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Samsung takes aim at Google and Eero with new smart home Wi-Fi system

By Jayce Wagner Published March 30, 2017

Samsung Connect Home Router — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Aiming to get in on the smart Wi-Fi market, Samsung announced its own home router system complete with mesh network support, and a host of unique features — including support for your smart home devices.

The Samsung Connect Home Smart Wi-Fi System launches in competition with the Google Wifi, and Eero mesh networks, and shares a few important features. Namely, it will be available as a three-pack, so you can blanket your home with powerful Wi-Fi connectivity, and it boasts a slim, attractive profile.

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In addition to all of that, Samsung took one step further and built in a SmartThings hub, through which you can control many of your smart home devices. Using the Samsung Connect app, you will be able to control a wide variety of compatible smart home products from your Connect Home system, including Phillips Hue Lights and the Ring Video Doorbell.

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There will be two versions available at launch, the Home version and the Home Pro version. The standard Home model which will feature a single or three pack of the Samsung Connect Home router nodes sporting 2×2 MU-MIMO antennae with support for 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. While the Home Pro version will sport 4×4 MU-MIMO antennae and a much faster processor coming in at 1.7GHz compared to the standard Home version’s 710MHz processor.

Each node in either version will reportedly cover about 1,500 square feet with a powerful Wi-Fi signal, but that range will vary significantly depending on the layout of your home or apartment.

We don’t have a release date or pricing just yet, but it’s likely we’ll see them sometime in 2017, possibly after the launch of Samsung’s new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.

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