With the promise of speedy internet for every room, Google's new mesh Wi-Fi system wants to give Google Assistant a bigger footprint in our homes.

With the promise of speedy internet for every room, Google's new mesh Wi-Fi system wants to give Google Assistant a bigger footprint in our homes.

Available in your choice of three colors, Nest Wifi Points extend the range of Nest Wifi setups -- and they double as Google Assistant smart speakers, too.

Juan Garzon/CNET

Google on Tuesday announced the launch of the Nest Wifi, a refreshed version of the company's popular mesh router system, Google Wifi. Available for pre-order today and set to arrive November 4, the system is comprised of a Nest Wifi Router that plugs into your modem and separate Nest Wifi Points that wirelessly extend the reach of its signal -- and which themselves double as Google Assistant smart speakers.

A two-piece setup with the Nest Wifi Router and one Nest Wifi Point will cost $269. A three-piece setup with the Nest Wifi Router and two Nest Wifi Points will cost $349, and promises to cover homes of up to 3,800 square feet. That's enough coverage for 85% of homes in the US, Google says.

Mesh, meet Google Assistant

Beyond spreading a speedy internet signal throughout your home, the Nest Wifi promises to spread the voice-activated intelligence of Google Assistant around your house, too. That's because each of those Nest Points now doubles as a fully functional Google Assistant smart speaker, complete with always-listening microphones and touch controls on the top of the device.

The goal, Google says, is to get users to keep these things out in the open as opposed to hiding them out of sight, where they won't relay their signals as well. To that end, the new Nest Wifi Points also come in your choice of three colors (snow, sand or mist), and you can buy one on its own for $149. The Nest Router only comes in white, and costs $169 on its own.

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You'll see an ambient glow from the light ring around the base of the Nest Point whenever it's sending audio to Google's cloud to come up with a response. When the mics are muted, the ring will glow orange.

James Martin/CNET

"We realized that performance for the Wifi Point would double if it was off the floor, not hidden in a closet," said Ben Brown, Google product lead for the Nest Wifi. "Having a great design, having something you actually want to interact with, and having the Assistant on the device makes it actually so it's a much better Wi-Fi system."

You can use a Nest Wifi Point just like you'd use one of Google's other smart speakers, like the Nest Mini, which also made its debut today. You get its attention by saying "OK Google," and then you give it a question or a command, including new Wi-Fi-specific commands like asking for a speed test or to pause Wi-Fi to specific devices or groups of devices. A ring of white light around the base of the device will glow whenever it hears you, and to let you know that it's connecting with Google's cloud to come up with a response. If you want to turn the mics off, just flip the mute switch in the back.

We haven't had a whole lot of time to give it a close listen for ourselves, but Google says that the sound quality in each Nest Point is stronger than you might expect. That's because the need for extra space inside the device for the antennas and for heat dispersion means that there's also plenty of room to push sound around via the downward firing speaker, Brown says.

As for the touch controls on the top face of each marshmallowy device, you can tap the center to pause or resume playback, or tap the sides to turn the volume up and down. Like with the new Nest Mini, a set of indicator lights will glow when your hand draws near to show you where to aim for those volume controls.

Now playing: Nest Wifi puts Google Assistant into your router

 3:25

Faster than before -- but where's Wi-Fi 6?

That new Nest Router is an AC2200 model, which means that it supports current-gen Wi-Fi 5 connections with a maximum combined speed of about 2,200 Mbps across all bands -- up from about 1,200 Mbps last time around. Your actual speed will be a lot lower, since you can only connect to one band at a time, but like Google Wifi before, Nest Wifi will automatically "steer" you from band to band as you move about your house in order to keep your connection as swift and steady as possible.

Another upgrade: Nest Wifi now boasts four antennas for up to four simultaneous wireless connections (4x4). If you're using a client device like a MacBook Pro that can take advantage of those multiple antennas, then you'll be able to combine the speed of those simultaneous streams for a faster Wi-Fi experience.

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You can spread Nest Wifi Points around your home to triangulate a better internet connection in every room. The previous version of the system is our top-rated mesh setup.

James Martin/CNET

All of the new hardware is also backwards compatible with first-gen Google Wifi setups, so you'll be able to add the new Nest Point extenders with their built-in speakers to your system if you've already bought in. And, if you decide to upgrade to the new Nest Router, your old Google WiFi access points will be able to connect to it and extend its signal, too.

As for the lack of support for next-gen Wi-Fi 6 features, Google suggests that it's still too early for the emerging standard in people's homes.

"It's really only 2022 by which point you're going to have a critical mass of [Wi-Fi 6] devices in the home, at which point Wi-Fi 6 will make sense in the home," said Sanjay Noronha, product lead for Nest Wifi. "And so, our philosophy is how do we make these products useful today?"

Google likely wants to keep its routers affordable, too. For reference, the Wi-Fi 6-ready version of Netgear Orbi, due out later this month, is slated to cost $700 for a two-pack with the router and a single satellite extender. Prices like that are out of reach for too many potential users, Noronha said.

Meanwhile, the newest Wi-Fi 5 version of Netgear Orbi costs $149 for a two-pack, and it supports built-in smart speaker functionality if you add in the $300 Orbi Voice extender with Alexa. Another competitor worth keeping an eye on: Amazon-owned Eero, which just released a new version of its Wi-Fi 5 mesh system as a $249 three-pack. That price is half the cost of the original, and an excellent indication that competition is heating up in the mesh category.

"We recognize that there's going to continue to be an evolution of technology, and we will continue to work on those evolutions," Brown said, "but we also want to make sure that we're delivering the best possible experience for everyone. And I think that we are very confident that this is what [Nest Wifi] represents today. And for the next, you know, five years, honestly."

Wi-Fi security: How to stay safe while connected

Wireless security has two components: Authentication and secrecy. And, in theory, responsibility for network security lies with both operators and users.

• Operators of Wi-Fi (or WLAN) access points should make sure that only those authorized can access the network and consume its resources. In more specific cases, an operator might want to know what each user does on the network and limit the number of devices they can access.
• Users of Wi-Fi networks should also have the ability to authenticate it themselves, although they rarely do. When connecting to a network, you mostly have no guarantee you are connecting to the entity you think you are connecting to.
• It’s important for both users and operators to have the ability to secure communications while they are traversing the air. Otherwise, anyone within reach of the signal would be able to eavesdrop on the connections and possibly inject data.

Ideally, all communications should at all times be encrypted. Due to what we consider a pretty serious design flaw, however, data sent between the router and your device is only encrypted if there is a password set. It’s important to note, though, that the password is not the key used to encrypt the data. Instead, a new key is negotiated for each user and session.

Authenticating Wi-Fi networks

It is theoretically possible to encrypt all data even without setting a password, but current Wi-Fi standards don’t have this ability (the newly released WPA3 standard does). As such, you should always set a password to your network, even if you later print the password on signs for everyone in the building to see.

Primarily, passwords are used for authentication (only users that know a password can log into the network). But, as everybody uses the same password there is little to prevent people from sharing it with outsiders and (non-authorized) friends. Some apps even make password sharing possible between a large number of strangers.

While far more complicated from an administration perspective, It is possible to create individual accounts with unique passwords for each authorized user or device. Additionally, this setup also makes it possible to track unique users around the building or network and eject them from the system.

It is also possible to use certificates to authenticate your connection to the correct router. These certificates, however, have to be verified through another secure channel and this feature is rarely used.

Wi-Fi standards and security

The standard known as Wi-Fi is defined under IEEE 802.11. It has been amended frequently to account for new bands, frequencies, and changes in technology (such as authentication and encryption).

Currently, there are two primary standards to secure Wi-Fi and encrypt connections: WEP and WPA.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy, often also wrongly called Wireless Encryption Protocol), released in 1997, was, for a time, the only standard available. And, due to U.S. export controls, it was intentionally weak and insecure. As soon as the U.S. removed these restrictions, WEP was superseded by WPA and WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) in 2004.

WPA and WPA2 were released together, with WPA as an intermediate solution for hardware that couldn’t support WPA2. Since 2012, WPA is considered broken and defunct.

WPA3 is here, but it’s not ready

Specifications for WPA3 were announced in early 2018, but the standard is still not commonly available in software packages and hardware. WPA3 increases security and privacy, for example by encrypting all connections by default, and offers perfect forward secrecy.

WPA2 is increasingly considered broken, as demonstrated by the KRACK attacks or other techniques that allow anyone to obtain Wi-Fi passwords easily.

How to protect your Wi-Fi network

• As the operator of a Wi-Fi access point, you should always use WPA2 as it is still the most robust standard.
• Enable encryption on your network to make sure all your guests and users benefit from encrypted data while in transit between your router and their device.
• Change the passwords to your router’s admin interface to make it difficult for anybody to mess with your network and install spyware and malware on it.
• If you are worried about unauthorized access to your network, change passwords frequently and consider creating unique username and passwords for each user.
• If you are worried about your guests doing nefarious things through your internet connection, consider installing a VPN on your router to avoid being blamed for the actions of your guests.
• As the user of a Wi-Fi network, you should prefer encrypted connections over unencrypted ones. Use a browser extension with HTTPS Everywhere for greater end-to-end encryption.
• Use a VPN for your phone or laptop to fully encrypt your data as it passes the airwaves, the Wi-Fi router, and the ISP.

via expressVPN

WiFi Signal - Monitor and troubleshoot the quality of your Wi-Fi connection.

Description

Monitor and troubleshoot the quality of your Wi-Fi connection. 

WiFi Signal is a system menu bar application that provides easy access to your Wi-Fi connection details (name, channel, transmit rate, signal strength, noise, etc.), monitors the signal quality of your wireless network, and can find and recommend alternative channels for your network thus avoiding signal overlapping and channel conflicts that can result in connectivity issues and performance degradation.

FEATURES

• Simple, straightforward user interface 
• Fully customizable status icon display options
• Dark mode support
• Accurate dBm to percentage (%) conversion 
• Real-time graphs for signal strength and noise level, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), transmit rate, or MCS index (if supported)
• Signal quality ratings based on SNR measurements 
• Automatic channel recommendations*
• Notifications and event logging for common events, such as when the computer joins to or disconnects from a network, roams to a different access point, or when data rate or channel configuration changes are detected
• Comprehensive app's help describes how to use the tool the most effective way

Requires a Mac with built-in Wi-Fi. External Wi-Fi adapters are not supported.

For a more comprehensive analysis of the Wi-Fi environment consider WiFi Explorer, also available in the Mac App Store. 

* Due to limitations of the Wi-Fi scanning framework, channel recommendations are based solely on the detection of other Wi-Fi signals, and do not consider external sources of interference or hidden networks (i.e. networks that do not broadcast their SSIDs).

What's New

Dec 28, 2017

Version 4.0.7

• Fixes annotations integration with the latest version of WiFi Explorer and WiFi Explorer Pro.
• Updates vendors database.

If you find WiFi Signal useful and have a couple of minutes, please share your thoughts by leaving a review in the Mac App Store. It will make a huge difference to me!

Found a problem or have a concern? Please visit the WiFi Signal Support website and send me a message so we can resolve it.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wifi-signal/id525912054

WiFi Industry Is Gearing Up for Move to 802.11ax

WBA officials said the next-generation WiFi will bring improvements in performance, capacity and efficiency and will take on early 5G use cases.

At a time when the upcoming transition to 5G cellular networking is getting a lot of airtime, the Wireless Broadband Alliance is reminding businesses and consumers alike that the next generation of WiFi will bring with it vast improvements in performance and capacity and will be able to support many of the early use cases of 5G.

In a white paper titled “Enhanced Wi-Fi—802.11ax Decoded,” WBA officials outline the numerous new features that 802.11ax will bring with it to support not only the tens of millions of smartphones that currently rely on WiFi connectivity, but also to address the demands from emerging segments such as connected internet of things (IoT) devices and augmented and virtual reality.

“The Wi-Fi industry isn’t resting on its laurels,” the authors of white paper write. “It is not complacent about its ability to continue to help support the tsunami of mobile data. With 802.11ax (11ax), the Wi-Fi industry is introducing, not just the next generation of Wi-Fi, not just a set of increments in terms of better throughput and coverage that improve all existing deployments, but fundamentally new sets of capabilities which can be used by the industry to address a whole new set of opportunities.”

The use of WiFi connectivity continues to grow rapidly, according to the WBA. Almost 70 percent of smartphone data is carried over WiFi, and there are 8 million WiFi devices in use around the world, 3 billion of which were added over the past 12 months. In its annual report for 2017, the group said that almost 80 percent of survey respondents said they will deploy next-generation WiFi by 2020.

The group also expects that by 2021, there will be 3.5 devices and connections per capita, which is fueling the rapid growth—47 percent a year over the next five years—in mobile data traffic.

“This growth is coming from multiple different product categories with different key requirements; ranging from certain IoT use cases that require low data rates and low power consumption supported using small battery powered devices, through to Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality use cases that require extreme throughput and low latency,” the authors wrote in the report, which was released Sept. 5.

A report by MarketsandMarkets Research says that by 2022, the global WiFi market will grow to $15.6 billion, up from $5.96 billion last year.

The WBA is highlighting a range of new features that officials said will address challenges facing enterprises. The new features include multi-user MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) uplink and downlink to increase for enterprises and carrier networks as well as large public venues and buildings with multiple users by increasing channel capacity when supporting multiple devices at the same time.

Support for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz band frequencies will increase the spectrum that can be used and ensure compatibility with existing devices, and will provide support to the 6GHz band. Flexible channel sizes and resource units will mean operators will be able to offer greater IoT efficiency, including connections that use lower data rates for narrow dedicated channels, all of which will save power. In addition, with this feature, carriers will be able to support both broadband-based services and IoT on the same network. The Target Wake Time feature means IoT devices can sleep to reduce competition for network access and wake up when needed, saving battery life.

The WBA laid out a range of use cases for 802.11ax, including high-density networks, the transportation, retail and entertainment industries, enterprises, the industrial sector and smart cities.

The ability to deliver what WBA officials call 5G use cases is key, they said. Top telecommunications companies like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are gearing up their networks for 5G, and systems and component makers are building out their portfolio of products that will support the next-generation cellular networks. But WBA officials say 802.11ax connectivity will arrive before 5G starts to gain significant traction, and the new WiFi technology will support requirements laid out for 5G in ITU for IMT-2020.

“However, being ‘5G-capable’ represents more than being able to meet a set of throughput and density requirements,” the WBA authors wrote. “Already we have seen Wi-Fi integrated into key 5G concepts such as ETSI’s [European Telecommunications Standards Institute’s] Multi-Access Edge Computing architecture.”

WBA officials said they expect the 802.11ax standard to be ratified in the fourth quarter of next year, though multiple group members will launch forward-compatible products before the ratification.

“With so many new capabilities being delivered in 11ax, it is expected that the ramp in deployments will mean that 11ax will lead 5G by several years,” they said in the report. “Moreover, the backwards compatibility guarantees mean that the existing device ecosystem can be seamlessly supported using the very latest equipment, not a characteristic available to 5G New Radio deployments.”

They noted that the GSM Association, a trade group for mobile network operators, is predicting that fewer than 15 percent of global mobile connections will use 5G technology by 2025, while more than 70 percent of the enterprise-class WiFi shipments by 2022 will use 802.11ax.

However, there are still some challenges. Analysts with Dell’Oro Group in June said that delays in 802.11ax products will slow the growth of the enterprise LAN market this year, though migrations from 802.11ac Wave 1 to Wave 2 will ramp up.

“Several manufacturers of enterprise-class products are postponing general availability of 802.11ax access points as they wait for more advanced chipsets and further development of the standard,” Trent Dell’Oro, business analyst at Dell’Oro, said in a statement.

via eweek

New Gigacheck Wireless Analyzer Offers Smartphone App Connectivity to Test WiFi and Ethernet Connection Speeds

Press Release Summary:

Greenlee Textron Inc. announces GigaCheck in AirScout® line of wireless analyzers for testing Wi-Fi coverage and wired Ethernet connection. It measures signal to noise ratio, PHY rate and transmit/receive success rates on wireless networks using the industry standard Ookla® Speedtest®. The analyzer provides technicians with tools to validate connection speed on wireless and Ethernet networks and verify whether the customers receive the connection speeds they pay for and expect.

---

Original Press Release:

Greenlee Communications Launches AirScout GigaCheck

Easily Verify Network Connection Speeds with Greenlee® Communications AirScout® WiFi® Test System

AirScout® GigaCheck Tests WiFi and Ethernet Connection Speeds up to a full Gigabit

Vista, Calif., (June 19, 2018) — Greenlee Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announces the addition of GigaCheck to its award-winning AirScout® line of wireless analyzers. Controlled via Smartphone app, GigaCheck tests Wi-Fi coverage as seen from the residential gateway and tests wired Ethernet connection upload and download speeds up to 1Gb in real-time.

“Today’s customer demands dependable, high-speed services and expects their service provider will deliver the speed they pay for. AirScout GigaCheck gives technicians the tools needed to quickly and easily validate connection speeds on both wireless and ethernet networks,” explains Oleg Fishel, Director of PLM for Greenlee Communications.

AirScout GigaCheck measures Signal to Noise Ratio, PHY Rate and transmit/receive success rates on wireless networks using the industry standard Ookla® Speedtest®. Upload/download and Ping tests are performed on both Ethernet and WiFi for real-time speed testing.

The AirScout unit connects to the wireless router in one-click and is controlled via a smartphone app. The simple connection and intuitive user interface of the app make it easy for technicians to verify customers are receiving the connection speeds they pay for and expect. Technicians define pass/fail thresholds based upon their SLA and can generate reports and save them in the Cloud for easy transference and transparency of test results.

BTR, Broadband Technology Report, awarded AirScout Enterprise the 2017 Diamond Technology Winner in Wi-Fi Solutions. For more information on the complete AirScout line, visit www.getairscout.com.

Greenlee, under its Greenlee Communications brand, develops Ethernet, Transport, C37.94, Fiber, DSL, Wi-Fi and Copper test solutions, tracing and locating equipment, and fiber/cable jet installation equipment. A broad product portfolio, coupled with solutions-branded Greenlee Utility®, HD Electric Company® and Sherman + Reilly®, creates a single source partner providing unmatched value to the communications and utility markets.

Greenlee Communications

The Greenlee Communications brand offers a complete line of innovative and industryleading test and measurement solutions for the communication service provider industry. Our expertise and innovative solutions address all stages of network deployment enabling the development, installation and maintenance of xDSL, fiber, cable and wireless networks. It is a leading brand of test and measurement solutions in the global communications industry with a long track record of delivering high quality innovative solutions enabling technicians to achieve their goals in a timely manner and with confidence.

Greenlee Textron Inc.

Greenlee Textron Inc. is known as a global leader in the professional tool category. The Rockford, Illinois-based company develops high quality innovative products distinguished by customer-driven design and differentiated by supply chain excellence. It also leverages its powerful brands such as Greenlee Communications and Greenlee Utility in the electrical, construction and maintenance markets worldwide. More information is available at www.greenlee.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release may describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Is Your Router Vulnerable to VPNFilter Malware?

Below is a list of routers vulnerable to VPNFilter, malware that can brick your device.

The Justice Department last week urged everyone with a small office home office (SOHO) or NAS device to reboot their gadgets immediately in order to thwart VPNFilter, a new strain of malware that can brick your router.

The FBI seized a domain used to send commands to the infected devices, but it can't hurt to reboot anyway.

As Symantec outlines, VPNFilter is "a multi-staged piece of malware." Stage 1 makes the connection, Stage 2 delivers the goods, and Stage 3 acts as plugins for Stage 2. "These include a packet sniffer for spying on traffic that is routed through the device, including theft of website credentials and monitoring of Modbus SCADA protocols. Another Stage 3 module allows Stage 2 to communicate using Tor."

VPNFilter "is unlike most other IoT threats because it is capable of maintaining a persistent presence on an infected device, even after a reboot," Symantec says.

Still, "rebooting will remove Stage 2 and any Stage 3 elements present on the device, [temporarily removing] the destructive component of VPNFilter. However, if infected, the continuing presence of Stage 1 means that Stages 2 and 3 can be reinstalled by the attackers."

Those who believe they're infected should do a hard reset, which restores factory settings. Look for a small reset button on your device, though this will wipe any credentials you have stored on the device.

Below is a list of routers Symantec identified as vulnerable to VPNFilter. MikroTik tells Symantec that VPNFilter likely proliferated via a bug in MikroTik RouterOS software, which it patched in March 2017. "Upgrading RouterOS software deletes VPNFilter, any other third-party files and patches the vulnerability," Symantec says.

• Linksys E1200
• Linksys E2500
• Linksys WRVS4400N
• Mikrotik RouterOS for Cloud Core Routers: Versions 1016, 1036, and 1072
• Netgear DGN2200
• Netgear R6400
• Netgear R7000
• Netgear R8000
• Netgear WNR1000
• Netgear WNR2000
• QNAP TS251
• QNAP TS439 Pro
• Other QNAP NAS devices running QTS software
• TP-Link R600VPN

"No other vendors, including Cisco, have been observed as infected by VPNFilter, but our research continues," according to Cisco Talos, which first reported the bug.

To date, Cisco Talos estimates that at least 500,000 in at least 54 countries have been hit by VPNFilter.

The feds are pinning this attack on Fancy Bear, a hacking group also known as APT28 and Sofacy Group, among other monikers. The group is notorious for attacking governments across the world and stealing confidential files from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 election.

via PCMag

NetComm Wireless says its new router will improve large-scale fleet tracking

The 4G LTE Cat 6 IIoT Router with Dual Band WiFi (NTC-400)
and the cloud-based remote device manager (RDM) platform

A new router launched today by NetComm Wireless will help improve speed and connectivity for the industrial internet of things (IIoT) – which it says will improve the reliability of large-scale fleet tracking.

The 4G LTE Cat 6 IIoT Router with Dual Band WiFi (NTC-400) and the cloud-based remote device manager (RDM) platform will also create high speed WiFi hotspots for vehicles and public transport, the company said.

Designed to connect and manage some of the most bandwidth intensive in-vehicle IIoT applications – also including surveillance and 4K/UHD digital displays – the NTC-400 series offers reliable data connectivity across more environments where fixed line applications are either unavailable or unsuitable.

The NTC-400’s dual band WiFi access point has carrier-grade remote management and support for multiple LTE bands including band 28 (700 MHz).

Launched in conjunction with the NTC-400 to lower the total cost of ownership, the RDM enables the secure upgrade of firmware and applications to individual, groups or large-scale fleets of devices.

It supports TR-069 and OMA LWM2M standards, and enables real time monitoring, analytics, comprehensive reporting on failed connections and tasks, profile updates and inventory reports.

The device also integrates into existing remote management platforms, and includes Gigabit Ethernet ports, a serial port, and a USB port for network flexibility.

It also features a robust metal enclosure and a wide temperature rating; and supports in-vehicle and tracking applications with integrated GPS that is compatible with all global systems.

NetComm Wireless chief operating officer Timo Brouwer says the NTC-400 Series is engineered to increase operational efficiencies.

"Our cloud based remote device management platform adds another level of efficiency with live visibility and smart network management at scale," he says.