YOUR NEW WEAPON IN THE BATTLE AGAINST BAD WIFI

Well here we are again, still not quite happy with the WiFi coverage at home.

So many questions...

Why does it work so well in some rooms but not others? Why does everything run so brilliantly for me when I'm the only one around then so badly when everyone else turns up?

Perhaps the biggest question of all; why is all the good gear so expensive?

Vodafone seems to be kicking off 2021 with solid answers to all those issues...

Vodafone is now offering what it calls SuperWiFi in conjunction with its broadband plans. Effectively this means you'll be supplied with the TP-Link Deco X20 whole home mesh WiFi system to use as your default router.

This is a pretty generous offer because that pack currently retails for around $450 and Voadafone are giving it to you for free when you sign up with them.

At the risk of sounding like an ad (which this definitely isn't)... that's not all.

Vodafone also offers expert remote support and even in-home support visits to help you get set up if need be.

I'm pretty confident you won't need any of that support though because this might be the easiest WiFi hardware I've ever configured. It's certainly the least complicated mesh system I've encountered to date. Quick reminder; a mesh system means multiple access points around your home all using a single WiFi network name so you stay connected wherever you are.

In this case, Vodafone's Deco X20 pack contains two units although they'll send out more free-of-charge if that's what it takes to provide "Wall-To-Wall" coverage in your home. If that is what it takes, you must have quite a house, as the two Deco units provided are supposed to cover up to 370 square metres and they certainly blanket my large, two-storey, four-bedroom home with fast, powerful access in every nook and cranny.

But back to that setup process, if you can call it a process. All it really involves is downloading the TP-Link Deco app and following a few simple steps to name your WiFi network and set its password. Setting up the second unit it even easier; you turn it on. That's all. No pairing required. Switch it on and it automatically teams up with the initial unit to create your mesh masterpiece effortlessly.

Not only have you now improved your home's WiFi coverage dramatically but you've also future-proofed it as the Deco X20 system runs on the latest WiFi-6 standard, which means more devices can communicate with the router more efficiently, being prioritised according to the greatest need. This is one of only a few WiFi-6 mesh systems currently available and the only one being provided by a major New Zealand ISP.

A word of warning though; and this is something I didn't realise until I did it myself. If you do decide to upgrade to WiFi-6, you need to understand this is an entirely new network you're setting up. Even if you use the same network name and password as you had assigned to your old router, you can't fool your devices and you'll have to reconnect everything to the new system; from phones, tablets and TV's to smart speakers, lights and security cameras.

For some people this isn't a major but given I currently have thirty devices connected to my network (and not everyone's home right now) it took me a while to get everything up and running again.

But when I did, oh boy. I'm absolutely loving the power, coverage and above all, the stability WiFi-6 has brought to the household - even though many of the devices aren't WiFi-6 enabled themselves, I've definitely noticed a jump in performance and reliability across my entire home network.

Which is exactly what Vodafone is guaranteeing. They're so confident this system will provide you with the wall-to-wall solution you've been looking for, they're offering a $100 credit to your account if it doesn't work.

I seriously doubt they'll have to make too many payouts though, going by my experience.

The units themselves are attractive enough and certainly compact; about the size and shape of a large tin of peaches. The power plug is inconveniently large though and may not fit easily behind some items of furniture. There's an extra ethernet port on each Deco unit so you can hardwire a device into it if you like - multiple ports would be my preference but hardwiring isn't really the point of a mesh system like this after all.

Using the TP-Link Deco app you can also make other little tweaks like naming connected devices, creating profiles for various users - even scheduling the status LED to turn off at night or all the time. There are other features like parental control for different users and manual device prioritisation; all fairly standard these days on most decent routers. 

But there's nothing standard about the fact you're basically getting this tech for free if you sign up with Vodafone. If you're looking to upgrade to a mesh network, especially a WiFi-6 one, this is your New Year's no-brainer.

Click here for more information and pricing on Vodafone SuperWiFi.

HAVE WIFI. WILL TRAVEL

Summer holiday season means beaches, baches and fun in the sun.

And finally bingeing that Netflix series you've been meaning to watch.

And a bit of gaming, obviously.

And keeping those chat streaks going.

And yes, you probably better check in with work every now and then to make sure they haven't totally burned the place down without you.

The issue is, not too many tent-sites have a UFB line installed.

There's an easy, uber-portable solution that works just as well for business people on the road too...

By now you're probably well aware of the availability of modem/routers that also use sim cards to connect to the mobile data network if landline internet is unreliable or unavailable.

You probably also know most smart phones have the ability to be set up as a WiFi hotspot, so other devices can be tethered to them to access mobile data that way.

That's why the DWR-933 WiFi Hotspot from D-Link is just so incredibly handy.

To start off with, it's extremely compact; about as wide as a phone, maybe twice as thick but only about two-thirds the length. It'll fit anywhere - bag, briefcase, purse, pocket - any smaller and it would be annoying because you'd put it down and lose it.

It's about as nondescript as any device could be - a small black plastic box with power and WPS buttons on one side, a microUSB slot on the other and a tiny white-on-black LED display in the middle. This screen is really only there to tell you you've turned the thing on, the mobile network it's joined, how many devices are connected to it and how much battery is left.

Setup is straightforward, although slightly fiddly, as I personally discovered from several failed attempts at installing the sim card. Conveniently, the DWR-933 comes with a plastic sim adapter as it's sim slot requires a full-sized sim - not the nanoSim found in most modern smart phones. Less conveniently, that sim slot is situated underneath the 3000mAh battery which means taking the back off the device and removing the battery to access it, just like the old days when you used to be able to take your phone to pieces. That wasn't my issue. It turns out you have to insert the sim and then slide the whole mounting across to lock it into place. I finally figured this out after about six attempts, then turning the device on only to be told there was "No Sim."Once I solved that little challenge, the DWR-933 connected to my mobile network pretty much straight away - in fact, the device takes mere seconds to boot up - far quicker than any conventional modem I've ever configured.

At that point it's a stock-standard process if you want to change the default WiFi network name and password - you can do this via your web browser as clearly outlined in the setup guide in the box.

That's what's really weird about this little thing... nothing. For all intents and purposes it works just like any other modem/router - only you can carry it around in your pocket. During my testing I've found battery life to be good but not great. With moderate use from one or two devices you should get through a day okay. The good news is it will charge up from any standard charger via the supplied microUSB cable, or you can just leave it plugged in if need be.

That means potentially you can literally head for the hills, pitch your tent and as long as you've brought a powerbank or two with you, you can stream that day/nighter while you're toasting your marshmallows. 

And yes, I do mean streaming video. I've found download speeds to be more than good enough for video on mobile devices - I've even downloaded 1GB+ files in reasonably good time. Obviously there are limitations. In terms of coverage area, performance starts dropping off pretty quickly once walls get in the way, although I found I could stay connected around most corners of the two-storey bach I was staying in last week.

Mysteriously, there's a microSD card slot under the battery too, although I can't quite figure out what it's for. You can actually send and receive SMS messages via the web interface for the DWR-933 but it's not really worth fluffing around with unless you've had to use the sim out of your phone to run it. So you can choose to save those messages to microSD instead of the sim. The box also claims you can use a microSD card to create shared storage for connected devices but I couldn't find any mention of this in the instruction manual and I gave up trying to do it - mainly because I had no need to.

Other than that one little quirk, this is an extremely well designed, easy-to-use WiFi box that lets you connect all your devices at 4G speeds wherever mobile data is available - at the beach, on the water, up a mountain... or perhaps most boringly of all, at someone else's office.

Click here for more information on the D-Link DWR-933 4G/LTE Cat 6 WiFi HotSpot.

HAVE PARTY. WILL TRAVEL

Some things never change.

Take the classic kiwi sing-along for example. This is definitely the best time of year for it... balmy evenings... barbecue or beach party - maybe camping. Friends, family, possibly a few beverages... someone whips out a guitar and before you know it everyone's crooning along to Better Be Home Soon... or The Gambler... 

Well, joining in for the choruses anyway... nobody really knows all the words to the verses do they? Who cares what the words are anyway?

Good times.

It's been that way forever.

Surely it doesn't get better than this?...

Look, I get the kiwi sing-along is about the lowest-tech form of entertainment around and that's why it's so awesome and that's the way it should probably stay... but JBL has had some other ideas and is now offering them to you in a single box.

The PartyBox On-The-Go is a truly awesome bluetooth speaker. This thing looks almost like an old-fashioned boom-box which is probably no accident. It's pretty big and quite heavy - so there's a fully adjustable shoulder strap included and a carry-handle on each end. There's a wider, slightly padded neck pad and the buckle on the strap even incorporates a bottle opener. That's just a little hint the designers have thought of everything here.

For example, the entire rear side of the PartyBox is padded. I couldn't really figure out why until I started carrying it about the place; that's the side that rests against your body. Yes, it's big and heavy but they've truly done all they can to make it comfortable to cart around.

Its IPX4 splash-proof rating even means you should be able to use it poolside or at the beach without too much worry.

So yes, this PartyBox is portable.

It's also way, way more than just a bluetooth speaker.

For starters, you're dealing with 100W RMS of speaker power from a 5.25-inch woofer and two 1.75-inch tweeters. This baby bangs the beat out nice and hard - there's even a Bass Boost mode to really make the floorboards shake. And if all that isn't enough to get the neighbours complaining, you can actually pair another PartyBox On-The-Go via TWS Mode - this creates a left and right stereo setup and doubles the power.

The sound is warm, rich and spacious. As I've pointed out, it ramps up plenty loud but it's also a lovely speaker to listen to at low levels for a bit of background atmos too.

So let's really get the party started.

The PartyBox On-The-Go comes with a couple of wireless mics, pre-paired and ready to go. These include their own little carry-pouches and there's a stretchy holder for each one at each end of the speaker. They'll connect automatically once you turn them on and they actually sound pretty decent - depending on who's singing of course. There's an echo (reverb) control which will help give most average divas a more professional edge and of course you can wind the mic volume up or down - again, depending who's singing. Unfortunately, there's only one volume control to cover both mics so if one performer sings a lot louder or more out of tune than the other, sadly there's not much you can do.

So that's all your karaoke requirements sorted right there. The PartyBox has a long slot running along the top above the controls - this is the Mobile Device Dock, where you can sit your phone or tablet so you can read the lyrics displayed on your favourite karaoke app. I had a pretty good time sharing in some Christmas karaoke a couple of weeks ago - my belated apologies to the family members present who were subjected to my try-hard Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Michael Buble impersonations.

It's not just a karaoke machine though.

There are also inputs for guitar and another mic. Now, don't mistake this for some kind of stage amp - it's not that powerful - but as far as beefing up that kiwi sing-along we keep talking about, the PartyBox does a fine job.

This might actually be the most versatile speaker I've ever reviewed as there's a splash-proof panel on the back concealing not just the AC power socket (for a standard figure-eight cord you should be able to find easily if you haven't brought yours with you) but also an AUX-in socket and a USB slot. Not only will this 5V/2.1A slot keep your phone or tablet fully charged, you can also plug in a flash drive with your playlist loaded on it. Don't get too excited about that last feature; I've tested it and it works but you can't really pick and choose which tracks to play off your USB - the PartyBox just automatically starts playing the tracks in alphabetical order when you plug your stick in. A good backup plan if you're out of Spotify range though.

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of this machine. It's feature-packed and easy to use. There are are couple of weaknesses though. First-up; battery life. I understand the power demands made by running several wireless devices simultaneously - especially from a speaker array this powerful. Even so, this is a big unit and I would have thought there'd be a power cell large enough to keep things running longer than the six hours the manual claims. (That's up to six hours mind you) Obviously, most parties won't last much longer than that - not my parties anyway - but if you're taking the PartyBox away for the weekend, you'll have to find somewhere to plug it in at some stage.

Secondly; the light show. It isn't a show. It's an LED ring around the central woofer that goes round and round, flashes in alternating thirds or pulses up and down from the bottom. You can select which of these modes you like best or turn it off completely. While the lights cycle through pretty much every colour of the rainbow, you can't choose a particular colour and there are no other lighting effects anywhere else on the device. To be honest, I've found it so lame, I usually leave it off.

So don't buy the PartyBox On-The-Go for the lights but definitely buy it if you love a sing-along or a bit of casual karaoke. It really does combine all your favourite audio party tricks in one package. It's not a small package but the handles and shoulder-strap make taking it anywhere a breeze. Next time that invitation says B.Y.O., now you can bring your own microphones too.

Click here for more information on the JBL PartyBox On-The-Go.

MAKING PERFECT COFFEE EASY

I've been on holiday at the beach.

Sun. Swimming. Leisurely walks. I even finished reading two whole books.

There was only one problem; the coffee was terrible.

Now, before you start shouting, "First world problems! What are you complaining about? There are people in other countries who'd kill for the chance to go out and enjoy a coffee in the sunshine!" I get all that.

But coffee is coffee. It's not just a habit. It's an essential. For someone who works in breakfast radio like I do, it's extra essential.

So if it sucks, the world goes out of focus a bit.

Lucky for me, my year of gadget reviews couldn't have started with a better device...

The La Specialista Maestro is a very flash name for a very fancy home espresso machine from De'Longhi. In fact, the people at De'Longhi think this machine is so good, they actually sent a guy called Giovanni to help me set it up. 

Giovanni is from Sicily. Giovanni rides a motorcycle. And yes, Giovanni looks and sounds pretty much exactly the way you're imagining.

And there's no doubt Giovanni loves his coffee.

Personally, (just between you and me) I don't actually know anything about coffee. I know when it's good, I know when it's bad but I don't really know why either of those things happen. Giovanni does. Until now I've been using a fairly entry-level espresso machine at home and I've been combining it with the frothy-milk half of a separate capsule coffee machine because I'm basically too lazy to froth the milk myself.

The La Specialista Maestro panders to my laziness brilliantly. Not only does it promise a perfect espresso, it offers latte, cappuccino and flat white options too. Oh, sure there's still a steam wand if you insist on making life hard for yourself but my motto is, why make life hard for yourself? Especially first thing in the morning.

However, as Giovanni insisted on pointing out, there's a lot more to the perfect cuppa than a few beans, hot water and some fluffy milk.

So let's cover some of it off - starting with La Specialista Maestro's "Bean Adapt Technology." This allows you to find the perfect balance between grind, dosage and temperature. None of this is standard, apparently. There are many variables including what beans you're using and even the weather conditions! Fortunately, De'Longhi has made calibrating the machine so simple, even I understood what Giovanni was doing to adjust the size of the grind and the dosage the grinder automatically dispatches - this is clearly shown on a digital LED display.

In fact, the display is one of the Maestro's strongest selling points; it leaves you in no doubt when you need to do things like add water to the tank or beans to the grinder and what's more, it won't work if you haven't got those things ready.

But probably my favourite feature of all is the Smart Tamping Station.

If you've used an espresso machine before, you'll know the recommended amount of ground coffee for the filter holder is way too much for it to hold before you tamp it down. This inevitably means coffee grounds all over your machine and benchtop. A real mess and to be honest, a waste of coffee. The alternative is to grind less coffee and put up with a weaker shot. Thanks to the Smart Tamping Station, you pull the tamping lever down before disconnecting the filter holder. This means you not only tamp the grind to the correct pressure every time but not a single grain spills out. I'm pretty sure that's why it's not just La Specialista - it's a Maestro too. No grinds to wipe up after is a major, major plus.

Then so is what happens next.

There are six pre-set coffee options, again selected via an easy-to-read digital display. In fact, because you can choose single or double shots, there are effectively twelve programmable slots for you to set up to suit the preference of anyone in your house. This is a straight-forward process of pushing the program button to save the duration of each step of the coffee you like for your particular cup - not much different to saving your favourite radio station on a car stereo.

That includes milk for lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites - there's a separate stainless steel milk jug with an adjustable automatic wand head with which you can easily control how creamy or frothy you'd like your coffee to be. This slides in and out of the machine with ease and is dishwasher safe as well as having its own automatic rinse setting before you remove the jug if you want to just pop it back in the fridge for later.

I realise I've made the whole process sound frightfully complicated which makes me a terrible writer because in fact, the complete opposite is true. Once Giovanni walked me through the calibration and programming steps my morning coffee immediately became the simplest operation in the world; attach the filter holder, let the La Specialista Maestro provide you with the perfect grind, use the unique tamping lever to tamp without any spillage then it's a single button push for your espresso and milk just the way you like it. Every time.

This thing looks like a spaceship but it operates more like a TV remote. Actually, it's way simpler than a TV remote.

I've found clean-up to be a breeze too, especially without those spilled grinds to worry about. A once-over with a damp cloth is usually all it takes and the drip tray is also dishwasher safe if you want to get more carried away.

So yes, there's a bit of setting up to do with the La Specialista Maestro and I know not everybody has access to their own personal Giovanni. However, there is an instruction manual in the box and plenty of helpful video tutorials to be found online. And as I say, once everything is set up, the perfect coffee is basically only a single button-press away, every time. It's almost as though Giovanni is there making the coffee for you. At almost two-thousand dollars, this is obviously at the more luxury end of the kitchen appliance market but is that really so much to pay for your own personal Sicilian barista at your beck and call at the push of a button?

Obviously I should have taken it on holiday with me. Unfortunately the boot was full. Why didn't I just leave one of the kids behind?...

Click here for more information and pricing on the De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro pump espresso machine.