Rogers announced a new internet product under its recently rebranded Xfinity home internet line. The company’s Xfinity Storm-Ready Wi-Fi features a rechargeable battery and the ability to use Rogers’ cellular network as a backup connection in the event of a network or power outage.
Rogers first announced Storm-Ready Wi-Fi earlier this year, along with its 10-year agreement with Comcast to bring Xfinity-branded products to Canada.
Per a press release, the company shared with MobileSyrup, Storm-Ready Wi-Fi’s extended battery backup can last up to four hours during a power outage. That’s not a whole lot of time, but I guess four hours of connectivity during a power outage is better than nothing.
Rogers also said that Storm-Ready Wi-Fi can automatically switch over to cellular when there’s a power outage or when internet service is interrupted. Overall I’d say this is a good thing to have, but we’ve seen issues take down Rogers’ entire network — cellular and internet — before, so I’m not sure how reliable this will truly be. Rogers is working to split its cellular and internet networks, so eventually that won’t be a concern.
Finally, the company said the Storm-Ready Wi-Fi device can be used to enhance Wi-Fi coverage and can work as a range extender for everyday use.
Currently, Storm-Ready Wi-Fi is only available in B.C. Rogers said it would roll out Storm-Ready Wi-Fi across the country in February. It’s also available for pre-order now. Storm-Ready Wi-Fi is an optional add-on to Rogers’ Xfinity internet service and costs $15/mo.
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