Belkin is focusing on more than just players with its first Wi-Fi 6e router, the Linksys AXE8400. With a new version of its Linksys Aware motion detection technology, Belkin is trying to attract people who live in smart homes, as well as the first users looking to stream 8K video and players interested in the latest VR technology.
This is a true tri-band router, like the Nighthawk RAXE500 Netgear announced earlier today, supporting three independent networks using spectrum in the recently opened 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz frequency bands. Unlike the Netgear router, the Linksys AXE8400 uses mesh network technology to provide even more coverage: 3,000 square feet per node.
BelkinThe Linksys AXE8400 Wi-Fi 6E router has a 5 Gbps WAN port, four gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port.
Belkin says its new router will hit the market in “spring / summer 2021”, when it will be sold alone for $ 450, in a bundle of two for $ 850 and in a bundle of three for $ 1,200. If you have already purchased Linksys Intelligent Mesh technology – first deployed with Linksys Velop routers – you will be happy to know that this new model will be backwards compatible. Buyers with very fast broadband connections, in turn, will appreciate the AXE8400’s 5 Gbps WAN port. It is equipped with four gigabit LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port.
BelkinThe optional Linksys Aware service detects movement in your home based on interruptions in the mesh network.
Belkin will launch a new generation of its Linksys Aware motion detection technology in the March / April period. The new version will recognize third-party stationary Wi-Fi devices – such as smart plugs, speakers, thermostats and lamps – to expand the network’s ability to detect movement within the home.
With this optional service, your router can detect interruptions in your wireless mesh network when someone walks around your home, using multiple Wi-Fi clients to triangulate precisely where the movement occurred. It will then send an alert to your smartphone.
Today, Linksys Aware is mostly used as an inexpensive home security system – a subscription costs $ 2.99 a month or $ 24.99 a year – but Belkin intends to improve the service’s capabilities to the point where it can also used for telehealth and aging on the spot.
The promise of aging at the site is particularly appealing, as it allows family members to monitor older family members who live alone, without the need to deploy privacy-invading technologies such as cameras.
Belkin says Linksys Aware will become so accurate that it will be able to differentiate between a stumbling accident and a fall from a person who collapsed on the floor while suffering a heart attack. The service will then initiate a call to action: a call to a loved one in the first scenario or a call to 911 in the last scenario.
You can read more about Linksys Aware in this CES 2020 story.