Bell, the Canadian based communications carrier, is the latest broadband operator seeking to meet the challenge of in-home Wi-Fi performance by launching a Whole Home Wi-Fi service, which it introduced this week.
The service is based on Adaptive WiFi, a product from Plume, features a cloud-based approach that adapts home Wi-Fi service dynamically as network loads and interference characteristics change.
Bell Whole Home Wi-Fi
Subscribers using Bell’s Home Hub 3000 modem add the service by integrating it with Plume’s Pods. The onboarding process is facilitated by apps that run on iOS and Android. Features of the Adaptive WiFi offered by the Plume system include dynamic WiFi interference mitigation, band and client steering of devices across the Home Hub 3000 and Pods, dynamic load balancing, adaptive mesh topologies and device-specific optimizations of the home network.
The idea is to target the challenge at multiple levels. “This trifecta of fast broadband, broad coverage, and adaptive control is the foundation of a superior home Internet experience,” said Plume CEO Fahri Diner, CEO in a press release.
Bell will be marketing the service as a managed Wi-Fi service, charging $5 per month for a 4-pack of Plume pods, and $2/month for each additional.
Boundaries between homes and offices continue to erode, and addressing spotty and insufficient bandwidth can be a competitive differentiator. Bell is far from the only carrier dealing with the issue of home coverage. There have been several recent announcements on this front:
- Earlier this week, AT&T introduced the Smart Wi-Fi Extender. The system, which was designed by AirTies, uses mesh technology to boost coverage by 1,000 square feet.
- Late last year, Comcast rolled out xFi Pod WiFi extenders in Boston and Chicago. The MSO said it expects to launch the technology nationwide this year. The system uses devices that plug into electrical outlets to create meshes to extend Xfinity WiFi throughout the home.
- Also demonstrating that broadband carriers of all sizes are addressing Wi-Fi, ITS, a broadband provider serving rural Florida, introduced the Whole Home Wi-Fi service.
