Streaming is fast becoming the life-force of most New Zealand homes. If you can't stay connected to your social media feeds anywhere around the house, it can be frustrating and isolating.
Ready access to online video and gaming is now a big priority too, but a large home can mean a lot of black spots. It's time to shine some online light into those black spots...
The DIR-879 Exo AC1900 from D-Link is a powerful router indeed, but with a simple flick of a switch, this little beastie becomes a Wi-Fi extender instead, which is what I'll be focussing on here.
I've dabbled with home Wi-Fi extenders before, although they haven't always delivered what I was hoping for. Generally you're dealing with a device not much larger than a conventional power plug which is nice and subtle... Unfortunately, important features like range and speed can be pretty "subtle" too.
Too often when I've connected to a Wi-Fi extender, it's been like attaching a very small hose to a powerful tap. I've achieved good connectivity but lousy download speeds, no matter how zoopy-doopy the actual modem is I've connected the extender to.
This is why the concept of using a full-featured router as an extender is so appealing. I've come across some routers with extender functionality before, but it usually involves some pretty complicated adjustments to the device's software to enable it. Even then it might not be compatible with the base modem. Blah blah blah, yadda yadda.
With the D-Link DIR-879, you simply flick a switch on the back it it changes from router to extender, but an extender that still has all the powerful features of a high-spec gaming router.
The built-in amplifier combined with the four external antennae result in an impressive range, far in excess of those smaller, power plug-like devices.
I found there was very little loss of download and upload speed as well (provided you're connected to a quality modem obviously).
There were a few glitches however. I use a Google Chromecast to stream my online TV. Because my TV is downstairs and my modem is upstairs, I thought I might benefit by connecting the Chromecast to the DIR-879 instead. Let's just say this was not a successful experiment. Lag, dropouts... the Chromecast was definitely not happy about having to talk to the internet via an extender - even an awesome extender like this one.
The other main problem I had was the setup process. Initially I tried to use D-Link's app to setup the Exo AC1900 as a router, but I couldn't make that work at all. D-Link's web-based setup page is much more user-friendly, but even then I didn't get very far. Eventually I set up the device as a router first, then switched to extender mode. After a reboot I was able to re-connect to the setup page again and I was back in business. There's an online manual available from the D-Link web page - but given the extender feature is fairly unique, I would have thought D-Link could have streamlined the process a little.
Of course, the most obvious issue is the way this thing looks. It's reasonably large, a really weird shape and bright orange. That's super cool if you're a nerd like me. Apparently it's super UN-cool if you're a nerd like me who's married. That's the great thing about a Wi-Fi extender though... you can hide it.
Priced in the late $300s, the DIR-879 isn't cheap, but it has so many more features than a standard Wi-Fi extender it's definitely worth it. Remember, it's also an extra-grunty router with amazing smart connectivity over both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
One word of caution; Mesh Wi-Fi is now on the way. This is a fairly new technology which offers multiple access points for your home Wi-Fi with virtually no loss of speed. Right now there are relatively few domestic options available and the systems that are on the market are pretty pricey. Eventually, mesh Wi-Fi may become more commonplace and extenders will go extinct.
For now though, if you're experiencing too many Wi-Fi weak-spots at your place, and you can push through a slightly fiddly setup process, using the DIR-879 as an extender can definitely keep you connected.
Click here for more information and pricing details on the D-Link DIR-879 Exo AC1900 Router/Extender
Activity tracking technology has progressed to a point where we can now keep tabs on everything we do, 24/7, awake or asleep. But some forms of exercise have still missed out being recorded - until now...
The Fitbit Flex 2 is the first Fitbit to be fully submersible, which means for the first time, you really can track everything, all the time, wherever you go.
I've always found Fitbit to be the most reliable and constant of the activity trackers I've used, although I was a little late to the party and never tried the original Flex. What is now known as the Flex Classic gave you a rough indication of your daily progress with a series of indicator lights rather than a more detailed (ie: obvious) screen showing actual steps/distance and times.
In fact, now smart watches have become so commonplace so quickly, it seems a little redundant to be wearing something on your wrist that doesn't at least give you the time of day. Some would argue the advantage of the Flex Classic was the durability of the water resistant band combined with the option to swap the actual tracker between bands to suit your wardrobe preferences. Still, it was practically the size of a watch anyway, so it was always going to be a big ask to wear both all the time.
Nowadays the Fitbit range includes several devices with digital displays capable not only of telling you the time, but giving you a live update of your current workout, some models even showing texts, emails and other notifications.
So at first it seems a bit of a step backwards for Fitbit to release the Flex 2 - a tracker that once again uses only 5 small LEDs to let you know if you're on the right track, exercise-wise.
However, there are a few important advances that mean I haven't taken my Flex 2 off since I powered it up. Firstly, you don't have to take it off. While other Fitbits have been water-resistant, the Flex 2 is water-tight. So showering and bathing is no issue. Most importantly, neither is swimming - but we'll get to that shortly.
Whatever you've heard, size matters - and the Flex 2 doesn't have much of it. In fact, I've swallowed antibiotics larger than the tracker inside the Flex 2. (Don't try to eat it please, I'm pretty sure it wasn't designed to work that way) As a result, the strap the Flex 2 slips into is only the size of one of those charity bands you buy at music festivals. Given the wide range of colours available, this makes the Flex 2 the most subtle Fitbit yet. Fitbit has taken this idea a step further, with a range of designer bands, bangles, bracelets and even pendants which disguise the Flex 2 tracker completely. Yes, now you can look fashionable on the dancefloor while still recording every step.
Finally, the 5 day battery life means you really can keep wearing this thing. Oh, and surprisingly, I found the Flex 2 actually did last 5 days on a full charge; perhaps the first device I have ever reviewed to live up to the battery-life claimed by its website. Obviously, given it's a Fitbit, there's yet another wacky charging cradle to deal with. Maybe one day they'll come up with a universal charger that caters for every Fitbit device but till then, I'll keep all these crazy cables and cradles in their own drawer, like some kind of mad-bomber's toolkit.
Then there's the Flex 2's real point of difference; swim tracking.
I'm no Danyon Loader or Ian Thorpe - in fact, since I dislocated my shoulder a few years back it's all I can do to avoid swimming in circles. However, in the pursuit of science I felt the need to give the Flex 2 a genuine field test in the harshest of environments.
So the last time I took the kids to the beach, I strode manfully out into the surf and simply swam away. Admittedly, the surf at Red Beach was not exactly of Point Break proportions that day, but you get the general idea; me against the ultimate elements in nothing but a pair of boardies and my trusty Flex 2. (Too much detail? I feel like that may have been too much detail)
Of course, due to the lack of any kind of digital display, there was no way of knowing if my epic aquatic efforts were being recorded, although it was certainly encouraging when my wrist vibrated with the familiar pattern signifying I'd met my daily step goal. Not sure how steps translate accurately into swimming strokes, but given I was starting to breathe pretty heavily, I was pleased to know something had been recorded.
After what seemed like several hours, I surged powerfully back to shore, tired but satisfied I had put the Flex 2 through its paces...
...okay, in reality, after a few minutes I felt like I was close to drowning so I stood up (the water was only about waist deep) and staggered back to my towel so I could fall asleep in the sun.
I was still keen to see what, if anything, had been recorded. Sure enough, once I got home and back in range of my phone, the Fitibit app (still one of the most user-friendly fitness apps I've used) had some exciting statistics for me. I'd swum an impressive 12 lengths in 12 minutes! Given I'd been in the sea, I wasn't exactly sure what I'd swum 12 lengths of... the Pacific? That seemed unlikely, although my arms were pretty tired.
The important thing was my experiment was a success - I'd taken fitness tracking to new heights... ...well, depths... and both I and the Flex 2 had lived to tell the tale.
Okay, so this generation still doesn't have GPS capabilities or a heart-rate monitor, but the silent vibrating alarm, text and call notifications all proved useful and reliable.
This is the tracker you need when you don't want anyone to know you're wearing a tracker. What's more you can wear it constantly, no matter what "lengths" you go to.
Click here for more information on the Fitbit Flex 2
