Telstra has announced the release of their latest router, the Telstra Gateway Max 2. This upgraded model provides faster streaming speeds and stronger Wi-Fi signals so you can stream move video to more places in your home.
We reached out to Telstra because we know you guys love the details, so here’s the specs for the upgraded Gateway Max 2.
Specifications
The Telstra Gateway Max 2 includes the latest Wi-Fi technology to keep more devices connected in the home, with faster (4×4 802.11ac) Wi-Fi speeds and better coverage than any of our current home network gateways.
The gateway is designed to support a new wave of in home devices and applications including smart home technology and can connect up to 35 devices simultaneously with Wi-Fi dual band capability (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz) to spread internet traffic across two bands to provide a more reliable connection to multiple devices. The gateway was created in partnership with Technicolor.
- Broadcom 63138 gateway chipset
- Broadcom 4366 wireless chipset with Dual band 4×4 802.11ac Wi-Fi and MU-MIMO
- Telstra Air compatible
- 2 x 3.0 fast USB ports
- 1 x DSL port
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet (GE) WAN port
- 4 x Gigabit Ethernet (GE) LAN Ports
- Easy push button connection to easily pair compatible Wi-Fi devices without needing to re-enter account names and passwords
- Home phone ports and CatIQ DECT for wireless pairing to a T-Voice handset
- Compatible with the Telstra T-Voice app for home phone calling on your smart phones and tablets
- Compatible with ADSL, NBN FTTN/B and NBN FTTP
- Supports voice calls over NBN and internet on all devices
- NFC chip enables easy Wi-Fi pairing for Android handsets, simply by tapping the device on the gateway
- Designed by Telstra in partnership with Australian consultancy Design & Industry
Pricing and availability:
- The Gateway Max 2 will be available from September for $264 outright, $96 as an upgrade for new home broadband customers or $11 per month on a 24 month contract.
- Available to new customers, existing customers with a fixed voice and broadband service and fixed voice only customers on the NBN on compatible broadband services.
Like most decisions made on hardware upgrades, Telstra conducted research to better understand the needs of their customers which showed some of you have some explaining to do.
The research findings show people are regularly taking their TV viewing outside the living room, streaming from:
- The bedroom (60 percent)
- The kitchen (20 percent)
- The garden (17 percent)
- Even the bathroom (12 percent)
- And more than half of streamers say they now access more on-demand content than broadcast TV.
Telstra Executive Director Fixed Products and Services said,
With video now making up almost two-thirds of the data carried over Telstra’s fixed network, Telstra was focussed on providing customers the best in-home streaming experience.
Given that consumers have a strong thirst for video, Telstra are trying to win customers with new home internet bundles that include bonus 3 month subscriptions to Netflix, Stan and Presto.
The Gateway Max 2 will be available next month, with the company also launching new home internet bundles tomorrow. Mr Bird says,
“Our new bundle range has been designed with entertainment in mind. Customers taking up the new $90 Medium plan and above will receive a Telstra TV as well as three month subscriptions to Netflix, Stan and Presto, giving them access to around 15,000 TV shows and movies to watch at home or out and about on their smartphone screen using Telstra’s national Wi-Fi and mobile networks.
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution for Australian households, so we’ve built a range of new add-ons customers can choose including additional data, calling, entertainment, speed and premium support, to help customers build a plan to suit their personal needs”
Naturally the new Gateway Max 2 also gives customers the ability to leverage Telstra Air which lets you connect to one of more than 500,000 Telstra Air hotspots around the country, and more than 20 million hotspots globally, until 27 March 2017.
Telstra Frontier Gateway
Telstra also confirmed it would be the first Australian telco to launch an all-in-one hybrid modem ( Telstra Frontier Gateway) early next year, bringing together Telstra’s fixed and mobile networks for a more continuous connection at home.
Like the Telstra Gateway Max 2, the Gateway Frontier features the latest Wi-Fi technology to deliver Telstra’s best Wi-Fi speeds over a greater range and keep more devices connected in the home at higher speeds than ever before on a Telstra home network gateway.
Telstra partnered with Australian product design consultancy Design & Industry to develop the gateway with a strong desire to build an aesthetically pleasing device which people would be proud to have on display, therefore ensuring a stronger Wi-Fi signal throughout the home.
Product specifications
- The latest Wi-Fi technology, 802.11ac
- Dual band 4×4 Wi-Fi AC chipset (4×4 Wi-Fi 802.11ac) with MU-MIMO to keep more devices connected in the home and deliver four times faster Wi-Fi speeds than current gateways.
- Telstra 4G enabled with a pre-activated mobile sim integrated into the device that auto registers upon power up. In the event a fixed line is unavailable, the gateway will then connect to the mobile network to ensure continuous service.
- Ability to connect up to 35 smart devices simultaneously
- Telstra Air compatible
- 2 x 3.0 fast USB ports
- 1 x DSL port
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet (GE) WAN port
- 4 x fast Gigabit Ethernet (GE) LAN Ports
- NFC chip enables easy Wi-Fi pairing for Android handsets, simply by tapping the device on the gateway
Pricing and availability:
- Available to ADSL, Cable and NBN customers in early 2017.
- Pricing to be announced in the coming months.