GoKawiil
Tech News
The WiCi eGPU has been introduced as a new wireless graphics processing unit that connects via Wi-Fi. Its primary focus appears to be on supporting AI workloads rather than gaming performance. The device aims to eliminate the need for physical GPU connections, offering a new approach to high-performance computing.
Amazon has cut the price of the TP-Link Archer BE3600 wireless router to $79.98, a 33% discount and its lowest price on the site to date. The router supports Wi-Fi 7 on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, though it lacks the 6GHz band found in full Wi-Fi 7 implementations, and includes multiple 2.5Gbps and 1Gbps ports plus a USB 3.0 port.
A technical guide explains that Wi-Fi extenders generally work best placed 20 to 40 feet from a router, depending on whether the device has internal or external antennas. It notes that obstacles like concrete, brick, metal and appliances can weaken signal strength, and recommends using an extender's signal LED to fine-tune placement rather than relying on fixed distance rules.
A comparison of gaming routers against standard consumer models finds the underlying hardware—Wi-Fi 7 support, tri-band radios, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, QoS prioritization—is largely identical, citing TP-Link's non-gaming Archer BE550 as having the same feature set. The main differentiator is software, such as Netgear's Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 dashboard and its Geo-Filter tool for restricting connections to low-latency game servers.
Wi-Fi calling quality depends heavily on network strength, with T-Mobile requiring at least 2 Mbps upload and download speeds and excluding satellite internet or hotspot connections. Switching between Wi-Fi and cellular mid-call relies on VoLTE support, and emergency calls are only routed over Wi-Fi when no cellular signal exists. A 2024 CISPA study found encryption vulnerabilities that exposed roughly 140 million Wi-Fi calling users before carriers patched the issues.
Many wireless peripherals, such as USB dongles for mice and keyboards, operate on the 2.4GHz radio frequency, a congested band also used by microwave ovens and older Wi-Fi gear. This overcrowding can interfere with Wi-Fi signals and slow down networks, especially for routers that are not running exclusively on the less crowded 5GHz or 6GHz bands used by Wi-Fi 6E and 7.
According to a leak from MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris, Apple's upcoming budget iPad will use the A19 chip instead of the previously rumored A18, paired with Apple's N1 networking chip and C1X modem for Wi-Fi 7 support on cellular models. The device is expected to include 8GB of memory, enough to run Siri AI features but not the more advanced on-device models that require 12GB.
TP-Link's Archer BE550 (also called BE9300), a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router with six antennas and a combined theoretical throughput of 9.3 Gbps, is on sale for $169.99, a 32% cut from its list price. The router includes five 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports, a USB port for network storage sharing, mesh support, per-device QoS, and tagged VLAN configuration.
Samsung is shutting down its standalone Samsung Sound app, which launched on Android and iOS only months ago for setting up and controlling its soundbars and Wi-Fi speakers. A notice in the app's latest update tells users it will be merged into SmartThings, and that they can keep their existing settings by registering their sound device there. Samsung says Samsung Sound will keep working until March 31, 2027, after which SmartThings becomes the only option.
GoKawiil outlines how its Groundrun hardware-in-the-loop system can automate testing of Wi-Fi commissioning on ESP32-C6 devices. The setup connects an ESP32-C6 devboard and an Android phone via USB to the Groundrun rig, enabling tests of multiple Wi-Fi setup methods including Bluetooth, Soft AP, captive portal, and Espressif's SmartConfig (ESPTouch v2).
TP-Link has opened preorders for its Archer 8 Ultra, the company's first Wi-Fi 8 router, in the UK, Germany, Australia and other markets. The US is not included, as TP-Link lacks FCC Conditional Approval needed to sell new wireless hardware there, unlike rivals Netgear, Asus and Amazon. Existing FCC-certified TP-Link Wi-Fi 7 products can still be sold in the US, but new Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 8 devices cannot.
Researchers tested live video streaming from a laptop carried through a 30-meter lab not fully covered by any single Wi-Fi access point. Using each of three access points individually, the stream repeatedly slowed or dropped frames as the laptop moved out of range. When NanoPing combined all three networks simultaneously, every packet arrived within 100 milliseconds and none of the 1,800 video frames were late or lost.