With larger operators gaining traction with optimized Wi-Fi services, Hitron has launched what it’s billing as a “turnkey” whole-home solution, combining management apps, gateways and extenders.
The Centennial, Colorado-based vendor, which will be showing off its wares next week at the SCTE’s Cable-Tec Expo, calls its new product “Unleash Your Wi-Fi.”
The app suite includes an “Eastynstall,” which is intended to help technicians with tasks such as spectrum analysis and QAM modulation, as well as tools to identify dead zones. There’s also an end-user app for self-installs and network management. And there’s a cloud-based utility that allows operators to resolve Wi-Fi issues remotely.
“Speed is no longer a customer want: it’s a need,” said Greg Fisher, chief technology officer for Hitron Technologies Americas, in a statement.
“As the number of devices in the home increases exponentially, this need gets more difficult to satisfy," he said. "That’s why our engineers have focused on a series of forward-looking features to ensure peak performance and advanced functionality even when consumers move throughout their home, their garage or their yard. We simplify diagnostics for everyone – from the installer, to the subscriber to the call center. This will increase customer satisfaction while reducing truck rolls and support calls.”
RELATED: Comcast brands smart home network product 'xFi,' deploys it to 10M homes
The Hitron tool enables Tier 2 and 3 operators to deploy tools similar to Comcast’s xFi, a Wi-Fi optimization tool deployed by the No. 1 U.S. operator earlier this year.
Comcast branded its cloud-based, smart-home network solution it first introduced in January as "xFi" and has, as of today, made it available to the 10 million customers who have XB3 gateways for no additional charge.
Using the service, parents can direct the network to disable the Wi-Fi access of their children at specific times, or put the whole house “to bed,” if they so choose.
Customers can also monitor who is using their network at any given time and how much data is being used, troubleshoot their network and monitor specific connected devices. Users access and control the Xfinity xFi service via iOS and Android mobile apps, but it can also be controlled and configured with Comcast’s voice-remote technology.