D-Link tries to make it easy to upgrade your computer to Wi-Fi. The network company has announced what it calls a ‘first’ Wi-Fi 6 adapter built into a USB stick. Connect it to your laptop, or you can get better performance than from your older Wi-Fi disc. The adapter advertises speeds up to 1200 Mbps.
It is not entirely clear who the target audience is for this upgrade. You need to be connected to a Wi-Fi 6 router to get the most out of it, and most people do not have one yet (the Wi-Fi 6 standard only started running two years ago). And if the laptop or desktop you use has been purchased in recent memory at any time, it’s likely to support Wi-Fi 5, which is not a big step away from Wi-Fi 6.
Wi-Fi 6 does have some advantages. Devices that support it can communicate with routers more efficiently, which can lead to improved network performance. Wi-Fi 6 devices also support more secure connections.
The adapter will be available for $ 100 in the second quarter of 2021.
D-Link is also announcing two new Wi-Fi 6 grids, both of which look a bit like air purifiers. The higher-end model, the AI M32, is a dual-bandwidth system that promises up to 3.2 Gbps. Below, D-Link introduces the DIR-LX1870, which should offer combined connection speeds of approximately 1800 Mbps. The AI M32 will sell for $ 250 from the third quarter of 2021; the DIR-LX1870 starts immediately for $ 130.
There are many routers announced this week as part of CES 2021. This year’s big new upgrade is routers with support for Wi-Fi 6E, a major upgrade of Wi-Fi that doubles the available airwaves, on which they can broadcast. So far, TP-Link and Netgear have announced high-end routers with support for the new technology.