Securifi’s new Almond+ router, a touch-screen router — really the touch-screen router, since the only other router available with a touch screen is the earlier version of the Almond, released mid last year and still available on Amazon for $80 — went live today on Kickstarter. It’s already lassoed over $90,000 in backing as this post goes live, with a goal of $250,000; that’s a third of its funding goal, just within its first day on Kickstarter.
Home automation is here, but it isn’t cheap — unless you go the smart route with Securifi‘s new Almond+ router. For $100, this thing has much of what you’d expect from a top-tier router: Fast, next-gen 802.11ac compatibility (but still works with this-gen “n” devices), a claimed 5000 ft radius of coverage, four ethernet ports, a USB port and some slick mounting options.
A new Apple corporate job listing suggests that future Macs will have ultrafast 802.11ac wireless tech, more commonly known as “5G Wi-Fi.” Apple is looking for a new System Test Engineer to “develop, design and execute tests for compatibility of Apple hardware and software projects” relating to 802.11 wireless.
It was recently reported that Apple was working with Broadcom to put 802.11ac chips in upcoming Macs. This job listing seems to all-but-confirm Apple’s plans.
While current Macs are already 802.11n compatible, 802.11ac is the next-gen wireless standard that offers nearly 3x faster speeds and 1.3 Gbps down on a triple-antenna setup. The new chips could very well make their way into Apple’s 2013 Macs and even iOS devices, but no one knows for sure at this point.
Apple is set to roll out support for 802.11ac “Gigabit Wi-Fi” this year to a range of devices including its Apple TV, MacBooks, Time Capsule, and possibly even its iOS devices, according to a new report. The new specification offers speeds around three times as fast as the existing 802.11n wireless technology, with speeds of over 1 Gigabit per second.