That’s not what I expected after I spoke to Verizon last month. On Oct. 1, the company launched a new indoor home router that is supposed to have better range than the tiny antennas in mobile phones. But looking at neighborhoods on the North Side of Chicago and in Minneapolis, we found that not only does the coverage not reach beyond what Verizon claims for phones, houses on streets that Verizon purports to serve came back with “no coverage” for the home service.
“The inconsistency in the coverage is going to make marketing Verizon 5G Home next-level challenging, because pitches will have to be targeted individually, and even then may need to be verified on site,” said Avi Greengart, founder of analysis firm Techsponential.
Verizon, of course, counseled patience: “With our new equipment, customers will have an even better 5G Home experience. Keep in mind, we’re only on day 3 with the new equipment and our new 5G Home markets. To ensure our customers have the best experience, the website is currently being a bit conservative with who is getting qualified. That said, we’re expecting performance improvements and the addition of new small cells will continue to improve both coverage area and speeds,” a spokesman said.
A GREAT DEAL...BUT WHERE?
Verizon’s 5G Home relies on the same technology as its 5G mobile network, offering homes speeds of 300Mbps and up for $50 or $70 a month, depending on whether they’re Verizon Wireless subscribers. Users can install the new routers themselves, with no wires or external antennas needed. It’s a great deal—if you can get it.
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Microsoft's Viva Aims to Make Remote Work Easier
While many companies are still mastering the art of working from home, Microsoft recently introduced its virtual solution: The Viva employee experience platform helps folks learn, grow, and thrive, even from their kitchen tables. Powered by Microsoft 365 and Teams, Viva makes it easy for customers to merge existing systems and tools with fresh features for a more accessible, discoverable workplace.
What Is Clubhouse? The Invite-Only Chat App Explained
Wondering why you’re hearing a lot about Clubhouse lately? We can partially blame Elon Musk: By popping up in a Clubhouse room in February, the world’s richest man (for now) brought the service a lot of attention. Here’s what you need to know about the exclusive chat app.
How to Set Up and Optimize Your Wireless Router
Although manufacturers have been making installation utilities easier to use, getting the best out of your new wireless router usually means delving a little deeper than the standard installation routine will go. Just because you’ve plugged everything in and all the blinking lights have turned green doesn’t mean your network’s performance or its security are as strong as they could be. Follow these basic steps to properly configure your router and optimize your wireless network.
How to Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection
Do you have a full house of social distancers working, gaming, streaming, and news binging, all at the same time? Before you schedule a service call with your cable company, check out our tips for troubleshooting your internet connection.
What Is Wi-FI 6E?
If you’re in the market for a new router or any device that uses Wi-Fi, you should first understand the new Wi-Fi 6E standard and what it means for the future of wireless networks at home and in offices around the US. The Wi-Fi Alliance, a group of Wi-Fi platform vendors that work with the FCC and electronics manufacturers to set standards for Wi-Fi technology, announced the Wi-Fi 6E designation in 2020 for any IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) products that support 6GHz wireless spectrum. Essentially, this means Wi-Fi 6E enables faster speeds and lower latencies than Wi-Fi 6 and earlier iterations.
How to Make Your Android Phone Less Annoying
It’s hard to unplug these days. PCs, tablets, smartphones—even a large selection of home appliances—can wirelessly connect to the internet at the push of a button. Devices buzz with emails, notifications, and status updates at all hours of the day, making it hard to concentrate. Your Android phone is no exception—but there are ways to make it less annoying.
Lenovo Yoga 9i (15-Inch): A Competent Convertible
We recently reviewed the 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i, a compact convertible laptop with plenty of upside, but maybe you’re in the market for something a little larger. Its big brother, the 15.6-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i, brings the same high-quality hybrid form factor to a roomier display. Of course, the increased size makes the larger Yoga a little unwieldy as a tablet, but it also delivers more power. (The hybrid’s snappy Intel Core i7 H-Series CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics will impress.) Long battery life and an included stylus sweeten the pot for what is a good if not standout convertible. The premium HP Spectre x360 15 remains our favorite big-screen 2-in-1 machine.
Amazon Halo: Shines as Activity and Sleep Tracker
Lots of fitness trackers can measure your calories burned, heart rate, and steps. With the Halo, Amazon wants to give you greater visibility into your overall health, along with actionable insights to help improve it. The Halo does an excellent job of monitoring your activity and sleep, and its companion app gives you access to a wide range of workouts and wellness programs. In addition, the Halo can analyze the tone of your voice to tell you how you sound to other people and measure your body-fat percentage based on images taken with its app. These two features are a bit gimmicky, but the Halo band is otherwise useful when you’re looking to move more and improve your shut-eye.
10 Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal
Browsing slowed to a crawl, the inability to stream, dropped Wi-Fi signals, wireless dead zones—each of these problems is maddening in a world where getting online has become, for some, as necessary as breathing (well, maybe not that critical—but still important). When the only way you can get decent reception is by standing next to your wireless router, our tips can help.
TechX Awards: The Most Innovative Products and Technologies of CES 2021
CES 2021 gave PCMag editors their first chance to vet candidates for our new Technical Excellence Awards, aka TechX.
Ryan Travis Christian
Naughty by Nature
Judas and the Black Messiah – In the Struggle
Is it possible to make a convincing Hollywood movie about an anti-capitalist radical?
Must-Know Facts About Nutritional Yeast
This vegan-friendly and B vitamin-packed ingredient adds a cheesy flavor to everything, from popcorn to potatoes.
CRIME DOESN'T PAY
EMPIRE OF SIN is ambitious, but undermined by a mountain of issues.
The Mushroom Moment Manifesto
THE SATURDAY AFTER voters in Washington, D.C., and Oregon voted to loosen legal restrictions on magic mushrooms, my girlfriend and I celebrated in the most appropriate way possible.
GETTING FAMOUS IN COINS
Donn Pearlman is the History of Coin Promotions
Playoff glories of yesteryear
It is January, which can only mean one thing: post season football is near. Some of the greatest performances in NFL playoff history have occurred right here in New York and New Jersey. Let’s take a look back at some of them
Brydge Stone Pro Thunderbolt 3 Hub
A rock–solid way to connect and power high–end devices
2021: PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
With the introduction of a 5G iPhone, a superfast M1 chip for the Mac, a bunch of hardware like AirPods Max, Apple Watch SE, and HomePod mini, and significant investments in its services division, Apple had a stellar year in 2020. But the future is just around the corner, and even greater innovations await.
BUSINESS: APPLE POSITIONS iPHONE 12 AS A CORPORATE MUST-HAVE
Critics labeled the iPhone 12 Apple’s biggest leap forward in years, with analysts suggesting that the Cupertino company will shift close to 70 million units before the end of 2020. As if the iPhone 12 range wasn’t popular enough, Apple has announced a partnership with carrier Verizon to make iPhone the most compelling business smartphone, offering 5G on the go.