ASUS Launches Blue Cave 802.11AC AC2600 Wi-Fi router

Beyond the doesn’t look like a Wi-Fi router visage, the most interesting thing about the ASUS Blue Cave 802.11AC AC2600 Wi-Fi router is that it’s the first Intel Home Wi-Fi Chipset (what a product name :)) based networking kit that I’ve run across. Given the 4×4 1733Mbps + 800Mbps specifications, it has to be using the WAV524. SoC considerations aside, the Blue Cave also includes other cool stuff for the geeky folk, with Amazon Alexa and IFTTT support included alongside some reasonably advanced parental controls. Interestingly there is no mention of AiMesh support in the release.

ASUS Launches Blue Cave

— Dual-band AC2600 router for smart homes combines Intel® WiFi technology and comprehensive family security in a unique compact design —

Fremont, CA (January 30, 2017) — ASUS today launched Blue Cave, a high-performance AC2600 Wi-Fi router based on Intel’s latest connected home technology that’s built to meet the demanding needs of modern smart homes. Blue Cave is an easy-to-use, innovatively designed router featuring family-friendly features like easy PC-free network setup and control, via the intuitive ASUS Router App for Android and iOS devices. It’s built to cope easily with the increasingly complex and bandwidth-heavy demands of smart home networks, offering superb multi-device performance powered by the Intel® Home WiFi chipset, comprehensive commercial-grade security with ASUS AiProtection, and out-of-the-box IoT integration with Amazon Alexa and IFTTT. “Combining years of ASUS experience in wireless innovation and Intel’s connected home technology, Blue Cave delivers ultrafast WiFi speeds throughout your home,” said Tenlong Deng, General Manager, ASUS Networking and Wireless Devices Business Unit. “Not only is it powerful with easy to use control features, its eye-catching design without external antennas blends perfectly with any décor.”

Elegantly Designed WiFi for Smart Homes Blue Cave combines ASUS engineering expertise and Intel’s home Wi-Fi technology to deliver ultrafast AC2600-class concurrent dual-band WiFi speeds throughout the home, ensuring smooth 4K UHD video streaming and gaming, and fast file downloads. With Intel’s latest technology, the router has more than enough capacity to handle the simultaneous data demands of multiple devices found in today’s smart homes plus dedicated bandwidth for software and security features. “Consumers are bringing more connected devices into their homes and need a network that can keep up now and in the future,” said Dan Artusi, Vice President and General Manager, Intel’s Connected Home Division. “We are collaborating with the industry to transform home connectivity and unleash a new era of smart home experiences. With a unique, eye-catching design, ASUS Blue Cave is a great example of an innovative solution based on Intel technology that fits into lifestyle aesthetics while delivering top performance.” Blue Cave has a strikingly compact design that fits anywhere. Blue Cave’s unique styling and powerful performance are both made possible by ASUS’ sophisticated WiFi engineering. Internal antennas are often a compromise: they allow a cleaner external design, but they can be prone to performance-sapping interference. In Blue Cave, the location and orientation of the four fully-optimized antennas relative to each other and to the internal circuitry was engineered to deliver the best possible WiFi signal in all directions.

Ultimate Protection for the Whole Family Blue Cave incorporates ASUS AiProtection, the first commercial-grade security for home networks. AiProtection, powered by Trend Micro™, is free for the life of the product, and protects every connected smart device on the network, including IoT devices. Blue Cave incorporates Advanced Parental Controls, allowing users to keep a watchful eye on the family’s internet usage, and decide how much internet time or what apps each family member is allowed. State-of-the-art parental controls let users block specific categories of mobile apps and websites — and apply these settings to all devices belonging to a family member — while allowing free access to the rest of the internet. ASUS even expands that protection to other devices as Blue Cave includes a year’s free Trend Micro™ Mobile Security package for two mobile devices and Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ for two Windows based PCs. Redemption instructions are included in the box. This offer is available until December 31, 2018.

Smart Home Ready Blue Cave is a smart router for smart homes. It offers out-of-the-box support for IFTTT and Amazon Alexa, so users can easily integrate Blue Cave into a smart home to make their lives easier. For example, a user could just tell Alexa to suspend the Wi-Fi during a family dinner to prevent interruptions, or use IFTTT to get an automatic email notification when children arrive home. Blue Cave enables endless possibilities for smart living.

###

AVAILABILITY & PRICING ASUS Blue Cave is available now at a suggested MSRP of $179.99 USD at Amazon, Fry’s, Newegg and other leading retailers in North America. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information or visit us at ASUS North America. Watch the story behind Blue Cave at ASUS-YouTube and learn more about our class leading Router App here.

SPECIFICATIONS¹   ASUS Blue Cave Antennas 4 x Internal dual-band antenna Operating Frequency Concurrent dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi Data Rate 802.11b: up to 11Mbps 802.11a/g: up to 54Mbps 802.11n: up to 450Mbps 256QAM (2.4GHz): up to 800Mbps 802.11ac (5GHz): up to 1733Mbps Network Standards IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IPv4, IPv6 Memory 128MB flash & 512MB DDR3 RAM I/O Ports 1 x Gigabit WAN port 4 x Gigabit LAN port 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port Software AiProtection, Amazon Alexa skill and IFTTT support, ASUS Router App, AiCloud 2.0, Airtime Fairness, Traffic Analyzer, Guest Network, VPN Server/ client, IPTV support, Mac OS Backup Controls WPS button Reset button Power button DC Power Adapter AC input: 100V~240V(50~60Hz) DC output: 19V with max. 1.75A current Package Contents RJ-45 cable Quick Start Guide Power adapter Dimensions 6.3 x 6.3 x 3.1 in 160 x 160 x80mm (W x H x D) ¹ Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com