802.11ac WiFi is now found in many routers and devices, and the Wi-Fi alliance has so far certified close to 3,000 “Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ac” products. I understand that certification is not mandatory, but if you want to make sure a device works well, the certification at least means the devices have been tested for interoperability, security and application specific protocols, and found to work in a satisfactory manner. Now the Wi-Fi alliance has announced Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ac Wave 2 certification program with the following new requirements: MU-MIMO (Multi-user Multiple Input Multiple Output) in order to send data to multiple devices at once to improve overall network efficiency and throughput 160 MHz channels support (not only 80 MHz) potentially doubling transmission speeds Four spatial streams instead of just three spatial streams. Extended 5 GHz channel support by adding more channels in the 5 GHz to reduce interference and congestion. Currently the […]
WiReboot is a Watchdog Device Rebooting Your Router if the WiFi Connection is Lost (Crowdfunding)
Routers are usually pretty stable devices, but sometimes they still hang, and I think I must reboot my router about 2 to 3 times a year as I lose (Ethernet) connectivity. I’m usually at home, so it’s not really an issue as I can just walk a few meters to manually reboot the router. But if you are often on the go, and have a few WiFi devices such as smoker alarms, smart lights, and other home automation products that you may want to control over the Internet, if WiFi goes down nothing works. Luckily there’s a solution: WiReboot, a small device powered by ESP8266 that will check your WiFi and Internet connection, and automatically restart the router if it fails.Key features of WiReboot: ESP8266 module for 802.11 b/g/n WiFi connection USB – 1x USB input port to connect your router power supply, and 1x USB output to connect to […]
Compulab Fitlet-RM is a Rugged Wide Temperature Fanless mini PC based on AMD A10 Micro-6700T Processor
Among the many Intel Cherry Trail and Braswell mini PCs, it’s nice to see an alternative with AMD processor, and after their Fitlet-H and Fitlet-iA10 mini PCs powered by AMD A10 Micro-6700T quad core processor, Compulab is back with two rugged models based on the processor, and supporting a wide temperature range, with namely Fitlet-RM-iA10 and Fitlet-RM-XA10 LAN mini PCs. Fitlet-RM specifications: SoC – AMD A10 Micro-6700T 64 bit quad-core processor up to 2.2 GHz with AMD Radeon R6 Graphics (4.5 W TDP) System Memory – Up to 8 GB DDR3-1333 (1x SODIMM) Storage – mSATA up to 1 TB (SATA 3.0 6 Gbps); micro SD/SDXC slot up to 25 MB/s Display – 2x HDMI 1.4a ports Audio – S/PDIF 7.1+2 channels in/out + stereo line-out/line-in/mic + HDMI audio Connectivity Fitlet-RM-XA10 LAN – 4x Gigabit Ethernet ports (Intel I211), 802.11 b/g/n WiFi Fitlet-RM-iA10 – 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports, 802.11 b/g/n/ac […]
Review of Vorke V1 mini PC Powered by Intel Celeron J3160 Processor
After checking out Vorke V1 mini PC hardware in the first part of the review, it’s now time to publish the review starting with system information, benchmarks, and user testing. The device competes with similarly priced devices based on Intel Atom x7 processor such as Voyo V3 and Beelink BT7, so I’ll also include some comparisons to those in the review. Setup and System Information I connected USB keyboard and mouse, an Ethernet cable, HDMI and VGA cables to check dual display support, as well as the power supply. I did not connect my USB 3.0 hard drive since, I’ve already fitted the mini PC with an internal 1TB hard drive. Pressing on the large power button on the top of the device will boot it, and after a few seconds, you’ll get to go through Windows 10 setup by first accepting the EULA. The next steps are Custom or […]
Stress Testing Windows mini PCs with OCCT Overclock Checking Tool
I’m mostly a Linux user, but the marketplace has chosen Windows 10 as its preferred operating systems for mini PCs, so I’ve been reviewing fanless (or not) mini PCs running Windows 10 for around two years since Intel decided to provide low cost and low power processors. I normally run some benchmarks such as PCMark 8 or 3DMark, as well as typical user tasks, while monitoring CPU temperature and throttling using HWInfo64 utility, but those benchmarks are not really pushing the device to its limits. However, I’ve just learned out about OCCT “Overclock Checking Tool” that’s just doing that, and installed OCCT 4.4.2 on Vorke V1 to check it out. The tool has four taps: CPU: OCCT, CPU: Linpack, GPU: 3D, and Power Supply to stress test different part of the system. I just let it run for over 3 hours after pressing the ON buttons, and you can see […]
WiThumb is an ESP8266 WiFi USB Adapter with Motion and Temperature Sensors (Crowdfunding)
There are now plenty of Espressif ESP8266 boards or module to play with, but most of them require some cables or wires, at least for power. WiThumb does not need any of that as it’s designed to be plugged into any USB ports, and includes a 6-axis motion sensor, and a temperature sensor. WiThumb USB dongle specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP8266 32-bit MCU with 802.11b/g/n WiFi Storage – 4MB Flash memory Sensors – Temperature sensor (+/- 0.25C typical accuracy, -40 to 125 C range), 6-axis gyroscope + accelerometer Expansion – Breadboard friendly through holes with 1x 10-bit ADC, I2C and 4x GPIOs USB – USB type A connector Misc – Reset and flash buttons Power – 5V via USB port Dimensions – 4.8 x 2.2 cm The USB stick can be programmed like most ESP8266 board, i.e. via USB using the Arduino IDE. In case you wonder what kind of […]
PGS Portable Game Console Runs Windows 10 & Android 6.0 on Intel Atom X7-Z8750 Processor (Crowdfunding)
GPD HD Win portable game console is getting some competition, albeit in a slightly different form factor, with PGS portable game console based on Intel Atom x7-Z8750 quad core processor, running Windows 10 and Android 6.0, and featuring D-Pad, buttons, and a touch pad, replacing the QWERTY keyboard in GPD device. Two models are available, namely PGS Lite and PGS Hardcore, with the following specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x7-Z8750 quad-core “Cherry Trail” processor @ 1.44/2.56 GHz (Burst) with 16EU Intel HD Gen8 graphics @ up to 600MHz System Memory Lite – 4GB LPDDR3-1600 Hardcore – 8GB LPDDR3-1600 Storage Lite – 64GB eMMC flash Hardcore – 128 GB SSD Display Lite – 5.5″ capacitive touch IPS screen; 1280×720 resolution Hardcore – 5.7″ capacitive touch AMOLED screen; 2560×1440 resolution Video Output – 1x micro HDMI port Audio micro HDMI, 3.5mm earphone jack Lite – Stereo speakers Hardcore – 5.0 speakers Connectivity […]
Mini M8S II Amlogic S905X Android TV Box with 2GB RAM Sells for $37
MINI M8S is a relatively popular Android TV box based on Amlogic S905 thanks to its low price ($33) and the inclusion of 2GB RAM. There’s now a new model simply called MINI M8S II with the same specifications, except the processor has been updated to Amlogic S905X, adding VP9 and HDR support, and selling for $36.99 on GearBest with coupon GBM8SII. Mini M8S II specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0b up to 4K @ 60 fps Audio – HDMI, optical S/PDIF Video Codecs – VP9 4K @ 60 fps, 10-bit H.265 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 4K @ 30 fps Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host […]