Global LiFi technology firms pureLiFi and Fraunhofer HHI welcome the release of IEEE 802.11bb as the latest global light communications standard alongside IEEE 802.11 WiFi standards. The bb standard marks a significant milestone for the LiFi market, as it provides a globally recognised framework for deployment of LiFi technology.

LiFi is a wireless technology that uses light rather than radio frequencies to transmit data. By harnessing the light spectrum, LiFi can unleash faster, more reliable wireless communications with unparalleled security compared to conventional technologies such as WiFi and 5G. The Light Communications 802.11bb Task Group was formed in 2018 chaired by pureLiFi and supported by Fraunhofer HHI, two firms which have been at the forefront of LiFi development efforts. Both organisations aim to see accelerated adoption and interoperability not only between LiFi vendors but also with WiFi technologies as a result of these standardisation efforts.

Linksys, a global innovator in WiFi technology, today announces the latest addition to its WiFi 6E product portfolio - the Linksys Velop Pro 6E, first of its new Designer Series using the "nature inspired" droplet design, along with advanced features that provide the ultimate WiFi 6E experience at an affordable price point.

WiFi 6E offers an extra 6 GHz band connection that helps cut down on interference and improves speeds to your connected devices. Powered by the Qualcomm Immersive Home 316 Platform, the Linksys Velop Pro 6E brings incredible range and coverage with WiFi 6E, enabling users to stream, download, or work with a faster and wider connection, and more devices on their network. Each tri-band node has one 1 Gbps Ethernet LAN port for connecting wired devices to wireless networks. With the latest Linksys Mobile App, the Velop Pro 6E is easily set up in under 10 minutes, and managed remotely with security and other useful features such as guest access, parental controls, and more.

ASUS today announced BR1402 series, the world's first 2-in-1 ruggedized 14-inch laptops aimed at K-12 education—and designed for the need of modern students and hybrid learning. Available in both traditional clamshell form (BR1402C) and a convertible design that flips 360° to become a versatile multitouch tablet (BR1402F), the all-new BR1402-series laptops are built to military-grade standards and packed with clever protective features to help students through their learning journey.

BR1402 series are also loaded with essentials for the demands of hybrid study, enabling education to flow seamlessly from the classroom into the home and beyond. To empower a full day's study, these laptops include up to 10-hour battery life, full-function USB-C, up to WiFi 6 for speedy connectivity and a modular design to ensure easy maintenance and upgrades.

Considering all the buzz around WiFi 7, there weren't many live demos at Computex, but Realtek had a demo running in its suite at the show. Realtek will offer both client and router/AP solutions, with their client product which goes under the RTL8922AE model name, coming in M.2 2230 and 1620 formats, where the latter is a solder down module. To simulate a real world scenario, Realtek was running a second radio to cause some additional interference, but the RTL8922AE test setup was still capable of delivering between 1,750 and 1,950 Mbps, which is almost twice as fast as WiFi 6, using a similar 2x2 antenna setup. This was obviously over a fairly short distance, so the question is how well WiFi 7 will work over longer distances.

The RTL8922AE has a claimed maximum sync speed of 2800 Mbps when connected to the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands simultaneously and combining the bandwidth of both bands. However, it is limited to a 160 MHz channel bandwidth, whereas WiFi 7 can go up to a 320 MHz wide channel, but it's unclear if competing first gen clients will support this. The RTL8922AE also incorporates support for Bluetooth 5.4 and is as far as we're aware one of the first WiFi chips to support the upcoming standard that mostly focuses on improving BLE Audio and Auracast support. The RTL8922AE should launch sometime in the fourth quarter this year to Realtek's customers, so it might not appear on the market until early 2024.

For those relying on their ISP for their router, Askey might have good news for you, as the company had a pair of WiFi 7 routers destined for ISPs on display at Computex. The first model might see some retail brand, as it's a bog standard WiFi 7 router based on Qualcomm hardware. It sports no less than three radios with a combined data rate of 18.6 Gbps, although broken down per radio, that's 1,376 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, 5,765 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and 11,530 Mbps on the 6 GHz band using a 320 MHz wide channel, all radios being 4x4. It also sports a pair of 10 Gbps, one for WAN and one for LAN and an additional three 2.5 Gbps ports. Other features include mesh support, Bluetooth/ZigBee support and remote management for ISPs.

The second model is for ISPs only and is based on a solution as it's using XGSPON to connect towards the internet. It too gets a 10 Gbps WAN side port, but the integrated switch is only Gigabit. The WiFi 7 radios are configured identically to the model above, but Askey has added support for DECT as well as two VoIP ports on this model, requirements that some ISPs have. It's unclear when either device would hit the market, but it's a first sign that WiFi 7 products shouldn't be too far away.

Sony has showed off some new accessories for the Playstation 5 during the PlayStation Showcase event and the most interesting one goes under the internal development name of Project Q. The device is pretty much a dual sense wireless controller that has been split in half and each half has been strapped to either side of an 8-inch HD display. Sony didn't go into much in terms of technical details, beyond that Project Q will have built in WiFi for streaming games from the PS5. The display will support 1920 x 1080 resolution at 60 Hz, which is most likely not what most potential buyers were hoping for.

Sony also showed off a pair of new PS5 branded earbuds, which the company says will be compatible not only with the PS5, but also PCs and other mobile devices, courtesy of Bluetooth 5.3 multipoint support. Sony is also promising some new type of wireless technology here which the company claims will deliver lossless audio that is said to deliver outstanding sound quality and low latency audio. Sony didn't reveal when either device will be available, but promised to release more details "soon".

[Editor's note: Updated with a snippet from the official press release below]

Ultimea, a leading brand in the audio-visual industry, is proud to introduce its latest innovation, the Apollo P40 1080p Native Projector. The main value proposition of this projector is to bring the cinema experience to home. With its outstanding features, this projector promises to provide an unparalleled viewing experience for both home entertainment and professional presentations.

Bring the Cinema Home with Stunning Brightness Uniformity: 80% higher brightness uniformity brings more details on four edges even in the ambient light. Native 1920x1080 pixels, 4K support and hdr delivers clear and sharp pictures without serration. High transflective mirror, premium LCD panel, with fully sealed optics and 6-layer lens improve the brightness to 700 ANSI lumens. Enjoy the home cinema without the hassle of going to the theater.

Back in October of last year, pictures from an ASUS event in China appeared online, showing off a pair of mATX motherboards that had most of its peripheral and power connectors on the reverse side of the motherboard. Now it appears that ASUS has decided to launch such a product, in the shape of the unforgettably named TUF Gaming B760M-BTF WiFi D4. The BTF part in the model name stands Back To (the) Future, although ASUS is most likely not allowed to use that term due to copyright restrictions, so it had to make do with BTF. Regardless of naming, the interesting part here is that all of the power connectors, the four SATA ports, the USB-C and USB 3.0 headers, as well as multiple other headers and one of three M.2 slots, are on the reverse side of the motherboard. This is all done to allow for cleaner cable management.

Other noteworthy features on the board include a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, one PCIe 4.0 x4 and one x1 slot, three USB-C ports, of which one is capable of 20 Gbps speeds and 2.5 Gbps Ethernet. As this is a mid-range board, we presume ASUS wants to test the waters so to speak, to make sure there's a market for such a product. However, one major hurdle is the small fact that there aren't any suitable chassis in the market and the product page even mentions that "This motherboard is compatible with specific case models", without going into any details. Presumably, ASUS will offer a suitable chassis, or have some partner(s) lined up that will provide a suitable chassis. Gigabyte announced something similar in May last year, but decided to team up with system integrators, something ASUS might be planning on as well.

Sonos today debuted Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Era 100, the industry leader's next generation of smart speakers ushering in a whole new chapter in sound and design innovation. Era 300 is a bold, revolutionary new speaker built to deliver the best experience for out loud spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, while Era 100 is a remastering of the best-selling Sonos One. Tuned by award-winning artists and engineers, the Era family powers new levels of immersive listening with expanded connectivity and Trueplay technology. Era 300 and Era 100 are also the first speakers built to Sonos' new responsible design standards, which span long-term serviceability, energy-efficient technologies and use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. Both Era 300 ($449 USD) and Era 100 ($249 USD) will be available globally on 28 March 2023.

"In an age of constant background noise, quality listening matters more than ever. Our vision is to make listening an experience that is charged with feeling, and help our customers feel joy and vitality through their favourite music and audio content", said Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos. "The Era family is the next generation of smart speakers, epitomising our commitment to sound innovation, responsible design and a deep connection to the creator community."

Dynamic smart projector brand, Emotn, a sub-brand of Dangbei, is thrilled to announce the launch of its first and latest Netflix officially licensed projector in Europe, the Emotn N1. Packed with native 1080p full HD clarity, 500 ANSI Lumens and a maximum projection size of 120 inches, the Emotn N1 instantly enters the extensive Netflix library after booting and presents its rich content in a crisp, clear and vibrant way. Combined with Dolby Audio and dual 5 W speakers, the Emotn N1's excellent picture and sound quality makes viewers feel as if they've stepped inside the movie.

Officially licensed by Netflix, the Emotn N1 offers new ideas and viewing locations for easier, clearer, enjoyable viewing of Netflix films, TV shows and more. The Emotn N1 transports users to Netflix immediately upon power-on, exposing them to a world of their favorite content. Unlike watching Netflix on smartphones and tablets, the Emotn N1 gives users the freedom to choose from a large screen size of 60" to 120". Different from watching on a normal TV, the dedicated light, rich color and crystal sound of the Emotn N1 provide viewers with more immersion and a cozy vibe. The Emotn N1 comes with a remote control that features hotkeys for the three main video services - Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube - allowing consumers to access their go-to apps with a single press.

Nokia has today launched the Beacon 10, its first gateway supporting Wi-Fi 6E to provide seamless, high-capacity mesh networking. The Beacon 10 is a true tri-band device which can provide Wi-Fi throughput of 10 Gbps. It includes a 10G WAN interface to pair with 10 Gb/second fiber modems for multi-gigabit services to the home. The new gateway is shown for the first time at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona.

Widespread roll-out of 10G fiber powered by XGS-PON requires upgrades to home and business Wi-Fi to deliver super high speeds to enabled devices. The 'E' in Wi-Fi 6E means faster speeds and lower latencies, ideal for the latest office applications, home entertainment and home working experiences.

Dynamic smart projector brand, Emotn, is thrilled to announce the launch of its first and latest Netflix officially licensed projector, the Emotn N1. Packed with native 1080P full HD clarity, 500 ANSI Lumens and a maximum projection size of 120 inches, the Emotn N1 instantly enters the extensive Netflix library after booting and presents its rich content in a crisp, clear and vibrant way. Combined with Dolby Audio and dual 5 W speakers, the Emotn N1's excellent picture and sound quality makes viewers feel as if they've stepped inside the movie. The Emotn N1 is now available at the price of $399.99 on Amazon US. To celebrate the launch, Emotn is offering a $50 discount coupon.

Officially licensed by Netflix, the Emotn N1 offers new ideas and viewing locations for easier and clearer enjoyable viewing of Netflix films, TV shows, award-winning originals and more. The Emotn N1 transports users to Netflix immediately upon power-on, exposing them to a world of their favorite content. Unlike watching Netflix on smartphones and tablets, the Emotn N1 gives users the freedom to choose from a large screen size of 60" to 120". Different to watching on a normal TV, the dedicated light, rich color and crystal sound of the Emotn N1 provide viewers with more immersion and a cozy vibe. The Emotn N1 comes with a remote control that features hotkeys for the three main video services - Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube - allowing consumers to access their go-to apps with a single press. From films to educational documentaries geared for kids, from anime to TV shows, there's something for everyone.

MSI, a world leading gaming solution provider, proudly presents its new lineup of networking products—the RadiX AXE6600 WiFi 6E tri-band gaming router, the RadiX AX6600 WiFi 6 tri-band gaming router, and the AX1800 WiFi USB adapter. MSI aims to provide gamers with a home network that is ultra-fast, has low latency, and with no jitter.

Upgrade your gaming experience
The RadiX AXE6600 and RadiX AX6600 are powerful tri-band gaming routers that each can deliver combined speeds of up to 6600 Mbps. An integrated 1.8 GHz quad-core CPU from Qualcomm and advanced networking hardware has been designed to prevent jitter, reduce lag, lower ping, and sustain incredible speed for online gaming.

EnGenius Technologies Inc., a leading provider of networking solutions for any sized businesses, today announced the launch of the ENH500-AX, a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 5 GHz 2x2 outdoor wireless point to point client bridge. This innovative new product takes advantage of the latest Wi-Fi technology to deliver high-density transmissions between buildings and large outdoor properties without needing the complexity or costs of fiber cables. The EnGenius Wi-Fi 6 outdoor bridge boasts Wi-Fi 6 capabilities and features that significantly improve throughput, efficiency, and accommodates 8k ultra-HD video and heavy multi-application traffic with extended bandwidth over greater distances.

The ENH500-AX "invisible wire" bridge comes with Qualcomm Quad-Core ARM Cortex A53s @ 2.0 GHz CPU and is a game-changer for businesses looking to connect multiple buildings or extend their networks to outdoor spaces without the expense of running fiber cables. Designed for peak performance in harsh climates, EnGenius Fit Wi-Fi 6 outdoor access points feature IP55-rated waterproof and dustproof enclosures ensuring they can withstand harsh outdoor environments.

TP-Link, a leading global provider of consumer and business networking products, today held an epochal WiFi 7 product launch to announce its WiFi 7 networking solution.

As the world's first vendor to release a full home and enterprise WiFi 7 product line, TP-Link launched new WiFi 7 routers, Deco products, Omada EAPs, and Aginet products for ISP markets to cover all usage scenarios. Additionally, TP-Link's new HomeShield 3.0 provides more reliable and smarter network solutions.

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of award-winning connected products designed to simplify and improve people's lives, today launched a new addition to its Orbi line. The Orbi 860 Series builds on the award-winning Orbi 850 Series by future-proofing the best seller with a 10Gb Ethernet port, supporting multi-gig internet connections; upgraded antenna design for greater WiFi performance and a bundled year of NETGEAR Armor, providing homes with an automatic shield of security against internet threats across every connected device.

Following on the tremendous success of the Orbi 850 Series (WiFi 6 AX6000 Mesh System RBK853), the Orbi 860 Series joins NETGEAR's industry-leading WiFi 6 Whole Home Mesh WiFi portfolio. The past few years have seen huge changes to internet usage spurred by the pandemic, including a dramatic increase in just about everything from home-- working, shopping, learning, and socializing. As Internet Service Providers enable faster multi-gig internet speeds, up to 10 Gigabits per second, and hackers create new sophisticated cyber-attacks, high-performance and secure WiFi become imperative.

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of award-winning connected products designed to simplify and improve people's lives, today launched a powerful addition to its unlocked 5G mobile hotspot lineup. At a time when access to fast, secure and reliable internet is more important than ever, the NETGEAR Nighthawk M6 Mobile Hotspot Router (MR6150) raises the mobile broadband experience to new heights by upping the maximum 5G speed that can be supported and adding 160 MHz capability to connect with the latest WiFi 6 client devices.

NETGEAR launched the world's first unlocked 5G hotspot in 2021 with the award-winning Nighthawk M5. Now the company is building on that achievement with the M6, which is 20 percent faster than the M5 at 2.5 Gbps over 5G and has the capacity to hit a maximum combined WiFi speed of up to 3.6 Gbps when connecting to 160 MHz WiFi 6 devices. Additionally, the M6 comes with a first of its kind new In-Home Performance Mode which boosts WiFi coverage up to 2,000 square-feet when the device is plugged in, and the battery is removed.

ASUS today announced the availability of RT-AXE7800, a WiFi 6E router offering up to 7800 Mbps of bandwidth and robust network security. Geared up with the new 6 GHz band, it's designed to scale to the connectivity demands of those who need to deal with a large number of devices, such as hybrid workers and professional studios. WiFi 6E has up to seven additional high-speed 160 MHz channels, enabling multi-gigabit speeds with stable and consistent connections. It dramatically increases network capacity while reducing congestion, delivering higher performance for every WiFi 6E device.

ASUS RT-AXE7800, powered by a 1.7 GHz quad-core 64-bit Broadcom CPU, leverages the new 6 GHz band to deliver ultrafast data throughput for a seamless user experiences, especially for increasing needs of hybrid workers and small businesses. RT-AXE7800 is also fully compatible with ASUS AiMesh. Users can easily expand their wireless network with AiMesh-compatible routers and enjoy powerful, flexible and seamless whole-home WiFi.

Amazon today introduced the next generation of Echo Dot and Echo Auto, giving you more ways to bring the convenience of Alexa to every room of your home and into your car. In addition, Amazon announced a new generation of Echo Dot Kids with new designs, significant audio improvements to Echo Studio, and a host of new features for Alexa—including a new Fire TV experience on Echo Show 15.

"A true ambient experience is there to simplify your day-to-day life when you need it and fades into the background when you don't. This generation of Echo devices are designed with this vision in mind," said Nedim Fresko, vice president of Amazon Alexa Devices. "With the upgraded audio and compact form factors, each of these new devices give customers more ways to make Alexa a seamless part of their day. And, with the new sensors and technology built in to Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock, customers can have Alexa do even more on their behalf."

Expected to be announced later today, Logitech's G Cloud handheld gaming device has been leaked courtesy of Amazon Canada. Although the full specs are yet to be revealed, we now know a lot more about the device. For starters, it'll have a 7-inch 1080p touch screen with 60 Hz refresh rate. The G Cloud weighs in at 463 grams and is said to offer 12 hours plus battery life. Other hardware features include dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1 and USB-C connectivity.

On the software side, it appears that the G Cloud runs custom version of Android with support for not only Google Play apps, but also NVIDIA's GeForce Now and Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming services. The G Cloud also supports haptics, remappable controls and it has a built in gyroscope which suggests that the entire device can be used for controlling supported games. According to Amazon Canada, the release date is the 18th of October.

NETGEAR, Inc., provider of award-winning connected products designed to simplify and improve people's lives, today introduced a new addition to its Orbi line. The all new Orbi 760 Series builds on the ground-breaking Orbi 750 Series with faster speeds, capacity for more devices and a bundled year of NETGEAR Armor, providing homes with an automatic shield of security against internet threats across connected devices.

Remote working, online shopping, streaming, learning and just about everything else from home have become more than just lockdown activities, they are a regular part of modern life. Any drop in connection can affect careers, education, relationships with friends and family, and create unneeded stress. More connected smart home devices also mean more opportunity for hackers to create new ways to intrude into homes and steal personal data, making the need for robust, secure WiFi essential.

Vuzix Corporation, ("Vuzix" or, the "Company"), a leading supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technology and products, today introduced Blade 2 smart glasses, its third generation Blade model. The Blade 2 is an AR workforce solution based on the popular Blade form factor that delivers a host of advanced features and high performance specifically designed to meet the needs of connected workers. Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses list for $1299.99 and will be available for purchase on the Company's website in September for shipment within the US, EU, UK, Canada and Japan.

Configured primarily for commercial use, Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses pack a power efficient high performance Qualcomm processor that now runs Android 11 in support of a large variety of enterprise-focused apps. The glasses offer simple integration with major mobile device management tools along with a robust 40 GB of integrated storage and enhanced security. Enhanced connectivity options through WiFi and Bluetooth now provide support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, enabling improved connectivity options. See-through waveguide optics provide a private, ultrabright virtual display that delivers crisp, 24-bit full-color images regardless of whether workers are using them indoors or in sunlight. Vuzix Blade 2's lightweight form factor still provides all-day comfort and protection, keeping front line workers collaborating safely with noise cancelling microphones, integrated in-temple stereo speakers, HD camera, and ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses certification. Prescription inserts for vision correction are also available.

LG's Intel based gram-series of notebooks have proven quite popular in the Ultrabook segment. However, its Ultra PC models are built around AMD hardware and although there have been a 13.3-inch model in the past, the company has announced its new 14- and 16-inch models. Both models are based around either a Ryzen 5 5625U or a Ryzen 7 5825U processor, which is built on AMD's Barcelo chips. This sadly means that features like USB4, DDR5/LPDDR5 and PCIe 4.0 support are out the window. This is because Barcelo is a refresh of Cezanne, which means both CPU families based on the Zen 3 architecture. On the plus side, this means the pricing will be quite competitive, but more on that in a second.

The 14-inch model measures 313.9 x 220.45 x 16.3 mm and weighs in at 1.29 kg, whereas the 16-inch model is slightly larger—for obvious reasons—and measures 356.3 x 248.6 x 16.3 mm, but remains fairly portable at 1.6 kg. The display on both the 14- and 16-inch models features 1920x1200 resolution, with the 14-inch model having a brighter display at 300 vs 250 nits for the 16-inch model. Neither display is what you'd call impressive though. Other features include up to 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4X memory, up to 1 TB of storage, HDMI out, a USB-C port with DP Alt mode and USB PD support, two USB-A ports, a microSD card slot, an audio jack and a power connector for the charger. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, as well as a fingerprint reader are also part of the package. Battery life is said to be up 21 and 20 hours respectively when it comes to video playback, with the 14-inch model managing 16.5 hours in MobileMark 2018, whereas the 16-inch model only manages 15 hours flat. LG will offer a range of SKUs that start at €1,199 for the 14-inchers and €1,399 for the 16-inchers, all of which should be available at some point this month.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro, a stylish gaming router that's ready to deliver ultrafast WiFi 6 and 10 Gbps Ethernet to every type of gamer.

The GT-AX11000 Pro is designed from the ground up to punch through increasingly congested wireless airwaves and maintain low-lag gaming experiences, wickedly fast download speeds and vast signal coverage. This coverage is expanded by leveraging ASUS RangeBoost Plus, and ASUS AiMesh compatibility allows users to combine AiMesh routers to create a whole-home mesh WiFi network—or instantly augment an existing one—in order to eliminate any dead spots. The second 5 GHz band includes new Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure 4 (U‑NII 4) support, which enables an extra high-speed 160 MHz channel for compatible client devices. The GT-AX11000 Pro is easy to manage via the free ASUS Router mobile app, which gives any level of user intuitive access to the router's arsenal of powerful features. There's also an easy-to-use web-based interface that additionally allows configuration of the new 10 Gbps LAN/WAN port.

Although Intel threw in the towel and gave up on making routers and gateways back in 2020, the company is still the world's largest manufacturer of WiFi modules for computers. Now news out of Korea suggests that Intel's first WiFi 7 products will be launched in 2024, about a year after the expected availability of the first WiFi 7 routers and gateways. That said, based on a quote from Eric McLaughlin, vice president of Intel's wireless solutions division, who attended an unspecified press conference in the APAC region, Intel "expect it to appear in major markets in 2025." This suggests that it'll be a late 2024 launch and we might see competitors' products in notebooks and PCs way ahead of Intel this time around.

That said, the WiFi 7 standard is currently only in the late stages of development, despite Broadcom, MediaTek and Qualcomm having announced multiple products already. It's likely we'll see another round of draft spec hardware launching either later this year, or next year, with the final WiFi 7 spec not expected to be ratified until 2024. As such, Intel may be later than its competitors, but should hopefully launch a feature complete product. Intel's products should support speeds of up to 5.8 GHz, although this would be using a 320 MHz wide channel and 4K QAM, which means these speeds will be limited to a few meters from a router. WiFi devices have a history of quirky issues between brands, even if none of them have been so severe that a fallback to an older standard hasn't solved the problem, but it's still been a hassle for consumers. Hopefully WiFi 7 won't repeat history, but we wouldn't place a bet on it.