Wireless routers have become a fundamental part of every home and office nowadays, as they help us access the internet wirelessly on multiple devices.
As the demand for faster and more reliable WiFi is increasing, router manufacturers have started pushing the boundaries to deliver the latest and most cutting-edge innovations.
Let us have a look at some of the latest innovations in wireless routers that are revolutionizing the way we experience internet connectivity.
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1. Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 6, or 802.11ax, is the latest generation of WiFi technology that you can find in wireless routers nowadays.
It has significant improvements over its predecessors, as it supports higher data transfer speeds for a smoother internet experience, can handle a large number of devices connected to the network without any compromise on performance, and has advanced features like Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT) to enhance network efficiency and reduce latency.
2. Mesh Networking
Mesh networking is another new technology that has changed the way we extend WiFi coverage over a larger area.
Instead of buying a new wireless router or relying on a single router to provide coverage throughout a large area, a mesh network involves using multiple nodes placed strategically across the building to create a seamless and expansive wireless network.
Multiple router manufacturers including the likes of TP-Link have their own dedicated mesh WiFi systems.
In a mesh network, each node acts as an access point, which helps eliminate dead spots and weak signal areas, providing consistent and strong Wi-Fi coverage in every corner of your home or office.
The best thing about mesh networking is that your connected devices can easily switch between nodes as they move around the area without any interruption in the connection.
3. Beamforming
Beamforming is another technology that you can find in wireless routers nowadays. It is a technology that focuses WiFi signals directly on connecting devices instead of broadcasting and transmitting them in all directions, like most wireless routers used to do.
Beamforming technology is a targeted approach that ensures improved signal strength, coverage, and WiFi performance, even when the device(s) are located away from the router.
By transmitting signals to the connected devices, beamforming technology reduces interference, enhances data transfer rates, and boosts the efficiency of the WiFi network for the connected devices, providing a fast, reliable, and stable connection.
4. MU-MIMO
To improve the performance of wireless networks, router manufacturers like D-Link have introduced the MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology into their wireless routers.
This technology allows wireless routers to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, enhancing the overall network’s capacity and efficiency.
With MU-MIMO, connected devices can receive data packets from the wireless routers at the same time, ultimately reducing wait times and improving the overall performance of the network.
For busy households or offices where multiple devices are connected to the same network simultaneously, MU-MIMO is highly beneficial.
5. Dedicated Mobile Apps
Those days of manually configuring the wireless router through the default gateway address are long gone. Almost every modern wireless router now comes with a dedicated mobile app that simplifies everything, from the initial setup process to configuring the wireless network later on.
These dedicated mobile apps enable users to configure, monitor, and customize network settings on the go from their smartphones without having to go through the hassle of doing it all manually from a web browser.
6. Smart Home Integration
Over the course of the past few years, smart home devices have gained a lot of popularity. Modern routers are now designed to seamlessly integrate with smart homes and IoT devices.
With smart home integration, users can control and manage all of their connected devices, including their wireless router, from a central app, creating a streamlined smart home experience.
Additionally, the seamless integration of wireless routers with smart home devices ensures that smart home devices function optimally and respond quickly to commands, the way they are intended to.
