The wait is coming to an end for subscribers of the historic operator equipped with the latest Livebox. After months of patience, while his rivals Free, Bouygues Telecom and SFR already offered adequate solutions, the operator is preparing to market its own Wi-Fi 7 repeater. This new equipment, whose design and characteristics are already known through its launch in Poland, aims to standardize the performance of domestic networks, but it brings with it a unexpected software innovation.
What are the technical characteristics of this new repeater?
The new case, manufactured by Taiwanese Arcadyan, adopts a compact and discreet design. Designed to plug directly into a wall outlet, it sports a textured white plastic shell. Its connectivity appears rather complete with the presence of two Ethernet portsone at 1 Gbit/s and the other, faster, at 2.5 Gbit/s, allowing you to connect demanding wired devices.
The Wi-Fi 7 repeater marketed by the Polish subsidiary of Orange since last March.
Credits: Orange
However, the main development obviously concerns the transition to Wi-Fi 7 standard. However, the operator has chosen a dual-band architectureusing the frequencies of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, like its current Liveboxes. The 6 GHz band, one of the major contributions of Wi-Fi 7, is therefore not included. The gains will thus focus on reduced latency and technologie MLO (Multi-Link Operation)which optimizes the connection by combining several links simultaneously.
How is innovation primarily software?
The real surprise of this launch is not in the raw flow rates, but in the operating system. This repeater will be the very first equipmentOrange in France to operate under prplOS. It is an open source OS developed by the prpl Foundation, already adopted by giants like Vodafone ou AT&T.
Concretely, prplOS is designed to offer increased interoperability between different network equipment, regardless of their manufacturer. Where the proprietary firmwares of competition remain “black boxes”, the operator opens the door to a more flexible ecosystem and potentially more scalable. The deployment of this OS in France therefore begins with this accessory, before a probable future extension to the Liveboxes themselves.
How will Orange position this repeater on the market?
The question of commercial positioning remains central. Currently, the Livebox Max Fiber offer includes up to three Wi-Fi 6 repeaters on request. To remain competitive with Free, which provides a Wi-Fi 7 repeater with its Freebox Ultra, or Bouygues and SFR which also offer them, the operator will probably have to integrate this new equipment without additional cost in his premium packages.
Although no official launch date has been communicated, several clues suggest a imminent marketing. The product is already certified, registered with the INPI and available in other European countries in the group. The historic operator thus makes up for its material delay while taking a a step ahead in terms of softwarea strategy that could pay off in the long term.
