Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to networking devices, many of us would definitely have heard of the name “D-Link” before, as this particular company is no stranger at all after being in the market for so many years. They have had their fair share of hits in the past, but if you were to have a parallel in contemporary terms, D-Link’s brand is somewhat like Toyota or Honda – delivering a functional and reliable device, and yet they are not really all that eye-catching in the first place, and neither does it make the heart race when one sets their eyes on it. Having said that, D-Link has just made available the pre-order of their most advanced Gaming Router ever, the D-Link Gaming Router with Qualcomm StreamBoost technology, or the DGL-5500 if model numbers are your cup of tea.

The D-Link Gaming Router would come with AC1300 wireless speeds that are unique to traffic shaping and bandwidth management, and it will also work in tandem with a quartet of gigabit Ethernet ports so that it can deliver the ultimate in gaming performance, media streaming and network control. Of course, placing a pre-order would still mean that a little bit of waiting is in order, and those who are interested in picking up the D-Link Gaming Router at $199.99 a pop via newegg.com would have to wait until August 1st for shipping to commence.

Listen to what Daniel Kelley, vice president of marketing, D-Link Systems, Inc., had to say about the Gaming Router, “The Gaming Router represents the ultimate in high-performance connectivity to give power users the ability and control they need to do what they love online without the concern or interruption of buffering and lag. Today’s action role-playing games and MMOs are more competitive than ever and with limited bandwidth coming into the home, gamers need to ensure they’re making the most of their connectivity to maintain an advantage. With Qualcomm StreamBoost technology, the new Gaming Router is designed to do just that – shape the network traffic to help gamers do more and lag less.”

I admit, this is the first time that I have heard about the Qualcomm StreamBoost technology, but apparently it has been designed to deliver a robust connected experience to users regardless of the device that they use over the home network, and this is achieved by intelligently managing and shaping traffic, while providing individual devices and applications the priority and bandwidth required in order to enjoy optimal performance.

Press Release
[ D-Link Gaming Router pre-orders now available copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The skyscraper? The hauteur router? The dapper WAP? All reasonable nicknames were considered, but in the end, Apple’s sticking with “AirPort Extreme.” The newest base station — the one introduced alongside the company’s Haswell-infused MacBook Air at WWDC — takes on a new look and gains 802.11ac support, but that’s not what you’re here for. You’re here for two reasons: first, you want to see this thing reverse engineered, and second, you want to get an idea of just how repairable it is. The gurus over at iFixit have done their usual teardown, offering up a plethora of lovely JPGs and settling on a respectable 8 out of 10 on the Repairability Index. Eager to learn more? Give that source link below a soft tap… with the key word being soft.

Filed under: Networking, Apple

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Source: iFixit

Some of ASUS’ big Computex 2013 launches today involved the latest 802.11ac WiFi flavor, and since you’ll need to feed them with a router packing the same tech, ASUS has also announced one of those: the RT-AC68U. The company claims it’s the first dual-band 802.11ac router with AC1900 data rates up to 1900 Mbit/s, thanks to AiRadar beamforming, which helps bring a stronger connection and 150 percent better range, too (if accurate). You’ll also be able to share files between ASUS routers with USB-attached drives thanks to a router-to-router sync mode, negating the need for a switched-on PC or other device. There’s no word on pricing or availability, but the previous RT-AC66U flagship ran about $200 or so — so we’d be surprised if it came in under that figure.

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless, ASUS

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When it comes to networking tools and hardware, you know that you will not be able to go wrong with the name D-Link, as this is a trusted brand name which treads the thin line between quality, performance, and of course, price. Well, we are pleased to say that D-Link has recently announced that they will be shipping their new line of AC Routers – which so happens to comprise of the Wireless AC1750 Router (DIR-868L), Wireless AC1200 Router (DIR-860L), Wireless AC1000 Router (DIR-820L) and Wireless AC750 Router (DIR-810L).

The above mentioned models will offer next-generation Wi-Fi speeds, where D-Link’s latest 802.11ac routers are more than capable of delivering a slew of wireless speeds and price points in order to serve up a reliable and strong Wi-Fi home network that should be ideal for HD video streaming, online gaming, and multiple user activities. After all, users in this day and age are extremely particular about the amount of bandwidth that they have, not to mention the vast amounts of information that they send back and forth between devices – a far cry from the early days of baud 4400 and the likes, no?

Daniel Kelley , vice president of marketing, D-Link Systems, said, “Today’s average home now has more than 15 devices, oftentimes with multiple iPads, iPhones, as well as Android phones and tablets, and consumers are looking for the best in wireless connectivity to help deliver uninterrupted HD video streaming, online gaming and multiple user capabilities. With the introduction of the new 11AC Router line, D-Link provides next-generation wireless speeds to meet the needs of the digital home coupled with advanced remote management and sharing capabilities to better suit mobile lifestyles.”

The Wireless AC1750 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router and Wireless AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router will be able to deliver speeds of up to 1750Mbps (N450Mbps+AC1300Mbps) and 1200Mbps (N300 + AC867Mbps), respectively. while the Wireless AC1000 Dual Band Cloud Router can serve up speeds of up to 1000Mbps (N300Mbps + AC650Mbps) and the Wireless AC750 Dual Band Cloud Router offers speeds of up to 750Mbps (N300Mbps + AC433Mbps). Not only that, these new AC routers also do away with Wi-Fi interference, resulting in a faster and more reliable Internet connection.

These AC routers will sport Dual Band technology so that users can perform simple Internet activities on the 2.4GHz band, while reserving the interference free 5GHz band for more demanding activities, all the while playing nice with 802.11a/b/g/n devices for seamless connectivity. The Wireless AC 1750 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router (DIR-868L), Wireless AC 1200 Dual Band Gigabit Router (DIR-860L), Wireless AC1000 Dual Band Cloud Router (DIR-820L), and Wireless AC750 Dual Band Cloud Router (DIR-810L) will retail for $169.99, $149.99, $119.99 and $79.99, respectively.

Press Release
[ D-Link announces new range of AC routers copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

As more publishers make the move to digital publishing, it seems like print publications are dying a slow death. Some magazines have resorted to including a small freebie with every issue, from free posters and coupons to pens and now even Wi-Fi routers. The last one only applies to select issues of Forbes which were sent to various technology and business professionals.

Each of these issues had a special four-page insert that provided the reader with 15 days of free wireless Internet care of T-Mobile. The insert was part of a promotion for Microsoft’s Office 365.

The compact router inside has to be charged up first before usage. After that, users can expect to get up to three hours of access from each charge. Wi-Fi is meant to be shared, so they made sure that the mobile hotspot can provide Internet access for up to five different devices.

This is one of the cooler tech gifts I’ve seen being given away in a magazine, so you might want to grab a copy of the May 6, 2013 issues of Forbes before the Wi-Fi-packed ones run out.

[via C|NET]