Networking News - Page 2

It feels like Gigabit Ethernet has been around for decades, because the uptake on 10GbE connectivity hasn't been as fast as the switch between 100Mbps and 1GbE. There are motherboards with 10GbE connectivity, but they're few and far between... and now QNAP has a solution for that.

QNAP has just unveiled their new QNA series Thunderbolt 3 to 10GbE adapter which lets people with Thunderbolt 3 Type-C connectivity to easily step up to 10GbE. Dan Lin, Product Manager of QNAP explains: "With the handy QNA series adapter, a 10GbE network can be created between your Thunderbolt 3 computer and another 10GbE-capable device without needing a complicate setup. 10GbE networks can facilitate high-speed data transfer and greatly benefit applications that are bandwidth or file-size intensive".

QNAP has your back when it comes to networking standards with the Thunderbolt 3 to 10GbE adapter, of which there are two models. The first is the QNA-T310G1T which rocks a Thunderbolt 3 to 10GbE Multi-Gigabit (10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M) port while the QNA-T310G1S has one 10GbE SFP+ port. The adapters will work on both Windows and Mac PCs, as long as you have the appropriate drivers installed.

Razer has just entered the gaming router market with the surprise announcement of Sila, a new gaming router that the company designed to keep lag away when gaming or streaming media.

Inside, the Razer FasTrack QoS system will prioritize traffic for when you're gaming or streaming video from the likes of Netflix or YouTube. It'll also automatically detect consoles, or work out which game you're playing on your PC and keep bandwidth secured away for you exclusively.

Razer has deployed a multi-channel zero-wait DFS system that will ensure network congestion stays at a minimum. Sila will make sure you get connected with the strongest signal possible, as there are more and more gamers using Wi-Fi to game all day or night long, especially with the rise of Fortnite on mobile.

Netgear took the wraps off of some new Nighthawk gaming routers recently, but the new flagship Nighthawk XR700 Gaming Router features some impressive technical specs including 10GbE connectivity.

The new Nighthawk XR700 is nearly identical to the current flock of high-end Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers but it has been specifically tuned for various networking hurdles that gamers and enthusiasts get put through. Netgear is optimizing network connections by stablizing pings and ironing out spikes in lag whether you're using the gigabit and now 10GbE wired connectivity, as well as gamers over Wi-Fi, if you are restricted from using ethernet cabling.

Netgear uses the DUMAOS on the Nighthawk XR700 gaming router which is a gaming router OS that was built specifically for power gamers, with the following features:

Rivet Networks (Killer) and Intel have teamed up on a new Wireless-AC card, the 1550. Its predecessor, the 1535, was a formidable card, but now Killer is working with Intel to produce their next generation Wireless AC products with Bluetooth 5.0.

The new card will feature 160MHz support, with theoretical speeds of 1.73Gbps. That is double the speed of most existing 2x2 Wireless AC cards.

It will also offer Wave 2.11ac features like MU-MIMO and Transmit Beamforming. The card is powered by Intel's latest technology, and should lead the way into the next generation of wireless-AC cards. The new card will be capable of DoubleShot Pro, which is where wireless and wired NICs work together to handle different bandwidth.

CES 2018 - Netgear have just announced their new Orbi Outdoor Satellite which will allow users to stay connected to their internet while outside and not have to worry about the elements damaging their portable extenders.

The Orbi Outdoor Satellite is specifically designed for outdoor use as the device will extend your Wi-Fi signal by an additional 2,500 square feet. To eliminate fears of an outdoor Wi-Fi device being damaged by the elements, Netgear have made the Orbi Outdoor Satellite completely water and dust resistant.

Most other Wi-Fi extenders provide users with a slower connection speed, but Netgear's Orbi Outdoor Satellite won't have this issue. Netgear have deployed some proprietary technology called FastLane3, which is capable of dedicating bandwidth between the Orbi Wi-Fi and your router, giving your outdoor devices the best connection speed possible.

Ever thought I could really use a Blu-ray disc drive for my NAS? Well, someone at QNAP clearly has because QNAP have teamed up with Vinpower Digital to integrate Vinpower's industrial-grade Blu-ray optical disc drive in to QNAP's latest NAS, the TVS-882BR NAS series. This NAS will provide the ability to write content from your NAS directly to CD, DVD and Blu-ray optical discs. This provides users with the ability to back-up storage on multiple formats, portable data and just for media playback on their Blu-ray player or DVD player.

"In the past year, we've seen a number of natural disasters that have destroyed whole communities, making storing content in a single location alone highly dangerous and susceptible to complete data loss," said Ryan Swerdloff, Vice President of Vinpower Digital. "Utilizing the optical disc writer drive on the TVS-882BR series provides an added layer of protection not found on most common NAS back-up solutions. In essence, it's an added level of insurance added to an excellent secure storage solution, similar to getting earthquake or flood insurance on top of your standard home insurance policy. You may never need to use it, but should the worst case scenario happen, you'll be protected and relieved you had it."

The TVS-882BR series is perfect for users with valuable data that want to have multiple formats of back-ups and demand excellent performance from their NAS . This 8-bay NAS is backed by Intel's 7th Generation multi-core processors, two M.2 SATA 6Gb/s slots, triple HDMI output, the ability to transcodes 4K H.264 videos on-the-fly or offline and pre-loaded ODD that allows you to experience extensive disc applications right way.

IoT is the future, not doubt about it. ASRock have taken the initiative and released their new smart home router, the X10. Featuring dual-band Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO and Beamforming support, ASRock have included tech savvy features such as ZigBee and IR blasters. This allows the X10 to control various smart devices to create a central hub for your home network.

ZigBee radio allows for compatible smart home appliances (sensors, lighting, heaters, security systems, etc.) using a 250 Kbit/s channel and enable users to read/control through the ASRock Router app for Apple iOS and Google Android. ASRock Router app is also capable of setting automated scenes, this means your router can have the lights turn off when you go to bed, or turn on your TV when you get up in the morning. This allows for users to have complete control over their smart devices in their home using only their phone or tablet.

The X10's IR blasters allow the router to control devices such as TVs or air conditioners. Unfortunately, the router must be in direct line of the device to allow for the IR signal to not be interrupted for this feature to work. Other features you can expect from your X10 is the ability to operate a private VPN server, parental controls and the impressive geofencing feature. This allows you the ability to have cameras and security systems turn on when you leave your house and turn on your lights when you return.

Today ASUS have announced a September release for their gaming-friendly AC2900-class Wi-Fi router, the RT-AC86U. Powered by a 1.8GHz 32bit dual-core processor, the RT-AC86U features concurrent dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, boosted by NitroQAM™ and MU-MIMO technology that is able to deliver bandwidth of up to an impressive 2166Mbps on the 5GHz frequency band and 750Mbps on the 2.4GHz band.

The RT-AC86U delivers the ultimate gaming experience, with built-in WTFast® game accelerator that optimizes game server connections and Adaptive QoS to proritze game traffic and ensures priority to online gaming in the network queue, The RT-AC86U truly delivers lag-free online gaming and ultra-smooth 4K UHD streaming.

Offering commercial-grade security, thanks to the in-built ASUS AiProtection that is powered by Trend Micro™ Smart Network, the RT-AC86U is able to detect and neutralize internet threats before they can reach the network. ASUS AiRadar 2.0 beamforming technology and ASUS RangeBoost allow the RT-AC86U to provide ultrawide coverage and long-range performance, eliminating dead spots and allow users to enjoy mobile gaming, even in remote corners of the house.

ASUS has surprised with the release of the first consumer-grade 10GbE card at a very reasonable price of just $99, and thanks to its PCIe 3.0 x4 connection, it will fit into most modern PCs.

ASUS taps the Aquantia silicon for its XG-C100C adapter, which supports 10/5/2.5/1Gbps networking standards as well as 100Mbps (why, oh why) through normal RJ45 and Cat5e/Cat6 cabling. ASUS uses the Aquantia AQtion AQC107 controller that supports five networking standards (100M, 1G, 2.5G, 5G, and 10G) through PCIe 3.0 x4, and has LEDs for network activity and connection speeds so you're not in the dark over your 10GbE speeds.

The new 10GbE network adapter is capable of pushing 1GB/sec over your network, if it's feeding into another 10GbE machine or a 10GbE-capable NAS or switch. ASUS has its new XG-C100C available at US retailers for $99, which is a freakin' steal. Aquantia sells its own AQC107-based cards for $130, so it's actually cheaper to buy the ASUS XG-C100C, which is powered by the identical chip.

The networking world is going through some changes, after the 1GbE standard becoming a household name on motherboards, with 10GbE being too expensive to shift over.

ASUS is a company that makes high-end components and products, so it made sense that during their recent 'Outshine the Competition' event in Berlin, ASUS teased a new PCIe-based 10GbE adapter. The new ASUS ROG Areion is a 10GbE Ethernet adapter that has a huge heat sink, and plugs into a PCIe 3.0 x4 port.

The ROG Areion is also backwards compatible with slower networking standards, with 5GbE, 2.5GbE, 1GbE, and 100Mbps - but 10GbE is why we're all here... over 1GB/sec on your network is a huge deal for some people, especially content creators.