T3 India

Networking

ViewSonic’s myViewBoard Classroom adapts to the ‘New Normal’ in the pandemic-hit education sector

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Amidst the pandemic and even in a post-pandemic world, different industries and sectors are now forcibly adapting to the ‘new normal’ and everything associated with it. People have adapted to virtual calls and meetings for work-related activities and it is no different in the education sector. With that in mind, ViewSonic have launched ‘myViewBoard Classroom’ that enables teachers and students adapt to the extraordinary circumstances as the idea of reopening schools still seems to be a few months away.

The myViewBoard Classroom is designed by prioritising the teacher as it comes with a complete digital whiteboard canvas enabling them to share it with the students. Teachers also get to control when students can speak, make comments and ask questions. There are engagement options for students as well, with a ‘Hand Raise’ push-to-talk feature and a student’s access to remote writing tools.

Through ViewSonic’s multi-functional tool, it’s also possible for the students and teachers to have independent breakout group discussions via virtual grouping. Each group can be assigned its own canvas to work on. The product video of the myViewBoard Classroom also shows how this is possible but it’s safe to assume that several students won’t receive the product, due to a plethora of reasons, and it’d mainly be in the hands of the teachers. Teachers can also access only a single location which has all the lesson content and the Google Classroom.

In a country like India, where high-speed internet is a privilege, it is very difficult for many students to access online lectures and this problem has also been prominent in the news nowadays. myViewBoard Classroom, however, has a ‘low-bandwidth’ feature too, which can potentially help students who don’t have high-speed internet connections at home. But it still remains to be seen on how effective this feature really is.

“We at ViewSonic decided to develop a hybrid teaching tool that provides teachers and students a virtual space to keep going during the pandemic and offers teachers the capabilities to continue teaching and inspiring their students to learn regardless of their location and the current situation. The education sector is one of the worst-hit sectors in this pandemic, and to ensure it doesn’t affect the education system, the best and only option is virtual/online learning,” said Mr. Eric Wei, Senior Sales Director Asia Pacific.

ViewSonic also mentioned that, “In a show of support for schools during the initial outbreak, ViewSonic provides myViewBoard free-of-cost to schools, colleges, and universities as of March 2020. After receiving positive feedback from schools and educators, ViewSonic decided to make myViewBoard Entity for education complimentary to all education institutions permanently”.

For more information of myViewBoard Classroom, please visit this page.

Linksys Velop MX5300 is a premium Wi-Fi 6 mesh router for smart homes and small offices

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Linksys has launched its first-ever Tri-band AX WiFi router, the Velop MX5300 that strives to provide 4x faster speeds and capacity and at the same time expand the wireless range to reach every nook and corner. The MX5300 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh system provides three WiFi signals – one 2.4GHz and two 5GHz ones that provide a good balance and throughput speeds for different connected devices. This impressive router is a premium option for smart homes and offices and is priced currently at Rs. 34,999.

With the ability to connect up to 50 devices to the internet, the Velop MX5300 is not only a great option for today’s spacious homes and creators and gamers but also for small offices or home offices in India.

The Velop MX5300 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh weighs is capable of providing strong connections to spaces of 3000 square feet per node, with up to 5.3Gbps speeds. The MX5300 is the newest addition to Linksys’s Velop family that has an in-built orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) technology that helps reduce latency in high-density environments.

The Linksys App available on Android and iOS, helps set up the Velop MX5300 with relative ease. The app also enables users to manage Wi-Fi smartly, with options and features like guest access, parental controls, device prioritisation and it also provides helpful tips on how to make the most of the Linksys devices.

The Velop MX5300 has 5 Ethernet ports: 1 WAN and 4 LAN and offers a WPA2 and a WPA2/WPA3 Mixed Mode security. It runs of a 2.2GHz quad-core processor with 1GB RAM and a 512MB Flash. But more importantly, the MX5300 comes with a MU-MIMO technology that allows downloads and uploads simultaneously which is preferred for 4K/8K streaming, gaming and the use of other data-heavy apps.

This system can be used with other Linksys routers like Velop Dual Band and more, and can be used as a master node or child node. Kartik Bakshi, the Country Manager of Linksys India, said, “Whether it is being connected seamlessly for those endless virtual meetings or enjoying streaming content, playing online games or attending webinars, the Linksys MX5300, ensures that there is no compromise on connectivity with multiple devices working together flawlessly”.

The Linksys Velop MX5300 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh is now available on Amazon for a price of Rs. 34,999.

Facebook invests a whopping $5.7 billion in Reliance’s Jio

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In what is deemed as one of the largest foreign direct investment deals in India’s tech sector, Facebook has invested approximately Rs. 43,574 crore or $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms Limited. Through this, Zuckerberg’s company now owns a stake of 9.99% in Jio Platforms, making Facebook the largest minority stakeholder in one of the largest mobile network operators in India. With Jio’s 4G network and a host of mobile inventions enabling more and more Indians to join the internet throughout the country, this investment is going to have a large scalable impact on the economy in the post-COVID era.

Reliance has claimed this to be the “largest investment for a minority stake by a technology company anywhere in the world”. This partnership between two giants to accelerate India’s digital transformation stands on the fact that Jio has experienced unprecedented growth since its launch in 2016. With approximately 388 million subscribers, Jio has moved grounds to enable the rural population to be connected to the internet as well.

Facebook announced that “in the past five years, more than 560 million people in India have gained access to the Internet. Our goal is to enable new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, but especially for the more than 60 million small business across India. They account for the majority of jobs in the country, and form the heart and soul of rural and urban communities alike”.

WhatsApp – which is owned by Facebook – plays a huge role in the fabric of the Indian society. This collaboration between Facebook and Jio aims to empower small businesses of ‘small merchants and kirana shops’ (which are small local shops selling everyday staples and groceries) by integrating What’s App on Reliance Retail’s new commerce platform – JioMart – thus enabling, users and sellers to connect seamlessly.

Playing a strong role even during the 2019 elections, WhatsApp has also begun to reform lives of farmers through smallholder WhatsApp groups – where farmers share their stories and experiences in order to help others get the best possible yield. One strong example is the Hoy Amhi Shetkari (HAS, meaning ‘yes, we are farmers’) group on WhatsApp and Facebook which was set up in Maharashtra by Amol Patil and agriculture PhD Ankush Chormule. According to the Economic Times, more than 600,000 farmers are associated with the HAS group. Additionally, HAS also has a YouTube channel and conducts regular field workshops for farmers.

Jio announced that their “focus will be India’s 60 million micro, small and medium businesses, 120 million farmers, 30 million small merchants and millions of small and medium enterprises in the informal sector, in addition to empowering people seeking various digital services”. Jio’s efforts to help farmers through the Jio Krishi App – which helps farmers with precision farming practices through data-driven decisions – is still in its early stages and thus, it’d be disingenuous to jump to conclusions so soon.

Jio is championing the Indian telecom market, and with great 4G internet deals and packages, more and more people are buying Jio’s services, and preferring it over existing long-term service providers. Facebook, unlike other giants like Amazon and Google, hasn’t yet launched a payment platform (like Google Pay, etc.) in India yet. With WhatsApp Pay getting the regulatory approval earlier this year, will this be an opportunity for Facebook to jump right in? Only time will tell. And if they do, it sure seems to be a great move given Jio’s reach to hundreds of millions of people. With the Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2018 still in Facebook’s shadows, it’s unclear as to what sort of user data will they have access to through Jio’s colossal network.

One thing is for sure, with smartphones being accessible to everyone, and with the influx of those preferring to use Jio’s digital services, this $5.7 billion investment by Facebook can be deemed as a masterstroke, which will give Reliance the ability to push their network into the almost every nook and corner of our vast country.

TP-Link routers will come with Avira SafeThings installed

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Smart and connected devices in your house bring the much-needed convenience but it also makes your network prone to compromises. To protect your network from any such attacks, TP-Link has announced their partnership with Avira to integrate Avira SafeThings, a security solution for the routers. 

This comprehensive solution will protect all internet-connected devices like Smart TVs, security cameras and other IoT devices that are connected to the home network. The solution with the help of AI and machine learning will take care of the privacy features, malware and DDoS protection, and more. 

TP-Link hasn’t confirmed if this solution will be in select set of models or all the models going forward.

TP-Link is the first networking company to receive TEC Certification under MTCTE

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TP-Link, the computer networking equipment maker based out of Shenzhen in China has become the first networking company in India to receive the TEC (Telecommunication Engineering Center) Certification. This is for their business class Action Points and WiFi Routers that come under the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) programme undertaken by the Government of India.

Mr. Sanjay Sehgal, Sr. Vice President, SMB & Telco said “TP-Link being a global leader in CPE’s, Access Points, Routers and other telecom products, recognises the importance of TEC certification assuring compliance as per the local Government standards“.

Framed in 2017, the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules state that all telecom equipment must undergo mandatory testing and certification prior to sale and import of use in India. The testing for the equipment is carried out for conformance to essential requirements by Indian accredited labs designated by TEC and based on the test reports, the certificate will be issued by TEC. TP-Link products are currently being supplied to more than 170 countries across the world.