Networking News - Page 7

Netgear are ready to pull the curtain from their latest networking product, its first 802.11ac-compatible Wi-Fi router, which is capable of pushing out gigabit speeds up to three times faster than current 802.11n routers. The Netgear R6300 router would top out at 1300Mbps in 5GHz mode and 450MHz in 2.4GHz and will launch next month for $199.99.

Apple are rumored to be close to introducing support for faster technology in their AirPort range of products, so this will come as a note to Apple observers. Broadcom have already launched their first set of 802.11ac 5G Wi-Fi chips, even though the standard probably won't be finalized until the end of this year.

I'll be thinking of picking one of these bad boys up, Netgear. 1300Mbps in 5Ghz is insane, and I look forward to Wi-Fi everything being upgraded over time.

Qualcomm Atheros has released two new networking devices today which promise to provide "unprecedented performance and advanced control for a superior online gaming experience." These two new devices are the Qualcomm Atheros Killer Technology E2200 and Wireless-N 1202. The former is an Ethernet controller and the latter a wireless adapter that has Bluetooth built in.

I am a fan of online gaming, so anything that can give me an edge when playing is definitely appreciated. If these cards can lower my ping, or provide a better, uninterrupted connection, I'll take them. According to the press release, which is in full-text below, the chips "prioritize gaming, video and audio network data." Only reviews and user experience will tell if this makes a difference.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 23, 2012 - Qualcomm Atheros Inc., the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), today launched both the KillerT Wireless-N 1202 high-performance Wi-FiT module with BluetoothT connectivity and the Killer E2200 high-performance gigabit Ethernet controller. The two products are designed to provide improved performance and advanced control by automatically classifying and prioritizing gaming, video and audio network data to provide a superior, uninterrupted online entertainment experience.

Softbank, Japan's third-largest mobile carrier is set to enable a new high-speed mobile data service this week, with a portable Wi-Fi router capable of download speeds of 76Mbps. Softbank have also stated that its 4G network will eventually support devices with speeds of up to 110Mbps.

The official launch of Softbank 4G will be held this Friday, where the first 4G-capable Wi-Fi router will reportedly be the size of a "soap-bar", and is from Seiko Instruments. This device will allow up to 10 Wi-Fi users to share the mobile connection, with the aforementioned download speeds of up to 76Mbps down, and 10Mbps up.

Softbank's high-speed network is based on a format called AXGP, which is an advanced version of an older Japanese standard, Personal Handy-phone System (PHS). Softbank has said that they are "highly compatible" with TD-LTE, a Chinese standard otherwise known as LTD TDD, which is growing in popularity throughout Asia. There are also reports floating around that Apple are said to be baking in support for the standard in future devices.

Optus have just announced they've acquired Vivid Wireless for a tidy little sum of $230 million, with full intent on using Vivid's existing spectrum to boost its 4G network using LTE-TDD. The full announcement is below:

Optus today announced that it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Vividwireless Group Limited (which operates under the vividwireless and unwired brands) from Seven Group Holdings (SGH), for an expected cash consideration of A$230 million.

- Through the acquisition, Optus will also gain access to up to 98MHz of spectrum in the 2.3GHz band, a band already used by some of the world's leading operators to provide 4G services.

Internode have today begun its first program to rent industry-leading FRITZ!Box broadband routers and accessories to customers, and at the same time, have slashed pricing across its range of FRITZ!Box equipment. Internode customers can save themselves up-front costs from the AVM FRITZ!Box 7270 and 7390 routers, and FRITZ!Fon DECT handsets, by opting to pay a monthly rental fee within a 24-month contract.

Internode will then rent customers the 7270 for $9.95 per month, the 7390 for $14.95 per month, and the DECT handset for $4.95 per month. If customers choose to purchase the equipment outright, Internode has slashed pricing of the two FRITZ!Box routers by $50, and taken $20 off the FRITZ!Fon handset.

Internode product manager, Philip Dempster has said:

CES 2012 - Newer Technology, part of the MAC Sales clan which includes OWC SSDs displayed a product I'm sure everyone reading this can appreciates. USB ports built into power sockets aren't anything new but all of them we've seen continually power the USB ports. This is a big waste of power since you don't have devices connected all of the time to the USB ports.

Phantom power draw is a big issue when you are paying the electric bill but Newer Technology has come up with a simple solution to turn the ports off when not in use. The USB ports provide up to 2 amps of power when the USB door opens. A micro switch gets activated and your iPad, iPod, cell phone or other device gets the juice.

The Newer Technology Power2U is currently available at MACSALES.com for less than 30 Dollars.

QNAP Systems, Ind. have just announced V3.6 Beta NAS management software for its Turbo NAS series, which provides some highly anticipated features such as a VPN Server, LDAP Server, and Proxy Server, cloud music and photo sharing with a web browser, enhanced backup features, and more. Firmware V3.6 beta also includes a new version of MyCloudNAS 1.2, QPKG center and more compatible IP camera.

Firmware V3.6 beta also bakes in some new business-class features, such as VPN Server. VPN Server offers businesses with a cost-saving way to create a secure and private network. LDAP Server simplifies mass account management and saves business' IT hardware expenditure, time, and stress. The Proxy Server provided with the "Squid" QPKG provides the IT administrator a great solution to manage network loading, yet maintain network security.

Jason Hsu, product manager for QNAP says:

American internet users rejoice! YouTube requests might get delivered faster today with Google, OpenDNS and several content delivery networks announcing the Global Internet Speed Up effort. Finding ways to speed up the internet and deliver ever-increasing high quality streaming and downloads to users across the globe is getting harder. The Speed Up effort tries to dodge around this by making sure a user's request for content goes to a server near it, making delivery faster and more efficient from a bandwidth perspective.

At the center of this new wonderful speed up is the creation of a standard that attached location data to a DNS request so a user's request for content goes to a server nearby. This is definitely an upgrade as usually the content comes from the address of the DNS server and not the user's location. For example, an Austin, Texas-based customer who types in the URL for a YouTube video will share part of his IP address as part of the DNS request.

This way, the domain system server can route the request to a Google data center in Dallas, as opposed to one in Ireland. A simple solution, but would net great gains for people who have servers close to them. The new code goes into effect on Tuesday with 30 million OpenDNS users and Google's Public DNS service users visiting content hosted on the participating CDNs will immediately benefit.

Internode have announced their retail pricing for the NBN-based phone and broadband bundles packages, with prices ranging between $59.95 and $189.95. If you'd like the 100MB speeds, it will cost you a minimum of $100 per month. Internode were quick to say that the pricing for broadband could easily escalate, this is because of the flaws in NBNCo's wholesale charging model, compounded by the ACCC's "121 points of interconnect" decision.

Managing director of Internode, Simon Hackett, has criticised the NBNCo's wholesale fee of $20 per megabit per month, which is charged at the point where retail service providers physically connect to the NBN. He says:

This charge has simply been chosen to fill in an otherwise huge hole in the Federal Government policy requirement that the network return funds to the Commonwealth at a commercial rate and in a short time frame (relative to the expected lifetime of the network).

I work as a researcher at the University of New England; however, I prefer to work from home. The NBN connection makes it possible for me to teleconference online and keep in touch with my university colleagues online more reliably than before.