TP-Link aims to combine the mesh router with the smart home hub-- the Deco M9 Plus mesh wifi system aims to handle both home wifi connectivity and the management up to 100 ZigBee and Bluetooth devices.

“From everyday activities like streaming Netflix and using smart voice assistants, to occasional video chats with friends or online gaming, our home lives are more connected than ever before,”  the company says. “Today, families need wifi systems that can support the higher demands put on their network, delivering reliable performance in every room of the home. Deco M9 Plus is a powerful solution designed to meet the wifi needs of the modern smart home.”

The Wifi Alliance has a proposal to deliver a "broad footprint of uniform wifi service"-- EasyMesh, a standard bringing together the mesh networking technologies employed by different vendors.

As the organisation puts it, EasyMesh will provide customers and service providers with a selection of interoperable devices across difference brands to ensure wide and reliable wifi coverage. The technology coordinates multiple access points into a "unified and intelligent" wifi network able to autonomously aid all areas of the home for complete coverage.

Netgear claims an industry first with the 2-in-1 Orbi Tri-Band Wifi Cable Modem Router System (CBK40)-- a whole-home wifi router with a built-in cable modem, app setup and FastLane 3 tri-band wifi.

The Orbi is positioned as a replacement for existing cable modems and routers. It promises mesh wifi coverage reaching up to 370 square metres, with Orbi satellites expanding coverage by a further 185 square metres per satellite. It is compatible with all major cable ISPs, and should work right out of the box.

Sigma Designs announces the 700-Series Z-Wave platform at CES 2018-- a chip the solution provider claims can squeeze 10 years of use from a single coin-cell battery.

As well as being low power, the 700-Series chip offers a range of over 90m, meaning it can cover multi-stories in a house and the far end of the yard. It carries all the hardware required, including integrated software tools, large memory and many peripherals, making it both efficient and future proof.

Security is also covered thanks to the Z-Wave Security 2 (S2) framework, while Z-Wave SmartStart pre-configures to the network before reaching the home.