Technology: Say goodbye to your dull, utilitarian Wi-fi router

The last time you thought about your Wi-fiWi- Fi router was probably the day you set it up— up—oror the day it suddenly stopped working. But a startup wants to give us a reason to think about that blinking box beyond when we’re cursing it.

Just as Google’s Nest is based on the idea that someone could find fifififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififind a thermostat sexy, Starry Station ($ ($349.99; 349.99; preorder for April delivery at starry. starry.com)com) is for people who want something more than a dull, utilitarian router. For starters, it’s a bright white aluminum triangle, not a dark gray brick, and it has a touchscreen. ““TheThe last thing we wanted to do was design something that looked like it belonged in a data center,” says Don Lehman, the company’s head of industrial design.

Starry Station isn’t just all looks. There’s novelty to its technical approach as well. Standard dual- dual-bandband routers enable separatewi- rate Wi-fiFi networks, but Starry’s software automatically chooses which network is right for your device— device—bebe it one designed to carry a data- data-heavyheavy signal or one with a greater range but less capacity. Usually this has to be donemanually,done manually, and other routers that promote auto switching often fail at it.

Other startups are working on more consumer-friendly Wi-fiWi- Fi routers, too. Eero ($ ($499 for a three-pack;three- pack; eero. eero.com com and amazon.com,amazon. com, where, based on about 300 reviews, it has 3.9 out of 5 stars) recently began shipping a series of sleek white rectangles designed for positioning around a house. Together they formwhat’sform what’s known as a ameshmesh network, which spreads a signal evenly throughout a space. A signal from a single router gets weaker the farther it has to travel.

The question Starry and Eero face is whether all of this is enough to entice people to pay a hefty premium for it, given that there are highly rated routers available for less than $100.$ 100. But, hey, at least people will be pondering this and not, How far can I throw this thing? <BW> <BW><BW><BW>