A wireless router that tracks user activity—but for a good reason

D-Link

Over the past year we’ve watched in dismay as more and more devices require cloud service accounts to unlock their full potential. Cisco made its routers worse with a software update that forced users onto a cloud service with less functionality than the traditional management interface, and then Razer required Internet connections in order to use all the capabilities of a gaming mouse.

It’s not that cloud services are inherently bad—many are extraordinarily useful. The issue is that physical devices that always worked just fine without an Internet connection shouldn’t require users to upload data to some vendor’s servers and create a new username and password unless there’s a good reason for it.

Along came a new example today, but one that may well turn out to be good for users—even those who want to keep all their data completely out of anyone’s cloud. Wireless chip maker Qualcomm Atheros today unveiled StreamBoost, which intelligently manages your home’s broadband connection on routers based on Qualcomm’s 802.11ac technology.