accurately match every customer’s needs.

“Connectivity in the home is no longer just about smooth 4K streaming. We know people run business critical applications from their home office, and there’s a need to offer more than just a straight pipe. We saw a real opportunity to create an ISP straddling the reality of a blended world and offering new and innovative solutions to modern internet problems.”

Hamilton said the ISP will offer four core products, alongside its fibre, power and mobile services.

Wi-Fi Pro guarantees a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout the home. Using address records and premise size data, Orcon will recommend an optimal number of Google Nest Wifi units for individual homes or small offices, guaranteeing strong Wi-Fi signal throughout.

Google Nest Wifi units provide a powerful signal using mesh technology, blanketing a location in Wi-Fi signal.

Orcon’s technical team will provide assistance with location and set-up if needed, and will send out additional units at no cost if additional coverage is required.

Hamilton says Wi-Fi issues are the number one cause of complaints ISPs see. “By using Google technology, house size data, and Orcon’s local technical support, these issues can easily be overcome.”

Orcon is launching a new 2000Mbps plan, reduced pricing on its 4000Mbps plan and is soon to introduce an 8000Mbps plan. Hamilton says that while the use-case for such ridiculous speeds is still outside most people’s needs, the ISP simply wants to offer the fastest plans possible. “We’re also seeing tech-savvy businesses take up Hyperfibre and ditch expensive dedicated fibre circuits,” he adds.

Orcon’s paid-for Priority Support bolt-on guarantees two things; if there’s a technical fault, a customer jumps the queue and sees an onsite technician arrive in hours, not days. Further, customers calls and emails are routed to the next available agent. “This provides peace-of-mind that any issues are fixed quickly for those running a business or working from home. In essence, we’re offering business grade service levels to anyone who wants it – in a smarter and cheaper way.”

Orcon launched its 4G Backup product in 2019 with small businesses in mind. If a customer’s main fibre connection goes down, the modem seamlessly switches over to 4G.

Hamilton says the service has proved popular with retailers and those reliant on EFTPOS, but post-COVID the market is bigger than that. “My own COVID experience confirmed that I need my internet to work, no ifs, buts or maybes. Now people work up to five days a week from home and can’t afford downtime in the middle of a call, an online presentation, trading stocks or submitting a last-minute report. With 4G Backup, there’s an extra layer of reliability ready to kick in when you need it most.”

Orcon’s plan reinvention is backed by a new website created by Gladeye and an advertising campaign directed by Joel Kefali, of Lorde’s Royals music video fame.

Hamilton says Orcon has plans for even more products which will distinguish it in the hyper competitive New Zealand ISP market. “Orcon is known for being first to market, whether copper unbundling, UFB, Gig services or Hyperfibre. That’s not changing and our commitment to innovating and improving broadband in New Zealand remains strong. Watch this space for the next round.”

The post Orcon Reimagined appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Netgear has combined the capabilities of the popular and award-winning Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi system with a 4G LTE Advanced mobile connection to provide an alternative when traditional wired internet – cable, fibre or DSL – connections are limited or unavailable.

This latest Orbi Mesh WiFi solution by NETGEAR comes in the form of the Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router (LBR20), the industry’s first tri-band mesh system with LTE-A Cat 18 modem technology, which is perfectly suited for those who experience limited or no access to traditional wired broadband or require a network connection for shorter time frames. It offers a reliable network access for rural or outback areas with limited options for traditional wired internet connections, providing high-speed internet for learning, work and streaming. Also, ideally suited for those who have holiday homes where year-round connectivity is not a requirement, the Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router has the flexibility to provide internet access when needed.

Additionally, the Orbi router can be used in conjunction with an existing wired service to provide a fail over, ensuring internet connectivity is consistent and uninterrupted. With 1.2Gbps over 4G LTE Advanced and the high-performance tri-band AC2200 WiFi, this new Orbi Mesh WiFi router is powered to provide an uninterrupted network connection for the smart connected home or small business.

“Today, we are living in an era defined by our ability to stay connected, as many of us are working and learning from home,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “We have designed the Orbi 4G LTE Advanced Router to address this demand for uninterrupted internet access with its capability to provide connectivity over both 4G LTE as well as traditional wired network connections.”

With an integrated Cat 18 modem, the Orbi LTE Advanced Router will work with a SIM card from any local 4G LTE network provider. The sleek and modern design with its high-gain internal antennas will reach up to 185m² of WiFi coverage and can be easily extended by pairing with any Orbi Tri-band WiFi 5 (802.11ac) satellite to create a mesh WiFi system. The Orbi LTE Advanced Tri-band router features a patented dedicated wireless backhaul between the router and satellites to provide a robust uninterrupted data connection to extend the reach by an additional 185m² for each satellite added to the system. With the benefit of a single WiFi network name (SSID), uninterrupted seamless connectivity is supported while roaming from room to room.

As part of the Orbi family of mesh WiFi systems, the Orbi LTE Advanced Router can also be paired with additional satellites such as Orbi Voice or Orbi Outdoor to gain greater coverage and additional features, such as a smart speaker with Alexa voice assistant. The Orbi app makes it easy to get started with a quick installation, providing access from anywhere to manage and monitor your Orbi home network.

The Orbi LTE Advanced Router also includes the option to add NETGEAR Armor powered by Bitdefender and Circle Smart Parenting Controls to the user’s network.

To safeguard the home network in this time of heightened online activity, NETGEAR Armor powered by Bitdefender on the Orbi Mesh WiFi Systems provides award-winning cybersecurity designed to protect all internet-connected devices within the home from viruses, malware, stolen passwords and identity theft, whether at home or on the go. NETGEAR Armor is complimentary for a 30-day trial period. After the trial period, a yearly subscription is required in order to continue protecting connected devices.

Circle Smart Parenting Controls is the smart way for families to manage content and time online, on any connected device. With the app, parents can easily create daily time limits for apps and websites, set filter levels for each family member and pause internet by device or by family member.

Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router is now available.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Industry First 4G LTE Modem w. Tri-band Mesh – Netgear appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NETGEAR, provider of mesh WiFi systems that power today’s smart homes and small businesses, announced the introduction of the Nighthawk Mesh WiFi System.

With the broadest range of WiFi 6 offerings in the industry, NETGEAR, the leading provider of mesh WiFi solutions, continues the commitment to advance WiFi performance with the launch of a new product line, the Nighthawk Mesh WiFi system. With the launch of Nighthawk Mesh WiFi, the performance line will now join the fastest growing segment of WiFi advanced solutions – WiFi 6 mesh systems.

The award-winning NETGEAR Orbi WiFi Mesh System has provided the consumer with an advanced WiFi solution, which has become synonymous with ease-of-use and performance, whereas the Nighthawk line of performance routers has been reserved for those customers who prefer to have greater capability to customise the settings for personalisation and optimisation of their network.

Designed for the tech enthusiast, the new Nighthawk WiFi 6 Mesh System brings the experience of reliable and flexible WiFi coverage with specialised features such as Dynamic QoS, which automatically prioritises both video streaming and gaming traffic. NETGEAR will continue to add features establishing Nighthawk Mesh WiFi system as the most robust and adaptable system available.

Every member of a household now has a well-defined need for super-fast, reliable WiFi from gamers, to telecommuters and those who stream HD video to numerous screens within the home.

NETGEAR has answered this call with the Nighthawk Mesh WiFi System delivering the future of WiFi with next-generation WiFi 6. The Nighthawk Mesh System comes with one or two high-powered satellites to provide whole home broadband WiFi coverage. Dead zones are eliminated by easily adding satellites wherever needed or to scale up when moving to a larger home. Setup is completed in minutes with the free Nighthawk App on Apple iOS or Android OS and is also used to easily manage the network from your mobile device.  “In a period of just three years, mesh WiFi has taken a large share of the WiFi market. NETGEAR has led this charge with our popular award-winning Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi system,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “We are excited to bring the power and flexibility of Nighthawk to this market, and lead the transition to WiFi 6.”

A Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6 router or a satellite supports dual-band WiFi with up to 1.8Gbps using the latest WiFi 6 and is the ideal companion for the latest iPhone or Samsung smart phones and the new WiFi 6 capable gadgets introduced over the last several months. Legacy devices also will experience enhanced connectivity, as the WiFi 6 backhaul for mesh systems improves utilisation of WiFi channels with its use of faster speeds and better efficiencies over WIFi 6.

The router also comes equipped with 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports (one for the internet and the other for the LAN) while the satellite comes with 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. This exciting new addition to the NETGEAR family of mesh WiFi products will set a new bar for performance and capacity to meet the increasing bandwidth demands of our customers.

NETGEAR already has the industry’s most complete WiFi 6 router portfolio and are now happy to offer the same for WiFi 6 mesh solutions.

The post NETGEAR PUSHES THE TRANSITION TO WIFI 6 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Ultra HQ audio meets A.I smarts.

Alexa has her boom and bass on with Amazon’s newly released Echo Studio bluetooth speaker.

Taking notice of the successes and failures of the earlier released Echo speaker, Amazon have gone back to the roots of what makes a bluetooth speaker damn good and produced one A.I. driven sound machine to rule them all.

The cylindrical eight inch heavy weight (3.5kgs) is not designed to be portable – it requires mains power to work and is most definitely a shelf or desk sitter.

Using the Amazon Alexa app for iOS or Android you will instantly connect up with the Echo Studio via both bluetooth and your home’s Wifi. If you have other Alexa devices in your smart home the Studio will instantly integrate itself in to the Alexa eco-system. You can even promote the Echo Speaker as the preferred source for your music by default.

Upon first power up the Echo Studio will do an audible scan of your surroundings relative to where the Studio has been placed. It is recommended to give it at least 6 inches away from walls and objects.

With one grunty large sub at the base the Echo Studio has four low to mid-range speakers w. built in tweeter facing up, left and right and front. This projects sound in a virtual surround effect while the downward facing sub exhausts it’s low rumbles from the cut out lip on the speaker.

for the size and girth of the Echo Studio the onboard controls are minimalistic. Volume, sync and mic off pretty much does it and for inputs at the rear, AC power, USB-C and a traditional 3.5mm.

For users of the subscription based Amazon Music, Amazon have built the Echo Studio to be in tune with their UHQ and 3D Music tracks. While there are only a handful of these 3D songs at the moment, it is something that we can expect to see a bit more of going forward.

However, for the most of us who stream music, Spotify works and for the first time ever we are hearing music from a single Bluetooth speaker that is up there with the likes of 5.1 system.

While the Echo Studio does a fantastic job of projecting sound in a virtual 3D environment, there is no projection to the rear of the device. You don’t notice it, unless you have the Echo Studio on a table where it can be accessed at all angles.

Being that it is an Alexa speaker it does come with all of the amusement and artificial intelligent helpfulness from the Amazon assistant.

The Echo Studio is by far the most powerful, the best sounding, ground rumbling smart Bluetooth speaker currently available. Priced just a bit over $300 AUD / NZD it’s a totally sound and worthy investment.

The post Amazon Echo Studio Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Optimise your gaming with Nighthawk.

Sounding like a dark superhero, Netgear’s Nighthawk XR500 is a premium router to filter your traffic and hone in on gaming ports for your favourite online battles.

Featuring four high range antennas the slick yet foreboding Nighthawk XR500 is pure weaponry in your home’s cyber network.

Via the easy to use User Interface (GUI) you will find that applying rules and filters for your online gaming is super easy.

While there is already some pre-config there by default, for the more wider known games, adding additional ports and setting priorities is a cinch.

You can prioritise any given ports that you need and deprioritise others. With the desktop app you are also able to do this on the fly and see your current latency and LAN (home network) traffic.

The Nighthawk XR500 also has it’s very own VPN built in.

Personally I found this super handy. I generally use a mix of cloud storage and external hard drives for production files and folders.

More often than not I have found that when I was away from home that one folder or file was not on cloud storage and resided on a hard drive on my desk.

By setting up permissions and the VPN I have been able to access my external drive, essentially turning the drive in to a NAS (Network Attached Storage) using my laptop as the drives controller.

On board there are five GB ports, one reserved for WAN, the four antennas work to ensure wide Wi-Fi coverage hurling out speeds up to 2.6GBs. Perfect for wireless streaming and of course competitive eSports.

You can also connect to more than one Wi-Fi band simultaneously (if one lags for any reason, the secondary will pick up the slack) and fifteen more additional channels ranging in the 5 GHz range. Forget network noise and interference, Netgear have covered all connectivity bases.

Onboard the Nighthawk XR500 has it’s very own high powered (for a router) CPU crunching the bandwidth data at 1.7 GHz.

The Netgear Nighthawk is a superhero for your LAN and online gaming. It gives you more than a competitive edge in gaming, either PC or console and ensures that the only thing you need to worry about when looting, plundering or in a fierce fire fight is your survival.

Netgear’s Nighthawk XR500 is the Ferrari in home network expansion and a super weapon in gaming.

The post Netgear Nighthawk XR500 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Unless you’ve been asleep for the last few years, you’ll know that we live in a connected world. So connected, that the constant flow of information to our devices is expected no matter where we are.

Networking outfits, such as Netgear have successfully given filled our houses with wireless networking, even in the most hard-to-reach, out-of-the-way places. Now that Wi-Fi access has been sorted in the guest bathroom. What about the garden?

Be it just ignorant Facebooking whilst having a barbie, or streaming Spotify to a conveniently located outdoor speaker, it’s likely that your Wi-Fi network starts to fade away the further you move from the house.

Netgear’s Orbi Outdoor Wi-Fi Mesh Extender is primarily designed to complement and extend Netgear’s own Orbi routers, but it can work with any Wi-Fi equipped router. I tested in with a D-Link Viper 2600 with no connection issues at all. Setup is easy, using the Netgear Orbi app.

The rather hefty device relays your existing Wi-Fi signal amplifying it and thus extending your Wi-Fi networks range. It doesn’t need to be wired into your existing network; all it needs is a power supply. The Orbi is completely weatherproof. I tested it against the best Sydney could throw at it with torrential rain and blisteringly hot sun.

The unit is advertised as being rated at AC3000 MU-MINO. It’s tri-band with three radios, 1x 400Mbps @ 2.4Ghz, 1x 866Mbps @ 5Ghz and 1733Mbps @ 5Ghz.

The heatsink on the rear of the device is justified by the amount of heat that the unit kicks out. This suggest that your extended Wi-Fi does come an additional cost on your electricity bill.

I’m sceptical about Wi-Fi range at the best of times. It would seem that most router manufacturers test their devices in buildings made of Papier-mâché. For my test I set the Orbi Extender up about 20m from my modem. Using Speedtest, I was getting a 100Mbps download speed at the modem. Standing next to the Orbi I got a very reasonable 80Mbps.

Moving further afield, about 20m from the Orbi / 40m from the house, the download speed dropped to around 45Mbps. Still acceptable. At this point, though, Whilst I was still in line of sight to the Orbi, I wasn’t to the house, the Orbi relaying the signal around the garden shed.

It was only when I got to the road at the top of the drive, about 60m from the house that the signal took a dive to about 14Mbps. I was still able to stream Netflix from the Wi-Fi. At this point the Orbi single would passing though a garden shed and a colorbond fence to get to my phone.

At the best part of AUD$500, the Netgear Orbi Outdoor Wi-Fi Mesh Extender isn’t cheap. But it is weather-resistant and comes complete with fixings for wall-mounting or free-standing. In brilliant white, with a (thankfully) optional LED light, it’s not the most subtle of devices. But it does its job. If you need wireless networking across your garden, the Orbi Extender is worth looking into.

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