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Comms and Internet

Wifi-Enabled Objects With No Battery Required!

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Wifi-Enabled Objects With No Battery Required!

Researchers at the University of Washington solve one of the issues the Internet of Things poses by 3D-printing plastic objects with built-in wifi capabilities-- no power source or electronics required!

"Our goal was to create something that just comes out of your 3D printer at home and can send useful information to other devices," a team member says. "But the big challenge is how do you communicate wirelessly with wifi using only plastic? That's something that no one has been able to do before."

The team 3D-printed three wifi-enabled objects-- a weighing scale, a flow sensor and an anemometer able to measure wind speed using commercially available plastics and wifi receivers. A combination of 3D-printed springs, gears and switches (based on the same principles allowing battery-free watches to keep time) translates motion into antenna-transmitted data, while backscatter techniques reflect radio signals emitted by a wifi router or other devices.

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KRACK Attack Affects Wifi!

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KRACK Attack Affects Wifi!

Researchers warn of a serious flaw in the WPA2 protocol securing all wifi networks-- one allowing attackers to steal passwords, emails and other supposedly encrypted data!

Dubbed Key Reinstallation Attacks (or KRACKs), such attacks even allow those with malicious intent to inject ransomware and malware into a website a user is visiting, all while simply being in range of a vulnerable device. These can be any wifi-capable device, although the flaw is "particularly devastating" in the case of Linux and Android 6.0.

How does KRACK works? As the researchers put it, attackers can duplicate a vulnerable WPA2 network, impersonate the MAC address and change the wifi channel. The fake network acts as a "man in the middle," forcing devices to connect to the rogue network instead of the protected original.

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Bluetooth Getting Mesh Capability

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Bluetooth Getting Mesh Capability

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) add a new capability to the wireless connectivity standard-- mesh networking, enabling many-to-many (m:m) capability and the creation of large-scale device networks.

The technology is compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 and higher, and operates on Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). It is ideal for building automation, sensor networks and other Internet of Things (IoT) applications involving tens, hundreds or even thousands or devices. According to the SIG, Bluetooth-based mesh networks are inherently self-healing, with no single point of failure, scalable to thousands of nodes and include "industrial-grade" security.

In addition Bluetooth offers global interoperability, since multi-vendor interoperability testing is conducted during the specification development process, not after the release of the specification.

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TP-Link Routers Get HomeCare Security

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TP-Link Routers Get HomeCare Security

TP-Link presents HomeCare-- a networking security solution featuring built-in Trend Micro antivirus control, dynamic security features and customisable parental controls.

Available as a firmware update for select TP-Link products (namely the recently announced Deco M5 Whole-Home Wifi System and Archer C5400, C3150 and C2300 routers), HomeCare promises an all-in-one solution combining speed with comprehensive security features. An intrusion prevention system protects against malware and hackers, while malicious site blocking prevents access to dodgy websits from within the network.

An additional security layer quarantines previously infested devices joining the network, and provides instant warnings for users to take necessary steps to fix infected devices. Trend Micro should also keep the system up to date with regular updates, ensuring the network remains protected against new threats.

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Eero Wifi Enters Second Generation

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Eero Wifi Enters Second Generation

The Eero mesh-based wifi system enters its second generation, with an updated router claiming to be twice as fast and twice as powerful as its predecessor even as it maintains the same form factor.

Like the first Eero router, the new version remains a router, wireless access point and range extender inside a small, white box. The update adds tri-band technology, allowing it to broadcast on 3 wireless bands simultaneously. The Eero can use any of the 3 bands to send data to device or communication between nodes, as per network demands.

Another addition is support for Thread, the smart home communications protocol developed by the Google-owned Nest. Thread is reportedly easier to deploy than ZigBee and Z-Wave but so far no device on the market supports it, making the Eero update something of a future-proof home automation device should Thread grow into a viable smart home networking protocol.

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Asus Blows Hole in Blue Cave Router

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Asus Blows Hole in Blue Cave Router

The Asus Blue Cave is an AC2600 dual-band wifi router unlike any other-- the design features a antenna-less design with a hole in the middle, making it look like a Dyson bladeless fan.

First presented at Computex 2017, the Blue Cave promises "smooth wifi" and "smart protection." It runs on the latest Intel wifi chipset, and includes Trend Micro protection for "every connected smart devices on the network, including IoT devices." A companion app provides granular control (such as network usage, family time limits and app internet access) while IFTTT support provides means for users to create formulas to run their smart homes and digital lives.

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TP-Link Gets on Mesh Networking Bandwagon

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TP-Link Gets on Mesh Networking Bandwagon

TP-Link is the next company to announce a home wireless mesh networking system-- the Deco M5, a means to blanket the home with wifi using three access points.

Similar to other mesh networking offerings from the likes of Google, Netgear and Eero, the Deco M5 covers up to 450 square metres using 3 access points. In case customers need more coverage the system scales scales to 10 access points. Wireless comes through a dual-band system using the AC1300 wireless standard, and promises speeds of up to 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps on the 5GHz band.

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Netgear Expands Orbi System

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Netgear Expands Orbi System

Netgear adds a pair of devices to the Orbi mesh wireless system-- the RBK30 and RBK40, both similar to the original RBK50 kit but featuring a smaller AC2200 router instead of an AC3000 unit.

The RBK30 consists of a single AC2200 router and a small signal-boosting wall plug satellite, and covers around 325 square metres. The RBK40 consists of a pair of AC2200 routers and covers 370 square metres.

Like the RBK50, the routers use what Netgear calls a "tri-bend mesh system." Essentially the router sends out three channels, one to extend internet to the satellite and two others to feed the connections of other devices. The router supports 802.11ac wifi with speeds reaching up to 3Gbps, and the satellite can be placed anywhere to create a unified network with a single user-selectable SSID.

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Asus Intros DSL-AC88U Modem Router

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Asus Intros DSL-AC88U Modem Router

Asus announces a combination of modem and router with the DSL-AC88U-- a piece of networking gear the company claims is its fastest yet through to the use of Broadcom NitroQAM technology.

The DSL-AC88U supports the G.fast standard, as well as ADSL, ADSL2/2 and VDSL2 services. It promises broadband speeds of up to 18x faster than VDSL2 services allow, and also connects to the internet via regular ethenet. Meanwhile NitroQAM (1024-QAM) technology enables wifi data rates of up to 2167Mbps on the 5GHz band and 1000Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, for concurrent bandwidth of up to 3167Mbps.

Further connectivity comes through a pair of USB ports-- one USB 3.0 in the front, and one USB 2.0 in the back. This allows users to turn the router into a NAS or share a printer across the home network, and the ports also handle compatible 3G/4G USB dongles to add cellular connectivity as a backup.

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