The world of entertainment is changing, and so should our hardware. A growing number of connected devices and the inevitable pressure of 4K streaming force us to rethink aspects that have gone unnoticed until now, such as router performance. As an anticipated response, TP-Link presented its new Talon AD7200 router, the first on the market compatible with the 802.11ad protocol, and whose combined performance exceeds 7 gigabits per second.
Some pieces of hardware are basically solutions to problems that haven't manifested yet, and the new TP-Link Talon definitely fits that description. Most users still use wireless routers based on the 802.11g protocol, with a ceiling of 54 megabits per second on their connections. Some have already adopted the 802.11n standard, and with it the 5 GHz channel to avoid congestion. But the Talon AD7200 sweeps all that away by embracing a tri-band configuration based on the two higher standards, 802.11ac and 802.11ad. As if that weren't enough, the Talon is a complete tri-band router, since it can use the 2.4, 5, and 60 GHz channels at the same time.
In total, the Talon has eight antennas, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and two USB 3.0 ports compatible with file transfer. Inside the router we find Qualcomm technology, which includes a dual-core SoC at 1.4 GHz to manage all connections without hiccups. The beamforming system helps maintain certain signal levels for specific devices, but TP-Link did not neglect the software side. The two main functions are guest networks (which enable Web access outside the main wireless network), and parental control, with time limits and special blocks on certain pages.
The most important limitation of the TP-Link Talon is concentrated almost exclusively on the 60 GHz band. Its bandwidth is a chilling 4,600 megabits per second, but that signal cannot pass through walls, so it will be useful for connecting static devices in the same room (for example, a Smart TV). The Talon's combined performance across the three bands exceeds 7 gigabits per second, and according to TP-Link, it is possible to download a complete 4K definition movie in four minutes. Logically, reaching such speed requires having the appropriate hardware (connectivity, storage, and buses), and if I'm not mistaken, I believe it was Acer who presented a couple of days ago the first laptop compatible with 802.11ad. In other words, we'll have to wait a while to get the most out of a router with the Talon's features. Price? We'll know in the second quarter.
