Networking

Working from home has become a new norm for many. Enterprises are now embarking on hybrid working arrangements and that means home internet connections remain critical for people who need to hop on a or Zoom video call while the kids are attending virtual classes, playing , or watching . Home broadband connections were put to the test during the initial COVID-19 phase of pandemic lockdowns around the globe as employees logged in, en masse, from managed and BYOD devices to their needed business applications, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace over VPNs. Also: Internet slow? Here are 7 possible reasons why and how to fix themHere are five broadband speed tests that ZDNet considers trustworthy. To get a true picture of your broadband speed, you’ll likely need to run the tests multiple times and check results across different devices throughout the day. It may also be worth running these tests on multiple devices on your home network. If one device produces a vastly slowly or faster result, you may be dealing with a problem at the LAN or Wi-Fi level, rather than with your broadband provider’s network. 

Ookla’s Speedtest

Best internet speed test

Speedtest from Ookla, which also owns outage site, Downdetector, was one of the first broadband speed tests and offers a snapshot of download and upload speeds to an ISP via its website or a lightweight app for Windows 10 or macOS. It’s also available in 17 languages, and if you set up an account, you can keep track of your speeds over time. The service displays the current download and upload speeds and measurements for ‘ping’, ‘jitter’, and packet loss. There are also options to change the local server that the ISP speed test is conducted with — a configuration option that most other tests lack. Plus, results can be shared on social media.   Ookla has some helpful explanatory notes for people who aren’t familiar with the ping test. It’s a latency test. Ookla says that less than 59 milliseconds (MS) ping is very good for online games. The FCC wants satellite broadband providers to deliver latency of below 100 ms to bid for a slice of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). SpaceX says its Starlink satellites will provide a latency of 20ms to 40ms.   Its website is useful for those who are curious enough to learn why a test on a mobile device returns a different result to a laptop or a device that’s physically connected to a router.  Each test taken with Speedtest uses Ookla’s server network of over 14,000 servers and reports back on key network health metrics, Nick Turner, a technical trainer at Ookla, tells ZDNet. “There are Speedtest servers in virtually every country and major population center worldwide,” Turner said.  He argues that Ookla’s distributed server network makes it more accurate than many other tests. “This enables us to more easily select ‘nearby’ servers or combinations of servers that are capable of delivering the sufficient bandwidth necessary to discover the most accurate maximum speeds to the device in question. Since our founding in 2006, an unparalleled total of more than 35 billion tests have been taken with Speedtest.”Pros:   It’s a general purpose broadband speed test in use since 2006   It’s not from an ISP or a service provider    Users can select the host server from which to test their ISP’s speed test Cons:   The site uses tech-lingo that some people might not understand    It’s full of ads and ad trackers 

Netflix’s Fast.com

Best for Netflix

Like other entries on this list, Netflix’s Fast.com broadband speed is run by a company that has an interest in its customers having a fast enough connection to stream its content. That means there are none of the lingering questions about potential bias from speed tests run by ISPs. Plus, the tests are international, using servers where Netflix has installed appliances for its giant content delivery network (CDN).  Netflix has a vast CDN called Netflix Open Connect, which relies on Open Connect appliances installed within ISPs that peer with Netflix. That CDN is built around the principle of moving content closer to users and is how it delivers a fast streaming experience. Hence, the Fast.com test is designed to test the connection between a person’s device and Netflix’s CDN servers. That means the results are specific to Netflix’s own network, which makes sense for the company but also means it looks at speeds from a particular perspective.   The Fast.com website keeps things simple by only showing the download speed. In my tests, it reported slower speeds than Oookla’s Speedtest. And it produced wildly different results between wifi tests on a 2017 macOS MacBook Pro (160Mbps) and an iPhone 12 (330 Mbps), with both on a modern router’s 5GHz frequency.But on Fast.com, you don’t even need to click ‘Go’; just opening the site in a browser tab starts the test. There’s also a “Show more” option, which provides latency speeds and upload speeds, as well as where the servers used in the test are located.  Pros:   It’s designed to test the speed of your connection to Netflix’s servers   There are no ads    It’s relevant to your connection wherever you’re streaming Netflix from Cons:   It’s not really designed to test your ISP’s connection speed    Results are specific to Netflix infrastructure    Only provides download speeds

The Google speed test for Stadia online gaming

Best for a specific web application

The Google Stadia online gaming platform has hit a few bumps since launching in 2019, but it is a massive platform, and the company knows that consumer broadband speeds are critical for adoption.Google recommends a download speed of no less than 10 Mbps to stream games on Stadia but recommends faster speeds for displays with a resolution higher than 720p HD. It teamed up with open source project Measurement Lab or M-Lab to run its speed test. The project is led by teams at Code for Science & Society and Google. The Google Stadia web interface is pretty simple — literally a one-click task at Google’s Projectstream website from the “Check Now” button. It’s focused on Stadia users, and so, for accuracy, it recommends people use the device and network where they want to play and have a strong wi-fi or Ethernet connection. It also recommends halting current downloads and file-sharing and closing tabs that are streaming video. The measurement takes less than 30 seconds to complete and returns similar results to Ookla. At the least, it confirms whether you’ll have a decent experience when gaming on Stadia.However, as Google notes, the test only provides a general indication of the quality of a connection and does not guarantee Stadia will work. Other factors include the device, ISP, and other activities that are consuming bandwidth.Pros:   It’s a general purpose broadband speed test based on a platform in use since 2006   It’s not from an ISP or a service provider    Users can select the host server from which to test their ISP’s speed test Cons:   It’s primarily focused on Stadia, despite offering useful measurements for all 

Comcast’s Xfinity xFi speed test

Can you trust your ISP’s speed test?

As a top US contender in the gigabit internet market, Comcast’s Xfinity xFi broadband speed test is a popular choice for Americans. The speed test itself operates similarly to Google’s speed test, but the site has some pointers for customers wanting to explore why the speed results might not match the user’s plan. These are helpful, but I feel defensive as if they were written to help reduce customer support calls for why a broadband isn’t as fast as advertised.    On the other hand, it provides more context about factors that can affect the home connection, such as an old home gateway lowering available bandwidth. The result also explains what the device being tested can do, such as streaming 4K video. The site prioritizes download speeds but does have a “Show more” option to see upload speeds, latency, the internet protocol, and where the host server is located.    Results may vary depending on where you’re located, and the test is designed purely for American internet users.   For those worried about bias in Comcast’s results, it’s worth noting that our testing showed the site to produce results in line with or in excess of advertised speeds for Comcast’s direct competitor, Verizon FiOS. Pros:   The results are consistent with other speed tests   It’s dead simple to use, and there are no ads    Test servers are located in the US Cons:   It is a test operated by an ISP    The information it provides appears geared towards reducing support calls

The FCC’s Speed Test app

Best speed test app

The FCC in April launched the FCC Speed Test app. It’s available as an Android app in the Google Play Store and an iOS app in Apple’s App Store. That means you can’t run the test from your desktop, but you are taking part in an important project for the commission to get a clearer picture of broadband quality across America. The test produces results once you press the button to start the test in the mobile app. The data collected is used to help the FCC improve its broadband maps. Under the Trump administration, Microsoft argued the FCC was severely overestimating how many residents had access to fast broadband. Microsoft’s data suggested almost half of America’s population did not have access to speeds of at least 25 Mpbs rather than the 24 million estimated in the FCC’s maps. Data is shared with the FCC’s Measuring Broadband America research program, an important national project that will help determine where funding is allocated in years to come. It’s a case where broadband speed tests aren’t just about your own connection speed but the state of broadband across the nation. “To close the gap between digital haves and have nots, we are working to build a comprehensive, user-friendly dataset on broadband availability,” said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel. “Expanding the base of consumers who use the FCC Speed Test app will enable us to provide improved coverage information to the public and add to the measurement tools we’re developing to show where broadband is truly available throughout the United States.”ProsIt helps a project to improve fast broadband access across the USThere are no ads or direct commercial interestsThe FCC under the Biden Administration seems keen to look at the consumer rather than carrier interests  Cons It requires an app download, there is no web-based versionThere’s no way to test broadband speeds from a desktop or Ethernet-connected PC

Why do you need to check your internet speed?

Speed tests are useful to remote workers who might need to figure out whether a poor connection is due to the ISP or something else, such as a problematic home router, a Wi-Fi interference issue, or even the device they’re testing from — be it a laptop, desktop or a smartphone. The tests can also be handy when disputing an ISP’s claimed speeds for a subscription, and just generally making sure you’re receiving the service level you’re paying for. 

What is the best internet speed test?

We found the best internet speed test is Ookla Speedtest. This broadband speed test is extremely user friendly and reliable with a total of more than 40 billion consumer-initiated tests conducted.

Are some internet speed tests more reliable or trustworthy than others?

Results can vary widely between broadband speed tests and day-to-day due to changing network conditions. ZDNet considers the five five broadband speed tests above to be reliable and trustworthy. But to get a true picture of your broadband speeds, try running multiple tests across multiple devices and at least two or three of the speed tests listed here. Taking an average of all of the results from these tests should produce the most accurate measurement possible for most home users. 

For internet speed, how fast is fast enough?

The FCC currently considers 25Mbps to be a fast enough service for more than four users on a network, but many people will find this insufficient. Netflix considers 25Mbps adequate to stream a 4K video to a single device for what it’s worth. However, most home networks have at least a few, if not numerous devices running at any given time. This means that if another user is eating into that 25Mbps speed, your streaming video quality will likely degrade. For more information, tools like BroadbandNow and advice from our sister site CNet can be helpful resources. 

How did we choose these internet speed tests?

ZDNet doesn’t vouch for one test over another. As explained, there are multiple broadband speed tests and people should use at least a few of them to get the most holistic picture of their network’s peformance. Some of them are designed to test a connection for a particular online service, such as Netflix or Stadia, while others can help customer dispute speed claims with ISPs, and the FCC’s speed test might help fill broadband gaps in the community. All in all, the tests listed here are some of the most widely available and well-respected options on the Web. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t better solutions for your individual needs, but these five represent an excellent cross-section of choices for the widest possible array of users. 

Are there other internet speed tests worth considering?

OpenSignal for cellular networks

OpenSignal, which Speedtest.net operator Ookla recently acquired, started out with mobile speed tests and regularly produces reports about 4G and 5G speed results around the world. It crowdsources its results and now also returns results for wifi speeds, but its focus is squarely on the mobile experience. 

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Image: Getty Images
3G is shutting down and some of your most essential tech may soon become unusable. What steered the evolution of how we use, interact, and communicate with technology 20 years ago will officially retire by the end of 2022, with major US carriers repurposing their satellites over the course of the year. In its place: 5G, the next-generation network that promises considerably faster speeds than 4G LTE and a more unified system for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) expansion.

So, what does this all mean for older hardware like cellphones, alarms, and GPS systems that thrive on the 3G spectrum? To put it bluntly, many of the network-driven features will become obsolete, presenting some unforeseen dangers. Fortunately, there are steps that you and your loved ones can take to safely transition from aging to future-proof tech. In some cases, manufacturers may even be able to give your older gadgets new life through software upgrades. Here is everything you need to know about the “3G sunset”, how it will affect the technology that you use, and what you can do to stay afloat in the ever-changing landscape.

When are carriers shutting down 3G?

While carriers have been planning the closure of 3G since 4G LTE took the reins (and the prospect of 5G being another catalyst) the agenda took a pause during the pandemic. Over the past two years, 3G-reliant services like home security systems and tech for the elderly have become more essential than ever, keeping telecommunications companies from pulling the plug. That is, until 2022, with major US carriers finally giving in and setting new shutdown dates that span across the year. AT&T is the first of the big three, closing its 3G network on February 22, 2022. T-Mobile has pushed its 3G shutdown to July 1, 2022, after initially planning for an October closing in 2021. Sprint, now merged with T-Mobile, will close its 3G network on May 31, 2022. Verizon’s 3G network will shut off on December 31, 2022. The carrier has made it clear that “the date will not be extended again.”You can find more information regarding when the 3G networks close on FCC’s website.

Will my phone still work?

Image: Getty Images

For the greater portion of the 3G era, smartphones enabled users to browse the web, share viral videos, update statuses, and connect with people from around the world. That all remains possible through 4G LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi networks. With 3G turned off, the iPhone 3GS, for example, won’t be able to make calls or text messages, but can still connect to Wi-Fi to access internet-based applications. According to the CTIA, “fewer than nine percent of the US wireless connections are 2G or 3G subscriptions.” If you’re using a smartphone that launched after 2014, you likely won’t experience any setbacks from the 3G shutdown. The same applies to flip phones that were released after 2017. Unsure of what year your device was manufactured? The best solution is to check with your local carrier — in person or online — to see if there are any compatibility issues. More: ZDNet’s top picks for cheap 5G phonesCarriers like T-Mobile and Verizon are also reaching out to 3G customers to help with the transition to 4G and 5G service plans. We’re seeing trade-in offers and incentives that will have your 3G-supported phone swapped with a 5G-supported one for free. And for low-income consumers, the FCC’s Lifeline program will discount qualifying monthly telephone and internet services, making the conversion all the more accessible. In general, if you or a loved one are using an older phone, this is your call to upgrade.

How will the 3G shutdown affect my car?

Besides ushering in the revolution of smartphones, 3G has played a foundational role in the navigation and alarm-based systems that we rely on during our everyday commutes. With the institution of faster and more reliable 5G, roadside assistance and emergency crash alerts are among the many network-based features that will be affected by the shutting down of 3G. Many cars also have an emergency SOS button that, when pressed, dials to first responders via 3G. That, too, will lose functionality. Vehicles from popular automakers like Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Hyundai, Dodge, and more released before 2019 are susceptible to the issues mentioned above. The main reason that newer models still carry 3G receivers, according to Roger Lanctot, director of automotive connected mobility at Strategy Analytics, is for automakers to save on manufacturing costs. To stay ahead of the curve, you’ll want to ensure that your car supports or can receive hardware upgrades to connect to 4G. As with smartphones, your best bet to stay in the know is by consulting with your local car dealer. While the modification may come in the form of downloadable software or physical spare parts, it will help to keep your vehicle up to date and functioning — especially during times of danger. More: Why 5G is a crucial technology for autonomous vehicles

How will it affect my home security?

Evgeniykleymenov — Shutterstock

For the past decades, home security and alarm systems have relied on 3G to communicate and monitor suspicious activities. With the 3G shutdown, that line of communication between the home and its service’s central monitoring station becomes non-existent, leaving people who live alone and elders vulnerable. Fortunately, over the course of the pandemic, many home security companies have proactively been migrating customers from 3G to 4G networks, ensuring that their services remain operational, even after the 3G spectrum is taken down. Unlike smartphones and cars that require disassembling or full-on upgrades, adding 4G functionality to security systems is as simple as having a technician install an external receiver (usually a box or panel). If you or someone you know is subscribed to a home security plan (ADT, Vivint, SimpliSafe, etc.) a customer representative should have reached out by phone or mail regarding the transition. If not, services like ADT allow you to schedule a free appointment via phone or website to get the conversion started. More: Our top picks for home security monitoring

Other tech that will be affected

Besides the categories mentioned above, there is a plethora of gadgets and services that rely on the older-generation network which you may not have been aware of. If you own any of the following, make sure to contact the manufacturer and ask what the next steps are. Depending on how old the product is, you may be eligible for a hardware or software upgrade. Medical alert devices (fall detectors, communicators, etc.)Fire alarmsInventory trackersSmartwatchesE-readers (Kindles, Nooks, etc.)GPS trackers (including for pets)Marine safety devices

Bottom line

With the imminent sunset of 3G, take a moment out of your day to check your devices (as well as those of your loved ones) to ensure that everything is up to date and geared for the future. As technology progresses and new advances replace the old, businesses and customers alike must learn, adapt, and embrace the change so the tech we rely on every day can continue to keep ourselves and those around us safe and informed. More

Image: Getty Images
3G is shutting down and some of your most essential tech may soon become unusable. What steered the evolution of how we use, interact, and communicate with technology 20 years ago will officially retire by the end of 2022, with major US carriers repurposing their satellites over the course of the year. In its place: 5G, the next-generation network that promises considerably faster speeds than 4G LTE and a more unified system for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) expansion.

Special Feature

So, what does this all mean for older hardware like cellphones, alarms, and GPS systems that thrive on the 3G spectrum? To put it bluntly, many of the network-driven features will become obsolete, presenting some unforeseen dangers. Fortunately, there are steps that you and your loved ones can take to safely transition from aging to future-proof tech. In some cases, manufacturers may even be able to give your older gadgets new life through software upgrades. Here is everything you need to know about the “3G sunset”, how it will affect the technology that you use, and what you can do to stay afloat in the ever-changing landscape.

When are carriers shutting down 3G?

While carriers have been planning the closure of 3G since 4G LTE took the reins (and the prospect of 5G being another catalyst) the agenda took a pause during the pandemic. Over the past two years, 3G-reliant services like home security systems and tech for the elderly have become more essential than ever, keeping telecommunications companies from pulling the plug. That is, until 2022, with major US carriers finally giving in and setting new shutdown dates that span across the year. AT&T is the first of the big three, closing its 3G network on February 22, 2022. T-Mobile has pushed its 3G shutdown to July 1, 2022, after initially planning for an October closing in 2021. Sprint, now merged with T-Mobile, will close its 3G network on May 31, 2022. Verizon’s 3G network will shut off on December 31, 2022. The carrier has made it clear that “the date will not be extended again.”You can find more information regarding when the 3G networks close on FCC’s website.

Will my phone still work?

Image: Getty Images

For the greater portion of the 3G era, smartphones enabled users to browse the web, share viral videos, update statuses, and connect with people from around the world. That all remains possible through 4G LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi networks. With 3G turned off, the iPhone 3GS, for example, won’t be able to make calls or text messages, but can still connect to Wi-Fi to access internet-based applications. According to the CTIA, “fewer than nine percent of the US wireless connections are 2G or 3G subscriptions.” If you’re using a smartphone that launched after 2014, you likely won’t experience any setbacks from the 3G shutdown. The same applies to flip phones that were released after 2017. Unsure of what year your device was manufactured? The best solution is to check with your local carrier — in person or online — to see if there are any compatibility issues. More: ZDNet’s top picks for cheap 5G phonesCarriers like T-Mobile and Verizon are also reaching out to 3G customers to help with the transition to 4G and 5G service plans. We’re seeing trade-in offers and incentives that will have your 3G-supported phone swapped with a 5G-supported one for free. And for low-income consumers, the FCC’s Lifeline program will discount qualifying monthly telephone and internet services, making the conversion all the more accessible. In general, if you or a loved one are using an older phone, this is your call to upgrade.

How will the 3G shutdown affect my car?

Besides ushering in the revolution of smartphones, 3G has played a foundational role in the navigation and alarm-based systems that we rely on during our everyday commutes. With the institution of faster and more reliable 5G, roadside assistance and emergency crash alerts are among the many network-based features that will be affected by the shutting down of 3G. Many cars also have an emergency SOS button that, when pressed, dials to first responders via 3G. That, too, will lose functionality. Vehicles from popular automakers like Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Hyundai, Dodge, and more released before 2019 are susceptible to the issues mentioned above. The main reason that newer models still carry 3G receivers, according to Roger Lanctot, director of automotive connected mobility at Strategy Analytics, is for automakers to save on manufacturing costs. To stay ahead of the curve, you’ll want to ensure that your car supports or can receive hardware upgrades to connect to 4G. As with smartphones, your best bet to stay in the know is by consulting with your local car dealer. While the modification may come in the form of downloadable software or physical spare parts, it will help to keep your vehicle up to date and functioning — especially during times of danger. More: Why 5G is a crucial technology for autonomous vehicles

How will it affect my home security?

Evgeniykleymenov — Shutterstock

For the past decades, home security and alarm systems have relied on 3G to communicate and monitor suspicious activities. With the 3G shutdown, that line of communication between the home and its service’s central monitoring station becomes non-existent, leaving people who live alone and elders vulnerable. Fortunately, over the course of the pandemic, many home security companies have proactively been migrating customers from 3G to 4G networks, ensuring that their services remain operational, even after the 3G spectrum is taken down. Unlike smartphones and cars that require disassembling or full-on upgrades, adding 4G functionality to security systems is as simple as having a technician install an external receiver (usually a box or panel). If you or someone you know is subscribed to a home security plan (ADT, Vivint, SimpliSafe, etc.) a customer representative should have reached out by phone or mail regarding the transition. If not, services like ADT allow you to schedule a free appointment via phone or website to get the conversion started. More: Our top picks for home security monitoring

Other tech that will be affected

Besides the categories mentioned above, there is a plethora of gadgets and services that rely on the older-generation network which you may not have been aware of. If you own any of the following, make sure to contact the manufacturer and ask what the next steps are. Depending on how old the product is, you may be eligible for a hardware or software upgrade. Medical alert devices (fall detectors, communicators, etc.)Fire alarmsInventory trackersSmartwatchesE-readers (Kindles, Nooks, etc.)GPS trackers (including for pets)Marine safety devices

Bottom line

With the imminent sunset of 3G, take a moment out of your day to check your devices (as well as those of your loved ones) to ensure that everything is up to date and geared for the future. As technology progresses and new advances replace the old, businesses and customers alike must learn, adapt, and embrace the change so the tech we rely on every day can continue to keep ourselves and those around us safe and informed. More

Arista Networks has announced the next phase of its cognitive-campus initiative with the introduction of its Cognitive Unified Edge (CUE) networking package. The concept of a cognitive campus has been to bring a smarter, more automated network to large enterprises and hyper-scalers, which has been Arista’s core buying audience since the company was founded. The new CUE solution is targeted at commercial customers, that is, businesses up to 1,000 employees, which typically have small, lean IT teams. The new Arista product is a cloud-managed, edge service that consolidates Arista’s network and security capabilities. Through the CloudVision management portal, customers will have access to automation capabilities, visibility of the wired and wireless networks, telemetry, security capabilities, zero-touch provisioning, and analytics across the end-to-end network. The dashboard also includes application quality of experience metrics where it tracks more than 250 apps, including many of the video collaboration services. CUE targets commercial customers The new service aligns well with trends in the commercial business segment. In companies of this size, IT pros tend to be jacks-of-all-trades versus the specialists found in larger companies. Prior to the pandemic, this group of engineers was often taxed to the point where keeping up with the demands of their company was challenging, if not impossible. Hybrid work, increased cloud adoption, shadow IT and other COVID-related changes have exacerbated this issue. CUE operates as a cloud service, greatly simplifying operations. Even though the offering is targeted at smaller companies, it deploys Arista’s NetDL (network data lake), which gives customers access to the same rich features that large enterprises get, including AI-driven insights and problem resolution. CUE also offers integrated security such as Zero Trust, which is critical in today’s network-centric world. For more than a decade, the convergence of networking and security has been predicted, with little movement in that direction. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of network-centric trends such as cloud and IoT, forcing the two domains to come together, particularly in the commercial segment where lean IT teams don’t have the resources to manage each independently. New purpose-built hardware for the commercial segment In addition to CloudVision, CUE includes several new Arista network and security edge products, purpose-built for this segment. The new Edge Threat Management Q Series is an edge firewall family that comes in six options and supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), 4G cellular connectivity, NVME storage, integrated WiFi, SD-WAN and NVMe SSD storage. These types of fully integrated appliances are ideally suited to the commercial segment. Arista also revealed a new compact switch, the 710P Compact Switch Series, that comes in three flavors. All three have 12 ports of 10/100/1000Base-T, and there are options for uplinks and downlinks. CUE will be 100% channel driven The new CUE solution will also have a different sales model. Because Arista deals with large enterprises and hyper-scales, much of its business is direct, but that’s hard to scale down market. CUE will be 100% channel-driven and enable customers to purchase via Arista channel partners paving the path for managed service offerings. More and more businesses are choosing to leverage a managed service for network and security operations. The rise of digital transformation has increased the value of the network but also has made networking and security significantly more complex. Managed services enable customers to evolve to an as-a-service model and offload operations to a third party with a higher level of technical acumen than what might be found at a small or medium company. This lets the IT staff spend more time on business-critical issues because they have offloaded many of the tactical, time-consuming day-to-day tasks. It will be interesting to see how this segment reacts to Arista. The company came to the market by addressing the needs of the cloud titans. Because of this, the company is widely regarded as the premier networking company. Other high-performance-focused companies have tried this with mixed success because smaller businesses might consider the products to be overkill for their needs. Arista makes excellent products and always has, so there should be no question that it can address the network and security needs of this segment. The key for the company will be getting channel partners in this segment to embrace a new vendor. The cloud front end is ideally suited for managed services and should be appealing to partners that are looking to augment their business with an as-a-service offering. Arista CUE will be available from Arista Channel Partners in Q2, 2022, with early availability in April 2022. More

This is a sensitive topic. Owners of entertainment content go to great lengths to control the distribution of their wares, especially when it comes to international markets for movies and TV, and even local regions for black-out sporting events. By contrast, VPN vendors go to great lengths making the case that you can use their services to bypass all those restrictions.  But there are times when, legally, you might want to use a VPN to watch a movie or video. If you’re traveling, you can VPN back to your home country and use your home streaming service account to watch your favorite show. That said, it is, at best, a legally gray area. VPNs and set-top boxes and streaming sticks don’t all work together well. The exception to this is the Amazon Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks, and any Android TV box. The XGIMI Halo projector I recently spotlighted in an outdoor theatre project is one such device. But, if you’re using a Roku, an Apple TV box, or any smart TV not running Android TV, you’re forced to jump through a bunch of hoops, connecting your router up as a VPN, or connecting your TV as a client to your Mac or PC and using that machine’s VPN-protected network. Honestly, if you want to watch streaming TV through a VPN, just get a Fire TV stick and be done with it. It’s the easiest and least expensive path.

ExpressVPN

Best VPN for streaming

Native Streaming Apps: Fire TV, Android TV, Nvidia Shield TVSimultaneous Connections: 5 or unlimited with the router appKill Switch: YesPlatforms: A whole lot (see the full list here)Logging: No browsing logs, some connection logsCountries: 94Locations: 160Trial/MBG: 30 daysExpressVPN has been burning up the headlines with not the best news. We’ve chosen to leave ExpressVPN in this recommendation, and I wouldn’t necessarily dismiss ExpressVPN out of hand because of these reports, but it’s up to you to gauge your risk level. The best way to do that is to read our in-depth analysis:Also: Trust, but verify: An in-depth analysis of ExpressVPN’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weekExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPN providers out there, offering a wide range of platforms and protocols. What we like about ExpressVPN is how it documents setting up VPN services for virtually all the most popular set-top boxes, even those that don’t natively support VPN. For each device, ExpressVPN has a guide walking you through the process.Also:With 160 server locations in 94 countries, ExpressVPN has a considerable VPN network across the internet. In CNET’s review of the service, staff writer Rae Hodge reported that ExpressVPN lost less than 2% of performance with the VPN enabled and using the OpenVPN protocol vs. a direct connection.While the company does not log browsing history or traffic destinations, it does log dates connected to the VPN service, the amount transferred, and the VPN server location. We do want to give ExpressVPN kudos for making this information very clear and easily accessible. Exclusive offer: Get 3 extra months free.

Surfshark

Native support for Fire TV and Android TV

Native Streaming Apps: Fire TV, Android TV, Nvidia Shield TVSimultaneous Connections: UnlimitedKill Switch: YesPlatforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Firefox, ChromeLogging: None, except billing dataTrial/MBG: 30 dayAt two bucks a month for a two-year plan (billed in one chunk), Surfshark offers a good price for a solid offering. In CNET’s testing, no leaks were found (and given that much bigger names leaked connection information, that’s a big win). The company seems to have a very strong security focus, offering AES-256-GCM, RSA-2048, and Perfect Forward Secrecy encryption. To prevent WebRTC leaks, Surfshark offers a special purpose browser plugin designed specifically to combat those leaks.Also:Surfshark also offers a multihop option that allows you to route connections through two VPN servers across the Surfshark private network. We also like that the company offers some inexpensive add-on features, including ad-blocking, anti-tracking, access to a non-logging search engine, and a tool that tracks your email address against data breach lists.

IPVanish

If you love Kodi, this is your VPN

Native Streaming Apps: Fire TVSimultaneous Connections: UnlimitedKill Switch: YesPlatforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, plus routers, Fire Stick, and KodiLogging: None, except billing dataServers: 1,500 Locations: 75Trial/MBG: 30 dayFor those folks who love the Kodi media player (and I’m one of them), IPVanish is the VPN for you. IPVanish has full, detailed setup guides for using Kodi with many of the more popular streaming set-top devices. Of course, you don’t have to use Kodi, but if you haven’t spent any time looking into this awesome open source home theatre system, you should.IPVanish is a deep and highly configurable product that presents itself as a click-and-go solution. I think the company is selling itself short of doing this. A quick visit to its website shows a relatively generic VPN service, but that’s not the whole truth.Also: My in-depth review of IPVanishIts UI provides a wide range of server selection options, including some great performance graphics. It also has a wide variety of protocols, so you can know what to expect no matter what you’re connecting to. The company also provides an excellent server list with good current status information. There’s also a raft of configuration options for the app itself.In terms of performance, the connection speed was crazy fast. Overall, the transfer performance was good. However, from a security perspective, it wasn’t able to hide that I was connecting via a VPN — although the data transferred was secure. Overall, a solid product with a good user experience that’s fine for home connections as long as you’re not trying to hide the fact that you’re on a VPN.The company also has a partnership with SugarSync and provides 250GB of encrypted cloud storage with each plan.

NordVPN

Best VPN for unlocking Netflix

Native Streaming Apps: Fire TV, Android TVSimultaneous Connections: 6Kill Switch: YesPlatforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Android TV, Chrome, FirefoxLogging: None, except billing dataCountries: 59Servers: 5517Trial/MBG: 30 dayAlso: How does NordVPN work? Plus, how to set it up and use itPerformance testing was adequate, although ping speeds were slow enough that I wouldn’t want to play a twitch video game over the VPN. To be fair, most VPNs have pretty terrible ping speeds, so this isn’t a weakness unique to Nord. It’s more than fast enough in most countries to stream your favorite movie or video. Also: My in-depth review of NordVPNIn our review, we liked that it offered capabilities beyond basic VPN, including support of P2P sharing, a service it calls Double VPN that does a second layer of encryption, Onion over VPN, which allows for TOR capabilities over its VPN, and even a dedicated IP if you’re trying to run a VPN that also doubles as a server. It supports all the usual platforms and a bunch of home network platforms as well. Also: My interview with NordVPN management on how they run their serviceThe company also offers NordVPN Teams, which provides centralized management and billing for a mobile workforce. Overall, a solid choice, and with a 30-day money-back guarantee, worth a try.

How does the router thing work?

You first install your VPN onto your router. This depends on the VPN provider and the router, so you’ll need to do some digging. But if your VPN and router are willing to play nicely with each other, then because all traffic on your network travels across your router, it will also be able to use the router’s VPN connection. It’s a bit crude but not as crude as the next on our list…

Wait, so I’m supposed to use my PC as as router?

Yeah, if you don’t have a compatible set-top box or a compatible router, the idea is you connect your TV to your PC or Mac as a network client, use that computer’s VPN client, and then go out over the network. It’s janky as heck, but the VPN vendors generally have clear enough guidelines. But, by the time you’re doing all that, just buy a $39 Fire TV Stick and be done with it.

So some set-top devices have native apps?

Basically, Android TV is a version of Android. That means that most apps in the Google Play store will run reasonably well on Android TV — including VPN clients. Most VPN vendors slightly recoded their Android handheld apps to have a wide-screen UI for the TV and pushed those apps into the Play Store. Since Amazon’s Fire TV is basically a skinned version of Android TV using Amazon’s app store, VPN vendors didn’t have to do too much technically to make it work — and Amazon is, of course, a huge market. So you just go to the app store and install the app. Easy peasy.

But not Apple TV or Roku?

Nope. You’re doing the router or PC network client hoop jump game. And before you ask, if you want to use Xbox, Playstation, or Switch to stream your entertainment, you’re also going to need to run your streaming movies through a router or a PC network sub-LAN.

But, if Android TV works, surely Chromecast does?

Nope. No it doesn’t. Same as the Roku or the consoles. Because Android giveth and Chromecast taketh away.

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.

ZDNet Recommends More

10’000 Hours / Getty
I’ve been working on the internet since the early ’80s and its predecessors, such as ARPANET, before that. So when the web, or WEB as we put it then, came along, I started keeping a close eye on web browsers. Web browsers are still the primary way we connect with the endless fields of data, stories, and video that make up the modern web. Today, Apple Safari on smartphones — thanks to the iPhone — and Google Chrome on desktop are ways we work and play on the web.

Historically, it’s been challenging to get hard data on which browsers really were the most popular web browsers. True, many companies claimed to have good numbers, such as NetMarketShare and StatCounter, but their numbers are massaged. The US federal government’s Digital Analytics Program (DAP), however, gives us a running count of the last 90 days of US government website visits. That doesn’t tell us much about global web browser use, but it’s the best information we have about American web browser users today.And the top web browser is, according to the DAP’s 5.65-billion visits over the past 90 days (drumroll, please): Google Chrome with 48%. That’s a smidgen down from last year when Chrome had 48.3%.  This drop didn’t come from any sudden rise of Edge or another alternative browser. Perish the thought. On the desktop, Chrome rules. Also: Dumping Google Chrome? Here’s the best browser to replace itBut, in the last 12 months, we’ve seen an enormous rise of smartphones over PCs for web use. In 2022, 54% of the web browsing market belonged to smartphones over PCs. Back in 2019 and 2020, smartphones gained on desktops from 46.9% to 50%. Today, smartphones rule. Pay attention website designers: if you’re not developing sites for smartphones, you’re making a major blunder. Tablets? The tablet market is down to a mere 1.8%.As for smartphones, Safari rules. Macs are a bit more popular, having moved up to 10.4% of the PC market from 2021. But with a 35% market share, iPhones dominate both the smartphone and smartphone browser markets. Indeed, the iPhone’s iOS is now the most popular end-user operating system of all. All the varieties of Windows put together only comes to 31.1%. Android? It has only a 20.7% share The only other browsers that matter on smartphones, besides Safari and Chrome, are Samsung’s built-in Samsung Internet with a tiny 1.1% share and the generic Android Webview. Also: Here comes the web browser 100 problemAs for desktop web browsers, Chrome is even bigger than it looks at a glance. Its open-source foundation, Chromium, is also what Microsoft Edge runs. Edge, with 6.7% of the user base, is now the third-place web browser. Except for Mozilla Firefox, all the other web browsers that matter, such as Opera, Vivaldi, and Brave, run on top of Chromium.Firefox is in fourth place and doing badly. In the last 12 months, Firefox dropped to 2.6% from last year’s 2.7%. In 2015, when I first started using DAP’s numbers, Firefox had an 11% market share. By 2016, Firefox had declined to 8.2%. It had a slight bounce upward by 2018 to 9%. Despite its ad deals with Google, Mozilla has been laying off more employees. Firefox, frankly, is becoming irrelevant.Finally, at long, long last, the long dying Internet Explorer (IE) has finally dropped off the list entirely. It’s gone from 2.2% in 2021 to be in the also-run category with everyone else at 1.9%.In short, today’s internet belongs to Chrome on the desktop and Safari on smartphones. Nothing else really matters.

Networking More

A newly announced AU$187 million five-year deal between Telstra and the Queensland government will see connectivity upgrades rolled out to 1,258 state schools over the next 18 months. “This investment will mean internet speeds across every single one of our 1,258 state schools will be 200 times faster as well as faster speeds for their communities,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. “This will ensure teachers and students have access to the latest digital technologies and tools for their classrooms: everything they need for a world-class education.” Under the agreement, the average internet bandwidth speeds per student will increase from 25Kbps to 5Mbps by 2026. The pair added that around 40 schools will also be connected to fibre optic for the first time, while next generation satellites will be used to deliver faster internet where terrestrial options are less practical. “We know that digital inclusion for school kids is one of the most important drivers when it comes to positive education outcomes,” Telstra enterprise chief customer office John Ieraci said. “As a result of these upgrades, students from even the most remote parts of Queensland will have access to quality, high speed connectivity, and will get to enjoy all the opportunities that come with it.” This latest announcement follows similar contracts Telstra has signed with other states to upgrade bandwidth to schools, including New South Wales and Western Australia Elsewhere, Optus, together with Iota, ETS Electrical Services, and GreenBe, will work with the Toowoomba Regional Council over the next four years to deploy 68,000 new smart water metres to help improve water conservation, The deployment, according to Optus, will leverage its NB-IoT network, Iota’s devices and advanced metering infrastructure platform, and GreenBe’s user experience platform, while ETS Deployment Services will be responsible for bringing it all together. The metres are expected to deliver real-time water usage data, provide early leak detection warnings for residents in the Toowoomba region, as well as enable residents to identify which activities are causing high water consumption. “Essentially, this means that council will be able to operate the water network more efficiently and residents will be able to monitor their own water usage effectively which will provide cost savings to both the resident and to Council,” Toowoomba Regional Council Water and Waste Committee Chair Councillor Rebecca Vonhoff said. Roll out of the metres is scheduled to be completed before mid-year, following testing and fine-tuning by local community members in the second quarter of 2022.  Related Coverage More

Celona co-founders, from left, Ravi Mulam, Mehmet Yavuz, Rajeev Shah, Vinay Anneboina. “People inside any of the deep ecosystems like telecom or enterprise or cloud who truly appreciate how big a transformation is happening, were probably the ones most interested in being part of this journey,” said Shah, who is CEO. 
Celona 2022
The movement to use cellular frequencies as office broadband connections that behaves like wireless LANs is winning converts and money at a surprising clip.  Celona.io, the two-year-old enterprise 5G networking vendor profiled by ZDNet in November, on Monday announced it had received $60 million in venture funding in a Series C round, bringing its total funding to date to $100 million.   The new money comes with what appears to be momentum among some very large customers in the automotive and retail markets.  “We are getting some pretty specific validation points,” Celona’s CEO and co-founder, Rajeev Shah, told ZDNet regarding what he sees as his company’s leadership in the still-young enterprise 5G market, speaking in an interview by phone.  Those validation points include two of the largest retailers and a couple of the largest automotive companies in the world becoming customers, said Shah. He was not at liberty to disclose their names.  “We had set a goal to say, the most innovative enterprise customers, when they make their design choice for their private networks, we want to be that choice,” he said. The projects of those companies, said Shah, are “significant automation initiatives.” “In all of these scenarios, what’s really happening is they’re putting in big robotics and unmanned vehicle types of applications.” That includes using 5G for things in the back office, in particular, said Shah, because there are fewer dependencies to hold up the rollout. “But we’re starting to see it even in retails and venues, where the experiences for the actual consumer is being shaped by some of this.”  Also: Enterprise 5G is a software ‘revolution,’ says startup Celona One customer that runs venues is looking to 5G to cover an entire sports stadium “to affect how you check-in, how you do your ticketing, how you pay for things, the security covering the entire facility using cameras.” The technology is not being used as a replacement for Wi-Fi, said Shah. Rather, like the early days of Wi-Fi joining wired ethernet, for Celona’s customers, “it is almost like a shift left for them,” he said. A shift left is a term offered by Celona board member Matt Howard of Norwest Venture Partners, where a new technology is additive to what stays in place. “This is like 3.0,” explained Shah. “Think of the 1990s as driving LAN and desktop computing together, and Wi-Fi plus mobile was the next major trend; we see 5G LAN as AI-driven automation as the next wave.”Every time you have one of these things emerge from the right, everything shifts to the left.”

Another “validation point,” said Shah, is having the round of funding led by DigitalBridge Ventures, the venture capital unit of DigitalBridge Group, a Boca Raton, Florida-based real estate investment trust that has focused on tech-related property investments such as cell towers and data centers. “DigitalBridge is quite an innovative financial firm,” said Shah. “They went from being a traditional REIT and investment fund to becoming a digital infrastructure firm.” The fund sees everything from fiber to towers to co-lo as the infrastructure of 5G and edge and cloud, the “macro trends,” said Shah. “One of their observations, internally, was that while they had a lot of exposure to those growth vectors, they did not really benefit from what was going to be a correlated increase in software and hardware.” Investing in Celona, in other words, gives DigitalBridge a hand in that area of the payoff of 5G. Joining DigitalBridge are returning investors; Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, NTTVC, Qualcomm Ventures and Cervin Ventures. The mid-to late-stage growth market for startups was “very hot” in the fall, said Shah, leading to “very competitive terms” for the valuation and letting the company hit the high end of its valuation range in an oversubscribed round. He declined to disclose the post-money valuation. “People inside any of the deep ecosystems like telecom or enterprise or cloud who truly appreciate how big a transformation is happening were probably the ones most interested in being part of this journey,” said Shah. “The more run-of-the-mill SaaS investor is not the one we got the same resonance with,” he added. “There’s still a divide where the SaaS investor hasn’t fully caught on to how big a wave is coming.”   A somewhat surprising aspect of the announcement is Verizon as a customer. The company’s founders had experienced the intransigence of large carriers in the deployment of enterprise cellular in previous forms, a malaise they told ZDNet they would be careful to avoid.  But collaborating with big carriers is also important for going to market with large enterprise customers. And 5G is different enough from prior cellular efforts it can change the carriers, indicated Shah. “The traditional experience with operators all of us have had is that they’re very slow-moving,” said Shah. “But what has changed is the emergence of this new spectrum of CBRS,” he said, referring to Citizens Broadband Radio System, a part of the so-called S-Band of the spectrum below 6Ghtz that the FCC licenses for broad commercial use. CBRS is “neutral to any operator,” he said, meaning a shared resource among carriers rather than a fiefdom licensed to a single entity. The spectrum, therefore, “I think creates a dynamic where innovative customers and service providers are going to be rewarded for thinking more holistically.”  “I’m excited that someone like Verizon has really embraced that way of thinking,” said Shah. “I think their enterprise team is viewing this as an opportunity to really differentiate themselves,” he added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that triggers a chain-reaction” among fellow carriers.  Priories this year with the new funding are two-fold: to expand the company’s march to the markets in the U.S. and globally and to continue product development investment.  “This is still a technology area that is ripe for innovation, so we are not going to slow down,” said Shah. “We are going to continue to make wireless even more automated in its operations.”  No follow-on financing is planned at this point. “We have no shortage of interest in people wanting a piece of the pie,” said Shah of investment interest. “But we have no need to do anything for the next two to three years.” The talent market is certainly competitive, which will be a challenge for expanding the team. Celona was 85 people when ZDNet last interviewed them. He said that the company has “reached the three-digit mark” just recently. The plan is to “effectively double as soon as we can hire,” said Shah. “Hiring another hundred people within the next few weeks and months is honestly one of our great initiatives.” “I think it’s a good place to join, so I’m looking forward to the new team that gets expanded.” More