Networking

While Google Chrome is easily the most popular PC web browser, it’s open-source big brother, Chromium, doesn’t have that many users, but it’s always had some fans on desktop Linux. Now, though, that love affair is in trouble.

Open Source

Google claims it recently found un-named third-party Chromium-based browsers integrating Google cloud-based features, such as Chrome sync and Click to Call, that were intended only for Google Chrome users. In other words, “This meant that a small fraction of users could sign into their Google Account and store their personal Chrome sync data, such as bookmarks, not just with Google Chrome, but also with some third-party Chromium-based browsers.”
Also: Best Linux Foundation classes
Google was not amused. 
Starting on March 15th, Google said it will limit access to many Chrome application programming interfaces (API) inside Chromium starting March 15, 2021. This means users using the Chromium web browser or any other web browser based on its open-source codebase won’t be able to use most Google-specific API-enabled services. This includes the ability to sync Chrome bookmarks, check your spelling, find your contacts, translate text, and on and on.  
Many users aren’t happy either now. Thom Holwerda, managing editor of OSNews, spoke for many when he wrote, Google’s “not closing a security hole, they’re just requiring that everyone use Chrome. Or to put it bluntly, they do not want you to access their Google API functionality without using proprietary software (Google Chrome).”
Developers can, once they jump through the necessary hoops to get API keys and an OAuth 2.0 client ID, get keys to these APIs. But, Google underlines, “that the keys you have now acquired are not for distribution purposes and must not be shared with other users.”

In theory, a developer could pull the API keys out of mainline Chrome and maintain their Chromium’s build Google functionality. However, that’s just asking for a lawsuit. 
Besides, Jochen Eisinger, Google’s Director of Engineering for Chrome Trust & Safety remarked on the Google Chromium developer group, “We won’t remove the API from your key, but we’ll limit the quota to the quota for development. … this will make the keys unsuitable for production use.” These “APIs were not designed to be used by third-party software, so short of a complete rewrite, there is unfortunately no [other] option.”
So, where does that leave Linux distributors who’ve been bundling Chromium? Between a rock and a hard place. 
Porting Chromium to Linux is not trivial. Alan Pope, Canonical’s community manager for Ubuntu Linux engineering service, explained why Canonical started shipping Chromium in an Ubuntu Snap container rather than in a DEB package:

Maintaining a single release of Chromium is a significant time investment for the Ubuntu Desktop Team working with the Ubuntu Security team to deliver updates to each stable release. As the teams support numerous stable releases of Ubuntu, the amount of work is compounded. Comparing this workload to other Linux distributions that have a single supported rolling release misses the nuance of supporting multiple Long Term Support (LTS) and non-LTS releases.
Google releases a new major version of Chromium every six weeks, with typically several minor versions to address security vulnerabilities in between. Every new stable version has to be built for each supported Ubuntu release − 16.04, 18.04, 19.04, and the upcoming 19.10 − and for all supported architectures (amd64, i386, arm, arm64).

While Snap has made this easier, it’s still not easy. According to sources, Canonical has not decided yet whether it will support Chromium without the end-user support for the Google services specific APIs. 
Linux Mint recently started bundling its own Chromium browser. Mint leader Clement “Clem” Lefebvre is sticking with Chromium. “We’re not going to do anything. We’ll continue to package Chromium.”
Red Hat’s community Linux distro Fedora, however, was seriously considering dumping Chromium. Tom Callaway, Chromium’s Fedora maintainer explained that it’s because Google is “cutting off access to the Sync and “other Google Exclusive” APIs from all builds except Google Chrome. This will make the Fedora Chromium build significantly less functional (along with every other distro packaged Chromium).”
However, after consideration, Calloway explained “I never said I was going to remove Chromium from Fedora. I said I was seriously considering it, but after much thought, I decided that there were enough users who still wanted it, even without the functionality provided by the Google API.” So, starting immediately, Fedora’s version of Chromium no longer supports the soon to be depreciated APIs. 
Calloway really wishes Google would reconsider its position. But, he sees little chance of it. “What frustrates me,” Calloway tweeted, “the most is how no one on the Chrome team understands the concept of open source community building. Nothing the Chr maintainers did ever hurt Chrome, they only ever made it stronger.”
Other Linux distributions are edging closer to dumping Chromium. Arch Linux maintainers have thought about it, but, for now, they’ll continue to keep Chromium around even after the March 15th deadline. 
Eric Hameleers, who maintains Chromium for Slackware Linux, is dropping Chromium. “I will not package and distribute a Chromium for Slackware if that package is crippled by the absence of login to Chrome Sync. I will not package a Chromium build with Google’s own ID and secret embedded. Instead, I will do the right thing: advise people not to use Chrome but switch to Firefox.”
With this move, Google has alienated code maintainers and developers at multiple Linux distributions. When Linux Chromium users discover the latest versions won’t work as they have before, they’ll be unhappy too. 
True, this is only a small number. But, it’s leaving many others with a bad taste in their mouth over Google failed the open-source community in this instance. That, in the end, will matter more than this move’s immediate impact on programmers and end-users. 
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Verizon’s growth plans include investment in its B2B unit. 

Special Feature

Verizon added 357,000 wireless postpaid consumer connections in the fourth quarter and another 346,000 for business as the company’s results were better than expected.
The wireless giant reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.11 a share on revenue of $34.7 billion, down 0.2% from a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings were $1.21 a share.
Wall Street was looking for non-GAAP fourth quarter earnings of $1.17 a share on revenue of $34.43 billion.
Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said 5G is expanding beyond mobile use cases and the company aims to “create new opportunities for growth across multiple industries.” Verizon missed its consumer postpaid phone subscriber total, but 5G connections are going to be about more than just smartphones. In addition, edge computing and IoT deployments will also minimize the importance of phone additions over time.
The company noted that it will continue to invest in Verizon Business. In 2020, Verizon announced the BlueJeans purchase in  and followed up with encryption improvements and features for virtual events. 
Vestberg said:

You can see also that Verizon Business Group has a year of investments to see that we are putting a foundation to be even stronger for the future, had good growth in the wireless and also in some areas like the public sector, very good performance and also adding a lot of new customers on the enterprise side.We have other segments we are addressing as well as the next-generation business-to-business application based on our unique mobile edge compute offering that we have with Amazon, also now with Microsoft and many other partners. And finally, the network monetization with our MVNO partners, which are enjoying the best network that we have and we’re building.

For 2020, Verizon reported earnings of $4.30 a share on revenue of $128.3 billion, down 2.7% from a year ago.

Among the key items:
Verizon said consumer revenue was $23.9 billion, down 1.2% from a year ago.
Verizon’s consumer unit had 357,000 wireless retail postpaid net additions. That sum included 163,000 phone net additions, 81,000 tablet losses and 275,000 other connected device additions.
The company had 92,000 FiOS Internet net additions in the fourth quarter. FioS Video lost 72,000 net customers in the fourth quarter.
Business revenue was $8.1 billion in the fourth quarter, down 0.3%. Verizon Business added a net 346,000 wireless retail postpaid customers with 116,000 phones, 116,000 tablets and 114,000 other devices.
Verizon’s media business revenue was $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter, up 11.4% from a year ago. The growth was the first quarterly sales gains since Verizon acquired Yahoo in 2017.
As for the outlook, Verizon is projecting non-GAAP 2021 earnings of $5 a share to $5.15 a share. More

If you work for a large company, you undoubtedly have access to a corporate file server. But if you work for a small business or you’re working from home, your file server is likely to be in the cloud, probably something offered by Dropbox, AWS, Google, or Microsoft. Cloud-based servers are good (here I talk about how one saved my bacon), but for full-time work-at-home folks, cloud based servers don’t always cut the mustard.
Cloud-based servers are terrible for video editing, as it takes forever to upload and download video to the cloud (even if you have a fast pipe). If you’re doing anything with video (or other large files), you’re unlikely to find cloud storage practical except, maybe, for backup. Second, cloud servers can get kind of expensive. Sure, if you’re equipping a NAS, you’re paying for drives, but once you pay out the expense for the NAS and drives, you’re done. You don’t have to pay for it month after month after month.
Don’t get me wrong. I strongly recommend cloud storage as one leg in a 3-2-1 backup strategy, but for home and small office use, a NAS can be invaluable. It’s fast, it’s easy to get to, you can segment shares for family members or workgroups, and many NASes offer a wide range of additional applications that turn your box into a local, private, on-premises general-purpose business server (or, in the case of the QNAP below, a full media center computer).
Let’s dive in. I’m showing you five machines that I am sure will serve you well over the years.

Best-in-class UI in a four-bay model

Price per bay: $137
Drive bays: 4
Max capacity: 64TB
RAM: 4GB
1GB Ethernet ports: 2 DDR4
USB 3.0 ports: 2
Internal NVMe cache slots: 2
By far, the standout feature of any Synology NAS is the company’s exceptional DiskStation Manager (DSM) software. While the Synology hardware is on-par with many other NAS offerings, it’s when that hardware is combined with the DSM software that Synology’s offerings become best-in-class.
Also: We test the Synology DiskStation DS1817+ RAID
It’s not just the fit-and-finish of the UI, which is clear and crisp. It’s that each option and element of the software, whether part of the original install or one of the many optional apps, is understandable, clear, and well-considered. The company offers its own higher-performance RAID capability, as well. Here, at Camp David, I’m actually running all three of my main servers using DSM, and in the very few times I’ve had a disk failure, I’ve been able to recover and resume with very little effort or stress.
After spending half a year testing NAS boxes from seven different brands, the Synology offerings have been my unquestioned “go-to” recommendation. We’re spotlighting a four-bay unit here, but you can get units with more bays. I run both a four- and an eight-bay unit, along with an ioSafe five-bay unit (more on that below), and I’ve been very satisfied with all of them.
View Now at Amazon

Starter two-bay unit for small business and home offices

Price per bay: $150
Drive bays: 2
Max capacity: 32TB
RAM: 2GB DDR4
1GB Ethernet ports: 2
USB 3.0 ports: 2
If you’re just getting started with an internal NAS and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, this is probably the best price/performance you’re going to find. You can find two-bay Synology boxes for a hundred bucks less on Amazon, but they’re older models. And you can certainly find other two-bay NAS boxes for less than the $300 this unit costs, but they won’t have the exceptional DiskStation Manager software that makes all Synology units such stand-out machines.
Also: Best Network Attached Storage for 2020 CNET
That’s why I recommended this as a starter unit. It gives you the RAID capability that you should definitely have in all NAS boxes (which helps secure your data if a drive fails), along with a wide range of applications and add-ons, particularly for cloud-based backup.
View Now at Amazon

Powerful NAS ideal for your home entertainment system

Price per bay: $115
Drive bays: 4
Max capacity: 64TB
RAM: 4GB DDR4
1GB Ethernet ports: 2
USB 3.2 ports: 4
Internal graphics: Intel HD Graphics 600
Remote control: 1
HDMI 2.0 ports: 1
Don’t think of this box as just a NAS. Instead, think of it as a media center computer with RAID and NAS capabilities. Yes, QNAP made its name producing NAS boxes. But this unit adds Intel 600 graphics and an HDMI port, allowing you to play all your media directly from the NAS to your TV’s HDMI input.
Also: We test the QNAP TVS-473 RAID
The selection of applications QNAP offers is nothing short of ridonculous. Not only can you install the usual NAS suspects, but you can run a Chrome browser or even install a full Ubuntu on top of the NAS capabilities. The only thing missing to make this into a quite capable media center computer is Bluetooth for keyboard and mouse input, but you can use dongles like the Logitech Unifying Receivers to connect your keyboard and mouse to one of the four USB ports. It even comes with a remote control.
My one critique of the QNAP interface is that during my testing of a previous model, I had some difficulty with Mac-based files stored on the QNAP. If you’re using a Mac, connect to the QNAP using SMB instead of AFP and you’ll have better reliability.
View Now at Amazon

Easiest to manage RAID, but barely any server features

Price per bay: $132
Drive bays: 5
Max capacity: 50TB
RAM: 2GB DDR3
1GB Ethernet ports: 2
Internal mSATA slots: 1
It’s kind of odd that Drobo hasn’t updated its one NAS storage array since 2017, but that goes to Drobo’s main focus as a direct-attached storage solution. Even though it’s been around for a while, the Drobo 5N2 has to go into our list of the best NAS devices, chiefly because its RAID functionality is just so good.
Also: We test the Drobo 5N2 RAID
Let’s clarify where this device fits: If you want a server with lots of apps and features, the Drobo is absolutely not for you. But if you want brain-dead easy RAID that keeps your drives safe and available on your LAN, and you don’t really care about much else, the 5N2 is a win. The Drobo justifiably won my best-in-show award for RAID performance, which was flawless in my testing. It also landed at the very bottom for network features, so you win some and you lose some. Go ahead and read and watch my full review for the in-depth details.
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Water and fireproof NAS capable of surviving an insurrection

Price per bay: $325
Drive bays: 2
Max capacity: 24TB
RAM: 2GB DDR4
1GB Ethernet ports: 1
USB 3.0 ports: 2
Face it. No matter where you work or what you do, one day the #&@! is going to hit the fan. It doesn’t matter if it’s earthquakes or hurricanes (two things my home office had to live through) or some other form of disaster, it’s likely that your drives will be at risk, at least part of the time.
Now, let’s be clear: We never recommend you store all your data in one place. In fact, the 3-2-1 backup strategy we recommend involves storing three copies of your data, using at least two different types of storage mechanisms and at least one copy of which is stored off-site. But restoring from off-site can be difficult and time-consuming, and cloud backups get very expensive as your data usage goes up. It’s not a bad idea to have a robust storage solution in-house.
Also: We test the ioSafe 1515+ battle-hardened RAID
That’s where ioSafe comes in. ioSafe builds NAS boxes inside boxes that are, essentially, safes. They’re fire and water-proof. They also weigh a ton and are rock solid, so (especially if you attach them to a floor or closet with an available bracket), you can prevent them from walking away. As a bonus, the ioSafe machines use Synology’s DSM software, making them very easy to use.
I use an ioSafe machine as a second backup to my main Synology box. It comes on once a week, accepts a backup, and then shuts off. That way, even if my network is breached, the ioSafe is powered down except for a few hours each week. My drives are protected physically and (mostly) air-gapped from the internet. You can implement this strategy, as well.
I have a five-bay model, but I’ve recommended a two-bay model here, simply because they are quite expensive due to the added protection. Also, expect to pay $50 to $100 for shipping because these machines are very, very heavy.
View Now at Amazon
Build your own
I wouldn’t be allowed to get out of this article alive if I didn’t mention the option of building your own NAS box. There is no law that says you need to buy a pre-built box from a vendor. You can repurpose an old PC or even build a very custom NAS solution to meet your exact needs.
For years and years, I always built my own NAS boxes, including some that were very customized. But as the NAS offerings from vendors like Synology, QNAP, and Drobo got better, the need to build my own diminished. I also had a ton of other projects to work on, and delegating NAS building to others saved me some time.
If you’re super-comfortable with speccing PC parts and building PCs, you’ll probably want to go it on your own. But if you’re new to PC building, buying an appliance NAS is probably the way to go. I’m not going to go into too much more detail, because this article covers it in some depth. Not everyone agrees with my assessment, so if you want to really see what folks think, visit my YouTube video of the same name and dig through the hundreds of comments. There are good conversations there.
Our process

As with many of my other “best of” lists, this one comes out of my experience. I’ve been running NAS boxes since sometime in the 1980s. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to bring boxes in from seven vendors and stress test them in the lab. From those tests, come my top recommendations. 
While the devices here aren’t the identical ones tested in the lab (with one exception), these all reflect the technology from each vendor. In addition, I’m using devices from three of the four vendors recommended here on a daily or weekly basis, so I have a lot of experience with how well they work.
How to choose
So, how should you choose? In this case, the decision tree is pretty straightforward. You need, of course, to determine your budget and storage needs. Almost all vendors offer models in two bays (room for two drives) and up. If you need a ton of storage, get more bays. I’m running two eight-bay units, one four-bay unit, and one five-bay unit here at Camp David, but I produce a lot of video and need a lot of media asset storage.
From there, here’s a good decision tree:
If you want a media center computer and don’t have a lot of heavy Mac users: Get the QNAP. It has integrated graphics, a boatload of apps, an HDMI port, and can directly connect to your TV.
If you’re concerned about surviving the apocalypse or you work in Congress: Get the ioSafe. It’s an armored fortress of a NAS.
If you don’t care about apps and just want to share files with easy-peasy RAID: Get the Drobo. It makes RAID (even on the bad days when a drive fails) about as easy and reliable as it gets.
If you have any other NAS needs, get the Synology options: Synology is bar far the brand I recommend when people come to me for NAS recommendations, as borne out in my lab testing and experience.
So, there you go. Let us know what you’re doing for file sharing, local storage, and NAS options in the comments below.

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You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV. More

Loon, the Google(x)-incubated company that sought to provide internet access in developing economies, is shutting down. In the de rigueur Medium swan song, CEO Alastair Westgarth details some of the project’s impressive accomplishments, including keeping Loon’s balloons aloft in the stratosphere for hundreds of days and finding a way to launch objects the size of a tennis court. Westgarth notes that Loon was able to provide mobile internet access to an area over 4,200 square miles, hundreds of times the coverage of a cell tower. Things seemed to be looking up last summer when the Alphabet portfolio company began offering commercial service in Kenya. Ultimately, though, Loon couldn’t be made to work inexpensively enough to provide service for the hardest billion users to reach. 
Loon is far from the first company to try to deliver internet access from above, although balloons were certainly the lightest-weight and option ever tried at scale. In the early days of mass internet adoption in the late ’90s, a few startups tried delivering the airborne internet. Efforts included Angel Technologies’ HALO (High Altitude Long Operation) scheme to provide internet via lightweight planes. There was also Sky Station, a blimp-based effort that had former Secretary of State Al Haig “in control” as well as the support of Sirius Radio finder and digital immortality advocate Martine Rothblatt.
There’s something particularly sad about Loon winding down and not only because of its lofty mission. While it didn’t compete with some of X’s more health-oriented efforts in terms of potential contribution to humanity, it reminded us of a simpler Google, one that had recently done much to make the web useful and thus helped to jump-start so many of its benefits to citizens in wealthier nations. Nowadays, though, Google isn’t the only company launching moonshots. Last year, SpaceX launched StarLink, a satellite constellation for delivering internet access, while Amazon won FCC approval for its competing satellite constellation Kuiper, in which it is investing $10 billion.
Both efforts, though, are focused on internet access in the US, at least to start. As Westgarth writes, “The world needs a layered approach to connectivity — terrestrial, stratospheric, and space-based — because each layer is suited to different parts of the problem.”
Loon’s landfall doesn’t mark the last of X’s efforts to improve internet access. Taara is an offshoot of Loon that was developed to facilitate communication among the balloons. The system uses light for point-to-point Free Space Optical Communications that it describes as being “like fiber, but without the cables.” Its website cites a 7x difference in internet speeds between countries with the slowest and fastest access, and has piloted its backhaul technology in India and Africa to connect cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots.
But for those who, like Westgarth, were inspired by the graceful journey of Loon’s ethereal balloons as they moved through the stratosphere, Loon leaves behind an industry association aiming to further the transfer of bits using high altitude platform stations. The HAPS Alliance includes carriers such as AT&T, Telefonica, and T-Mobile as well as infrastructure providers such as Nokia and Ericsson. Without Loon, though, the near-term potential looks cloudier than any sky that Loon’s balloons once traversed.
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We can’t live without e-commerce and our favorite apps, but have you ever considered the work that goes into making them run smoothly and beautifully? Behind every website and mobile app are developers and designers who painstakingly ensure that your experience is as seamless as possible. 

This app-driven economy depends on web developers and digital designers to thrive. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment for roles to grow 8 percent between 2019 to 2029, so if you want to find work in this growing industry, this $35 training bundle has 14 courses to put you on the right track. 
The Ultimate 2021 Web Developer and Designer Super Bundle features 39 hours of content on design fundamentals and some of the most popular coding languages used today. These courses are taught by Laurence Svekis and Kalob Taulien, two prof instructors who have decades of experience in web development. They both have a passion for teaching and combined have instructed nearly 1 million students on Udemy alone. 
This bundle includes some of Laurence and Kalob’s most popular courses, but you should decide whether you’re more interested in coding or design first. Kalob’s courses, HTML 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Coding and CSS 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Beautiful Websites, will introduce you to both aspects of web development. They cover the basics such as understanding syntax, HTML base page structure, writing inline and internal CSS, and much more. 
From there, you can pursue HTML and CSS further with Kalob’s intermediate and advanced courses. Alternatively, Laurence offers courses on JavaScript as well as hands-on projects that will teach you how to build games with this versatile language. 
As everything we do becomes app-based, our need for web developers and designers will continue to grow. So if you’re looking for a stable career with plenty of opportunities or a way to make income on the side, The Ultimate 2021 Web Developer and Designer Super Bundle offers all the material you need to get you started. These courses range from $99 to $199, but you can get all 14 courses today for just $35. 

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For many of us, the bog-standard, default router supplied by our Internet Service Provider (ISP) at the time we signed up for broadband was once enough. 
However, in the past decade, the widespread adoption of mobile technology including smartphones and tablets, Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as smart lighting and security cameras, and the popularity of streaming services — Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Spotify, to name a few — are now causing our old routers to creak under the strain. 
Each device we connect to our router demands bandwidth. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the need for speed, capacity, and reliability in the home router space now we are faced with the added burdens of working from home and teaching our kids remotely — not to mention using the Internet for entertainment rather than venturing out of doors. 
To keep our homes and remote work setups running smoothly now is the time to consider what type of router you need, for now, and in the future. 
When you search for different options online, a plethora of features are available: Wi-Fi 5 / 6, mesh, voice-assistant supported, Ethernet and wired, mobile and LTE support, and more. While many features could be superfluous to your purposes, there are two main types of product to consider: a traditional router, or mesh network. 
Also: Best mesh Wi-Fi system for the office or home in 2021 | Netgear Orbi 4G LTE (LBR20), hands-on: A versatile router with mesh Wi-Fi, mobile broadband and wired connectivity | Hands on with the Rock Space home mesh system: for anyone with poor Wi-Fi coverage indoors | TP-Link Deco M4 review: A reliable mesh Wi-Fi system on a budget
What’s the difference?
Traditional Wi-Fi routers:
Mesh networking is a relatively new entry into the consumer market, so you would be forgiven to think it would automatically be ‘better’ than a standard router. However, a mesh network is an overkill for some. 

A standard router acts as a central hub for Internet connectivity. Traffic and requests from devices granted permission to connect to the router — usually through a password — are funneled through one access point. 

The benefits:
Price: Standard routers are generally more affordable than mesh network products. While you still may expect to pay hundreds of dollars for a premium router, there are many options out there that are budget-friendly and both quick and stable enough to keep your home office running effectively without further input. 
Plug and play: In my experience, setting up a standard router is less of a hassle than a mesh network. For something that ‘just works,’ a typical router might be the best option. Set it up, make sure updates are automatically applied, and forget about it. 
Speed and wires: Many routers today, such as the Netgear Nighthawk and Asus ROG, are designed with heavy bandwidth and streaming requirements in mind — and have the technology inbuilt to facilitate it. Gamers and live streamers, for example, should generally stick with wired Ethernet connections that may perform better with traditional routers, instead of wireless-first products.
Separating devices: You can set up guest networks on most modern routers, but if you also want to keep all of your IoT devices on a separate network in the interests of security, most routers will allow you to do this without much hassle. 
The disadvantages:
Coverage issues: As Internet access is distributed through a single point, this can mean that areas far away from your router will have slow or spotty connections that drop. However, range extenders can help remove this barrier and can still end up being cheaper than investing in a mesh network. 
Overload: Unless extenders or channel separation features are used, too many connections may result in overloading, bottlenecks, lag, and drops.
Tweaking: If you want to tweak the more advanced settings on a router, this can often require annoying visits to a platform via desktop, rather than seamless mobile app connectivity we have learned to enjoy for many of our modern services. 
Also: Working from home has revealed tech’s biggest failures. Here’s what needs to change | Working from home: The future of business is remote | Remote work: 10 ways to upgrade your working from home setup 
What about Wi-Fi 6?
It is worth mentioning Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax. This is the next standard in wireless technologies and is designed to increase wireless device performance in comparison to 802.11ac. Some modern routers support this standard, and so could be considered when future-proofing your home office. 
MU-MIMO (Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output), too, should be kept in mind. Some routers use this technology to improve the speed of data transfer when multiple devices are connected simultaneously — but not all. 
Mesh networking:
While traditional routers are singular, centralized access points, mesh networking devices are decentralized. Instead of a device connecting to a single gateway to the Internet, mesh networks are created from multiple nodes that all provide web connectivity. For example, you could have a central ‘hub’ in the kitchen and then have satellite nodes in the home office, kitchen, or bedroom. 
When you are trying to access the web while in the kitchen, you would automatically connect to the hub, whereas you would jump on the node while you’re in your home office, and so on.

The benefits:
Improved coverage: The main benefit of a mesh network is extended coverage. In larger properties with a lot of square feet, investing in a mesh setup will remove annoyances such as coverage blackspots. 
A boost in reliability: As your device will connect to the nearest satellite node rather than a central point of access, this helps ensure that no matter where you are on a property, you are less likely to experience drops in connectivity.
Additional controls: Once a mesh network is active, many vendors will allow users to control their router through a mobile app. This could include keeping an eye on network traffic, rebooting, or even turning off the Internet entirely — perhaps an appealing prospect for those with children.
The disadvantages:
Initial expense: In general, mesh devices require a more expensive outlay to setup. While a device’s hub and one satellite might not be too costly, if you want to take full advantage of what a mesh network can provide, you may need to buy more — and the cash required to do so can add up.
More than one: Setting up a mesh network means you will need more than one power outlet. For each satellite you add, you will need to ensure there is a power supply and that you’re happy to have them dotted around your property, as attractively designed as they can be.
Speed: Mesh means coverage over speed. In some cases, mesh networks — especially at entry levels — will not provide the same speeds you can expect from typical routers.

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What is best for my home office?
You need to decide whether or not the outlay for a full mesh network is worth it. In larger homes with dead spots, mesh networking can provide a way to immediately improve signal strength and coverage. 
However, it can be expensive to overhaul your existing router setup, and going for a full mesh may simply be described as overkill unless you consistently have multiple users and devices competing for bandwidth.
There are some mesh network systems out there, such as Google WiFi, Nest WiFi, and eero which are relatively cheap to set up — as long as you don’t need too many satellites. 
Also: Best Wi-Fi router in 2021 | Working from home 101: Every remote worker’s guide to the essential tools for telecommuting
Before changing your setup, you should also consider your ISP package. If you’re subscribed to a low-speed offering, new equipment is not going to necessarily help. Instead, package upgrades could be a better option.  
If you are a sole user and need a stable, powerful connection — such as for resource-hungry work applications or gaming — a traditional router may be all you need. Wired should be quicker than wireless, and so investment in a simple Ethernet cable, easily picked up for $10 to $15, could be enough. 
Wi-Fi range extenders, too, could be considered as an alternative to mesh if you just need to boost coverage in some areas, and will likely be less expensive than purchasing individual mesh nodes. Some vendors also offer mesh ‘bolt-ons’ such as Asus’ AiMesh, which can connect up existing routers to create a mesh-like coverage network without ripping everything out and starting again.
However, mesh networking is here to stay and at a time when many of us are now in the home rather than traditional home offices, a mesh setup could be a future-proof investment. It’s not suitable for you if you rely on wired connectivity and speed, but if you need to make sure dead zones and drops do not impact your working day — and you don’t mind the potential expense — mesh systems are a worthwhile upgrade to your home equipment. 
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When former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai left office on Jan. 20, 2021, his departure was greeted with hoots of derision. His crime? Destroying net neutrality. Now, President Joe Biden has named FCC member and net neutrality champion Jessica Rosenworcel to chair the Commission. This is a big step forward for net neutrality’s return. 

While President Donald Trump and Pai helped destroy net neutrality to the advantage of major ISPs and telecoms, Rosenworcel fought against their efforts and for net neutrality. 
Net neutrality is at its heart a very simple idea: Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data that travels over their networks fairly, without discriminating for or against any particular apps, sites, or services. Today’s commercial internet began with what we now call net neutrality via the Commercial Internet Exchange (CIX). Without it, instead of the internet we know and use every day, we would have been stuck with isolated islands of connectivity like the online services of the 80s and 90s such as AOL, CompuServe, and Prodigy. 
Without network neutrality, we’d have no Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, or Google. We might not even have the Web we’re no more aware of today than a fish is of the water in which it swims.
Millions of Americans, in part because of net neutrality’s teardown, don’t have access to broadband internet. According to the FCC’s 2020 Broadband Deployment Report, 21.3 million rural Americans don’t have access to internet download speeds of at least 25 Mbps, which is the recommended speed for working from home and online schooling. The real numbers are much worse. BroadbandNow Research using the FCC’s own data found almost twice that number, 42 million, don’t have broadband access.  
In October 2020, when Pai faced a Federal Court order to reconsider net neutrality’s impact on public safety and providing subsidies for broadband service, Pai refused to act.  
Rosenworcel snapped back, “This is crazy. The internet should be open and available for all. That’s what net neutrality is about. It’s why people from across this country rose up to voice their frustration and anger with the Federal Communications Commission when it decided to ignore their wishes and roll back net neutrality.” 

She continued, “The FCC is going to make it easier for broadband companies to block websites, slow speeds, and dictate what we can do and where we can go online.  It’s insane that this is happening now, during a pandemic when we rely on internet access for so much of day-to-day life.”
Rosenworcel’s right. With the coronavirus raging on, Americans whether they’re working from home or going to school need broadband more than ever. The newly minted FCC chair has been especially harsh about the damage the lack of affordable broadband has done to school kids, which she calls the “homework gap.” 
Rosenworcel said, “When I was growing up, homework required nothing more than your siblings leaving you alone, a clear workspace, and a Number 2 pencil. Those days are gone. Not just because the school year is winding down. They are gone because today as many as seven in ten teachers assign homework that requires access to broadband. But data from this Commission suggests one in three households do not subscribe to broadband service.” This is not right.
“If you want evidence this is not right, it’s all around us, Rosenworcel said in a later statement, “There are people sitting in parking lots using free Wi-Fi signals because they have no other way to get online. There are students who fall in the homework gap because they lack the high-speed service they need to participate in remote learning.”
In the short term, Rosenworcel will get a new broadband $7-billion pandemic stimulus program underway. These “E-Rate” funds are to help students get Wi-Fi access. Pai had ruled that these funds could only be used for classrooms. With millions of students stuck at home, Rosenworcel believes some of this money should be used to provide home connectivity for students to close the homework gap.
In the long run, if Rosenworcel becomes the permanent head of the FCC, there’s no question she will fight to return net neutrality. When Pai ended net neutrality, Rosenworcel said the FCC had “failed the American public.” Given a chance, Rosenworcel will bring back to the American public the net neutrality they need for their jobs, lives, and education. 
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This bad boy loves data, but not voice. Thanks Labor.
Image: NBN
The Australian government has announced the first trio of companies to pick up grants from its AU$2 million Alternative Voice Services Trials kitty.
NBN will test 260 voice services across its fixed wireless and satellite footprints, with the tests to include using low-band fixed wireless for voice.
Covering the Cocos Islands and Norfolk Island, Concerotel will trial up to 200 VOIP services on satellite-backhauled mobile phones.
Meanwhile, Zetifi will trial 50 voice services using Wi-Fi calling on farms in New South Wales and northern Victoria.
The government said some of the trials will use antennas and battery backup in residences to improve call quality.
“These trials are about identifying new options to deliver voice calls in remote areas, so it’s important that the new technology is tested across a range of localities,” Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government Mark Coulton said.
“Ensuring that rural Australians have access to robust and resilient phone services is a priority for the federal government, which is why we are funding these trials to test what will and won’t work for remote communities.”

Finding people to participate in the trials will occur over “coming months”, the government added, with additional grants to be announced “shortly”.
While it might be tempting to think that NBN’s Sky Muster satellite could provide voice services, the satellites cannot do it without a high level of latency, and it prevents the full removal of the voice-centric Universal Service Obligation on Telstra.
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