Tag Archives: Networking

Acer Enters Router Market with Wave 7 Mesh and Predator Connect W6x for Gamers

June 2, 2024 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Acer has expanded its product portfolio with the introduction of two new routers: the Acer Wave 7 and the Predator Connect W6x. This marks Acer’s first foray into the router market, following the expansion of the Predator branding to include graphics cards last year.

Acer Wave 7: Designed for Whole-Home Connectivity

The Wave 7 caters to a broad range of users, including families and remote workers, by delivering high-performance Wi-Fi 7 for extensive and reliable coverage in homes with numerous devices.

The Wave 7 comes in two configurations, offering a choice between a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz combination or a 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz combination for users to optimize performance based on their specific needs. Both configurations support dual-band connectivity, utilizing both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, to ensure strong and consistent signals throughout the home.

Furthermore, the Wave 7 boasts innovative features like 320 MHz channel support and Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology. MLO allows devices to transmit and receive data concurrently across different frequencies, significantly boosting overall throughput, minimizing latency, and reducing interference.

This mesh system allows for further expansion by adding more access points, creating a seamless blanket of Wi-Fi coverage throughout a large space. For enhanced flexibility in network configuration, the Wave 7 offers three Gigabit Ethernet ports with switchable WAN/LAN capability. Built-in Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security provides an additional layer of peace of mind.

The Wave 7 is available in single, double, and triple-pack options, offering users flexibility when building their network systems.

Predator Connect W6x: Prioritizing Speed and Performance for Gamers

The Predator Connect W6x caters specifically to gamers, offering support for Wi-Fi 6 with speeds up to 6000 Mbps. This router is equipped with a powerful quad-core processor, 1 GB of DDR4 RAM, and 256 MB of ROM, prioritizing near-zero packet loss for smooth and uninterrupted gameplay. An LED light indicator conveniently displays the network connection status on the router’s cover.

Gamers can manage their network remotely using the Predator Connect utility app, downloadable on smartphones or tablets starting in July. The Predator Connect W6x also boasts a comprehensive selection of ports, including four Gigabit Ethernet ports for LAN connectivity and a single 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for WAN connectivity.

Pricing & Availability

The Acer Wave 7 will be available in North America in Q2, and in EMEA in July starting at EUR119 (approx. RM607.54) for a single pack, EUR199 (approx. RM1,015.97) for a double pack, and EUR299 (approx. RM1,526.51) for a triple pack.

The Predator Connect W6x will be available in North America in Q2, and in EMEA in July starting at EUR 129 (approx. RM658.59).

Business

HPE Aruba Networking Unveils Powerful Wi-Fi 7 APs to Supercharge Enterprise Connectivity

April 30, 2024 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

HPE Aruba Networking is looking to set the bar higher for enterprise Wi-Fi with the launch of its new Wi-Fi 7 access points (APs). These next-generation solutions deliver up to 30% more capacity compared to competitors, ensuring seamless connectivity for demanding applications like AI and the ever-growing Internet of Things (IoT) landscape.

HPE Aruba Networking’s 730 series APs leverage the company’s proven track record as an industry leader proven by its 18-time Gartner Magic Quadrant leadership position. These new APs leverage patented ultra tri-band (UTB) hardware technology unlocking exceptional performance by optimizing both 5GHz and 6GHz bands. This helps eliminate channel interference for smoother data flow.

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“As businesses embrace data-driven modernization, reliable, secure, and high-performance connectivity is crucial,” says Mark Ablett, Vice President of Asia Pacific and Japan at HPE Aruba Networking. “Our Wi-Fi 7 APs, managed by HPE Aruba Networking Central, empower organizations to achieve optimal network capabilities, bolster operational efficiency, and safeguard their digital environment.”

AI-ready IoT Integration

The HPE Aruba Networking 730 Series eliminates the need for separate IoT network overlays. Built-in support for a wide range of IoT protocols like Zigbee and Bluetooth, alongside dual USB interfaces, provides a secure and versatile platform for connecting an expanding array of devices at the network edge.

The surge in IoT devices presents a rich data source for AI training and analysis. HPE’s extensive ecosystem of over 350 technology partners empowers organizations to capture, secure, and leverage this data to generate real-time business insights and build robust AI data lakes. These insights can be used to fuel predictive maintenance, digital twin implementations, and personalized customer experiences.

“Today’s enterprises require optimized connectivity and smart investments in their wireless infrastructure,” says Chris DePuy, principal analyst at 650 Group. “Wi-Fi 7 delivers the processing power, flexibility, speed, reliability, and capacity organizations need to navigate the explosion of IoT devices, ubiquitous security demands, and backward compatibility with legacy equipment.”

Feature Rich, Secure and Sustainable

HPE Aruba Networking 730 Series APs bring more than just new technology to the table. It builds on the secure, reliable framework which has been a hallmark of HPE Aruba’s portfolio since its inception. The new 730 series promises enhanced performance with UTB filtering that eliminates channel interference for maximized performance and capacity. It also enables simultaneous utilization of both 5GHz and 6GHz bands.

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Aside from this, the new routers come with advanced security. This allows admins to better manage access through policy-based access controls and Layer 7 application firewalls that build upon a robust security foundation. New features include link-level encryption (MACsec) for wired-level data protection on the AP and a personal wireless network mode for secure user device onboarding.

The new APs utilize HPE Aruba Networking Central’s IoT Operations dashboard. This simplifies device onboarding and removes the need for high-overhead vendor-specific overlays. The APs function as connectors and local processing elements for direct communication with third-party IoT services. They also come with dual dedicated Bluetooth and Zigbee radios that cater to high-density IoT environments. The built-in dual USB ports offer robust connectivity for diverse IoT devices using proprietary protocols. Integrated, non-permanent external antennas also optimize performance in challenging RF environments.

HPE Aruba’s 730 series APs come with Increased SDRAM and Flash memory compared to previous models. This allows application-specific containers to run on the APs themselves, streamlining data transmissions and enabling local processing for faster response to real-time conditions.

The 730 Series leverages the new Wi-Fi location standard for improved location-aware services with one-meter precision, ideal for real-time, immersive, and industrial use cases. It also supports the IEEE 802.11az standard and facilitates self-location networks. Additional features include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, a barometric sensor for floor-level mapping, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.4 for bi-directional IoT location data to enhance user engagement and asset tracking.

The 730 series is built with sustainability in mind. The outlined features are further enhanced by an AI-powered dynamic power save mode. This allows organizations to be sustainability-oriented by reducing energy consumption.

Availability and Management

The HPE Aruba Networking 730 Series Access Points will be generally available globally in July 2024 and come with a limited lifetime warranty. Management is facilitated through HPE Aruba Networking Central, offered as a subscription, either as a standalone SaaS solution or included as part of an HPE GreenLake (NaaS) subscription via the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform.

News

Home Mesh Networks to be supercharged with Qualcomm’s WiFi 7 chips

December 21, 2022 Thina Hareesh Leave a comment

Qualcomm announces new WiFi 7 chipsets with the aim to revolutionize home networking with faster speeds and enhanced performance.

Qualcomm launches the chipsets as part of its “WiFi 7 Immersive Home Platform” and will be found in routers and mesh WiFi devices in the latter half of 2023. In its launch announcement, Qualcomm believes the new platform will deliver increased performance in a “…compact, power-efficient, cost-effective network chipset architecture”. There are two new chipsets announced, the Qualcomm 3210 platform that offers 20Gbps peak network capacity and the 236 platform with 10Gbps peak capacity.

The new chipsets also bring a host of new features, with the Qualcomm Multi-Link Mesh being a central one. This is Qualcomm’s own built-in mesh networking technology that offers to reduce real-time latency by 75%. It does this by automatically switching between the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz spectrums based on network conditions. It also leverages avoidance algorithms to reduce other interference from other networks.

Qualcomm IHP specs — Expect higher mesh network capacities and better performance in congested environments.
Image source: Qualcomm

Being a WiFi 7 chipset, the new platforms leverage the formats whole suite of features for your home mesh network. These include an enhanced 6 GHz spectrum performance with 320 MHz spectrum, offering 40% higher capacity than WiFi 6E. There is support for WiFi 7 Multi-Link and Adaptive Interference Puncturing to further improve performance in congested environments. And last but not least, better single device connectivity with peak speeds up to 5.8 Gbps.

For more information on Qualcomm’s new WiFi 7 chipsets, visit the “Immersive Home Platform” website.

Sources: The Verge, ZDNet

Business, Lifestyle, News, Social Media

Elon Musk is Acquiring Twitter for US$ 44 Billion -What is Happening?

April 26, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Being rich has a lot of perks. One of them, as the richest man on earth, Elon Musk shows, is simply acquiring companies. His most prominent acquisition so far, that just went through anyway, is Twitter at US$ 44 Billion (MYR 191.333 billion*).

Of course, while this is our first report on Elon Musk’s bid to acquiring Twitter, it is not something that has gone quiet. Elon Musk bought over some Twitter shares a few weeks back and has been bidding to acquire the platform entirely ever since. Why? We do not know.

A few weeks back, with his acquisition of Twitter shares, he also promised that Twitter will soon have an ‘edit post’ button. The ‘edit’ button is something Twitter sorely lacks since its inception. While we would appreciate an ‘edit’ function, we have sort of lived with it. An ‘edit’ button will be nice though.

The acquisition that just went through not too long ago today has more questions surrounding it than answers too. One thing that has already been known with the acquisition is that the current CEO, Parag Agrawal will be leaving the company, though there are no mentions of when that will happen. We also know that Elon Musk is big on “free speech within the bounds of the law”, which is still rather vague but could mean less regulations from Twitter’s end. Elon also says that he wants to make Twitter better with new features and open sourcing the algorithms within Twitter.

What does this mean for Twitter?

Nobody knows, really. When the deal went through, there were plenty of speculations on organisational restructuring. Employees at Twitter are still nervous about their jobs or even compensations if they suddenly become unemployed. So far, there are no mentions on a major restructuring in Twitter yet.

In terms of the Twitter platform itself, you could be seeing the return of multiple names that was banned by Twitter for political correctness and other reasons. We said ‘could’, not ‘will’, so even we are taking that with a pinch of salt for now. Still, in favour of Elon Musk’s “free speech” commitment, we are expecting looser regulations from Twitter and less intervention from the platform in plenty of topics, “fake news” included.

Of course, such high-profile acquisition will attract the attention of Wall Street. That led to a 5% spike of Twitter’s share prices before Wall Street had to stop the trade of Twitter’s stocks. Elon Musk is known to turn many things into gold, and we believe that Twitter’s stocks will continue to increase in value at least for the time being.

The current CEO of Twitter says that there are no planned changes at this time, at least before he leaves. He added though that he is unsure about changers in the future ones the deal closes later this year. The deal is expected to take another six months before Elon fully takes control of Twitter. At least for the next six months, there should not be much in terms of change within and on Twitter as a platform.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.35 as of 26/04/2022 on xe.com

Lifestyle, Mobile, News, Social Media

Now You Can Pin Links in Your Clubhouse Rooms

October 26, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

No matter what you say or whichever platform you say is better as a social voice chat platform, Clubhouse will still be ranked on top in terms of popularity and utilisation. It is also one of the platforms that consistently innovates in its space, even compared to the likes of Spotify Greenroom, or Facebook’s Live Audio Rooms. That is why, from time to time, Clubhouse introduces a new update that changes the way or expands the way you use clubhouse and interact with your friends on the platform.

With the most recent update, Clubhouse is making it possible for users to share external links. While this does not directly allow on-platform monetisation, it does allow some form of monetisation for plenty of users. For example, users now can pin Patreon links. There is even a possibility of linking Kickstarter and Indiegogo project links to the Clubhouse rooms that users create to talk about their latest projects, or pain points for example. For a lot of content creators, it is now possible to include their YouTube channel links, Podcast links, their own curated website, news portals, and even news articles.

There are of course limitations to what sort of links you can pin on the top of the room. Obviously, porn is frowned upon, so you cannot post links to porn websites to any rooms, even if you are talking about explicit subjects or the likes. Obviously as well, OnlyFans is one of those sites that are banned from Clubhouse link pinning feature.

As far as transactions that happens within the links, Clubhouse claims that they will not be taking any cuts or commissions from them. With that, Clubhouse is saying that they are working on multiple things to allow content creators on the platform to monetise their own contents on the app itself. The feature will be available soon on iOS and Android versions of the app. Clubhouse is available for free on both iOS and Android via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store respectively. For more information on Pinned Links feature on Clubhouse, you can find out more on their blog.

Business, News

Aruba Introduces ESP (Edge Services Platform), A Sixth Sense for Networks

June 16, 2020 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

When it comes to networking there’s a myriad of considerations that go into securing, deploying and even managing the network. This is further exacerbated when it comes to large networks with the current perimeter of safety being disintegrated with BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) and even with distance work cultures. Corporations and even homes are left with a huge gap that they have had to fill with multiple solutions which sometimes just don’t coalesce.

Aruba has been hard at work developing a solution that will help companies be forward thinking while keeping their security in check. Their new ESP (Edge Services Platform) allows companies to adopt policies such as BYOD without compromising their network security and without them having to dedicate human and large financial resources in managing and administering network access. ESP essentially empowers the network with an AI-driven sixth sense that provides actionable insights for network administrators while taking the bulk of menial tasks off their to-do lists.

The Aruba ESP framework essentially consists of three principal components: AI Ops, a unified infrastructure and Zero Trust Network Security. These components work in tandem to deliver increased network reliability and security. With a cohesive approach, Aruba has managed to build an offering that is able to be implemented at scale and even with smaller businesses. In fact, ESP is able to be deployed according to client needs over a period of time.

The AI Ops component of ESP works to help with identifying, segmenting and remediate network issues. With Aruba’s implementation of AI Ops, the network is able to analyse and segment the network to isolate and protect company assets while allowing employees and guests to access the network with their own devices. It also proactively monitors the network for any security risks such as infected devices or even probable attackers to prevent any downtime. Even if there is downtime, AI Ops will allow Aruba’s ESP to automatically heal and repair the network which will, in the best scenarios, negate possible downtime.

The Edge Services Platform is also a turnkey solution for corporations that allows the consolidation of their networking solution on one unified platform. Running on their already proven Aruba Central network management solution, ESP is able to provide administrators with a cloud native solution to manage everything from switching, Wi-Fi and SD-WAN across their campus network. The single, unified interface also allows them to have a one-stop platform to identify and deal with potential networking issues which may arise. This together with the analytics and insights from AI Ops simplifies the process identifying, isolating and fixing network issues. What’s more, Aruba’s ESP is brand agnostic allowing devices and services from other vendors to be seamlessly integrated into the network.

ESP adopts a Zero Trust approach to network security. However, it doesn’t just segment the network. Instead, it uses built-in, role based access technology that will enable Dynamic Segmentation. This simply means that the platform is able to identify and isolate devices dynamically as they enter the network. It uses an AI model that has been trained to identify certain parameter and automatically assign or isolate devices to help prevent potential security risks or breaches. This approach allows companies to be forward looking while keeping their assets and data safe from intrusion; empowering remote work and BYOD policies which have been proven to increase productivity.

Aruba’s ESP heavily leverages telemetry and insights derived from the company’s many years in providing networking solutions and hardware to deliver an ever evolving, rapidly adapting solution that can be deployed according the needs and constraints of their customers. That said, ESP isn’t just reliant of Aruba’s data and telemetry, it evolves with the company and learns from the data and telemetry that is natively derived from the organisation and its policies. Aruba ESP will be available for current platforms including Amazon Web Services.

techENT