Shaw Communications announced its ‘Shaw Gig WiFi’ home internet service, which leverages the company’s new ‘Shaw Fibre+ Gateway 2.0’ modem to deliver better, more consistent wireless connections.
According to a news release from Shaw, the big change here is the Gateway 2.0 modem, which supports Wi-Fi 6. Shaw says that there’s been a significant rise in connected devices in Canadian homes over the last few years. One of the main benefits of Wi-Fi 6 is that it better manages multiple connected devices.
As someone who has a bunch of devices connected to Wi-Fi — including smart home devices, smart bulbs, laptops, phones and more — I’ve definitely noticed a difference in connection consistency on Wi-Fi 6 compared to routers with past Wi-Fi standards.
Further, Shaw now joins independent internet service provider (ISP) Novus in offering Wi-Fi 6-capable routers for customers. The company also said its Gateway 2.0 modem offered better throughput and lower latency than Telus’ WiFi Hub, citing a test conducted by network testing lab ‘Kyrio.’ Shaw did not provide any other details about the test.
Shaw also touts better speed as an advantage here, but it’s important to note that speed is likely more dependent on your internet plan than your Wi-Fi router. That said, Shaw’s new Gig WiFi plans definitely deliver high speeds. On the company’s Gig Wifi webpage, it lists two options — ‘Fibre+ Gig 1.5’ and ‘Fibre+ Gig 1.5 & Total TV.’ Both plans come with the same internet offering, but the second includes Shaw’s TV service with up to 114 channels.
The Fibre+ Gig 1.5 plan boasts download speeds up to 1.5Gbps and costs $129 per month for 24 months, before jumping up to $139 per month. As for the Total TV package, it costs $179 for 24 months, then jumps up to $189. It’s worth noting that these prices are limited-time promotional offers. You can learn more here.
Additionally, the Gateway 2.0 modem works with Shaw’s ‘Fibre+ WiFi Pods’ for customers in larger homes that may need a mesh network set-up.
Finally, Shaw says its Gateway 2.0 modem is available to all new and existing Shaw Fibre+ Gig 1.5 customers in the “majority of neighbourhoods” in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. The Fibre+ Gig 1.5 plans are available in smaller cities too — those interested can learn more here.
Update 04/16/2021 at 9:49am: Updated the article to reflect that Shaw wasn’t the only ISP to offer Wi-Fi 6 routers to customers in Western Canada. Independent ISP Novus launched Wi-Fi 6 routers for its internet services in March.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
