Sitex picks: Home

1 Asus RT-AC88U (Above)

$389 (usual price $429); free Asus gaming mouse

• Booths 6E01 and 6G09

A new home needs a new router, which makes the Asus RT-AC88U a likely candidate for your home network. With eight gigabit LAN ports to wire up to your desktops and laptops, this one provides high-speed Internet access for both Web surfing and multiplayer gaming.

Its wireless coverage is extensive and fast, thanks to a 4 x 4 antenna design and consistently fast 802.11ac dual-band feature that boosts speeds up to 3,167 Mbps to prevent latency issues while you're gaming.

2 Netgear Orbi

$649

• Booths 6B07 and 6C07

Routers were once ugly chunky blocks of plastic to be hidden in some corner of the living room.

Not any more. The Netgear Orbi looks right at home in your living room. This piece of eye candy has a sleek curvy design that makes you wonder if it really is a router.

It is MU-MIMO capable, able to simultaneously stream data on multiple devices. The Wi-Fi system covers an area of about 370 sq m, thanks to the Orbi satellite that wirelessly links to the main router.

Setting up is easy, all done through a few taps on the Orbi app.

3 Prolink PIC1009WN

$159 (usual price $199)

• Booth 6A07

Keeping your home safe and secure is made easy with the Prolink PIC1009WN. For one thing, the wide-angle wireless camera captures everything clearly in its 140-degree field of vision.

Besides monitoring your home through its 2-megapixel camera, the PIC1009WN has a microphone to record conversations and a speaker to communicate.

Intruders, beware! This IP camera also comes with advanced alarm detection to warn homeowners of attempts to break in.

4 Samsung 55-inch Curved UHD 4K Smart TV

$2,999; Free Samsung Soundbar HW-J6501 (worth $799) or Samsung 40-inch Smart Full HD TV (worth $799), six months E-Sports Network Subscription free (worth $149.40) and a $100 voucher

• Booth 5J17 and 6E07

A living room is not complete until you have a TV set. For that matter, it will be perfect if you are eyeing a curved UHD 4K TV.

The Samsung 55-inch Curved UHD 4K Smart TV is a good catch. If you're not after its 4K resolution that delivers the most vivid and detailed scenes, then get it for its easy-to-use smart functions.

Stream your favourite shows with the Smart Hub, and wirelessly connect the TV set to your smartphone to continue where you left off.

5 True-I Home Automation Gateway (HMSH-100)

$480

• Booth 5K09

Imagine if you were in holiday mood and on your way to the airport when you realised that you had forgotten to switch off the TV set at home.

A quick check of the IP camera installed in your home confirms it. Now, if you had the True-I Home Automation Gateway set up and connected to a Z-Wave compatible sensor linked to your TV, you'd simply switch it off using the app.

Future homes are meant to work this way, with 232 Z-Wave compatible devices, whether they are sensors or other automation systems operating all the switches at home.

And then, imagine when it's a sticky, sweaty day and the same magic lets you switch on the airconditioning while you're still homeward bound, so that you can walk into a cool home.

Read Also:
Sitex picks: Mobile
New tech zone, extra sections at Sitex 2016

This article was first published on November 24, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.