PsiQuantum, a quantum computing company, announced in a release earlier this week that it has turned its low-loss silicon photonics into an optical switch for use in AI data centers. Every optical switch typically comes with loss of light: the more light a switch receives, the less reaches the other side, with the amount of light lost measured in decibels. Typical data center optics can tolerate half the light (3 dB) being lost. PsiQuantum's switch debuted with a demo that typically loses only 1.2 dB of signal, or about a quarter of the light in lab tests, and the all-optical switch can achieve it without an amplifier. The prototype is, however, comparatively small, with eight inputs and outputs (8x8) against competitors’ 32 to 300, but the company says larger devices are in development.

The optical circuit switch (OCS) passes light straight through, from fiber to fiber, without converting it to or from electrical signals. Regular data center switches make that conversion at every hop, which takes power and adds latency. An OCS, instead, uses a fixed light path that it maintains until a change is ordered. Its main penalty comes down to how much light is lost when passing through the switch. PsiQuantum’s switch, which uses circuits etched on a silicon chip with no moving parts, unlike Google’s and Lumentum’s tiny mirrors, or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), would be used alongside regular packet switches.

Skipping those conversions matters more as AI clusters grow, because moving data between GPUs is quickly becoming a bottleneck. Optics are a high-bandwidth improvement over copper, which has limitations in reach, although a shortage of lasers is a problem for the alternative. Improving communication bandwidth and distance is the goal, so that different racks of GPUs can talk at speed and act as one.

Switches similar to PsiQuantum’s made by Salience Labs and iPronics use built-in amplification and, at least in the former case, are also rated at under 2 dB, or under 37% of the light lost. Google’s mirror-based switch, Palomar, can also typically stay under 2 dB and has 136 ports. Salience’s switch sits at 32 and Lumentum’s at 300, which leaves the eight-port prototype a ways behind on how many fibers it can handle.

PsiQuantum's switch is an 8x8, meaning eight in and eight out, and “every input can reach every output.” It’s also “strictly non-blocking,” so a new connection never disturbs ones already in place. In the lab, it measured a typical 1.2 dB insertion loss, 40 dB of crosstalk (about 0.01% of the light leaking to other ports), and under 3 ms of reconfiguration time, all of which exceed “initial targets set for these devices.” The loss figure is measured fiber to fiber, which includes getting light onto and off the chip but not connector losses, PsiQuantum told Tom’s Hardware Premium.

The platform loses very little light at each component, which matters because a quantum computer can tolerate only so much lost light. PsiQuantum’s 2025 Nature paper reports silicon nitride waveguides losing as little as 0.5 dB per meter (about 11% of the light per meter), splitters 0.5 millidecibels, and crossings 1.2 millidecibels, the last two a few hundredths of a percent of the light or less each.

The company also says chip-to-fiber coupling has reached about 60 millidecibels, roughly 1.4% of the light lost, in its best published lab results, although without a full fiber array attached. Those figures set a best case, not a worst case, for a 64-port switch, since light crosses more components as ports are added and the losses add up.

How much loss is acceptable varies with the optics at the end of each link. Coherent, an optics maker, says that using an OCS can add “up to 3 dB additional insertion loss,” but its transceivers are able to work with that. Lumentum told Gazettabyte that 3 dB is good enough to work with off-the-shelf FR4, DR4, and DR8 optical modules using the switch; those are the standard plug-in options used to link GPU servers and switches, at distances of 500 meters to 2 kilometers. PsiQuantum’s 8x8 is built for the O-band, the wavelength range those modules use. PsiQuantum told Semafor that, to be workable, its switch needed insertion loss under 2 to 3 dB.

The 8x8 prototype was designed for conventional data center traffic and comes in well below the 3 dB loss target in a request from Nvidia for proposals, the company says. The port count marks it as a demonstration vehicle, but PsiQuantum has a 64x64 version taped out with a 72x72 underway and is “actively developing larger devices.” With crossings that lose so little light, the scale-up might hold. PsiQuantum declined to share details on future products, though it says the loss, which may be slightly higher, will stay very low.

Speed remains less important than insertion loss for how OCSes are currently used. Google, which has the most deployments, numbering in the “tens of thousands,” uses its switches to resize TPU pods or to route around failed chips, a job its “millisecond-scale” MEMS switches handle. PsiQuantum’s under 3 ms is within that class, but Salience and iPronics claim less than 300 microseconds for their amplified chip switches, which iPronics highlights for mid-workload network rewiring to hide the switch time while chips compute.

There is quite a lot of room for speed to improve, and PsiQuantum already has a material for that, used in an existing 64-port switch for its quantum systems, which need to switch light at gigahertz rates. The material, barium titanate (BTO), changes how it bends light when a voltage is applied, and the company chose it over lithium niobate, a more common selection, because BTO had the strongest effect it could find. This keeps switching elements short and losses low at speeds roughly a million times faster than the demo. BTO is “not required for the demonstration vehicle or initial products,” which use a thermally switched silicon nitride platform, but it is “an additional path to faster, more advanced future products.”

An argument for starting now is that building thousands of such switches for conventional applications would reduce the risk for the packaging, assembly, and supply chain of parts PsiQuantum builds for quantum computing. AI and quantum computing are “complementary technologies,” it says, and this is the chance to put its technology into action. When PsiQuantum hired Rob Soderbery as an executive vice president in July, it said he would advance its silicon photonics platform, “accelerating its application across AI networking and other next-generation computing infrastructure,” hinting at the roadmap. The company’s CHIPS award was finalized in September for “high-performance optical switches,” among other components.

Co-founder Pete Shadbolt praised Google’s alternative MEMS switch but would prefer to have similar-quality switching on a monolithic chip that needs no moving parts. Nvidia has a stake through its venture arm, NVentures, and collaborates with PsiQuantum on “GPU-QPU integration,” that is, graphics and quantum processing units, as well as silicon photonics. Nvidia also joined rival iPronics’ $125 million round in September to develop its second-generation optical switch.

Right now, inside Google, OCSes rewire AI clusters, and research firm Cignal AI expects most deployments to stay there through the end of the decade; outside of Google, OCS is still at “proof-of-concept and early trial.” The firm raised its market estimates earlier this year, though, roughly threefold for 2026 and by more than 40% for 2029. An opening exists for PsiQuantum in GPU networks, which ties into Nvidia’s interest, though adoption there is expected to be limited until then. The company says samples and testing kits have already gone to several computing companies, including GPU vendors and hyperscalers.

PsiQuantum should have commercial products “announced in the coming months,” along with updates on larger devices, while competitor Salience has already demonstrated 64 ports at this year’s European Conference on Optical Communication. Salience’s roadmap already has 128- and 256-port products. Scaling is always an issue, but if PsiQuantum’s figures, which haven’t been independently verified, hold up at 64 ports without amplifiers, then larger monolithic OCSes are on the way.

TP-Link has been trying everything in its power to gain conditional approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). According to a new Bloomberg report, the FCC is citing discrepancies in power levels in TP-Link routers as the latest roadblock on its path to selling new Wi-Fi 8 products stateside.

In letters dated October 15, 2026, the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology made some damning claims about TP-Link's reporting practices. Specifically, the FCC alleged that TP-Link "included false or incorrect information in its applications” related to equipment authorizations for four individual router models (including high-end Archer models).

For a company that truly needs to dot every "i" and cross every "t" when it comes to a Trump administration that is increasingly skeptical of TP-Link's past ties and motives, any perceived missteps are even more magnified. However, in addition to the alleged wonky product information provided to the FCC, perhaps more troubling is that three of the four routers under scrutiny also had higher-than-allowed power usage levels.

In addition to power limits, the FCC's testing regimen for routers includes evaluations of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), radio frequency (RF) emissions, and national security compliance. The latter has been a big sticking point with the FCC and the U.S. Department of Defense given the proliferation of TP-Link networking gear in civilian and governmental capacities.

We reached out to TP-Link about the FCC’s findings and were provided with the following statement:

"Routine spot checks have been a standard FCC practice across the consumer electronics industry for many years, and individual product test results can occasionally vary.

TP-Link Systems fully supports the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology and its role of ensuring that all manufacturers adhere to prescribed specifications for their certified products. We remain fully committed to working collaboratively with the FCC to resolve any technical questions that arise — and if necessary, address any confirmed technical issues as swiftly as possible."

It will likely take a lot more convincing to appease the FCC, which has so far given TP-Link the cold shoulder. And it’s not just the FCC; members of Congress and multiple state attorneys general have filed their grievances with TP-Link over alleged consumer privacy violations and Chinese ties.

For its part, TP-Link has made some significant moves to get in the good graces of the U.S. government, even while competitors like Amazon, Asus, and Netgear have sailed through compliance checks to gain conditional approval to sell wireless products in the U.S. Besides moving its U.S. headquarters to California, the company earlier this month announced a $1 billion joint venture with Key Tronic to manufacture Wi-Fi 8 routers in the U.S.

A Chinese team has claimed a new world record for real-time transfer speeds across 24-core optical fiber cable. The collaboration between the National Key Laboratory of Optical Communication Technology, and Network of China Information and Communication Technologies Group, Pengcheng Laboratory, and Fiberhome Fujikura Fiber Optic Technology Co., Ltd. hit speeds fast enough to download “more than 20,000 4K movies” in one second, reports the Chinese government website for Hubei Province.

We note that this new 3.2 Pb/s real-time optical transfer speed world record comfortably eclipses the 2.5 Pb/s record set by the same teams earlier this year. The improvement represents an almost 30% performance uplift within a year.

According to the source, these speeds could mean, if and when they are successfully rolled out, “3.2 million households simultaneously enjoying gigabit broadband.” Or you could say this speed is roughly 3.2 million times faster than a typical one-gigabit internet connection. Both are probably more useful and practical comparisons than knowing that one person would be able to download 20,000 4K movies in a single second.

In technical terms the 3.2 Pb/s test proved the success of the spatial division multiplexing and S+C+L multi-band transmission technology used by the team. Major hurdles faced by the researchers included crosstalk interference, and handling the varying spec requirements of the S+C+L transmission bands.

The new 3.2 Pb/s transmission record was achieved using commercially compliant hardware architectures in real-time. Thus, the headlining result could be practical and deployable in the real world in the not-too-distant future, with enough will and effort.

Contrast that to pure academic lab optical fiber transmission milestones which have reached transfer speeds (across similar 24-core telecommunications fiber) of up to 5.29 Pb/s. However, these incredibly impressive lab results often lean on advanced or experimental signal processing and laboratory equipment.

Moscow is apparently using commercial fishing trawlers to map undersea cables connecting the U.S. and Europe. According to The Telegraph, it has uncovered over 500 incidents where Russian fishing boats loitered above critical communications cables over a span of four and a half years. All the data came from Global Fishing Watch, which uses satellite data to track vessels over the open ocean. The satellite tracks of these suspicious Russian ships are then cross-referenced over nautical charts that marked the locations of undersea cables.

While the general location of most undersea cables is clearly marked on nautical charts so ships can avoid them, any operation involving undersea cables requires more accurate positioning data. The Telegraph gave three examples of Russian trawlers seemingly surveying critical infrastructure. One ship followed the track of nine separate cables under the Atlantic, including the Atlantic Crossing 1 telecommunications cable and the decommissioned TAT-14 undersea cable owned by Sprint Corporation. Another ship loitered near the trans-Atlantic Hibernia Express cable and then followed the route of the Shefa-2 cable that connects Shetland to the Faroe Islands, while a third partially followed the tracks of the Amitie and Grace Hopper undersea cables, which connects the UK, France, and Spain to the U.S.

These ships have slowed multiple times, sometimes traveling at speeds between two and three knots. A senior naval officer said that the ships suspected of conducting these intelligence activities are large enough to house an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and that they could deploy tethered units at very low speeds. “If you put a sonar-equipped ROV 100 meters above a feature of interest, you can map it with millimeter precision,” one naval officer said. A NATO representative also told the publication, “We’re absolutely aware of what Russian civilian fishing ships are up to and where ... Some of these ships have never seen a single fish on their deck.”

Undersea cables are the backbone of the modern interconnected world, and they carry economic activity worth billions, if not trillions of dollars. It’s estimated that around $87 billion worth of economic activity passes through this undersea infrastructure, and that they would be one of the first targets if ever a conflict between NATO and Russia erupts. These trawlers are part of Russia’s “gray-zone” warfare, where the actions of these commercial vessels cannot easily be traced back to the Kremlin.

There have already been multiple incidents of undersea cables getting disrupted across the world. Two undersea cables, one connecting Finland to Germany, and the other to Estonia, were disrupted one after the other in a span of a couple of months in 2024. Taiwan has also detained a Chinese freighter after it was suspected of severing an undersea cable connecting its Penghu Islands to the nation’s main islands, while another Chinese ship has been suspected of cutting an undersea cable connecting it to the U.S. More recently, NATO uncovered a Russian plot to sabotage the two largest undersea cables on Earth, while a cable connecting Australia and New Zealand to Indonesia and Singapore have also been damaged. Iran even threatened to sever undersea cables going through the Strait of Hormuz.

Even though undersea cables are considered critical infrastructure, the distances that they cover make it quite difficult, if not impossible, for nations to conduct constant patrols to protect them. The majority of their length also often sits in international waters, meaning vessels should be able to freely pass over and map undersea cables. While navies shadow these questionable vessels, their suspicious operation is generally not grounds for boarding, detention, or seizure.

TP-Link is fully determined to get in the good graces of the U.S. government to break free from a total ban on newly developed routers manufactured outside of the country. Although TP-Link is incorporated in the U.S. with a headquarters in Irvine, California, the company has been under pressure from the full weight of the U.S. government because of its historical Chinese roots. However, in an effort to appeal to the Trump administration’s zeal for creating jobs and touting American manufacturing, TP-Link this week announced that it has signed a letter of intent to assemble routers in the U.S. through a crucial partnership with Key Tronic.

How did we get here?

The ongoing saga started back in late 2024, when the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party requested that the Department of Commerce investigate TP-Link. At the time, the committee warned that “TP-Link products are also found on U.S. military bases, with the Army and Air Force Exchange and the Navy Exchange selling these devices to members of the military and their families,” and claimed TP-Link routers were sending user data back to China.

The select committee implored the Department of Commerce to use its broad powers to investigate TP-Link and take any necessary action to mitigate threats to national security. The campaign against TP-Link ramped up in mid-2025, with 17 members of Congress petitioning the Commerce Department to ban the sale of the company’s hardware in the U.S. due to alleged deep ties to the CCP. In late 2025, 23 U.S. House members and Senators again asked the Commerce Department to investigate TP-Link’s actions, including adding the company to the Covered List, investigating any threats to national security, and informing the public about potential risks associated with using the company’s devices.

The situation reached a boiling point in March 2026, when TP-Link and other router manufacturers were added to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Covered List, forbidding the sale of foreign-made routers in the U.S. that hadn’t already been approved. At the time, the FCC noted, “Recently, malicious state and non-state sponsored cyber attackers have increasingly leveraged the vulnerabilities in small and home office routers produced abroad to carry out direct attacks against American civilians in their homes. From disrupting network connectivity to enabling local networking espionage and intellectual property theft, foreign-produced routers present unacceptable risks to Americans.”

Since that time, several things have changed, with none of them being positive developments for TP-Link. Over the past six months, Amazon, Asus, and Netgear have all gained conditional approvals from the FCC to sell new wireless products in the U.S., while TP-Link has been stonewalled (conditional approvals are valid for 18 months from the date of issuance). Considering that TP-Link has been the world’s largest provider of Wi-Fi routers and associated devices for over a decade, losing access to the U.S. market for its new line of Wi-Fi 8 devices is a significant blow. This was readily apparent in late September when TP-Link opened preorders for its Archer 8 Ultra Wi-Fi 8 router. The company announced that the router would be available in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. However, the U.S. was conspicuously absent from that list because of the ongoing ban.

Adding insult to injury, earlier this month, multiple states (including Florida, Montana, Iowa, and Nebraska) sued TP-Link Systems, alleging that the company has made false and misleading claims about the security capabilities of its products and continued ties to China.

“TP-Link’s conduct has placed Montana consumers at risk of harm by making their home and small-office networks vulnerable to exploitation and intrusion by foreign actors with a proven track record of nefarious conduct. That risk is ongoing: many consumers keep their routers for years, and many of the compromised TP-Link models in Montana homes do not support automatic firmware updates and no longer receive security support at all,” stated Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

Knudsen further claimed that while TP-Link touts that it employs 300 people in the U.S., the bulk of its workforce (numbering over 11,000 employees) conducts development and manufacturing operations in China. “Further, TP-Link claims to manufacture its U.S.-market products in Vietnam, but less than one percent of the components by value are sourced in Vietnam, and the rest are imported from or through China,” Knudsen added.

“Iowans’ sensitive data and our national security is at risk because of TP-Link and their connection to the communist Chinese government,” stated Iowa Attorney General Bird. “TP-Link tells Iowans its routers are safe, our personal data is secure, and that they have no ties to China. They are not telling the truth. It’s time to hold China and China-backed companies accountable.”

TP-Link barks back

Up until this point, TP-Link has vehemently denied any ties to the Chinese government and has refuted similar allegations from one of its primary competitors, Netgear. However, on October 13, the company issued its sharpest rebuttal yet in a letter to the FCC. TP-Link touted its “America-first” strategy and chastised the state lawsuits brought earlier this month.

“A group of 21 state-level officials recently raised a scattershot barrage of baseless and previously debunked allegations relating to TP-Link’s confidential, non-public application,” TP-Link exclaimed. Rather than seeking to advance legitimate public policy objectives, the letter appears aimed primarily at encouraging federal officials to apply a heightened standard to TP-Link’s pending application that would be unattainable to TP-Link or any other router manufacturer in the world.”

TP-Link stated that its innovation in the router space earned its position as the market leader in the U.S., and that the constant barrage of legal fights and war of words is undermining fair competition and is an actual threat to national security and critical infrastructure given the broad proliferation of its products.

To that end, TP-Link reiterated that it has officially filed for conditional approval from the FCC, so that it can specifically sell two next-generation Wi-Fi 8 routers in the U.S. The company noted, “As the United States positions itself as a leader in wireless technology, a Conditional Approval would guarantee American consumers access to the same cutting-edge wireless equipment that will soon be available in other parts of the world."

TP-Link proposes $1 billion investment in the U.S.

With its back against the ropes, TP-Link is appealing to the U.S. government in the best way it knows how: with money and jobs. If there’s anything that the U.S. government likes, it’s investment in manufacturing on its own soil and high-paying jobs to bolster local economies. To help push the U.S. government along in approving a conditional approval to sell Wi-Fi 8 hardware, TP-Link has signed a letter of intent with Key Tronic to manufacture routers in the U.S. instead of importing them from Vietnam. More specifically, the routers would be assembled in Corinth, Mississippi.

“This LOI with Key Tronic demonstrates our firm commitment to expanding domestic advanced manufacturing, and establishing America as our base for delivering secure, reliable connectivity solutions to households and businesses around the world,” said TP-Link Systems Inc. CEO Jeffrey Chao. “By choosing to assemble cutting-edge products here at home, we are thrilled to support U.S. high-tech job growth and empower a new generation of American innovation and innovators.”

TP-Link hopes that the investment will cut through most of the red tape that is currently preventing it from selling its latest products stateside. However, it remains to be seen if these latest sweeteners will be enough to sway President Trump and the agencies under his purview. As the company notes, it was the first to deliver Wi-Fi 7 routers in the U.S., and it wants to continue that leadership position by offering the first Wi-Fi 8 routers. The hardware is ready to go, as evidenced by the opening of preorders; it’s just currently being held up by roadblocks at the federal level, along with added pressure from state governments.

Until that time, Wi-Fi 8 products like the Archer 8 Ultra and Deco 8 Ultra will remain off-limits to Americans, which have given TP-Link a reported 65 percent share of the U.S. consumer router market.

There's no point upgrading your internet connection if you've got a bad Wi-Fi router slowing you down. If the ISP-provided router isn't up to the task, and you're ready to banish the lag, you'll want to pick up this TP-Link router, on sale for a limited time only. The TP-Link Archer BE9700, also known as the BE600, is down to $189.98 right now, giving you a 24% saving on its list price.

● Check out this TP-Link router deal on Amazon

With the BE9700, you're getting a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router with six external antennas, enough to give you coverage for up to 2,600 sq. ft. with up to 120 different devices connecting to it. TP-Link reckons you can expect to see speeds of up to 5,765 Mbps on the fastest 6 GHz band, with 2,882 Mbps at 5 GHz, and 1,032 Mbps at 2.4 GHz. MLO, or Multi-Link Operation, support means you're able to connect using these different bands at the same time, giving you even faster speeds and better protection against congestion.

Our TP-Link BE9700 review shows this is a serious option for your network. This is a good value router with solid Wi-Fi 7 support, with speeds that make it a competitive option, especially at this price point. Our review shows that it comes with class-leading 6 GHz performance, with decent enough speeds at 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. It's the top choice in our best Wi-Fi router shortlist, too.

While Wi-Fi 7 support is the big deal here, the wired connections aren't bad, either. You get a 10Gb WAN port to hook this router up to your super-fast modem, giving you max speeds. You also get four 2.5Gb Ethernet ports for your home devices, including your PC, laptop, NAS drives, game consoles, and more.

Aside from the speeds, you get a USB 3.0 port on the side, which you could use to hook up a printer or external hard drive as a basic NAS. EasyMesh support, meanwhile, means you can use this as a wireless node in a mesh network. It also has Quality of Service controls to help you prioritize traffic for your core devices, such as your gaming PC, so you don't lose out when you're gaming.

The $189.98 sale price for this TP-Link Archer BE9700 router is a good one, even if it has yo-yo'd in price over recent months. That said, this is a solid discount off the $249.99 list price that it was at a few weeks ago, and one that'll give you an ultra-fast upgrade to your local network.

The Wi-Fi 8 (802.111bn) specification hasn't even been ratified by the IEEE yet, but that isn’t stopping manufacturers from getting an early jump on supported hardware. Late last month, TP-Link announced that it was taking preorders for its first Wi-Fi 8 consumer router, and we’re now learning that GFiber will soon offer its own branded Wi-Fi 8 Premium Gateway for its 20 Gig customers.

Qualcomm, GFiber, and Gemtek made the announcement earlier this week, explaining that the gFiber Wi-Fi 8 Premium Gateway will leverage the Qualcomm Dragonwing NPro A8 Elite Platform. Qualcomm is already a known quantity in the wireless business, supplying chipsets that power Wi-Fi for devices ranging from smartphones to laptops to wireless routers and accompanying client adapters. The Dragonwing NPro A8 Elite Platform combines a penta-core CPU and an NPU to extract the most performance for connected devices.

And given the artificial intelligence age that we now live in, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the platform is “bringing together premium Wi-Fi 8 connectivity, high-performance networking, and native edge AI in a single architecture," according to Gautam Sheoran, SVP and GM for Connectivity, Broadband, and Networking at Qualcomm. “Combined with an open agentic AI framework, the platform provides a flexible foundation to deploy, customize, and scale agentic AI directly on the gateway."

While Qualcomm provides the chipset onboard, Gemtek will actually manufacture the gateway. According to GFiber, customers currently subscribed to the 25G-PON-based 20 Gig service will be the first to gain access to the gateway. Those customers are currently using an Actiontec Wi-Fi 7 gateway, but will be upgraded to a Wi-Fi 8 Premium Gateway once the certification process is completed. Given that the 20 Gig service is priced at $250 per month and only available in select U.S. markets, we hope that those upgrades are provided free of charge when the rollouts start in 2027.

Although there were no images provided of the new Wi-Fi 8 Premium Gateway, it’s said to feature a “new aesthetic design” that will encourage customers to place it front and center in the home, where signal propagation is best, instead of tucked away, out of sight, in a closet or in a far-off corner.

While many Americans have access to 1 Gig, 2 Gig, and (to a lesser extent) 8 Gig fiber service, 20 Gig connections remain a rarity. But that isn’t stopping providers like gFiber from pushing forward. The company notes that its 50 Gig service, which is based on 50G-PON technology, begins residential trials during the spring of next year and will be fully supported by the Wi-Fi 8 Premium Gateway.

A Keurig smart coffee maker owned by a self-described IT pro’s parents sent 1TB over their Wi-Fi in 10 days, saturating an access point on its own, user @NomadsGalaxy said in an X post. Nomad added that most of the traffic “didn’t escape my network” but it’s unclear what data it was trying to send, even though there was a temptation “to scan it’s [sic] packets with Wireshark and other tools.”

Nomad, a Technical Field & Community Specialist at 3D printer maker Prusa with more than 10 years of IT experience, tagged @Keurig and uploaded a UniFi screenshot, asking what the coffee machine could possibly be uploading. The issue was detected after his parents asked why their network was so slow. He said that he would be unplugging his dad’s machine and getting his parents a new one.

The screenshot names the device starting as “Keurig” on his “Appliance network” with traffic indicated at 9.94GB down and 1,008.45GB up, over the connection of 10 days, 9 hours. It was apparently disconnected the evening of Oct. 5, and he later suspected it was a bug. The amount of data indicated by the screenshot’s numbers suggests an average upstream of about 9 Mbps, which could swamp an access point. This comes out to about 97GB a day, about 27 times the amount of the LG washer’s 3.6GB a day reported in 2024.

The model in question, as linked in a reply, is the K-Supreme SMART with BrewID, according to its product page and Use and Care Guide. This guide details app control for remote brew, remote on and off, and scheduled brews. It also covers Alexa and Google Home voice control. BrewID recognizes Keurig-made pods over Wi-Fi, perhaps fueling his speculation that “it’s just DRM waiting to be enabled,” and applies the roaster’s recommended settings. On this model, it works over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, presumably for range and compatibility, which does limit its maximum bandwidth.

Later in the X thread, Nomad acknowledged that the UniFi had not reported an actual 1TB upload, so he concluded it was mostly local junk data. The coffee maker was already on a separate IoT network with his parents’ smart devices, but not much was blocked. Rebooting the device and placing it in a segregated VLAN solved the issue, at least temporarily. He did not make any attempts at packet capture, opting to keep it safely offline rather than running captures. He recommended that Keurig fix the potential flaw in the device’s network stack to prevent such issues in the future.

According to the pykeurig GitHub project, which allows Home Assistant integration, information sent to the cloud includes power state, brew state, pod recognition result, and the software version. Keurig’s own open-source notice lists Microsoft’s Azure RTOS, an off-the-shelf operating system and networking stack for IoT. The type of data sent is small, so 1TB does read as a malfunction, but the proprietary firmware isn’t public.

The X screenshot also shows the radio’s MAC address with the block registered to Jabil on Feb. 18, 2021. Jabil’s site lists Wi-Fi and Bluetooth expertise, RF and antenna design, IoT embedded modules, and connected appliances among its capabilities. Keurig has previously listed Nypro, a Jabil subsidiary, as a partner. This does not confirm the origin of the hardware or how the firmware works.

SMART brewers keep 14 days of brew history and sync it once connected, with brews of Keurig-made pods earning points, according to the Keurig Perks FAQ. The Boston Globe reported in 2022 that Keurig shared brewing data with the brands that sell K-Cups, with plans for more personalized marketing.

The event comes at a time when users and privacy advocates are already upset with clandestine data gathering by IoT devices, with LG being a particular focal point in recent years. Last month, Gamers Nexus and security researchers used packet captures and firmware analysis on certain LG TVs.

LG told Tom’s Hardware its TVs don’t record conversations unless voice features are turned on, though in standby they listen for a wake word if that feature is enabled. It confirmed the local network scans, adding, “This is a standard function commonly provided by smart TVs and smart home devices.” In that case, actual traffic was captured, and that was part of an intended feature rather than an apparent malfunction.

Currently, no comment from Keurig stands on record for the incident. While the brewer does work without Wi-Fi, many of its marketed features rely on internet access, making the potential flaw a real issue for owners. Nomad and his family are likely revisiting their own smart-device rules. He has said other units could be affected, so more users may encounter the same behavior. That may spur Keurig into offering an official statement or a fix. Either way, the event is a reminder that IoT devices and their manufacturers need to take extra care.

Amazon Prime Big Deals Day 2026 is here, and we're already seeing some tasty deals on Wi-Fi routers. If you're in the market for a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 router, we've scoped out deals on standalone and mesh systems that could give your home (or office) network a much-needed performance boost.

If you have a smaller home that doesn't need the aid of wireless satellites to improve coverage, consider the TP-Link Archer AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router. While it isn't one of TP-Link's newest Wi-Fi 7 offerings, it still offers a lot of bang for the buck. The Archer AXE75 has a retail price of $119.99, but a $30 instant discount reduces the cost to just $89.99 for Prime subscribers.

• Check out all the deals in Amazon's Prime Big Deals Day Sale

That price gets you Gigabit WAN, four Gigabit LAN ports, and even a USB 3.0 port for adding storage to your network. The Gigabit WAN port should be more than adequate if your ISP delivers 1 Gbps or slower speeds. If you're rocking a 2 Gbps or higher internet plan, you might want to invest in a router with at least a 2.5 GbE WAN to fully utilize your plan. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you plan to expand your network in the future, the Archer AXE75 supports TP-Link's OneMesh standard, enabling you to combine multiple compatible routers into a mesh network.

Regarding performance, the Archer AXE75 operates at speeds of up to 574 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and up to 2,402 Mbps on the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands.

If you need the added coverage of a mesh system, the TP-Link Deco XE75 also uses the Wi-Fi 6E standard. But while the Archer AXE75 covers just 2,000 square feet, the Deco XE75, a three-node system, covers up to 7,200 square feet (over three times the coverage).

Each satellite has three Gigabit Ethernet ports, which are excellent for connecting your wired-only network devices. However, there's another added benefit: the Deco XE75 supports wired backhaul, which can improve overall network performance compared to using the default wireless backhaul between satellites.

When it comes to overall performance, expect a similar experience to the Archer AXE75, as it also offers a maximum of 574 Mbps over the 2.4 GHz band, 2,402 Mbps over the 5 GHz band, and 2,402 Mbps over the 6 GHz band.

The Deco XE75 is typically available for $249.99, but is currently on sale for $229.99. But that's not all; there's also an instant coupon that knocks another $30 off the price of the 3-pack, bringing the price down to $199.99.

Finally, the TP-Link Prime Big Deals Day trifecta is completed with the Deco BE5000. This is an entry-level Wi-Fi 7 mesh router. Because of this alignment, the Deco BE5000 isn't a full-featured tri-band offering; instead, it's a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 solution. Although you miss out on the higher-performance 6 GHz band, you do gain support for Multi-Link Operation (MLO), a key pillar of Wi-Fi 7 (although MLO is one of Wi-Fi 7's most misunderstood features).

Each node features two 2.5 GbE ports, and you also get wired backhaul support. Maximum throughput reaches 688 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz band, while the 5 GHz band achieves 2,882 Mbps.

The Deco BE5000 retails for $299.99 but is currently priced at $198.19, which is a healthy $100 discount.

There's one other deal perk possible with these router deals if you have an Amazon Prime Rewards VISA credit card. Amazon is offering up to 25% cash back on the purchase of each of these routers when you use the card.

We are working hard to find the best computer hardware deals for you this Amazon Prime Day. If you're looking for more savings, check out our Amazon Prime Day deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

Wi-Fi is great until you hit lag, network congestion, or interference. If you need to expand your network, you'll want a network switch with gigabit speeds. Luckily, Amazon's big sale means you can pick up this TP-Link Lightwave 5-port unmanaged Ethernet switch for just $7.99 right now, bringing it back down to its lowest-ever price.

● Check out this deal on Amazon

With the LS1005G, you're getting five extra Ethernet ports for your network, although you'll need to use one to connect it to your existing router. There isn't a better option than an Ethernet cable for maxing out the bandwidth on your internet connection, especially if you prefer to stream or play games online.

Gigabit speeds shouldn't seem that exciting these days, but plenty of people are rocking old network hardware that isn't this fast. You don't need to worry about Wi-Fi lag or interference here, as you'll get a solid, dedicated wired connection instead. There's no need to think about a setup process either, as the LS1005G is completely unmanaged. You just need to plug it in, hooking your router up to the switch's WAN port. The other four ports will then work straight away.

As it's unmanaged, you do lose some of the customization features that you'd gain with a more expensive managed switch. That isn't really a downside here. This switch is less than $8. For that price, you're still getting a network upgrade that'll let you connect almost any Ethernet-capable device. Gaming PCs, laptops, printers, NAS drives, consoles, TVs, and even another router or Wi-Fi extender will work with this switch. It's just going to work. It doesn't deliver power, though, so you can't use it to deliver power to PoE devices like cameras.

This TP-Link switch isn't big, so it won't take up much space. It's just 2.8 x 3.5 x 0.9 inches, so it'll fit near your existing router or around your home or office, as long as the cabling is long enough. No fans are required to keep it cool, either. That means it'll run silently without disrupting you.

I'd almost say it's impossible to beat the $7.99 sale price for this TP-Link Litewave LS1005G 5-port switch, but believe it or not, Ugreen has matched it. Both deals are running for a limited time only, but if the TP-Link runs out, you can pick up this Ugreen 5-port switch for the same $7.99 sale price. You'll get the same level of functionality, although TP-Link's brand is generally better known. Either way, for less than $8, this Ugreen model will be a good alternative if the TP-Link switch sells out.

There really isn't a better way to expand your wired network than with a network switch like this. For $7.99, both the TP-Link LS1005G and the Ugreen 35492US models will serve you well, delivering gigabit speeds across your LAN without worrying about Wi-Fi lag. It's a good, affordable option but, with Amazon's deal set to end tonight, you've got to be quick if you want to grab one (or two, or three) of these brilliantly-priced switches.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier just announced that the state is suing TP-Link, claiming that the company has been “lying about the safety of its routers and its ties to the CCP.” Uthmeier posted a minute-and-a-half video clip on X, saying that TP-Link’s claims of having safe routers aren’t true.

“Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms. Many of those models cannot even update themselves automatically, and TP-Link has stopped supporting them,” the Florida AG said on the social media platform. “They also told Floridians they have split from China and that they build U.S. products in Vietnam, but that is fiction. Research and manufacturing remain rooted in China, less than 1% of the parts in that Vietnam plant actually come from Vietnam. TP-Link now claims to have separated from a company with Chinese ties — a company the Pentagon has designated as an arm of the Chinese military.”

The federal government first investigated the company back in 2024, with the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice opening inquiries into the company, with the DOJ looking at whether the company has engaged in unfair trade practices and poses a threat to national security. The company has tried to fight these allegations, especially as it points out that TP-Link in the U.S. has already separated from its Chinese parent company in 2024, and that it has been making its routers in Vietnam since 2018.

Unlike Huawei, TP-Link has been able to avoid a full ban in the United States. However, it’s currently facing a major challenge as the FCC has banned the import of new consumer routers. This ban would affect all router manufacturers, including American brands such as Cisco and Netgear, but they were able to go around this by applying for a conditional approval. TP-Link itself applied for this exemption, too, but it’s unclear if it has received one so far. But even if TP-Link hasn’t secured a conditional approval yet, it could continue selling its already existing router models in the U.S.

Florida isn’t the only state to file a case against TP-Link because of its alleged connections to Beijing and the safety of its routers. Iowa, Nebraska, and Montana have also sued the company for exactly the same reasons, and their attorneys general say that they’re doing it to protect their citizens from the Chinese Communist Party.

Why suffer lag or buffering on your home network when there's a budget-friendly TP-Link router on sale at a record-low price? Ahead of the official Big Deal Days launch, Amazon has slashed this TP-Link Archer BE3600 wireless router to $79.98. That's a 33% discount on its list price and the lowest it's ever been seen on Amazon to date.

• Check out this deal on Amazon

You won't be surprised to find that this is one of the best Wi-Fi routers you can pick up on a budget, but that's before this discount. You'll see in our TP-Link Archer BE3600 review why this is such a good deal, as this router adds Wi-Fi 7 support to your network cheaply and easily, albeit with a few caveats. Those aside, you're still getting strong performance for 2.4 and 5 GHz with this router.

All in all, this is a no-nonsense router with a pretty basic design. You're getting a flat, rectangular box with four antennas for good wireless coverage. There's one 2.5 Gbps WAN port for your internet connection, another 2.5 Gbps for your LAN, and another three ports rated at 1 Gbps. There's also a single USB 3.0 port, which'll be useful if you want to hook up a printer or USB external hard drive to your network as a basic NAS drive. You'll find TP-Link's initial setup and configuration easy, too, using the router's web portal.

There's one trade-off you'll need to consider. This router doesn't support the full Wi-Fi 7 specification as it doesn't include the 6 GHz band. That's a shame, but you'll find that performance at 2.4 GHz, still the dominant Wi-Fi band and one you'll need for all your legacy devices, is still excellent with this BE3600 router at close range. You'd easily pay more for a router that had these specs elsewhere.

It's the price that sells this router, and why you'll want to consider it for your network. This would make for a brilliant upgrade over an ISP-issued router, or to use as a secondary repeater around your home. The $79.98 sale price for this TP-Link Archer BE3600 (also known as the BE230) is the best it's ever been, so if you want to grab it, now's your chance, as we'd expect prices to go back up once Amazon's sale event ends later this week.

Good Wi-Fi is essential around the home, but there's no guarantee that your ISP-provided router is getting its signal where you need it to go. If you're sick of lag, Wi-Fi dropping out, and slow speeds, you'll want to consider this limited-time deal on a TP-Link router. You can pick up the TP-Link Archer BE550 for $169.99 right now, saving you 32% off its list price.

● Check out this TP-Link router deal on Amazon

This is a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router with no less than six antennas to deliver maximum coverage across a typical household in the U.S. This gives you a combined maximum theoretical speed of 9.3 Gbps, split across the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi 7, along with 5 and 2.4 GHz. If you're using a recent-enough device, Multi-Link Operation (or MLO) means you're able to use different bands, like 5 GHz and 6 GHz, simultaneously for faster speeds and greater reliability.

While a lot of modern routers skimp out on high-speed Ethernet ports, you're getting a full set of 2.5 Gb Ethernet connectors here with the BE550, which is also known as the BE9300. One is for WAN, so your internet connection, along with four for other local devices you'll want to hook up, like your gaming PC. Even if your PC is a little older and doesn't feature a 2.5 Gb Ethernet port, it'll be able to hit the maximum speeds for that port with these connections.

You've got everything else you'd expect from a modern Wi-Fi 7 router here, too. It has a USB port for sharing an external hard drive on your local network, for instance. It also includes support for a mesh-style network, along with per-device Quality of Service controls, meaning you can set up priority for traffic on certain devices on a congested network. For instance, if you've got one PC downloading while you're trying to play games, you can prioritize one over the other with QoS. It also supports tagged VLANs, meaning you can configure your network with separated virtual networks for different devices to keep them isolated.

The $169.99 sale price for this TP-Link Archer BE550 is a good one for a router that can add Wi-Fi 7 support, along with a whole host of other features, to your local network. If you're struggling to get a signal and want an upgrade, this router is a good option, but with this limited-time deal set to run out in only a few hours, you don't have long to grab it at this price.

Today is a big day for TP-Link, as the company revealed that it has opened preorders for its first Wi-Fi 8 hardware. The previously announced Archer 8 Ultra router makes the company’s first entry into what will become a fully stocked portfolio covering Wi-Fi 8 standalone and mesh routers, access points, and client adapters. Interestingly, TP-Link makes it clear that preorders kicked off today in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and other global markets.

Given that the United States is a key consumer market for TP-Link, the fact that the country is left off the preorder list is telling, but not exactly a surprise to anyone who has been following the wireless industry over the past six months. TP-Link has sat on the sidelines as competitors including Netgear, Asus, and Amazon gained Conditional Approvals from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to sell their hardware in the U.S. Without the Conditional Approval, companies are effectively banned from selling new wireless hardware in the country that wasn't already approved by the FCC.

So, while earlier Wi-Fi 7 gear from TP-Link that received FCC certification can still be sold, any new Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 8 products are effectively blocked from the market. The company has made several critical moves to position itself as a U.S. company, including incorporating TP-Link Systems in California, but those moves have been challenged in legal filings.

At this point, there haven’t been any clear signs that the U.S. government will lift its freeze on TP-Link hardware, so until that time comes, the Archer 8 Ultra will remain unavailable stateside. And it’s a shame, because the Archer 8 Ultra, which utilizes a Broadcom Wi-Fi 8 chipset, will deliver up to 33 percent more real-world throughput compared to TP-Link’s Wi-Fi 7 hardware, and 24 percent more consistent throughput when operating in high-interference conditions.

The Archer 8 Ultra will feature two auto-sensing 10 Gbps WAN/LAN ports and four 2.5 Gbps LAN ports. TP-Link says that the router covers up to 3,600 square feet and will support up to 200 devices.

"Wi-Fi 8 sets a new foundation, and we’ve built beyond it,” said Jim Poder, Senior Vice President of R&D at TP-Link. “Archer 8 Ultra combines our Wi-Fi 8 StabilityEngine with intelligent antenna technology and AI-powered optimization to deliver what matters most: a smarter, more reliable network that’s easier to use.”

TP-Link’s Wi-Fi 8 family will expand in Q1 2027 with a Deco 8 Ultra mesh router, and a Roam 8 travel router in Q2 2027. Throughout the year, further additions will come in the form of new PCIe/USB wireless adapters, access points, and range extenders.

If you want to expand your home network with cameras, WiFi extenders, and other smart home tech, you'll want to invest in a good power-over-Ethernet switch. At the minute, a Ugreen 10-port PoE+ switch is on sale for just $37.79 on Amazon. That's a new record low for this model, and it unlocks eight extra PoE+ ports (and 10 in total) for your network, at a price that's much more affordable than many of its rivals.

● Check out this deal on Amazon

Ugreen is a brand that you'll see a lot on Amazon, from network gear like this to wall chargers and peripherals. It's budget-focused, with reasonable prices that hide some pretty well-designed hardware. Here, you're getting a 10-port switch that supports the PoE+ standard (IEEE 802.3at), which means it can deliver up to 30W of power for devices on each individual port.

In practice, that means you can hook up newer and much faster devices to this switch, with power and data both being delivered over a single Ethernet cable. The switch supports 60W in total using a cascade system. If the power draw hits 60W, it'll shut down ports to prevent overload, starting from port 8 to port 1, so you can prioritize the ports you want and need the most. The switch will automatically detect PoE devices, so it won't short out a normal device like your PC or laptop by accident. Extended power delivery mode means that you can connect devices as far as 820 feet away, too.

If you're building a smart home network with plenty of devices to power, a switch like this will prove useful. This particular Ugreen switch is unmanaged, so there isn't a huge setup process to work through, and it should work immediately when you plug it into your existing hardware. That does mean it'll lack some of the extra customization that a more expensive managed switch could offer, but for most users, the ease of use will be the bigger draw anyway.

Almost any Ethernet-ready device will work with this switch, even if they aren't able to take advantage of its power delivery. Laptops, PCs, NAS drives, printers, TVs, game consoles, IP cameras, and more will work with this switch.

You're also getting the bonus of speed here. This Ugreen switch delivers gigabit speeds across your network, so you can leave WiFi latency and lag issues far behind when you're playing games or streaming Netflix shows. Ethernet connections using this switch will help you max out the bandwidth from your ISP. You've also got two uplink ports which you can hook up to your existing network for the best bandwidth.

The $37.79 sale price for this 10-port Ugreen switch is a great one, but it's only around for a limited-time only. If you want to pick up this fanless, lightning-protected, compact Gigabit PoE+ switch, you'll need to get your order in before the deal runs out.

On this day in 1980, version 1.0 of the Ethernet specification was published by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), Intel, and Xerox. This ‘DIX’ standard was established at a time still nearly three years before the modern internet existed. Nevertheless, Ethernet would become the default technology for connecting computers to each other in local networks – and all around the world. However, we must point out that Ethernet had existed in experimental form at Xerox PARC in the 1970s.

Before Ethernet, computer manufacturers were wary of building LAN connectivity into their computers. It seemed wasteful to integrate one type of network adapter that wouldn’t always work with other networked computers and equipment an organization might use. To foster the adoption of Ethernet industrywide, DIX allowed any vendor to use the specification in their own hardware implementations.

Ethernet has been adjusted, refined, and improved over time to remain competitive and relevant. In 1980, it arrived using coaxial cable wiring and with a top speed of 10 Mbps. Five years later, it would move to adapters with BNC connectors. The first RJ45 implementation, a connector that still identifies Ethernet ports to this day, was in 1990 alongside the introduction of 10BASE-T twisted-pair cabling (but still at 10 Mbps).

Data speeds ramped up tenfold, hitting 100 Mbps in 1995, and it would be just four more years until the next tenfold boost with the debut of Gigabit (1 Gbps) Ethernet. If you buy a PC nowadays, you will commonly see Ethernet ports labeled 2.5G and/or 10G. To make use of the latter, Cat6a or better cabling is typically recommended for reliable links. However, data centers run equipment connected via 800 Gbps+ Ethernet protocol connections over advanced fiber optics.

Despite the rise and generational advances delivered by Wi-Fi 7, wired Ethernet is still preferred for speed, low latency, and stability. These are very desirable qualities for enthusiasts, home labbers, and gamers alike. Thus, even on small form factor PCs and laptops with the latest Wi-Fi but no RJ45 networking port, some might choose to connect a USB Type-C to RJ45 Ethernet dongle when they are at the home/office with wired networking available.

Meta has announced plans to build and install a new subsea cable that will connect France and the United States at a breakneck 1 Pbps (1 petabit per second or 1,000 terabits per second). It will become the most advanced subsea cable at its length and blow Meta's own 0.5 Pbps Anjana cable system out of the water. Figuratively, of course.

Anjana runs from Spain to the US for a total distance of 4,425 miles at a relatively leisurely 480 Tbps thanks to its 24 fiber pairs. But Petal ratchets things up a notch, using 48 fiber pairs and a two-core fiber-based solution (with 24 pairs each) to achieve 1 Pbps across transatlantic distances.

Meta claims that the new cable will have enough network capacity to allow 75% of the planet's population to stream music at the same time — so long as they stick to 160 kbps MP3s or lower, that is. No lossless streaming for you.

Either way, you'll have to wait a while for your theoretical music fix. Meta says that Petal is expected to enter service in 2029. It'll be built in partnership with NEC and Sumitomo Electric Industries, with support for the French landing from Orange.

Subsea cables might not be at the top of many internet users' minds, but they're vital to the way our connected world functions today — and they've often been the subject of sabotage plots as a result. As the number of connected devices continues to grow, these cables become all the more important. And they need to be fast and reliable.

Meta says that its decision to use a two-core fiber design for Petal brought complications along with its huge performance. Minimizing crosstalk is key, as is ensuring low attenuation throughout the length of the cable.

The fix for the attenuation involves using ultra-pure synthetic silica during the manufacture of the preform, while crosstalk is minimized by "carefully controlling for high refractive indexes in the cores against lower indexes within the surrounding medium and counter-propagating the optical signals."

Meta says that a subsea cable of this length typically needs around 100 repeaters to get the signal from one end to the other without degradation. Petal uses single-body 96-amp repeaters, each with single-core fiber amplification and a Fan-In/Fan-Out (FIFO) interface to convert two-core fiber into two single-core fibers inside the repeater before converting it back to two-core fiber following amplification. The theory is that this approach will allow Petal to retain the efficiency and reliability afforded by single-core amplification.

As for why Meta feels the need to build such a cable, it points to its desire to bring "greater capacity, stronger resiliency, and future-proof infrastructure to Europe as demand for communications and reliable connectivity continues to increase." We hope that dual-core fiber isn't twice as tasty to the average shark.

2026 has been a trying year for router manufacturers, as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has subjected leading companies to strict oversight and outright bans. As an olive branch of sorts, the FCC has handed out "conditional approvals" to be included on the Covered List to companies that have jumped through all the necessary hoops to satisfy the commission's concerns. Asus is the latest company to secure that approval, which was confirmed in an FCC notice issued this week.

According to the FCC, the following Asus networking products have been granted conditional approval:

• RT Series
• ROG GT Series
• OG Strix GS Series
• TUF Gaming Series
• ExpertWiFi Series
• ZenWiFi Mesh Series
• 5G MiFi Series
• Wireless repeaters
• Wireless access points

In other words, Asus' entire wireless networking portfolio is cleared for sale in the U.S., with the conditional approval granted until March 6, 2028 (18 months from the date of issuance). The FCC explains, "We find that each of the Conditional Approvals constitutes 'a specific determination' by [Department of War] that such devices do not pose risks to U.S. national security."

This latest move by the FCC is a welcome sigh of relief for Asus, a Taiwanese company with an extensive networking portfolio and some of the best Wi-Fi routers. More importantly, Asus is ready to unleash a whole new generation of Wi-Fi 8 products over the next year. Wi-Fi 8 promises significant reliability and quality-of-life improvements across a wide range of wireless devices, so having a front-row seat to the transition from Wi-Fi 7 to Wi-Fi 8 is pivotal for Asus.

We've already seen a concept ROG NeoCore Wi-Fi 8 router from Asus at CES this year, and the company announced its first consumer Wi-Fi 8 router, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro, in June. The ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro is promising a 2x uplift in real-world throughput compared to its current-generation Wi-Fi 7 products.

Asus joins Netgear and Amazon Eero/Leo on the conditional approval list. The largest player in the U.S. wireless router market is TP-Link, and it still hasn't gained FCC approval. The U.S. government has been reluctant to give its blessing, and a war of words has been brewing over alleged Chinese ties despite TP-Link Systems Inc. being headquartered in California. As a result, the company has not confirmed a release date for its newly announced Wi-Fi 8 "Ultra" routers in the U.S.

A bad network connection at home or in your office doesn't have to be permanent, because you can grab a wired upgrade for less than $10 right now. This gigabit TP-Link switch is down to $9.98, but only for a limited time.

● Check out this deal on Amazon

This TP-Link switch does often vary in price, according to Camelcamelcamel's data, but under $10 is a good deal price for this model. A network switch like this will unlock extra Ethernet ports on your wired network and will plug straight into your existing router. There isn't a better alternative to a wired LAN connection for maxing out the bandwidth on your internet connection, especially if you want to play games or stream 4K video.

Speed is the ultimate value of this TP-Link Litewave 5-Port LS1005G switch, too. You're getting gigabit Ethernet speeds, meaning you don't have to worry about lag or slowdowns if your internet connection is fast enough. This is an unmanaged switch, so there's no need for you to configure it or navigate a difficult setup process. Just switch it on, plug it in using your router or modem's WAN port, and you'll be able to use the four remaining ports.

Measuring just 2.8 x 3.5 x 0.9 inches in size, you won't need a lot of space for this TP-Link switch, and you should be able to place it in a convenient location near your router or around your home with a long enough cable. It's silent, with no fans, so it won't interrupt you while you're gaming or streaming, either.

You won't find a better plug-and-play solution for a beginner than an unmanaged wired network switch like this one. The downside is that it won't offer the same level of customization, with managed switches offering more features and configuration settings at a higher price. This TP-Link Litewave LS1005G is going to be fine for most users, though, and it'll work with almost any Ethernet-capable device you own without any issue, including PCs, laptops, NAS drives, games consoles, IP cameras, and even another router or Wi-Fi extender.

Rather than deal with a slow, laggy connection, paying $9.98 for this TP-Link Litewave 5-port LS1005G switch can be a quick and immediate upgrade to your wired network. The limited-time deal won't last for long, so if you want to grab it for under $10, you'll need to be quick.

BT, the UK’s largest telecommunications provider, is slowly upgrading its entire network to fiber, with the company looking to move residential endpoints away from copper, and it seems that it will make a killing when it recycles its old cables. According to The Guardian, the company has signed a deal with EMR, one of the largest cable recycling companies in the country, for the recovery of around 200,000 tons of copper over a span of four years. Although the total value of the deal is unclear, the latter has also already paid more than USD 134 million (GBP 99 million) to the telecoms company for a few thousand tons of copper. Aside from the deal with EMR, BT and its subsidiary, Openreach, could also sell the recovered copper directly on the spot market.

More than 22,000 metric tons have already been recovered from the system since BT started its network upgrade, with the metal costing around USD 8,500 per metric ton on the market. If the company sold all that material in the open market, it would have made revenue of USD 187 million. However, the massive AI-driven demand for copper has pushed prices to a record high of more than USD 14,000 per metric ton. The upgrade work is expected to continue well into the 2030s, with Openreach estimating that it could still recover up to 200,000 metric tons of material. That means the company could make an estimated USD 2.7 to 2.8 billion just from the sale of these old network cables.

The AI boom is pushing up demand for several industries — from high-tech products like memory and storage chips and jet engines to “exotic” materials such as rare earth elements and glass cloth fibers. Most people will not equate copper to AI data centers, especially as the PCBs used in their servers often contain so little of the metal, relatively speaking. AI data centers are also switching to optical interconnects and silicon photonics, meaning the internal networks of these data centers will increasingly rely on fiber optics.

However, data centers are forecast to use 194 gigawatts of power by 2035, and all this power can only be transferred via metal cables. While you can also use aluminum wires to transmit power, copper is often the preferred choice for its stability, better electrical conductivity, increased durability, and superior thermal performance. So, as AI hyperscalers expand their operations and build more data centers, the demand for copper wires will also increase accordingly. Utility providers will also need to purchase more cables as they upgrade the grid to deliver the electricity needed by the AI infrastructure.

The AI-powered boom for copper material is a win-win situation for BT, Openreach, and their subscribers. The people will now get end-to-end fiber connections in their homes, hopefully giving them better speed and reliability, while the providers are basically getting a discount on the upgrades that they’re making on their networks.

Earlier this year, TP-Link announced its intentions to launch the first members of its Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) networking family. At the time, the company revealed that it would first launch a standalone Archer 8 consumer router this fall, followed by a Deco 8 mesh router. And right on cue, TP-Link stated today that the Archer 8 Ultra BN19000 tri-band router will launch on September 30.

TP-Link is going light on the details at this time, but this is what we know so far. The Archer 8 Ultra BN19000 will come equipped with 18 internal antennas and deliver up to 19 Gbps aggregate wireless speeds. In addition, it will have 10 Gbps wired connectivity, though we don’t know whether that includes WAN and LAN ports or just the latter.

For users who require broader coverage in larger homes or offices, the Deco 8 Ultra BN22000 tri-band mesh router offers aggregate speeds of up to 22 Gbps and includes 10 Gbps wired connectivity. TP-Link typically sells its mesh systems in two- or three-pack configurations, and the Deco 8 Ultra BN22000 3-pack covers up to 9,800 square feet. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi 8 mesh system won’t be available until Q1 2027, according to TP-Link.

TP-Link plans to expand its Wi-Fi 8 portfolio by Q2 2027 with a new Roam 8 travel router, along with range extenders and PCIe/USB client adapters. Although we don’t know which specific chipsets will power Archer 8 Ultra, Deco 8 Ultra, and other unannounced Wi-Fi 8 devices, the company says its products will use hardware from Broadcom, MediaTek, and Qualcomm.

Wi-Fi 8 is shaping up to be more of a quality-of-life improvement over Wi-Fi 7 than a substantial theoretical speed improvement. Put simply, Wi-Fi 8 hardware devices should be able to come closer to fulfilling the real-world performance metrics that Wi-Fi 7 devices originally promised.

To this end, TP-Link says that its so-called StabilityEngine leverages core Wi-Fi technologies including Enhanced Long Range (ELR) and Distributed Resource Units (DRU). These features together help improve wireless connectivity, primarily for low-power IoT devices that are typically positioned at the edge of your home’s wireless coverage. There are also additional technologies at play, such as Unequal Modulation (UEQM) and Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS), to ensure uninterrupted wireless traffic in high-interference situations.

A new design language is also being ushered in with the Archer 8 and Deco 8 products, which was teased during TP-Link’s May 2026 announcement. “We stopped building a piece of networking equipment and started designing for the home,” explained TP-Link industrial design chief Gary Chang. “When a router’s design becomes something people want to display, it ends up exactly where it performs best.”

What remains unclear is how or when these new Wi-Fi 8 products will launch in the U.S. As of today, TP-Link has yet to obtain FCC approval to release all-new products in the country. Unlike competitors Amazon and Netgear, which received conditional approval from the FCC Covered List, the U.S. government is still playing hardball with TP-Link. For its part, TP-Link only says that preorders for the Archer 8 Ultra will open in “select regions” on September 30.

A fiber-optic cable strung across the Drake Passage could pull Antarctica's research bases off satellite links and hard-drive shipments and onto the global network after Chile's finalized feasibility study concluded last week that the crossing is technically viable. Salience Consulting and Pioneer Consulting ran the study for telecom regulator Subtel, and development bank CAF financed it, with partial support from the China-initiated MCDF Finance Facility. It recommends an instrumented cable carrying a dedicated fiber pair to each Antarctic landing, naming two Chinese firms among the six suppliers Subtel canvassed. Antarctic research data still leaves the continent physically, on hard drives ferried out by ship and plane "in suitcases full of hard drives," said Juan Pablo, a team leader in the pre-feasibility study.

The study weighs a minimum configuration serving three facility groups around King George Island and the northern Antarctic Peninsula against an optimal configuration with nine Antarctic landing points, an option that Reports 2 and 3 recommend. The nine-landing version would connect research bases run by Chile, Argentina, Brazil, the United States, and the United Kingdom, all fed from landings at Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams in southern Chile and routed across the Drake Passage. Reporting from The Maritime Executive puts the minimum build near $370 million and the optimal build at roughly $620 million.

The study lists four features that separate the project from a commercial cable: Drake Passage weather, ice scour at the Antarctic landings, installation methods uncommon in Antarctica, and a plan to embed SMART sensors that measure ocean-bottom temperature, pressure, and seismic acceleration for climate and tsunami monitoring.

Each Antarctic landing would get a dedicated fiber pair rated at 15 to 30 Tbit/s through space-division multiplexing, with each base free to pick its own transmission equipment. To clear ice scour to about 340 meters of depth, the design calls for horizontal directional drilling at the Antarctic landfalls and double-armored cable, with installation spread across three austral summers inside the December-to-January weather window.

Subtel's request for information went to Alcatel Submarine Networks of France, Japan's NEC, U.S.-based SubCom, the UK's Xtera, and two Chinese firms, HMN Technologies and FibreHome. HMN Technologies is the former Huawei Marine Networks, sold to Hengtong after U.S. sanctions and placed on the Commerce Department's Entity List in 2020, and Washington has spent years working to keep it off Pacific cable routes. The study acknowledges this, listing the geopolitics of project financing and procurement restrictions among its critical risks and recommending "neutrality by design," dark fiber, and user-controlled transmission gear so no operator can read another's traffic.

As for financing, that also carries a Chinese link through the MCDF Finance Facility, a Beijing-based mechanism tied to the Belt and Road Initiative. That backdrop runs into a Western push to strip Chinese firms and money out of subsea cable infrastructure on security grounds, the same pressure reshaping projects such as a Black Sea cable routed to bypass Russia.

The study stops short of recommending construction, calling instead for a phased path that resolves the financing and political questions before the expensive supply contracts are signed. Chile has sent the reports to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is expected to bring them to the country's Antarctic Policy Council, and any build would need agreement from the other Antarctic states whose bases sit on the optimal route.

TP-Link has a rather expansive family of Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers, and it can often be confusing to keep up with the growing assortment. We’ve tested several Deco Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers over the past three years, and they’ve offered class-competitive performance and a well-designed app for controlling all aspects of the network.

Today, we’re taking a look at the Deco 7 Pro BE13000, which is one of TP-Link’s tri-band “whole home mesh Wi-Fi 7” systems. It’s also a rather interesting option, as it’s exclusively available at Costco as a 3-pack. With a selling price of $399 and coverage for up to 8,100 square feet, the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 has stiff competition among the best Wi-Fi routers.

Design of the TP-Link Deco 7 Pro BE13000

Like all other members of TP-Link’s tri-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh family, the satellites on the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 are white cylinders measuring 4.23 inches in diameter and 6.93 inches in height. A stylized “7” is molded into the plastic, and the top of the unit features the TP-Link logo under a clear circular cover. Looking down, the molded concentric circles give the impression that the logo suggests a splash in a puddle of water.

Beneath the stylized 7 on the front of the satellite, there’s “deco’ branding, and below it is a status LED. It blinks blue during setup, is solid green when the satellites are online, and stays solid red if there’s a connectivity problem. Out back is where things get a bit interesting. The slightly lower-positioned Deco BE63 features four 2.5 GbE LAN/WAN ports. The Deco 7 Pro BE13000, on the other hand, only has three LAN/WAN ports, and they’re oddly spec’d. You get one GbE, one 2.5 GbE, and one 5 GbE port.

Personally, I would have preferred four LAN/WAN ports: two 2.5 GbE and two 5 GbE. At the very least, the single GbE port should have been replaced with a 2.5 GbE port. In addition to the LAN/WAN ports, there’s also a USB 3.0 port for storage. The port allotment is the same across all three wireless nodes.

TP-Link Deco 7 Pro BE13000 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router Specifications

Setting up the TP-Link Deco 7 Pro BE13000

The setup process for the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 is rather straightforward and is accomplished solely via the TP-Link Deco smartphone app for iOS or Android. Before getting started, you'll need a TP-Link account, which enables remote management of your network when you're not at home.

I started the setup regimen by placing the three wireless nodes throughout my house, trying to keep them as evenly spaced as possible. Next, I plugged each node into power. Since all of the wireless nodes are identical, the first one that you plug into your modem will serve as the main router. In this case, I plugged the node in my office into my fiber modem. The setup program asked me to bring my phone close to the router, and it was quickly found; then the configuration process began.

For simplicity, I created a single network, using Deco 7 Pro as the SSID. This single SSID encompasses 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. You can also enable MLO, Guest, and IoT networks with further granular controls for the bands that you want to make available. For example, you can limit the Guest network to just 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz traffic (or, only one of the two) at any time. If you want to give guests access to the 6 GHz band, you can do that as well.

After completing the setup (which took under 5 minutes), the network was fully operational. I then went into the advanced settings to check for any firmware updates. One was available, so I downloaded it and installed it across the three wireless nodes.

TP-Link Deco 7 Pro BE13000 Software

TP-Link’s Deco and Tether apps continue to be among the best thought-out and well-rounded apps for wireless routers. And that’s a good thing, because the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 cannot be configured using a traditional desktop web browser – it’s exclusively controlled via the app.

The router homepage provides relevant at-a-glance information about your network. Front and center are your main router and its two satellite nodes. The diagram also shows how the satellites are connected to the main router, which, in this case, is via a 5 GHz/6GHz wireless backhaul. Current upload/download activity is shown, along with a green status light indicating “Everything looks good.” If there were an issue with your network, there would be a red status light and an explanation of what was amiss. You can also see how many devices are actively connected to the network.

The Security tab offers some basic features without requiring the paid Security+ subscription. However, these are simply quick links to features that are buried in the Advanced settings tab. For example, you can control network access on a per-device basis with Network Access Control and Device Isolation. Camera Security lets you limit internet access to your smart cameras.

Upgrading to the Security+ subscription services gives you more features, including Web Protection, Intrusion Protection, Antivirus, VPN access, and password management (among other security-related features). Security+ costs $35.99/year, while the Total Security Package is $129.99/year. As I've mentioned ad nauseam, I have to applaud Asus for providing most of the features (minus the VPN) for free with its AsusWRT platform.

TP-Link offers parental controls that let you create individual profiles for your children's devices. For $17.99/year, you can enable Advanced Parental Controls, including SafeSearch, YouTube restrictions, bedtime controls, offline control, and more. However, all of these subscriptions seem a bit much for a consumer router. We should note that the Total Security Package includes Advanced Parental Controls. The More tab opens access to the full complement of network settings, from Wi-Fi settings to WPS control, firmware updates, VPN access, and Network Optimization (for optimizing your mesh network to avoid household radio interference).

TP-Link Deco Pro 7 BE13000 Performance

Our wireless client system consists of a Windows 11 Home desktop system with an MSI Herald-BE Wi-Fi 7 adapter. Our testing server was a Windows 11 Professional desktop with a 10 GbE network card connected to the 5 GbE port on the main Deco 7 Pro BE13000 router.

The iPerf3 tests are conducted at six feet and 25 feet (from the main router), with and without traffic across the network. In the congested traffic tests, we add six wireless clients streaming 4K YouTube videos evenly across all bands.

The Deco 7 Pro BE13000 proved to be the best performer on the 6 GHz band in both uncongested and congested testing. The router reached 2,200 Mbps at 6 feet and pulled roughly half that at 25 feet, with no additional traffic on the network. This put it comfortably ahead of the MSI Roamii BE Pro and just ahead of the Deco BE63. It was a similar situation with congested traffic, as the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 was still able to maintain over 2,100 Mbps at close range and nearly 1,100 Mbps at 25 feet.

During testing on the 5 GHz band, the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 couldn't quite keep up with its two rivals. We saw 1,113 Mbps at six feet and 701 Mbps at 25 feet during the uncongested test. That put it in third place at close range and second place at long range. Those rankings held firm with congested traffic, with the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 still pulling over 1,000 Mbps at six feet.

The Deco 7 Pro BE13000 once again found itself in last place during the 2.4 GHz band testing, falling roughly 15 Mbps shy of the Roamii BE Pro and Deco BE63 at close range with uncongested traffic. Things were a bit closer when we moved out to 25 feet, with the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 nearly matching its Deco BE63 sibling (53 Mbps versus 54 Mbps). With increased network traffic, the performance differential between the routers narrowed, although the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 still lagged slightly.

Bottom Line

The Deco 7 Pro BE13000 is a bit of an odd duck in the TP-Link mesh router family. While its 6 GHz performance is commendable and superior to that of the cheaper Deco BE63, it couldn’t quite reach its more affordable rivals on the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. With that said, the Deco 7 Pro BE13000 is by no means a poor performer – it just isn’t a standout across the board.

A bit more confounding is its port layout. Although it’s higher-positioned than the Deco BE63, it comes with one fewer LAN/WAN port. And while you do gain a 5 GbE LAN/WAN port, what you’re left with is a GbE LAN/WAN and a 2.5 GbE LAN/WAN. At this price point, TP-Link shouldn’t be putting GbE LAN/WAN ports on its mesh routers.

Finally, we come to the subscription services required to enable features such as web protection, intrusion protection, and antivirus. You’re looking at upwards of $129.99/year for the Total Security Package. Other router manufacturers like Asus give you those tools for free, which should definitely factor into the pricing equation for the Deco 7 Pro BE13000.

If the extra security protection isn’t appealing to you (or if the built-in tools are sufficient for your needs), the $399 price tag for three nodes is a good value, especially given the 8,100-square-foot coverage.

With the pervasiveness of Flock cameras and the public’s backlash against surveillance technology that can track their movements under seemingly lax oversight, Comcast hopes consumers will be more receptive to monitoring activities inside the home. This week, Comcast announced Xfinity Shield, which it claims offers first-of-its-kind “intelligent home protection” courtesy of your seemingly mundane Wi-Fi router.

While the best Wi-Fi routers on the market are supposed to give you higher connection speeds, extended coverage, and enough capacity to handle all of your wireless devices, Comcast is tapping into a little-used aspect of Wi-Fi signals. Called Wi-Fi Motion, it monitors the signal strength and interference between your Wi-Fi router and connected devices. By measuring these frequency signals, it can detect if someone is moving around in your house. When unauthorized activity is detected, the router can instantly send an alert to your phone.

You could achieve the same intruder detection using traditional motion sensors in your home, or even an off-the-shelf security camera, but Wi-Fi Motion doesn’t require you to purchase additional hardware to function. However, since it’s only relying on changes in frequency signals, we’d imagine that it won’t offer as much granularity in motion detection, and it could even be more prone to false positives.

This isn’t exactly new technology, as we reported on Wi-Fi routers being used to detect humans in a room over three years ago. At the time, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University used a TP-Link Archer AC1750 router to track human movement and positions in a room.

With that said, we must be clear that this feature is opt-in by default. You will need to use the Xfinity app to enable Wi-Fi Motion, then enable alerts to monitor for suspicious activity. The app also provides three protection modes for monitoring: Home Watch, Away Watch, and Dark Watch.

Wi-Fi Motion is just one pillar of Wi-Fi Shield, which is a subset of Xfinity Shield. The other two pillars are Xfinity CyberSecure, which provides automatic protection for devices against phishing attacks and malware, and Family Settings, which allows you to manage screen time for individual devices. Wi-Fi Shield is available free of charge to Comcast customers with Advanced Xfinity Gateways. If you want additional protection, Comcast offers Shield Select for $15/month. Shield Select includes an indoor camera, a window/door sensor, cloud storage for captured video footage, and 24/7 emergency response support.

Are you perturbed by the hectic pace of modern life and the attention-seeking immediacy of instant messaging (IM) platforms? Do you even find email a bit too high-octane? Developer Noah Larrobino may have the solution you seek with the new Carrier Pidge app for iOS, an app that sends messages at the speed a carrier pigeon would travel.

As outlined by the dev, the key feature of Carrier Pidge is that it slows down electronic communications to a more natural speed. Specifically, any messages you send to other app users will arrive at pigeon speed, based on your respective GPS locations. According to the app store page for Carrier Pidge, that means your messages travel at 110 mph. Not slow, but if one is messaging a contact on the other side of the continent, from LA to NYC, for example, the recipient won’t see the message until 22 hours after it was dispatched.

The carrier pigeon analog is stretched further by some other features of the app’s messaging engine. As your message flies through the ether attached to your virtual bird’s virtual ankle, some birds will get distracted, slowing their progress by as much as 25%.

There’s a real-time flight tracker in the app. In Noah’s tweet, you can see they are tracking a message sent from NYC to somewhere in the UK. The on-screen text suggests the pigeon is still 1 day and 2 hours away from its destination.

Your virtual bird can get lost or die

More hazardous to your messaging hopes is the fact that anytime you send a communication via Carrier Pidge, there’s a 0.2% chance the virtual bird will get lost. So you can’t guarantee your chosen recipient will get the message.

On the other side of the flight path, there are no read receipts generated. This might give Carrier Pidge app users some graceful leeway to ignore messages they’d rather not deal with, while shielded by a little plausible deniability – a much better outcome than seemingly, rudely, ignoring a friend. However, if the dev is serious about extending such comfort to users, they should make sure the real-time flight tracker also has some built-in inaccuracies or foggy areas.

Lastly, Noah says that the virtual pigeon will sometimes just die en route to its destination. That’s another level of realism that elevates this app against its peers, as long as the dev has properly researched and implemented pigeon fatality chances across the routes, environments, and weather systems they would encounter.

While Carrier Pidge has debuted on Apple’s App Store for iOS, Noah says it will “come to Android eventually.” This new messaging app is monetized by allowing users to expand their aviary with as many as 10 extra pigeons.

The founder and CEO of Subco, a company that owns several undersea cables servicing Australia, said that two of its cables — Indigo-West, connecting Perth to Indonesia and Singapore, and Indigo-Central, which has endpoints in Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales — reported shunt faults in close succession, with the detected problems also appearing to be in close proximity to each other. According to Bevan Slattery’s LinkedIn post, the errors occurred at around the same time that a vessel was traversing the area. In a statement, Australian Federal Police told Tom's Hardware that it had received a report of a crime and was investigating, strongly hinting the cables may have been cut in an act of sabotage.

“Earlier tonight: Shunt faults on two systems (Indigo West and Indigo Central) straight after each other and in close proximity to each other. Remarkably this also happened in the Submarine Cable Protection Zone off Perth Australia. Coincidently some suspicious/coincidental activity from a vessel near the location and timing of the shunts occurring,” Slattery said in his post. “This is a concerning development. Partially because submarine cables are the digital lifeblood of our nation, but also because this could very well turn out to be the second such incidence in a Federally declared cable protection zone. This maybe a coincidence, but it’s important for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to investigate the issue urgently.”

"The AFP has received a report of crime in relation to this matter," the force told Tom's Hardware. Further stating, "This report is currently being assessed based on the information provided. Further comment will be made at an appropriate time." 

Australia established the Cable Protection Zone in 2007, with the one near Perth extending 51 nautical miles from the shore at depths of over 6,500 feet (2,000 meters). Despite that, it seems that something has damaged the cables, as they reported shunt faults. A shunt fault is when the insulation of a conductor has been broken, allowing it to unintentionally contact another conductor or the ground, resulting in a short circuit. While there is no proof yet, Slattery shared the track of a marine vessel on his post, which was allegedly within the approximate area of the faults when they happened.

Nation states have been cutting undersea infrastructure as part of gray zone warfare, with Russia and China suspected of sponsoring these activities. For example, Finland has been hit twice by undersea cable disruptions in the past couple of years, which has led to the prosecution of some of the crew members of the suspected vessels. Taiwan has also increased its naval patrols around its undersea cables, especially as a Chinese “research vessel” has been seen lurking above a cable that connects the island nation to the U.S. It’s unclear what caused the shunt faults in two of Australia’s undersea cables, but the incident happened at around the same time that the National Security College of the Australian National University released a report highlighting the growing threat that submarine cables face in the modern world.

The Greenlink Connector, which costs $580 million (GBP 430 million) and connects Ireland to Wales via an undersea power cable, was rerouted after scores of Harry Potter fans complained that it would go through the grave of the beloved house elf “Dobby.” According to The Guardian, project manager Simon Ludlam pointed out in a BBC interview that the cable would transition underwater at Freshwater West. Unfortunately, Ludlam was unaware that this was the filming location for the site where the Harry Potter character was buried in the movie franchise. When the BBC aired the clip, the project began receiving hundreds of calls about the site.

Ludlam recounted to The Guardian a discussion with a colleague when they told him, “Apparently, we’re going to go straight through Dobby’s grave.” He answered, “Dobby? Who’s Dobby? I don’t know Dobby.”

It seemed that the project manager was in disbelief when it was finally explained that Dobby is the freed house elf who was killed in the process of rescuing Harry Potter and his friends in the last book. “He is a fictitious character in a fictitious book — the whole thing is fictitious. What are you talking about?” Ludlam said, after which his colleague replied, “No, it’s very, very serious.”

In the end, the company working on the project acquiesced to the demands and concerns of the Harry Potter fans and rerouted it. “A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead], and Dobby’s happy,” the project manager said.

The Shell Cottage, where Dobby is buried, is on the outskirts of the fictional town of Tinworth, in Cornwall, but the original film series shot the scene in Freshwater West. Many Harry Potter fans leave stones marked with “Here lies Dobby, a free elf,” as a nod to the epitaph that the titular hero left on his grave. The National Trust, which owns the land, has previously warned pilgrims not to do so, as the area is ecologically sensitive, but it seems that people still do so.

The fans’ resistance to having Dobby’s “grave” desecrated seemingly prevented the undersea cable from going through the area. It was instead rerouted in an area that was close to some Bronze Age remains and urns, which, ironically, are associated with human burial.

Undersea cables are crucial infrastructure connecting distant locations for sending information, power, and other crucial resources. Many of them face increasing threats, especially in areas that face geopolitical pressure, like Taiwan and the Baltic Sea, which is why companies are creating technologies to help detect intentional tampering. It seems the one thing this particular project's planners did not take into account is the passion of Harry Potter fans.

A new video shared by Newsweek shows Taiwan’s Coast Guard warning a 200-ft long Chinese-flagged research vessel to change course. The Chinese ship was observed “lurking over [a] US-Taiwan undersea cable,” according to the source.

Hovering over these submarine cables is a clear sign of intelligence gathering, according to Windward, a maritime analysis platform that responded to Newsweek’s questions about the Chinese research vessel’s behavior. The particular cable under its bows was the 8,000-mile Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) fiber-optic system. This high-speed cable connects Taiwan and the U.S., as well as the Philippines. Interestingly, the same cable was going to connect Hong Kong, but was rerouted because of American fears over Chinese snooping.

While research vessels like the one warned to change direction by Taiwan’s Coast Guard in the video are sometimes described as ‘civilian,’ Beijing’s military-civil fusion policy blurs the distinction. Moreover, this 200-ft Chinese ship has something of a history in disputed waters. Newsweek says the same vessel has been observed around the Paracel Islands (claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam) and the Spratly Islands (claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei).

Focusing back on the concerns about internet cable espionage, or even sabotage, Chinese-flagged vessels have been noted for such behaviour before. “Chinese-flagged vessels have been linked to several cable incidents in recent years,” notes Newsweek. Furthermore, incidents aren’t confined to East Asia, with “suspected sabotage in the Baltic Sea and damage to cables around Taiwan.”

China and Taiwan remains a flashpoint on the geopolitical stage, heightened by the island's outsized role in the global technology and semiconductor market, owing primarily to the success of TSMC. Undersea cables have also grown in recent years to become a vital point of infrastructure for nations, and a source of potential weakness against acts of sabotage.

A developer has created a proof-of-concept data transfer system that shuns any dedicated app requirement and neatly sidesteps mandatory networking, pairing, or giving permissions beyond camera access. Instead, the method transmits information between devices by streaming data via rapidly updating QR codes at up to 60 FPS via the browser your smartphone already has. The test info shared by developer bashalarmistalt on GitHub backs claims that these transfers can run at up to 190 KB/s. This low-friction two-device screen-to-camera data transmission technique is dubbed Decimen Optical Transfer: fountain-coded QR file transfer.

The GitHub project is linked to by Redditor Alstroph, who seems to be the same person. We’ve chosen to embed the Reddit post about the Decimen Optical Transfer solution above, as it includes an illustrative video of a QR code-driven data transfer.

Bashalarmistalt/Alstroph says they used Claude Code to build this cached web app, which simply runs on both smartphones within the browser, with camera permissions given. They explain that they came up with the idea behind Decimen Optical Transfer to create “a phone-to-phone file transfer option without requiring the phones to be on the same network.” After a modicum of chin stroking, they settled upon the possibility of using “rapidly flashing QR codes” to brew up this proof-of-concept.

Far more detailed information about the project is available in the GitHub repository, linked above. There we also read that the use of ‘fountain codes’ was instrumental to the technique, ensuring missed frames and retransmission quirks don’t hinder the data transfer process. Also, it is explained that every streamed QR code frame is self-describing, as a “20-byte header carries the session ID, sequence number, block count/size, file length, and a hash.”

Hints are provided for tuning Decimen Optical Transfer performance with the PoC solution. The dev used an iPhone and the Apple ProMotion camera with stacked codes; they achieved ~128 KB/s handheld data transfers. The data rate could climb to ~186 KB/s speeds if both the sender and receiver devices were positioned absolutely stationary.

The Decimen Optical Transfer software is distributed under the generous MIT license. Bashalarmistalt is aware that there have been several prior projects but asserts the concept behind their Claude Code-aided solution was arrived at independently. We’ve also covered QR code-based data storage tech numerous times. For example, Cerabyte famously uses microscopic QR codes for its ultra-long-life ceramic storage.

How cheap can you build a hardware-based ad-blocking DNS filter? "Free," if you're willing to salvage some used hardware that's being thrown away. What if you aren't so lucky? In the era of the RAMageddon, even a Raspberry Pi will cost you a couple hundred bucks. But you know, you don't even need something that powerful. In fact, you can use a $5 microcontroller to build a fully functional ad-blocking filter with over 500,000 domains blocked and around 10ms latency.

We know that's possible because Egyptian full-stack developer ZedAxis (@M-Abozaid on GitHub) has already built one. Using an ESP32-C3 "SuperMini" board, he's created a backup DNS for his home network that still provides ad blocking. His primary router is a Pi-hole, which is a Raspberry Pi running specialized software to manage DHCP addressing and DNS resolution with integrated ad-blocking. The SuperMini serves as a backup when the Pi-Hole is rebooting or otherwise unavailable.

Strictly speaking, we haven't seen ZedAxis' creation in action, but there's no reason to believe it doesn't work. The ESP32 family of embedded Wi-Fi-enabled microcontrollers is a well-known quantity, and this functionality is by no means outside the realm of its capabilities. In fact, this specific trick allows the use of the ESP32-C3, which is a cost-reduced version of the chip that doesn't have the 8MB of PSRAM found on some higher-end models. (There are MANY variants of the ESP32.)

Instead, the ESP32-C3 used by ZedAxis has just 400KB of RAM, and 4MB of flash memory. With these limited specifications, he wasn't able to store a plaintext blocklist of any real size; it's simply too much data. So, he did what any enterprising hacker would do: he started hashing the data to reduce its size. Using 40-bit FNV-1a hashes, because 32-bit would give too many collisions and 64-bit wastes too much space, he can store some 537,000 domains in the flash memory of the device.

The clever part isn't really the hashing, though. Rather than storing the domains themselves, the build process downloads one or more public blocklists, strips out duplicate entries and comments, hashes each remaining domain into a 40-bit value, sorts the resulting list, and writes the finished database into the ESP32's flash memory. When a DNS query arrives, the device hashes the requested hostname the same way and performs a binary search against the sorted hash table. If it finds a match, the request is blocked. Otherwise, the query is forwarded to an upstream resolver. According to ZedAxis, the finished firmware uses only around 50KB of RAM while answering blocked lookups in roughly 10 milliseconds.

There's another neat compromise hiding in the design, too. The ESP32 normally reserves enough flash memory to hold two complete copies of its firmware, allowing over-the-air (OTA) updates without risking a failed flash leaving the device unbootable. If you don't care about wireless firmware updates, you can reclaim that second firmware partition for the blocklist database instead. With OTA support enabled, the project tops out at around 250,000 blocked domains. Give up OTA, and that jumps to roughly 537,000 domains on a microcontroller that you can usually buy for the price of a fast-food lunch. ZedAxis describes the price as $2; I wasn't able to find SuperMini boards any cheaper than about $5 US, but at that price there's not much need to quibble about the difference.

Of course, this isn't meant to replace a proper Pi-hole or AdGuard Home installation. The ESP32 project has a rudimentary dashboard, but it doesn't provide detailed per-client statistics, historical query logs, or all the knobs and dials that make those platforms attractive. Instead, it's designed as a tiny insurance policy. It sits quietly on the network, sips only a few dozen milliamps of power, and if the primary DNS server disappears for a reboot or a power outage, clients still get filtered DNS responses instead of falling back to whatever resolver the router happens to have configured.

My favorite detail is that ZedAxis powers the whole thing from the USB port on the back of his ISP-provided fiber gateway, a Huawei OptiXstar home fiber gateway. The USB connection isn't carrying any data; the totality of the integration is the router saying "here's 5 volts" and the ESP32 replying "thanks." It's just that the port is a convenient power source for a device so small it practically disappears behind the router. All communications are carried out through the ESP32's integrated Wi-Fi adapter.

I have no idea whether projects like this will ever become common. Probably not, because most people who want network-wide ad blocking will still buy a Raspberry Pi, a used mini PC, or run AdGuard Home in a virtual machine. Still, it's refreshing to see somebody look at a $5 microcontroller with 400KB of RAM and decide, "Sure, that'll do."

The SpaceX satellite internet service Starlink has just introduced its latest residential kit, letting users connect to the satellite network using a smaller and lighter terminal. The company announced the Starlink V5 on X, saying that it could hit up to 375+ Mbps for “streaming, video calling, gaming, and more.” It’s currently available in select areas only, though, with wider availability expected later as the company ramps up production.

The new unit is significantly smaller and lighter than the Standard 4 used in most home deployments, and brings it close to the Starlink Mini, which is designed for both fixed and portable use. However, the Starlink V5 still requires a router (included), whereas the Mini can work without one, providing a wireless connection using its built-in Wi-Fi antenna. Still, the former is faster, offering speeds of up to 375+ Mbps. Although this is 25 Mbps slower than the 400+ Mbps that the Standard 4 is rated for, it’s still higher than the up to 300+ Mbps that SpaceX has set for the Mini.

The changes that SpaceX made to the Starlink V5 would make it much easier to set up, which is especially helpful for users who prefer to DIY their Starlink setup. Another interesting update to the new terminal is that it can handle faster wind speeds while mounted despite being lighter than the Standard 4. This should help it withstand tougher meteorological conditions, especially in areas frequently battered by storms and tornadoes.

The much lower average power consumption, which is just about half of what the previous-generation Starlink terminals consumed, would also help power stations last longer, making it ideal for keeping communications alive, especially during emergencies. This is exactly what Japan is experimenting with, as Tokyo has started putting up Starlink antennas on fire hydrant signs to provide emergency Wi-Fi.

Although SpaceX and its owner, Elon Musk, are no strangers to controversy, Starlink has proven useful in various situations. Aside from being useful for first responders in disaster zones, it also helped Ukraine stay connected during the height of Russia’s invasion of the country in 2024. It has even gotten to the point that China simulated a Starlink blockade over Taiwan because of how useful the service is in keeping a government online and communicating with its allies during times of distress.

The Wi-Fi router market is facing headwinds as consumers pull back on spending. According to a new report from Counterpoint, we’re witnessing a softening in global consumer Wi-Fi router shipments, with a 6 percent YoY decline in Q1 2026. This decline follows an explosion of market growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumers upgraded their Wi-Fi hardware to enhance their work-from-home capabilities.

Counterpoint notes that global Wi-Fi router shipments peaked in 2021, which was at the height of consumer hardware spending during the pandemic. There were some positive points in the report, with Asus and Google seeing global shipment increases of 3.8 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, during Q1 2026. However, Xiaomi had a 1.3 percent shortfall, Netgear was down 3 percent, while TP-Link fell by 5.4 percent. Counterpoint also notes that “Others,” which includes dozens of other hardware vendors whose sales aren’t significant enough to be broken out individually, fell by 10.4 percent.

Since 2021, global shipments have declined by almost 34 percent, and a couple of factors explain this turn of events. For starters, many people who upgraded their Wi-Fi hardware in 2021 or 2022 simply see no reason to shift to newer technology. Even though the best Wi-Fi routers use the Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) standard, offering multi-gig speeds across the 6 GHz and 5 GHz bands, those performance benefits are not enticing consumers on the sidelines because of rising costs for more essential goods.

Another reason global shipments of consumer routers have seen a steady decline is that ISPs have become more adept at bundling higher-end networking hardware with their services. Whether you’re signing up for new fiber, cable, or 5G home internet service, ISPs are including routers with integrated Wi-Fi 6, 6E, or 7 wireless connectivity. For customers with non-demanding network needs, this ISP-provided hardware is sufficient. For example, T-Mobile provides a Wi-Fi 7 gateway with its $60/month 5G home internet plan and a Wi-Fi 7 gateway plus a mesh extender with its $70/month plan.

Speaking of mesh systems, this is one of the few bright points for hardware vendors. Counterpoint notes that mesh Wi-Fi systems have seen significant growth as consumers seek to blanket every area of their homes with wireless coverage to support a substantial number of connected devices. Amazon’s Eero and Google’s Nest mesh Wi-Fi router systems were called out specifically for their strong performance (driven in part by high brand recognition and heavy sales promotions). The gaming router segment also bucked the decline in the broader Wi-Fi router market, as online gaming enthusiasts seek a competitive edge with lower latency and higher available network bandwidth.

There’s a possibility we could see a rebound in sales in the second half of 2026 and into early 2027 as the first Wi-Fi 8 hardware enters the market. However, Wi-Fi 8 is seen as more of a quality-of-life upgrade than another leap in performance over previous Wi-Fi generations.

Smart pet technology firm Fi has launched the Fi Ultra Dog Tracker today. This new wearable device is claimed to be “the world’s first consumer wearable powered by T-Satellite with Starlink.” There seem to be a few qualifications in that statement, but they should not be necessary, as, according to our searches, this is indeed the first dog tracking wearable with Starlink integration. To be clear, the dog wears the Fi Ultra, not the owner.

Getting a collar-worn device for your faithful friend, integrating T-Satellite with Starlink, could deliver an important additional layer of security for dog owners. Previous products available in the pet tracker market could be of limited value in areas with spotty or absent LTE or GPS coverage. Satellite-grade dog tracking may therefore be a boon to adventurous dogs and owners who live and explore beyond the reach of traditional networks.

"Fi Ultra has transformed what's possible for dog owners," said Jonathan Bensamoun, co-founder and CEO of Fi. "Our mission has always been to strengthen the human-animal connection via data, to give dogs more freedom while keeping them safe, and with the power of T-Satellite with Starlink behind Fi Ultra, that mission now extends to every corner of the country and soon, every corner of the world."

Fi Ultra also features automatic switching between LTE and satellite coverage for continuous location tracking in remote areas. This new tracker can work in concert with the previously launched Fi Series 3+ and Fi Mini dog tracker devices.

Now, to what some will feel is a drawback, Fi Ultra is bundled with a subscription service. This might be inevitable due to the use of partner satellite and cellular connectivity, though. The scale of the fees is said to be $199 plus a $189 per year membership for new customers. Established Fi tracker customers can buy in for a flat $299 fee. The bottom line is, with a tracker like this, your dog should never have to face the perilous journey dramatized in Lassie Come Home.

A Power-over-Ethernet switch is a must-have addition for a home network if you're thinking about seriously kitting it out with cameras, WiFi extenders, and other smart home tech. Luckily, a budget-friendly Ugreen 10-port PoE+ switch is on sale for just $37.97 on Amazon right now. That's a new record low for this model, giving you eight extra PoE+ ports (and 10 total) for your network at a lower cost than many of its rivals.

● Check out this deal on Amazon

Ugreen is a brand that feels ubiquitous on Amazon these days, with decently priced and well-designed hardware on sale, from wall chargers to peripherals, including network switches like this one. This 10-port switch offers the PoE+ standard (IEEE 802.3at) that offers up to 30W of power per port.

That means faster, newer devices can connect to this switch, delivering both power and data over a single Ethernet cable. The switch supports 60W in total, but it works in a cascade system. If power draw exceeds 60W, it'll shut down ports to prevent overload, from port 8 down to port 1. It auto-detects PoE devices, too, so it won't inadvertently short out a normal network device like your PC or laptop. It also supports an extended power delivery mode that lets you connect devices up to 820 feet away.

This is the ultimate device for supporting a smart home network. PoE switches are useful for network-attached cameras, additional WiFi extenders, and smart home hubs and sensors. This Ugreen switch is unmanaged, so a huge setup process isn't required here, and it should work immediately with your existing kit. That means it lacks the extra customization that a more expensive managed switch can offer, but for most users, that won't be a problem.

It'll work with almost any Ethernet-ready device you own, too, even those that don't take advantage of the power delivery provided by this switch. That includes laptops and PCs, NAS drives, game consoles, printers, and TVs.

Another important feature here, too, is speed. This switch offers gigabit speeds across your network, meaning you can banish lag and WiFi latency issues while you're gaming and streaming. An Ethernet connection using this switch will help you to max out the bandwidth provided by your internet provider, with the switch offering two uplink ports that you can use to connect to your existing network.

Fanless, with built-in lightning protection, and compressed into a compact chassis just 6.6 x 3.7 x 1.3 inches in size, this Ugreen PoE+ switch is the ultimate home network upgrade. The $37.97 sale price for this 10-port Ugreen switch is available for a limited time only, however, so if you're interested, you'll need to order it soon.

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Japan’s Fire Hydrant Sign Co., Ltd. has demonstrated an expansive Wi-Fi network that melds its established infrastructure of street signs with Starlink satellite broadband antennas. The big idea is that this network could provide important, if not essential, fallback connectivity in the event of a natural disaster knocking out fiber, mobile masts, and so on. Japan sits on the intersection of multiple tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions – as well as some extreme weather.

On Thursday, the Fire Hydrant Sign Co. completed a technical demonstration of a Starlink-supported Wi-Fi network in the vicinity of its Kanagawa Branch. Each sign, a common item of street furniture in residential neighborhoods, can become a dual-purpose emergency water supply sign and ‘communication hub.’ In the top image, you can see two example installations with the Starlink antenna atop a pole beside the traditional circular fire hydrant signage.

One of the key strengths of this initiative is that where the Fire Hydrant Sign Co. has a sign, no extra land or structures are required to set up the pole to host a Starlink antenna. Japan has 120,000 fire hydrant signs nationwide, with the trial taking place near Kanagawa province, near Tokyo.

Somewhat surprisingly, fire hydrant signs are largely maintained by private companies in Japan. They make some money via the advertising space on a sign directly below the one indicating the emergency water source location. Adding Starlink to them could provide the aforementioned disaster relief, as well as other monetization opportunities.

The Fire Hydrant Sign Co. behind this trial says that it will consider collaboration with local governments, regional companies, and related organizations to roll out this initiative, now proven to be useful. It isn’t only going to be useful in the event of a disaster; the company foresees demand during power cuts, local large-scale events, and other opportunities where more Wi-Fi connectivity options are desirable.

In some press release ‘small print,’ the firm says that its successful trial doesn’t mean that a Wi-Fi service will eventually be launched. It was a technical demo, and it also states that Starlink wasn’t a partner or collaborator in any official capacity.

Chinese firm Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC) announced on June 16 that it had successfully completed the world’s first field trial of hollow-core fiber (HCF) wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) capable of 1.2 Tb/s per wavelength over an ultra-long unrepeatered span. The trial — conducted in collaboration with state-owned China Telecom and optical equipment maker Dekoli — achieved an unprecedented aggregate transmission capacity of 51.3 Tb/s over roughly 128 miles (206.5 km) without signal regeneration.

These figures, which the collaborators describe as a new world record for unrepeatered WDM capacity-distance performance without remote-pumped amplifiers, were achieved using only erbium-doped fiber amplifier amplification. The demonstration was carried out under the framework of the National Key Laboratory for Advanced Manufacturing and Application Technologies of Optical Fibers and Cables.

The success of this trial marks a major leap forward in optical communications. What separates it from earlier HCF results is the combination of capacity, distance, and amplification approach in a live network rather than a lab. China Telecom had previously demonstrated 1.2 Tb/s over a single wavelength, back in July 2024, but only over a 20-kilometer span.

Elsewhere, researchers have pushed unrepeatered HCF spans past 300 kilometers, but at far lower capacities. Pulling 1.2 Tb/s per channel over more than 200 kilometers on a commercial cable, using only conventional erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) rather than the remote-pumped boosters typically needed to extend unrepeatered reach, is the remarkable new achievement YOFC claims.

Hollow-core fiber is a next-generation optical data transmission medium that is rapidly emerging as a leading candidate for high-capacity, low-latency networking. Unlike conventional optical fiber, which guides light through a solid glass (silica) core, HCF guides light through an air-filled channel. This structural difference offers several advantages. Light travels roughly 1.5 times faster through air than through glass, cutting latency. Furthermore, the air core sidesteps some of the nonlinear distortion and dispersion baked into silica. YOFC has previously claimed that its hollow-core fiber technology can deliver 31% lower latency, 47% faster transmission speeds, and near-zero optical nonlinearity compared with conventional solid-core fiber.

In theory, HCF's air core would enable it to carry far more data over far greater distances with fewer amplification points. The trade-off has always been loss. Commercial hollow-core fiber has historically run at higher attenuation than mature silica fiber, limiting how far a signal can travel before it needs a boost. This limitation has been narrowing, with the trial's 200 km-plus unrepeatered span being the latest milestone.

The collaborators achieved this through two main innovations: one at the system level and the other in the amplifier hardware. At the system level, they used a self-developed optimization scheme for per-wavelength rate and channel power allocation. Rather than pushing every wavelength at the same data rate and power, the system adapted each channel to the link conditions, enabling hybrid transmission across multiple data rates, channel spacings, and power levels. The companies say this helped reduce capacity losses caused by gas-absorption peaks inside the hollow core, a quirk specific to guiding light through air rather than glass.

On the hardware side, the researchers built a high-power amplifier using a cascaded dual-gain-unit architecture and a multi-element doping design, achieving a maximum output of 33.5 dBm (roughly 2.24 W) while maintaining flat gain across the operating band. That higher-power, flatter amplification helped stretch an unrepeatered span without resorting to the remote-pumped amplifiers the team was trying to avoid. Because pushing that much power over a live optical link carries a real risk of failure, the system was wrapped in safeguards, including optical-path power anomaly detection, automatic interlock shutdown, and alarm-linked response mechanisms to catch faults before they damage equipment.

The stakes in this trial, and in HCF more broadly, tie directly to the AI buildout. As hyperscalers race to stand up ever-larger GPU clusters, the network linking those clusters, inside data centers and across the long-haul links between facilities, is fast becoming the bottleneck. HCF's lower latency lets operators site facilities farther from expensive, power-constrained hubs without a speed penalty, while its capacity headroom helps move the enormous traffic AI training and inference generate. The same properties make it attractive for latency-sensitive workloads like financial trading.

That promise is already pulling in serious money, mostly from the West. Microsoft, which moved early via its 2022 Lumenisity acquisition, struck manufacturing deals with Corning and Heraeus in September 2025 to scale production across Azure. AWS has developed its own HCF, claiming a 30% latency improvement over standard fiber, and says it wants more than it can currently get. Corning also has fiber deals with Microsoft, Meta, and Lumen, and is expanding in North Carolina with Nvidia's backing. Trials like YOFC’s are closing existing gaps toward full, widespread HCF deployment, though China's progress largely sits outside the Western supply chain now forming.

The TP-Link TL-SG108S-M2 is an unmanaged 8-port 2.5 GbE switch, which would make an excellent addition for your home network or small office. The TL-SG108S-M2 carries an MSRP of $79.99, but there’s a Prime Day sale at Amazon that drops the price to just $49.99.

The sub-$50 price tag is definitely eye-catching, and it caught my attention. I bought a UGREEN 6-port 2.5 GbE unmanaged switch back in October for $59.97, and here we have an 8-port unmanaged switch for $10 less.

The TL-SG108S-M2 offers 40 Gbps of switching capacity and supports devices at 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, or 2.5 Gbps speeds. In other words, it’ll be well-suited to handle just about any of your networking needs, from plugging in a wired desktop PC to connecting a NAS, to wiring up a workgroup printer, to even extending your network wirelessly with an access point. And you can do all of this using Cat5e cabling.

You won’t have to worry about the switch taking up a lot of space, as it only measures 6.22 x 3.98 x 1 inches. So you should easily be able to tuck it away behind your monitor on a desk, or banish it to a corner under your desk. Or, if you prefer, it has mounting points on the bottom for attaching it to the wall. The casing is all-metal and passively cooled, so you don’t have to worry about introducing any additional noise into your tranquil home office.

Amazon’s $49.99 sale price on the TL-SG108S-M2 likely won’t last long, so get it w

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The Amazon Eero Max 7 was one of the very first Wi-Fi 7 routers that arrived on our test bench way back in November 2023. At the time, Wi-Fi 7 was still a relatively new standard, and chipset production hadn’t kicked into full gear. As a result, those early systems were incredibly expensive, with the MSRP of the Eero Max 7 3-pack we reviewed at a staggering $1,699. What a difference two and a half years makes — Amazon is now selling the Eero Max 7 4-pack for just $1,149.99, representing a dramatic 50 percent price cut.

It’s not often that we see a 50 percent reduction on a current-generation wireless router, let alone the flagship model. With that said, you do get a lot for your outlay, which we admit is still quite high despite the price cut. The Eero Max 7 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh router with a 2x2 2.4 GHz band (688 Mbps), a 4x4 5 GHz band (8,647 Mbps), and a 4x4 6 GHz band (11,530 Mbps). The four satellites communicate via a wireless backhaul, though you can use a wired one for improved performance.

Each node is decently equipped with respect to ports, with two 2.5 GbE ports and two 10 GbE ports, any of which can be used for WAN. However, do note that you won’t find a USB port on either node for adding storage.

To make things as simple as possible for consumers, the Eero family of routers (including the Eero Max 7) features an app-only approach for setup and management. That means you can’t manage the network from a desktop computer and must rely on your smartphone for tinkering with settings. Perhaps that’s for the best, because you also don’t have nearly as many settings to manage as with other wireless routers. For example, the Eero Max 7 only supports Smart Connect and doesn’t let you create custom SSIDs or separate the bands. You also have limited control over Guest accounts.

But for someone who wants to get a network up and running in a few minutes and not have to worry about it again for the next three or four years, the Eero Max 7 is about as “hands off” as you can get with a modern wireless router.

The Eero Max 7 is currently available as an Amazon Prime-exclusive Lightning Deal with 16% units claimed as of this writing.

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During this week’s Amazon Prime Day 2026 festivities, several router manufacturers have offered deep discounts on their products, including Netgear and TP-Link. Not to be left out, Asus is getting in on the action with its ZenWiFi BT and BQ family of Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers. For example, the ZenWiFi BT6 2-pack is priced at $297, which is a 20% discount off its MSRP. You can also look at our Best Amazon Prime Day Wi-Fi router deals 2026 for more deals on Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6, and mesh routers.

• Check out all the deals in Amazon's Prime Day Sale

The ZenWiFi BT6 is the entry point for Asus’ tri-band Wi-Fi 7 routers, with the 2-pack covering up to 5,800 square feet. The mesh system supports up to 9.4 Gbps (688 Mbps at 2.4 GHz, 2,882 Mbps at 5 GHz, and 5,762 Mbps at 6 GHz). Each wireless node includes a single 2.5 GbE WAN port, three GbE LAN ports, and a single USB 3.0 port.

The next step up is the ZenWiFi BT8, with the 2-pack currently on sale for $374 (36% off). This home mesh system increases cumulative speed from 9.4 Gbps to 14 Gbps and gives you an extra 100 square feet of coverage. The boost in speed comes from a 3x3 5 GHz radio (4,323 Mbps) and a 3x3 6 GHz radio (8,643 Mbps). You also get enhancements to the onboard ports: while the 2.5 GbE WAN remains, you also get a 2.5 GbE LAN alongside two GbE LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port.

Going even further up the Asus Wi-Fi 7 mesh ladder brings you to the ZenWiFi BT10, priced at $579.99 (16% off) for the 2-pack, which steps up cumulative speeds to 18 Gbps and brings total coverage to 6,000 feet . This time around, the 5 GHz and 6 GHz radios jump to a 4x4 arrangement, delivering up to 5,764 Mbps and 11,529 Mbps, respectively. The number of onboard ports has declined, though you do get a 10 GbE WAN, 10 GbE LAN, a single GbE LAN, and a USB 3.0 port.

Finally, for those needing the ultimate in speed and flexibility, there’s the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro. It’s available with a 16% discount, bringing the 2-pack down to $928.99 instead of $1,099. This mesh system has all the bells and whistles, including enough power to cover up to 8,000 square feet. It’s also a quad-band system (it has two 6 GHz bands), with all radios operating at 4x4, supporting up to 30 Gbps. This means that the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz-1, and 6 GHz-2 max out at 1,376 Mbps, 5,764 Mbps, 11,529 Mbps, and 11,529 Mbps, respectively.

Asus also didn’t skimp on the ports, as you’ll find a 10 GbE WAN/LAN, 10 GbE LAN, GbE WAN/LAN, two GbE LAN, and a USB 3.0 port.

All of the ZenWiFi routers run Asus’ excellent AsusWRT software, which is highly configurable and includes built-in malware protection and device management (something that Netgear and TP-Link charge you extra for). The routers can also use their USB ports for storage or to connect to a cellular internet connection via a USB 4G/5G dongle or a smartphone.

These deals aren’t likely to last long, so strike while the iron is hot.

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Yesterday, we brought you some poppin' deals on TP-Link Wi-Fi networking gear, and today, we're back in action with the latest sales from Netgear. Netgear has a wide assortment of Wi-Fi 7 hardware, ranging from entry-level dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers to premium tri- and quad-band Orbi mesh routers.

Today, you’ll find deals on everything from EXS25 plug-in range extender to the Orbi 770 tri-band mesh system.

• Orbi 770 Series Tri-Band WiFi 7 Mesh 2-Pack
• Nighthawk Dual-Band WiFi 7 Router
• Nighthawk Dual-Band WiFi 7 Router
• Nighthawk Dual-Band WiFi 7 Router
• Netgear WiFi 7 Range Extender

The Netgear Orbi 770, currently on sale, is a mid-range Wi-Fi 7 mesh system that includes two wireless nodes. The system carries a regular asking price of $549.99, but is currently available with a $125 discount, taking the price to $424.99.

The main node (router) features three 2.5 GbE LAN ports and a dedicated 2.5 GbE WAN. The second node (satellite) only features two 2.5 GbE ports. Interestingly, neither node includes a USB 3.x port, which is increasingly common at this price point.

Regarding wireless connectivity, the Orbi 770 supports 2.4 GHz at up to 688 Mbps, 5 GHz at up to 4,320 Mbps, and 6 GHz at up to 5,760 Mbps. It also covers up to 5,550 square feet, which should be more than adequate for the average American home (around 2,220 square feet). Managing the Orbi 770 can be done using Netgear's web GUI or the Orbi smartphone app.

We reviewed the three-node variant of the Orbi 770 and praise its easy of use and plentiful ports, but knocked it for the high price. This Amazon Prime Day sale addresses our primary concern.

The Nighthawk RS90, RS140, and RS180 are all dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers, meaning that they don't include the higher-performance 6 GHz radio. While that means that short-range performance suffers compared to a tri-band router (when using a compatible Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6E client), it allows them to be offered at much lower prices. The RS90 is priced at just $87.89 (33% off). The RS90 includes four GbE ports, one 2.5 GbE WAN port, and supports up to 2,000 square feet.

The RS140, on sale for $121.46, is a slight step up, offering faster cumulative speeds across the two bands (5 Gbps versus 3.6 Gbps) while increasing coverage to 2,250 square feet. It also comes with three GbE LAN ports and one 2.5 GbE WAN port.

The RS180 is faster still, offering up to 5.5 Gbps speeds while boosting coverage to 2,500 square feet. It also brings upgraded hardware with three GbE LAN ports, one 2.5 GbE LAN port, a 2.5 GbE WAN port, and a single USB 3.0 port for network storage. It’s currently priced at $142.99, representing a 28% discount.

The EXS25 is a slightly different beast, as it's a Wi-FI 7 range extender. It's on sale for $99, a 33% discount off its regular price. The EXS25 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 extender that plugs directly into a free wall outlet.

Once set up, it adds an additional 1,500 square feet of coverage to your wireless network while supporting up to 4.5 Gbps speeds. The EXS25 can work with any wireless router, not just Netgear-branded ones. In addition, thanks to its 2.5 GbE port, you can use it to add wireless functionality to a device that only supports a wired network connection.

According to Netgear, are only good through June 26, so you had better act fast if you want to want to upgrade or expand your home wireless network.

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I have plenty of time for a wireless network in my home, but I only use it for devices where latency isn't an issue. It's great for my phone, tablet, and some streaming, but if I want to game or download large files to the network storage, I prefer a wired setup, and there are never enough Ethernet ports available on a standard router from your ISP. With eight extra Ethernet ports, you should be good to go for connecting the majority of your devices. This TP-Link 8-Port Multi-Gigabit 2.5G Ethernet Switch is now just $49.99 after getting a massive 62% ($80) slashed off the $129.99 list price at Amazon in this pre-Prime Day deal.

● Grab this deal at Amazon

The TP-Link 8-Port multi-Gigabit 2.5G Ethernet switch (model: TL-SG108S-M2) is an 8-port switch with fast 2.5 Gbps speeds. Simply connect this device to your router to instantly expand the number of available Ethernet ports at your disposal. The Switch is unmanaged, so there is no configuration of static IP addresses, just plug and play when you connect up your devices. The TP-Link switch will intelligently sense the link speeds of your device and adjust between three speeds (100Mb/1G/2.5G) to give you the optimum network experience.

You can use this 8-port switch to connect to your television, gaming PC, Xbox/PlayStation, WiFi mesh network, NAS, private server, VOIP phone, or even security cameras. Anything you feel would benefit from a more stable wired connection.

You can choose to install the TP-Link TL-SG108S-M2 on the desk, or even wall-mount it up out of the way, to keep any possible cable-clutter off your workspace, and out of sight. The TP-Link TL-SG108S-M2 uses a fanless design to dissipate heat, so there is no noise disturbance, ensuring silent operation. In the box is the switch itself, a power adapter, and some rubber feet if you choose to install it on a desktop.

Saving 62% off the usual retail price makes this switch an exceptional bargain in today's economy. Picking up an 8-port TP-Link TL-SG108S-M2 switch for just $49.99 is a quick win for anyone wanting to upgrade their small home network.

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Syrian Telecommunications Company (SyTC), the state-owned enterprise that operates the country’s internet infrastructure, said that an undersea cable connecting Egypt and Syria was cut and that it would take time before the “full resumption of services” could take place. While the country hasn’t named any possible culprit, Arab News reports that the Damascus government has blamed a “systematic sabotage campaign” as the cause of damage. It’s now routing data through another undersea cable that connects to Cyprus and through a 1 Tbps overland cable that goes through Turkey. Despite that, the incident is still affecting internet users across Syria.

Undersea cables are crucial infrastructure that allow nations to connect to the rest of the world. Aside from letting you browse the internet and watch cute cat videos, it’s also crucial for trade and market, with billions of dollars’ worth of transactions flowing through these cables at any given time. More importantly, these cables are also used by governments to communicate with their allies and other countries, making them as crucial as sea lines of communications.

But despite their importance, this infrastructure is quite vulnerable — they often only sit on the seabed or, at best, sit 1.5 to 5 feet in the mud. This means that they could easily be damaged, both intentionally or accidentally, by items being dragged on the sea floor, like a trawler net or anchor. It’s also difficult to guard these cables, as they span long distances (with the total deployed undersea cable length estimated to be greater than 32 times the Earth’s circumference at the equator), and no country on Earth has enough resources to patrol every mile of these cables.

Because of this, undersea cables are often seen as soft targets and are frequently the victims of “gray-zone warfare.” We’ve seen several incidents of undersea cables being cut by ships that are suspected of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet, with Finland experiencing several incidents in the Baltic Sea in just two years. The Middle East has also seen its fair share of cable disruptions, especially in the Red Sea, which serves as a bottleneck for connections between Europe and Asia. Taiwan has also increased its defensive patrols around 24 undersea cables, especially as nearly a hundred blacklisted China-linked boats were seen lurking around the island’s infrastructure.

While Syria said that the damage to its undersea cable was part of a “systematic sabotage campaign,” it did not point the blame to a specific state or non-state actor. However, its location between Europe and the Middle East makes it a crucial player for the various regional and global powers with interests in the region. Furthermore, the country also plays host to several Russian bases, allowing it to have access to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Russian captain and Azerbaijani bosun, the most senior unrated crew member, of a cargo ship suspected of cutting two undersea cables between Finland and Estonia at the turn of the year has been charged with “aggravated criminal mischief” and “aggravated interference with telecommunications.” According to The Maritime Executive, the Fitburg, a 9,900 deadweight tonnage (DWT) vessel owned by a Turkish entity with Russian links, allegedly dragged its anchor for over 80 miles (130km) and hit undersea cables operated by Finnish telecom company Elisa and Swedish firm Arelion.

Prosecutors also say that the ship intended to target eight additional subsea cables in the area before it was stopped by the Finnish Coast Guard. Two other crew members of the Fitburg remain in detention in Finland as prosecutors determine if they will be charged in relation to the suspected sabotage. The lawyers of the accused say that Finland does not have jurisdiction over the crew, but the authorities say that it will leave it up to the courts to decide.

This is the second undersea cable-related investigation to reach prosecution, as another Russian-linked ship, the Eagle S oil tanker, was involved in another suspected sabotage on Christmas Day 2024. Three officers of the “shadow fleet” tanker were charged with the same criminal cases that the Fitburg crew are facing, although Finland failed to secure a conviction, as the court said that it did not have jurisdiction over the case because the incident happened outside of Finnish territorial waters. The ruling is currently under appeal, though, with prosecutors arguing that “the effects of the crime materialized here in Finland.”

Undersea cables are crucial infrastructure that connect nations to one another, and it is particularly important for Finland as one of the NATO members bordering Russia. The country’s undersea communications, electricity, and gas connections have been hit multiple times in recent years, which is why it has taken steps to protect its sea-line of communications (SLOC). This includes the deployment of a SOSUS-like system that warns cable operators and the Finnish authorities of suspicious activities near vulnerable infrastructure. The technology, called Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), integrates sensors into fiber optic cables that detect sound and vibrations, like an anchor hitting the seabed, coming from the sea floor.

However, suspected attacks on undersea cables aren’t limited to the Baltic Sea. Other incidents have been reported in the Red Sea and in the Taiwan Strait — geopolitical hotspots where tensions often run high. Because of this, both firms and countries are exploring alternative routes to make it harder to disrupt communications. The EU is considering going under the North Pole to bypass Russia and the United States for connecting to Asia, while Meta is building a 50,000-km undersea network that connects the U.S. to Brazil, Africa, India, and Australia, which, notably, avoids bottlenecks like the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Strait of Malacca.

Netgear filed counterclaims against TP-Link in federal court in Delaware on June 11, accusing its larger rival of false advertising under the Lanham Act and arguing that TP-Link's 2024 reincorporation as a California company is a deception that conceals ongoing R&D and manufacturing in China. The filing fires back at a lawsuit TP-Link itself brought against Netgear last November, and it came just one day after the U.S. DoD added TP-Link Technologies to its list of Chinese military companies operating in the United States. Netgear is seeking damages and an injunction barring TP-Link from repeating the contested claims, with the case running against the backdrop of an FCC import ban on routers not built in the U.S. that took effect earlier this year.

TP-Link sued first back in November, accusing Netgear of orchestrating a smear campaign and alleging that comments by Netgear's CEO on earnings calls falsely tied TP-Link to cyberattacks attributed to the Typhoon threat groups, and that the statements breached a 2024 settlement under which TP-Link paid Netgear $135 million to end years of patent litigation. The court has since dismissed parts of TP-Link's case that rested on third-party statements.

Netgear's counterclaim denies the smear allegation and goes on the offensive, bringing four of them under the Lanham Act and California and Delaware trade-practice laws, alleging that TP-Link’s claim that it split entirely from China-based TP-Link Technologies and now operates as an independent American company is a false statement that misleads buyers.

According to the counterclaim, TP-Link Technologies “did not fundamentally reorganize its global operations,” instead simply changing its name to Lianzhou and continuing to perform much of TP-Link’s R&D and manufacturing in China under the same cofounder. Netgear states that TP-Link employed more than 13,000 people in China through 2024, including roughly 9,000 in Chinese manufacturing centers, against about 350 employees in the United States. The filing also alleges that TP-Link's "Made in Vietnam" labeling is misleading because the Vietnamese plant serves as a final assembly point, with 99.5% of the components in U.S.-bound products imported from China.

Netgear counterclaim naturally leans heavily on the DoD’s designation describing TP-Link Technologies as “directly affiliated with the PLA” and a contributor to China’s defense industrial base. “TP-Link remains, at its core, a Chinese company selling Chinese-made products,” Netgear states in the filing.

TP-Link rejects the underlying premise, maintaining that it’s a U.S.-headquartered company subject to no foreign government control and that its products are made in Vietnam. The two firms also disagree on what is at stake commercially. Netgear's filing puts TP-Link's share of the U.S. retail router market at roughly 65%, while TP-Link has said its share of the North American residential Wi-Fi router segment sits under 10%. The dispute now runs alongside federal scrutiny from Commerce, the FCC, the FTC, and state attorneys general in Texas and Florida.

Earlier this year, we took a look at Netgear’s Nighthawk M7, which is a 5G mobile hotspot with Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. Today, I’m looking at another 5G mobile hotspot, this time from Travlfi. The formula is similar: combine a 5G cellular modem, a small display, and a battery, and put it all together in a compact enclosure.

The Travlfi JourneyGo 5G is lightweight and is low on added frills. The hotspot has 5G connectivity (with 4G LTE fallback), offers 24 hours of battery life, and can connect up to 16 devices simultaneously at a broadcast range of 75 to 100 feet. Its basic functionality is why it has a relatively low price of $299, compared to $499 for the Nighthawk M7.

Design of the Travlfi JourneyGo 5G

The JourneyGo 5G is quite thin and light, much more so than the Nighthawk M7. The former is just 0.49 inches thick and weighs 0.36 pounds compared to 0.67 inches and 0.57 pounds for the latter. With that said, the Travlfi JourneyGo 5G doesn’t feel as well put together as the Nighthawk M7 – it lacks the rigid, thick plastic and feels almost like the cheap casing that you’d find on a no-name smartphone battery bank.

With that said, the JourneyGo 5G manages to cram in a much larger internal battery (5,000 mAh versus 3,850 mAh) despite its thinner and lighter dimensions.

The JourneyGo 5G is controlled using the small 2.4-inch color touchscreen. You can tap and swipe to access various menus and settings. The included quick start guide for the hotspot says that you can download the Travlfi app for Android or iOS to configure the device, but as of this writing, the app is not available to download (at least from the iOS App Store).

The JourneyGo 5G has a nanoSIM for cellular connectivity located at the top of the unit. A power button is found on the right side, while a USB-C port is at the bottom (a USB-C to USB-C charging cable is included in the box).

Travlfi JourneyGo 5G Specifications

Travlfi JourneyGo 5G Software and Controls

As I mentioned, controlling and configuring the JourneyGo 5G is done solely through the small touch screen (at least until the smartphone app becomes available). Interesting with such a small screen is rather cumbersome, but manageable. The main screen shows your current cellular signal strength, 5G or 4G connectivity, the number of connected devices, and battery status in the top menu bar. The amount of data you have available during your billing cycle is front and center, while your time and current location (country) appear at the bottom of the screen. If you swipe from right to left, you’ll find an expanded look at your remaining data allowance along with the date/time when your plan renews.

Below the data allowance windows, you’ll find Wi-Fi Info, where you’ll see your current Wi-Fi SSD and password. Next, you’ll see TowerSync, which allows the device to scan for a stronger signal from a nearby tower.

Finally, there’s the Menu windows, which give access to a wider range of settings. Wi-Fi Settings let you choose between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Surprisingly, you can’t enable both at the same time. You’ll also find a list of currently connected devices and the ability to switch from an eSIM to a physical nanoSIM (our review unit leveraged the eSIM). There are also more mundane settings, such as language, device information, time format, time zone, and screen brightness.

Despite the use of an eSIM, the JourneyGo 5G lacks an eSIM Marketplace, which is the true “killer app” for the Nighthawk M7. It remains to be seen if that type of functionality will arrive with the unreleased Travlfi smartphone app.

Our review unit came with the 100GB data plan, which costs $89 per month. However, if your mobile hotspot needs aren’t as data hungry, the 2GB plan costs $19 per month. Travlfi also offers an unlimited plan for $129/month, although it’s currently running a promotion that drops it to $99/month.

Travlfi JourneyGo 5G Performance

The JourneyGo 5G uses a MediaTek MT8791 SoC that incorporates two Arm Cortex-A78 cores, six Arm Cortex-A55 cores, an integrated 5G NR sub-6 GHz modem (4G CAT 18), and dual-band Wi-Fi 6. Our review unit is using its eSIM rather than the physical SIM onboard, which is connecting to T-Mobile’s wireless network.

Travlfi claims that the JourneyGo 5G offers typical download speeds of 25 to 150 Mbps with a peak of 180 Mbps using a 5G cellular connection. When connecting to a 4G network, typical download speeds range from 15 to 40 Mbps with peaks reaching 60 Mbps.

However, with a steady 5G connection and connected via the Wi-Fi 6 hotspot, I saw average download speeds of 57 Mbps and average upload speeds of 16 Mbps from my home office on the second floor. Moving outside to my backyard, average download and upload speeds increased to 67 Mbps and 20 Mbps, respectively. For comparison, the Nighthawk M7 averaged nearly 3x the download speeds and over 2x the upload speeds.

The JourneyGo 5G is supposed to support USB tethering directly to a device, but I couldn’t get it to work on a Mac or a Windows device. When plugging the hotspot into a computer using the included USB-C cable, the JourneyGo 5G would confirm that USB tethering was enabled and that a device was connected. However, neither the Mac nor the Windows device would recognize an active internet connection via USB.

It remains to be seen whether the forthcoming Travlfi smartphone app will address the tethering woes, although we can only go off what’s available right now. In addition, it’s frustrating that you can’t change the Wi-Fi SSID or password from the default provided by Travlfi. Again, this is something that could be easily addressed with an app, given the tiny display, which makes input challenging.

Bottom Line

When it comes to pricing, the Travlfi JourneyGo 5G definitely gets your attention at $299. That seems like an absolute steal compared to the Netgear Nighthawk M7's $499 price. And the fact that Travlfi was able to squeeze 20 hours of runtime out of this tiny device is quite amazing.

However, things quickly fall apart from there. All interactions must be performed with the small 2.4-inch touch screen; you cannot change the Wi-Fi SSID or password, and you can’t enable the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously. In addition, the promised smartphone app (mentioned in the user manual) is not available for download on iOS or Android. And from a functional standpoint, the USB tether mode didn’t even work. The final blow is that, despite a 5G connection, download speeds were roughly a third of what we saw with the Nighthawk M7.

In its current state, the JourneyGo 5G might be an impulse buy at $299, but it’s not a wise buy.

Finland's National Bureau of Investigation has concluded its criminal investigation into the damage to two undersea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 31st last year, identifying four suspects and referring the case to prosecutors for a decision on charges, according to a police statement. Investigators say the cargo ship Fitburg dragged its anchor across the seabed for several kilometers and severed cables owned by Finnish operators Elisa and Arelion Finland while sailing from St. Petersburg to the Israeli port of Haifa.

The 132-meter Fitburg, flagged in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was seized on New Year's Eve and held until mid-January while a joint Finnish and Estonian investigation team examined the vessel, the damage site, and devices belonging to crew members. The ship's 14 crew came from Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.

Damage to the cables occurred in Estonia's exclusive economic zone, with Finland investigating the case as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications. Finnish customs separately determined that the ship's steel cargo was subject to sanctions against Russia, though no criminal case was opened over it because the goods only entered Finnish waters after authorities ordered the vessel to move.

Elisa said at the time that rerouting kept its services running, consistent with earlier Baltic cuts that Cloudflare found had little observable effect on connectivity thanks to dense route redundancy in the region.

This marks the second time in a year that the Fins have referred a case to prosecutors, having previously charged three officers of the Eagle S oil tanker last August with aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications, alleging the Cook Islands-registered tanker dragged its anchor about 56 miles along the seabed and damaged five cables. Repairs cost two Finnish companies roughly $70 million. The Eagle S is widely described as part of Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers operating under foreign flags to evade sanctions.

Finland responded to the Fitburg incident by establishing a dedicated Baltic maritime surveillance center, announced in January. NATO's Baltic Sentry operation, launched a year earlier in January 2025, patrols the region with frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and a fleet of more than 20 uncrewed surface vessels, supplemented by software that flags suspicious ship movements.

None of that stops an anchor drag, however, which requires only a vessel willing to lower its anchor over a cable route. Finland has recorded at least seven major incidents involving ships and subsea infrastructure since 2023.

We are halfway through 2026, and while we aren’t flying across gleaming neon cityscapes in jet-powered cars, birds have been discovered feathering their nests with optical fiber. It definitely isn’t the tech utopia we dreamed about, but the birds might have been colder without this detritus of war. Moreover, our feathered friends are tidying up the miles of fiber waste precipitated by drone warfare, at least a little bit, while making use of what is likely an excellent thermal insulator.

Click 'See more' to see the nests.

Example photos of these optical fiber nests were shared on Twitter/X by a Ukrainian civil society leader and anti-corruption advocate, Olena Tregub. She called the carefully woven avian construction an “apocalyptic bird's nest” and credited Oleg Malchenko as the photographer. We can’t say how widespread such nests are, they are the first we’ve seen, but birds can be quite enterprising when nest building and choosing the best materials.

Some background to the finding was given by Tregrub. “A Russian glide bomb knocks down a tree in Donbas,” said the former Ukrainian government official. “From the shattered branches rolls out a tiny bird’s nest. Made of drone fiber-optic cable.”

Imagery showing acres of fields strewn with wisps of optical fiber are one of the sad signatures of the current Russia-Ukraine war. To make no-fuss jam-proof drones both sides have been using optical fiber tethered drones to target their foes.

In October last year we reported on a Ukrainian invention utilizing rotating barbed wire barriers to snag, rip, and disable any fibers left in the wake of drones flying over them. Another example of ingenuity in this David vs. Goliath conflict.

In December, we reported on the tethered drone range of Russian FPVs being significantly boosted by a grey-zone Chinese partnership. This tech collaboration between communist nations resulted in the production of fiber optic spools delivering as much as 65km (~40.4 miles) of tethered range. That was an advance of previously seen Ukrainian tethered drones reaching 42km (~26 miles).

Now that Wi-Fi 7 has been on the market for a few years and has matured, Wi-Fi 8 is the next logical step in the quest to advance wireless connectivity. TP-Link teased its upcoming Archer 8 Wi-Fi 8 router last week, and now Asus has pulled the wraps off its upcoming ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro gaming router.

At first glance, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro doesn’t look too far removed from the ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro Wi-Fi 7 router. They seemingly share the exact exterior design, right down to the eight antennas, front LED panel, buttons, exposed heatsink, and clear ROG panel. However, Asus is using an unnamed Wi-Fi 8 chipset inside.

Asus hasn’t provided any concrete performance figures we can compare to its existing Wi-Fi 7 routers, but it does offer some broad generalizations. It claims that the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro offers up to a 2x improvement in median throughput and 2x greater coverage for IoT devices. Asus also claims that it will provide lower latency via Multi-AP coordination and allow higher performance in crowded wireless environments. These are all enhancements afforded by the Wi-Fi 8 standard, rather than anything that Asus is doing on its own to improve performance.

That’s not to say that Asus has sprinkled its own magic on the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro. Asus has a collection of tools at its disposal that it lumps under the AI Game Boost feature. The ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro can automatically optimize and accelerate gaming traffic over the physical LAN ports and via Wi-Fi. There’s also adaptive QoS, which provides on-demand bandwidth allocation and network optimizations for specific online games using GTNet.

While all the major performance benefits come from the wireless side, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro also has relatively beefy wired networking capabilities. The router includes four 2.5 GbE LAN ports (one of which can be used for WAN), a 1 GbE LAN port, a 10 GbE LAN/Gaming port, and a 10 GbE WAN port. The two 10 GbE ports can be aggregated to form a single 20 Gbps link. In addition, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro has a single USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port.

Although Asus hasn’t provided any further guidance, we expect the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro to launch in Q4 2026 or possibly Q1 2027.

MSI have unveiled a new set of flagship WiFi 7 gaming routers to join its existing line-up. The new wireless routers, featuring the company's recent RadiX branding, have been announced during the Computex 2026 trade show in Taipei this week as part of MSI's 40 year anniversary celebrations.

The new networking kit, consisting of at least three routers showcased on the trade floor of the event so far, is led by the RadiX BE19000. This model offers 12-stream connections over WiFi 7 using MLO, across the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands, and can reportedly deliver speeds of up to 19 Gbps simultaneously, with MLO helping to reduce latency, according to MSI.

This is a gaming router, so it's been fitted with features to suit persistent players. It has an integrated PCIe SSD slot, giving you what MSI is calling a "NAS Lite" experience for backups and file sharing. The router also comes with a quad-core CPU, rated at 1.8 GHz, for "high speed data processing."

Pictures from the floor show it features a translucent casing in a hexagon-shaped design, with eight individual antennas for maximum signal coverage, as well as two 10G and four 2.5G Ethernet ports.

A second router, the Radix BE9400, sits in the middle of the pack. This has a more traditional design for a router, clad in black and gray, albeit with some gaming flair and RGB lighting, along with four antennae. It's also WiFi 7-capable, using new 320 MHz channels and 4096-QAM signal modulation, available as part of the WiFi 7 spec, to increase speeds to up to 9.4 Gbps for 4K gaming and streaming. It has four 2.5G Ethernet ports, along with a 1.5 GHz processor.

MSI also showcased the RadiX BE3600. This dual-band router reportedly offers speeds of up to 3,600 Mbps and includes MLO support. It has one 2.5G and three 1G Ethernet ports for gigabit speeds, while the design is a little more faithful to traditional routers, with a rectangular-style design with four antennas.

MSI, which also released information about its other upcoming releases in a blog post coinciding with its appearance at Computex, hasn't yet announced pricing or release dates for these new routers. Meanwhile, the company's other Computex announcements include a new celebratory "Dragon Edition Draco Epic" version of its Titan 18 HX laptop, featuring an intricate chassis picturing a dragon, added with precision metal etching and an anodization process that applies the bold color scheme directly to the metal.

Amazon has unveiled a new data center networking architecture that it claims delivers up to 33% higher throughput while reducing network power consumption by 40%, marking what the company describes as the first large-scale deployment of a flat network based on random graph theory, Wired reports. The company revealed that it had been quietly deploying the design in its data centers since last year, confirming that it has already become the default data center network for most AWS workloads.

The architecture, called Resilient Network Graphs (RNG), replaces the hierarchical networking structures that have dominated cloud data centers for decades with a flatter, quasi-random architecture designed to move data more efficiently between servers. Amazon says the design uses 69% fewer networking devices than traditional architectures and can reduce infrastructure costs by up to 45%, potentially translating into billions of dollars in savings across its global cloud footprint.

The company first deployed RNG in a Dublin data center in 2024 before expanding the architecture into facilities in Germany and Spain. AWS says the design is now being rolled out across most newly built data centers and will form the foundation of future deployments.

Data center and AI capability conversations typically focus on processing and storage. However, networking is one of the most important aspects of capability. Every request sent from your device to a cloud application, database, AI model, or storage service depends on data moving rapidly across thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of servers. As facilities continue to grow, ensuring information reaches the right destination quickly and efficiently has become an increasingly difficult engineering challenge.

For decades, most large-scale data centers have relied on a hierarchical networking structure known as a "fat-tree" topology. In this design, data travels up and down layers of switches and routers arranged in a tree-like hierarchy. While the approach is proven and reliable, it can create bottlenecks and strain available bandwidth. Traffic can become concentrated at specific points in the hierarchy, even when capacity is unused elsewhere in the network. The approach also requires a large number of expensive networking devices.

Researchers have long theorized that a flatter network based on random graph principles could solve many of those issues. Instead of forcing traffic through predefined layers, routers are connected in a highly distributed mesh-like arrangement that creates numerous possible paths between endpoints. In theory, this will improve resilience, increase utilization of available bandwidth, and reduce the likelihood of congestion.

The challenge was making such a network practical. Although random graph networks have been subject to academic research for more than a decade, major obstacles have prevented their successful deployment at hyperscale. Routing traffic efficiently through such a network is considerably more complicated than routing traffic through a predictable hierarchy, and physically connecting millions of fiber-optic links without creating an operational nightmare presents an entirely different challenge.

AWS says it overcame those obstacles with two key innovations: software and custom hardware. The first is a custom routing protocol called Spraypoint, which distributes traffic across large numbers of available paths rather than relying primarily on the shortest path. The second is a passive optical device called ShuffleBox, designed to organize and standardize the immense amount of cabling required to build the network at scale.

According to Amazon, the resulting architecture not only moves data roughly one-third faster than conventional designs but also requires significantly fewer switches and routers. The company says those reductions lower both capital expenditures and operating costs while simultaneously reducing power consumption.

AI models are growing larger and more capable, and so are their user bases. To sustain this growth, hyperscalers have to continue optimizing the entire technology stack. Faster chips remain crucial, but so are advances in cooling, power delivery, storage systems, optical interconnects, and networking. AWS believes RNG is one such advantage. The company rightly considers the achievement of deploying random graph theory at scale, “a breakthrough that will deliver greater reliability and performance for AWS customers, save billions of dollars in hardware, and lower CO2 emissions.”