Netgear has just released the Orbi Voice at IFA 2018, an Alexa-enabled smart speaker as part of a package that it claims is the world’s first mesh networking WiFi System, with built-in Amazon Alexa.
Orbi Voice features premium audio built on the Qualcomm Mesh Networking platform, which Netgear says can deliver Wi-Fi coverage up to 4500 feet (190 square metres).
Netgear says Orbi Voice is the first in a line of products that will continue to “blur the line separating networking and cllient device ecosystems.This is a truly innovative leap and the start of a trend we expect to accelerate in the 5G era, as the symmetrical distribution of wireless connectivity becomes so important to delivering cognitive smart home experiences.”
“The convergence of mesh networking and advanced voice features illustrates what the future of smart homes should look like: an environment where the platform connecting your devices and managing their performance also supports voice commands. In this vision, devices like set top boxes, TVs, thermostats, and smart speakers will play a central role as the hearing, sensing, and responding devices of the cognitive home,” the company said at the launch of the product at IFA 2018 in Berlin.
