(Abingdon, Oxfordshire 22 January 2020) – A new partnership to deliver ultrafast broadband speeds to every corner of rural properties has been announced by Gigaclear, the full fibre, ultrafast rural broadband provider. In collaboration with Linksys, a leader in wireless connectivity for home and business, Gigaclear now offers an in-home Smart WiFi ‘mesh solution’ for its customers, delivering the highest quality WiFi performance at all times, from anywhere in their home.
The materials used to build a property can have a huge impact on traditional WiFi performance. Metal, mirrors, concrete, stone walls, large rooms and unusual property layouts are commonplace in country communities, all of which can severely interfere with WiFi signal. Gigaclear understands these challenges, and is proud to be collaborating with Linksys, owned by global consumer electronics company, Belkin International, to create an industry-leading solution.
The Smart WiFi ‘mesh solution’ works by effectively throwing a ‘WiFi bubble’ over an area, which can be easily extended by adding a series of interconnected nodes to expand the WiFi coverage. The interconnected nodes are all part of a single wireless network and share the same SSID and password, unlike traditional boosters and access points which simply relay the signal. With Smart WiFi, devices connect to the nearest node, which ensures the best connection.
Ultrafast fibre-to-the-property has transformed the way people living in rural communities are operating, allowing the capability of working from home, diversifying businesses, increasing productivity or accessing vital online services. Gigaclear’s new partnership with Linksys delivers a market-leading, future-proof WiFi solution that allows customers to utilise the fastest internet speeds in the country at all times, from anywhere in their home.
James Lowther, Chief Marketing Officer, Gigaclear said; “We focus on building to rural areas, which means our customers often suffer from poor WiFi performance due to the stone construction or size of their properties. Our broadband service provides the best speeds in the UK, and we want our customers’ WiFi performance to be able to take full advantage of it.
“Linksys has significant know-how in this space and has proven to be the right partner as it understands how to maximise a user’s WiFi experience. It has worked with us to develop the ‘Gigaclear powered by Linksys’ brand and we look forward working with them in partnership to give our customers not only the best broadband speeds in the UK, but the best WiFi experience available.”
Stephanie Willems, VP Europe, at Belkin International said; “The foundation of a smart home is robust, future-proofed connectivity. The combination of Gigaclear and Linksys will bring best-in-class connectivity to areas that need it most. We built our Velop products with Intelligent Mesh Technology inside so people can connect a modular system of nodes and focus WiFi signal strength based on location within the home. Intelligent Mesh Technology also allows us to deliver unique software services such as Linksys Shield, which allows people to block unwanted content and manage the family’s internet usage, and Linksys Aware, which uses the Mesh WiFi network to detect and notify users when motion has occurred in the home. We are incredibly proud of our Velop products and the value adds via software we will continue to deliver.”
Gigaclear trialed the Velop routers with a customer focus group over the summer and the results showed an obvious improvement in customer satisfaction and the WiFi coverage. 100% of the customers who signed up to the trial asked to keep the units after the trial ended, rather than return them.
New customers have been receiving the Gigaclear powered by Linksys Velop router as part of their install since early October, whilst Gigaclear has been working to offer it to current customers as an upgrade. Customers can add additional nodes to expand their WiFi network by upgrading to one of Gigaclear’s Smart WiFi packages or by purchasing the units through one of Linksys’ commercial partners. Every existing customer will be contacted by Gigaclear about these upgrades and its new Customer Portal.
The Linksys Velop routers are easy to install and come with an app which makes setting up or extending the network easy. It also means that customers can easily troubleshoot any connectivity issues themselves or alternatively call Gigaclear for further support. Gigaclear installation engineers will set up the initial network for new customers and it’s simple to add in additional nodes to extend the network.
To find out more about Gigaclear’s WiFi powered by Linksys, please follow the link.
For further information, please contact Energy PR on 01993 823 011 or email Gigaclear@energypr.co.uk
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About Gigaclear:
Gigaclear designs, builds and operates a full fibre, ultrafast broadband network in rural areas across central and southern England. Established in 2010, our network now reaches more than 200 communities across 20 counties – and growing. We are working hard to provide rural properties, farms and businesses with the UK’s best broadband speeds. Gigaclear’s full fibre ultrafast network transforms communities by allowing residents to benefit from fast, reliable broadband speeds in an ever-progressive online world.
Gigaclear designs and builds its new networks to rural communities where there is a need for better broadband using commercial investment. In some communities we are working with Local Bodies to deliver this essential service with subsidy under the Building Digital UK (BDUK) scheme.
Gigaclear Ltd is principally owned by Infracapital, a leading European Infrastructure investor.
About Belkin International:
In 2018, Foxconn Interconnect Technology merged with Belkin International (Belkin®, Linksys®, Wemo®, Phyn®) to create a global consumer electronics leader. Today, this group leads in connecting people with technologies at home, at work and on the go within the accessories (“Connected Things” – Belkin brand) and the smart home (“Connected Home” – Linksys, Wemo and Phyn brands) markets.
The Linksys brand has pioneered wireless connectivity since its inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering strategies, and best-in-class technology, design and customer service. Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem.
