The network of company-builder Ubiquiti Networks, to offer a home Wi-fi routers

Ubiquiti Networks, most famous for the construction companies and network solutions providers, today announced that it has formed a new division, Ubiquiti Labs', for research and development of consumer electronics devices. Ubiquiti Labs, the first product, called amplifier is R $ 199 802.11ac router, which will be provided with two pre-paired expanders vary in the field when it comes this summer.The company plans to offer two more expensive models as well. In an interview last week, Vice President of Ubiquiti Labs Business Development Keenan Lewis told me: "This is our amplifier solution for Wi-Fi chronic problems in modern connected home and home are becoming more interconnected family of four can .. easily have 15 to 20 connected devices, considering smartphones, tablets and connected devices. consumers are looking for something a little more powerful than what was available. ""The number of devices in people's homes will only increase," added Safi development director Mojaddidi business Ubiquiti Labs. "We wanted to take the route of our design process, where you would put that thing in your room, you do not hide, because it has 18 antennas out." Thus, the industrial design is an amplifier, measuring about four inches of white cube with an LCD touch of a face (the actual dimensions of 3.91x3.85x3.92 inches). Or, as the company's press release describes the router "... it is an impressive piece of work desk with a luminous base and LED intelligent LCD display." Oh boy.

No cellular network extenders will not 802.11n

 Expanders range, on the other hand, most definitely have an antenna. But they are designed to connect directly to an electrical outlet, so that they will be merged (if you have light-colored walls, that is). Fillers have built-in power LED signal four-bar and an adjustable antenna with high gain, so you can dial the strongest possible signal. Unlike Eero routers and Luma, the range of the amplifier and its extension do not form a mesh network, but the "handover to the router from the expanders will be transparent," Mojaddidi said. To perform this trick, Ubiquiti has taken the technology of its popular enterprise-class, UniFi Wi-Fi platform, it reduced cost to the consumer market.Buyers do not need a computer to configure the router amplifier, they simply install the application on your Android smartphone or IOS software or tablet and pair the Bluetooth wireless router to the device. "The installation is plug and play," Mojaddidi said. "The extender router and track two pre-paired at the factory, so you just plug them." Button only on the router will reset it to factory default settings.The basic model is an amplifier, dual-band, 3x3, AC1750 router provide width maximum theoretical bandwidth of 1300Mbps in the 5.0GHz frequency band and up to 450 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. The radio has a maximum power transmission 24dBm. radio stations in range extender produce 22dBm transmission power, but it is only dual-band, 2x2 802.11n devices that offer a maximum bandwidth of 300 Mbps each of the frequency bands 2.4- and 5.0GHz. 

Three models planned

Ubiquiti Labs possibly put two additional SKUs out of the base model. $ 299 LR amplifier will offer a wireless performance with greater power to your power higher transmission (26dBm and 24dBm in the router in extender). As with the basic model, dilators range are defined in this dual-band, 2x2 802.11n 300Mbps device. The company says its $ 349 HD amplifier is designed for high-density environments. Radio This router has a 26dBm transmission power, and will be one of only three have a dual-band, 3x3, range extenders with 802.11ac radios, which also provide transmission power 26dBm. It will support data transfer speeds up to 1300Mbps in the 5 GHz band and up to 450 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band.Ubiquiti amplifier appUsers will configure the router using a smartphone app.1.6-inch color LCD display with touch screen will default to display the clock, but you will also be able to have it display a Wi-Fi connection speed and other information. "We wanted something that would allow the user interface to the device," Mojaddidi said, "and we wanted to fit in the house." And unlike some of routers that are waiting to get a place in your living room from your closet, in the amplifier the router will have a four-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, as well as routers consumption, since most of us can remember. The photos show the router port, USB, too, but is not mentioned in Ubiquiti issue passport, so I do not know what function will perform.Why it's important: Ubquiti is not the company's first networking company to make a foray into the consumer market. Cisco acquired Linksys famous in 2003, but the culture of the two companies did not apply and never really jelled giant sold to Belkin Linksys in 2013, the brand has developed in their new home. Ubiquiti is a dwarf compared to Cisco (with a capitalization of $ 3 billion market, compared to Cisco, $ 132 billion), it will do better in this space?Ubiquiti Labs is a home efforts ubiquiti, so that the shock cultures should not be a problem. And smaller companies often more agile and adapt faster than the larger ones. The biggest question is whether Ubiquiti understand how different market home network by the company? Your amplifier series router is not based on faster 802.11ac technology, they do not support multiuser MIMO, and they do not form cellular networks. The fact that its range extender based on the older 802.11n technology is even more intriguing.We will also be interested to hear what he thinks D-Link in Ubiquiti amplifier brand, as this company before the range of routers with the same name market, but without the internal capitalization: D-Link Amplifier HD Media Router 1000 (DIR -657), for example, was introduced in 2011 Mojaddidi assured me that this will not be a problem, when I asked him about it, and I'm not predicting a failure here, just making observations. Ubiquiti is expected to distribute their products this summer, so do not have time to wait to put them to the test.