By Claus Hetting, WiFi NOW CEO & Chairman
Australia opens for consultation on Wi-Fi in 6 GHz with AFC
Australian regulator ACMA last week opened up for consultations on spectrum sharing using AFC in the 6 GHz band. If you are in Australia (or have interests in the region) and you’re bullish on Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz it is important that you submit your views to ACMA. More information on the consultation and submission can be found here. The consultation is a strong opportunity to expand AFC-operated outdoor standard power 6 GHz Wi-Fi outside of USA, Canada, and a few other selected countries.
Google & Forbes takes aim at public Wi-Fi with a dire warning
Google is warning smartphone users agains connecting to public Wi-Fi – according to this new feature story in Forbes. The original warning came in the form of this Android report on text-based scams from October this year – although little mention was made of the threats posed by public Wi-Fi. Forbes then made a meal of it (for reasons unknown) by publishing the feature article above about a week ago. In fairness to Forbes, the article does present a balanced view quoting the FTC (US Federal Trade Commission) in saying that “most websites do use encryption to protect your information. Because of the widespread use of encryption, connecting through a public Wi-Fi network is usually safe.”
San Francisco’s Chinatown gets free municipal Wi-Fi
The City of San Francisco extending the #SFWiFi public free Wi-Fi network into Chinatown, according to this press release. “The expansion will connect hundreds of Chinatown households—more than half of whom do not have broadband access—to the city’s network, ensuring free, reliable access in public spaces,” the city said in their statement. As of last week, Wi-Fi coverage now includes Dragon’s Gate, in St. Mary’s Square, and along Grant Avenue between Broadway and Pacific Avenue. San Francisco’s #SFWiFi network currently provides free public internet in more than 20 community hubs citywide—including Union Square, Civic Center Plaza, and parks and recreation centers.
ASUS ROG gaming router doubles its data rate using AFC and standard power
To our knowledge there are very few Wi-Fi routers (especially retail routers) that offer 6 GHz standard power using AFC – but this one does: The ASUS ROG Strix GS-BE18000 gaming router. Indeed it might be the only one as we have not come across any others. What’s remarkable is that this Wi-Fi 7 router allows the user to configure connectivity for AFC and standard power via a web interface. Tests (read more here) show that the router’s performance increased from around 400 Mbps to more than 900 Mbps with standard power and AFC switched on. Moral of the story? AFC is definitely not only for outdoor – it’s for everywhere. And the level up in performance is huge. Well done to ASUS for once again innovating when it comes to high-performance Wi-Fi routers for gaming.
/Claus.
