GADGET GURU’S MAGIC BOX

Perhaps technology cannot solve every problem, perhaps it can. GaGu is in a rare state, one in which he is completely out of his depth and positively afraid: the household has gone positively renovation crazy, with the kitchen and bathroom now on the (pricey) rejuvenation docket. This means Pinterest mood boards, reams of upsetting cost-tracking spreadsheets, project management by the inimitable Mrs Guru and her specialist software tools. The thing that worries Guru most is that he can’t just whip out a gadget or an app to make this all run smoothly. He’s supposed to think for himself, make decisions, and control the thick local accent which only spills out of his mouth when workmen are allowed through the gates of Guru Towers. Absolutely awful. If any reader knows of a technological solution for this one, drop GaGu a line – consider it payment for the years of stupid questions Guru has been forced to answer.

Google’s Nest Wifi mesh system ($229 for a two-unit setup) crossed Guru’s desk this month, and it’s very good. In some ways GaGu reckons it’s a downgrade from the original Google Wifi, particularly because its Point satellites don’t include any Ethernet, but they make up for it with Google Assistant support. It’s child-simple to set up, too, though GaGu can’t see it beating out his trusty home-blanketing Netgear Orbi setup. So what might replace it? Not the redesigned Orbi Dual-Band Mesh system, which also drops Ethernet, that’s for sure. But there’s a significant amount of drool pooling on GaGu’s t-shirt over the Orbi Wifi 6, which includes 802.11ax networking and is likely to be astonishing when it launches.