Double duty devices!

One plus one, can sometimes equal more than two. Some Indian product companies are proving this, even as they take on global brands in their chosen niche, by offering added value for money. I sampled three examples of this new Math, at recent tech shows, adding new value to that mundane piece of circuitry — the wireless router.

A WEB, TV and Video bundle We go to one provider for a home Internet connection — and WiFi router. For our TV channels we go to a dish or cable operator. For additional video-on-demand, we have to sign up with providers like Eros, Hungama, Yupp TV, Netflix etc. Why not get all three with a single connection A one-stop-solution will also make sure you are not faced by multiple by the start of a month. This is the compelling premise of Lukup. After testing the waters for over a year in Bengaluru, the Lukup player and the connected video services goes live in select areas in three more cities today (February 15) —Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. You can check if your PIN code is covered at Lukup.com — and if so you can have someone come and install the Lukup device in your home for Rs 6,000, plus a monthly subscription starting at Rs 990.

For this you get: a bouquet of some 150 TV channels; an Internet connection with 30GB of data/month and speeds of 4 MBPS to 20 MBPS; 500 GB of cloud storage to record programmes; Rs 300 credit to purchase additional TV channels or video-on-demand fare and the ability to “CatchUp” — which means you go back and access a TV show or serial that you missed. A Godfather-like ‘offer you can’t refuse!’ Lukup’s MD Kallol Borah says the national capital region will come on the map next — and by mid 2017, some 47 cities will be offered the Lukup service.

Uninterrupted home WiFi Some ideas are so elegantly simple, we ask ourselves ‘why didn’t anyone think of that before ’ I was struck by this thought when I saw the Router UPS which won Bengaluru-based Resonate, the Best Startup award last week, at the Vision Summit of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA). Many of us have a home WiFi router which lets us wirelessly use the same wired broadband Internet connection, across multiple PCs, laptops and mobile phones. We are also plagued by frequent power cuts because the router which takes its power from a mains power adapter, goes off every time. In my own case, a sort of perverse Murphy’s Law seems to operate — such interruptions to my Net connection, invariably occur when I am in the last stage of an online transaction, entering my credit card number. Resonate thought: why not create a special UPS for routers — a scaled-down version on the lines of the power bank one uses to charge phones The Router UPS is just that, a palm-sized battery backup for all standard routers that offers up to 2000 mAh and four hours of backup — enough for most urban power cuts. The UPS comes with three different bridge cables, which between them should match any router in the market. You remove the power adapter that comes with the router, and insert the UPS between the router and the adapter, then plug the adapter to the mains. That’s it! As Resonate founder Sudhir Sathiyamurthy says, “When power goes, the WiFi doesn’t!”

One caution. You need to closely examine the power adapter of your router and buy the Router UPS model that matches the DC voltage requirement of the router — usually 5, 9 or 12 volts. The 12V 2A Router UPS is currently available at FlipKart and Amazon for Rs 1,499. The 5V and 9 V versions cost Rs 1,299.

Office in a box! At the recent Convergence India expo in Delhi, Vadodara-based Matrix Telecom Solutions, had a solution with a router at its heart — catering to small offices. The Navan CNX200 Office-in-a-Box is a communication solution that connects staff through Voice, Data, video call, mobile 3G, land lines and Internet telephone. In other words, this is a fixed line and mobile telephone exchange, data router, WiFi hotspot and local area network all rolled into one. And what’s more it is unattended. Kiss your telephone operator goodbye! A free app called Sparsh M2S for Android, IoS and Windows mobile also allows mobile workers to remain connected to their home base even when they are out — through the Navan box. With additional tools like conferencing, video calls, voice mail etc. Navan starts from Rs 35,000, a compellingly-priced, Made-in-India solution.