Networking

One of the more subtle trends at this year's Computex was that the majority of high-end motherboards now come equipped with a 5GbE network controller. At present, this might be considered a limited benefit as 5GbE and 10GbE switches and routers are still pretty expensive. But Realtek is planning on tackling the issue from both ends, as the company is preparing a hardware platform for sub-$100 5GbE switches. Realtek’s quad-port 5GbE switch platform consists of five key chips: one RTL9303 switch system-on-chip, and four RTL8251B 5GbE physical interfaces (PHYs). The chips are accompanied by various other components, such as power management ICs, but in general it relies solely on in-house developed components, which is why it can be made so cheap. RealTek's platform is...

Netgear Nighthawk X6S EX8000 Brings Orbi Tri-band Wi-Fi to Range Extenders

​Netgear's Orbi system has proved to be one of the most popular kits in the emerging mesh / Wi-Fi system market. While Wi-Fi systems are not for everybody (for...

3 by Ganesh T S on 8/29/2017

Dell Now Offers Aquantia AQtion AQN-108-Based 5 GbE Cards with Select PCs

Aquantia and Dell this week began to offer Aquantia’s AQtion AQN-108 5 GbE network controller as a build-to-order option for the OptiPlex 7050 workstations. Dell is the first major...

10 by Anton Shilov on 8/18/2017

Bluetooth SIG Announces Bluetooth Mesh for Large-Scale Device Networks

The month the Bluetooth SIG has taken the wraps off of their latest standards project: an addition to the Bluetooth specification that enables creation of large networks of devices...

11 by Anton Shilov on 7/25/2017

Netgear Launches Nighthawk X4S AC3200 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem Router

​The 2017 CES saw various vendors introduce their first cable modem based on Broadcom's DOCSIS 3.1 BCM3390 chipset. Netgear's CM1000 was one of the first out of the gate...

27 by Ganesh T S on 7/11/2017

ASUS Launches XG-C100C 10 GBase-T Adapter: Aquantia AQC107, $99

ASUS this week released the first inexpensive vendor-based consumer-grade 10 GbE / 10GBase-T card powered by an Aquantia silicon. The card can be installed in any modern PC with...

26 by Anton Shilov on 7/3/2017

AKiTiO Displays Thunderbolt 3 to 10GBase-T Adapter

During this year's Computex trade show, we've seen a number of 10GbE related products. Joining the LAN party was AKiTiO, who was showcasing their upcoming small form-factor Thunderbolt 3...

31 by Anton Shilov on 6/9/2017

Lower Cost 10GBase-T Switches Coming: 4, 5 and 8-port Aquantia Solutions at ~$30/Port

For users that have been following our recent coverage of Aquantia’s new multi-gigabit Ethernet solutions for consumers, the AQtion AQC107 and AQC108 controllers (along with their corresponding PCIe cards)...

40 by Ian Cutress on 6/5/2017

Rivet Networks Announces Killer xTend: Turning a Gaming PC into a Switch and Wi-Fi AP

Imagine the scenario where you have a monster gaming PC, but you also use the same area to support a few internet connected consoles. Or that the Wi-Fi router...

4 by Ian Cutress on 5/30/2017

Rivet Networks Announces Killer Support for 10 Gbps Network Controllers

As part of several announcements today, Rivet Networks (the company behind the Killer branded network controllers, and formerly a brand under Qualcomm) is starting their Computex news with software...

4 by Ian Cutress on 5/30/2017

Qualcomm Announces Mesh Networking Wi-Fi Router Reference Design with IoT Functionality

The last couple of years has seen rapid proliferation of mesh networking kits / whole-home Wi-Fi systems in the market. Recent market research suggests that the mesh network segment...

21 by Ganesh T S on 5/29/2017

Aquantia Launch AQtion 5G/2.5G/1G Multi-Gigabit Ethernet Cards (NICs) for PCIe

Late last year, Aquantia launched their range of multi-gigabit Ethernet controllers. These were controllers that could enable 1G, 2.5G and 5G connections over standard RJ45 connectors and Cat5e cabling...

33 by Ian Cutress on 5/15/2017

Netgear Expands Orbi Wi-Fi System Family with AC2200 Kits

Netgear introduced their first product in the Wi-Fi system / mesh category, the Orbi, in August 2016. Its dedicated wireless backhaul (4x4 802.11ac / 1733 Mbps) and 2x2 radios...

14 by Ganesh T S on 3/28/2017

Qualcomm Announces 802.11ax Access Point and Client Solutions

Wi-Fi platforms have traditionally focused on peak speeds. However, evolving usage scenarios (such as stadium and campus environments and even households with multiple Wi-Fi devices) have led to the...

38 by Ganesh T S on 2/13/2017

Synology at CES 2017 - RT2600ac Wi-Fi Router, DSM Value Additions, and New Business NAS Units

As part of my usual CES vendor visits, I caught up with Synology and took a look at the new products and DSM features that had been announced around...

28 by Ganesh T S on 1/31/2017

QNAP at CES 2017 - Thunderbolt 3 and Xeon D NAS Units, Residential Gateways, and More

As part of my usual CES vendor visits, I caught up with QNAP and took a look at the new products and QTS features slated to enter the market...

21 by Ganesh T S on 1/27/2017

GIGABYTE Exhibits an Aquantia AQC107 based 10G Ethernet PCIe Card

During December, Aquantia announced that it will be launching two multi-gigabit NICs into the market, offering 2.5G/5G capability on both and one with 10GBase-T as well. We were told...

25 by Ian Cutress on 1/11/2017

Linksys WRT32X Gaming Router Announced with Killer Prioritization Engine from Rivet Networks

Rivet Networks, the company behind the Killer brand, has been on a roll lately with the launch of a new Ethernet controller (E2500) back in September 2016. Killer's selling...

22 by Ganesh T S on 1/9/2017

D-Link's Covr Whole-Home Networking Solutions - Wi-Fi SON with Wi-Fi and HomePlug Backhauls

D-Link is launching a few IP cameras and a couple of Wi-Fi home networking solutions at CES 2017. More relevant to our recent coverage are the two new whole-home Wi-Fi...

6 by Ganesh T S on 1/5/2017

TRENDnet Launches TPL-430AP AC1200 Wireless Access Point with HomePlug Powerline Backhaul

Extending the reach of Wi-Fi networks has become important with the rise in number and spread in usage location of Wi-Fi clients in a typical household. Typical range extenders...

4 by Ganesh T S on 1/5/2017

Netgear Launches CM1000 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem, New Switches at CES 2017

Netgear became one of the first vendors to bring a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem to the market last month with the availability of the CM1000. It is based on...

4 by Ganesh T S on 1/4/2017

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