Linksys
This story is part of CES, where our editors will present the latest news and the hottest gadgets from CES 2021 entirely virtual.
Curiosity: aquariums are a common headache for Wi-Fi networks, because Wi-Fi signals have difficulty passing through water. The same goes for people, since our bodies are also largely made up of water – and that means that we cause revealing interference whenever we pass through a wi-fi network.
Selected Linksys Velop fabric routers can use these spectral disturbances to detect motion and send an alert to your phone – and now, on CES 2021, Linksys is bringing the feature to a new Velop device that supports Wi-Fi 6E, a new designation for high-end wireless devices capable of sending signals in the 6GHz band.
Called the Linksys AXE8400 and due for release this summer, the tri-band router is set to join the Velop line of mesh systems, where it will sell for $ 450 for a single device, $ 850 for a 2-pack with a router and extender or $ 1,200 for a router with two extenders. This will easily make you one of the most expensive fabric routers on the market – about $ 200 more than you would spend the fastest and best performing mesh router we tested, the AX6000 version of Netgear Orbi.
Like this system, the AXE8400 uses the latest generation of Wi-Fi, called Wi-Fi 6, to ensure fast and efficient performance, but the addition of Wi-Fi 6E support means that it can also send signals in the 6 GHz band, which the FCC has just opened for use with unlicensed Wi-Fi in 2020. With more than twice the bandwidth of the 5 GHz band – and without interference from existing generation Wi-Fi devices – 6 GHz is like a new expressway with multiple lanes and space for a lot of traffic, and Wi-Fi 6E routers like the AXE8400 have a ticket to travel.
Of course, there are virtually no phones, laptops or other client devices that support Wi-Fi 6E at this point, but we expect that to change next year. Even without them, your home network will benefit from a multi-part 6E Wi-Fi mesh configuration, because the router and its satellite nodes will be able to transmit data back and forth in that luxurious 6 GHz band. whether or not it is a sufficient benefit this summer to be worth the high premium.
The AXE8400 includes four spare Gigabit Ethernet connectors, a USB 3.0 port for peripherals and a WAN port that supports wired input speeds of up to 5 Gbps.
Linksys
In terms of specifications, the AXE8400 features a tri-band design capable of 4X4 MU-MIMO connections in the 2.4, 5 or 6GHz bands. The main theoretical transfer speeds in this 6 GHz band are listed at 4.8 Gbps, compared to 2.4 and 1.2 Gbps in the 5 and 2.4 GHz bands, respectively. The router runs on a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, has a WAN port that supports wired input speeds of up to 5 Gbps and promises up to 3,000 square feet of reach per node. All of this fits into the design of a premium mesh router in 2021.
As for Linksys Aware’s motion sensitivity, it costs an extra $ 3 a month or $ 25 a year. You can manage it through the Linksys app, where you can adjust the sensitivity for specific fixed-location Wi-Fi devices on your network and set alerts on your phone whenever the router detects motion-based interference with them. You can also track up to 60 days of past movement events, giving you an astute glimpse of when, exactly, your teen escaped the other month, or when your spouse tiptoed into the kitchen for an evening snack in the week last. But this is where Linksys Aware stops – the feature cannot be used to activate your smart lights, your home security system or any other connected devices.
“We are exploring all possibilities,” says Linksys.
Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to test it yet, but the use cases certainly piqued my curiosity. I am also interested in whether Linksys stores this location alert data locally or whether it is uploaded to the company’s servers. Linksys does not specify on the Linksys Aware question and answer page, although the company notes that the feature may offer a more privacy-oriented approach to home monitoring than installing cameras and other sensors in your home.
Anyway, the AXE8400 is at the top of the list of new Wi-Fi 6E hardware that I will be happy to test in 2021, alongside other new Wi-Fi 6E routers from names like Netgear and TP-Link. When the time comes to put it to the test, I will surely tell you how it is going and whether this state-of-the-art network hardware meets the price or not. For $ 850 for a 2-piece setup (and you’ll need at least two devices to use the Linksys Aware feature), there’s not much room for error.