LAS VEGAS–You can find some real innovation in wireless technology from familiar names like Netgear, D-Link, and Linksys, as well as lesser-known vendors and companies that make the hardware that goes inside routers, wireless extenders, and other Wi-Fi gadgets.

From CES, we present the hottest and newest Wi-Fi products from up-and-coming companies and component-makers. These companies are driving innovation in a world that is increasingly hungry for wireless broadband connectivity.

Amped Wireless
This West Coast-based wireless networking company, headed by CEO Jason Owen has steadily delivered to the wireless networking market products that have an emphasis on high-power antennas and amplifiers to combat the pervasive problem of inadequate wireless signal coverage. The company is now focused on next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi with its latest product rollouts that include:

• The RTA30 High Power AC1900 Wi-Fi Router features four high-gain dual band antennas, 16 high-power amplifiers, as well as a USB 3.0 port for connecting external storage. An updated router management interface supports features including guest networking, parental controls, adjustable Wi-Fi coverage, and more.
• The RTA33 High Power AC1900 Wi-Fi Range Extender can extend 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac wireless networks. The device has eight Wi-Fi radios, four high-gain dual band antenna, 16 high-power amplifiers, and five Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting wired devices.
• The PCI120E High Power AC1200 Wi-Fi PCI-E Adapter delivers 802.11ac to Windows desktop computers. It's a wireless adapter card that fits into a PCI-E slot. The card has two high-gain dual band antennas and four amplifiers.
• The RTA30 and RTA33 will be available mid-2014. The PCI120E is available for pre-order from Amped Wireless and will ship in February at a retail price of $89.99.

EnGenius Technologies
EnGenius Technologies is a U.S.-based networking company, founded in 1999. The company specializes in "wireless communications and radio frequency (RF) technology" as per its website. We've reviewed some interesting products in the past from EnGenius. The company's products trend towards affordability and have proven capable, even if not built with the latest Wi-Fi "bells and whistles." For bargain hunters and power users who know their way around a router, EnGenius is a good company to watch. At CES, the company announced the following new products:

• The ESR2300 ProAV Wireless AC2300 Gigabit Router is a dual-band 802.11ac router supporting up to 1700 Mbps throughput on the 5 GHz band and up to 600 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. Features such as QoS are tailored for bandwidth-heavy tasks such as gaming and video streaming. The router works with EnGenius Cloud Services and its EnShare app for remote monitoring and management of wireless networks from iPhones, iPads, and Android mobile device.
• The ESR1900 ProAV Wireless AC1900 Cloud Gigabit Router supports up to 1300 Mbps at 5GHz and 600 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. Both devices feature Gigabit Ethernet ports as well as USB ports for attaching storage devices.

TP-Link
While TP-Link has presence in the U.S. networking market, 46.9 percent of the company's 2013 revenue was from international markets. TP-Link is truly global and has released quite a few interesting products in the past year, ranging from tiny travel routers to wireless range extenders. Several new products and services were announced by TP-Link at CES, including:

• The AC1900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router is an 802.11ac router supporting 1.3Gbps at 5GHz and up to 600Mbps at 2.4GHz. The router has a USB 3.0 port for sharing data over a connected USB drive. The router is scheduled to ship the second quarter of 2014 for $179.99.
• The TL-WPA4220KIT is a combination of wireless range extender and powerline adapter. This plug-and-play device is designed to allow users to extend wireless coverage without running additional cables. The device ships in the first quarter of 2014.
• The AV1000 Gigabit Powerline Adapter (TL-PA8010) is a HomePlug AV2 powerline adapter. It supports up to 1GB of throughput, over a household power circuit.

Broadcom
Broadcom is a long-established leader in chipsets for networking products. You may have never heard of the company because it makes the parts that go inside routers and other devices. At CES, the companies unveiled two new chipsets that are bound to shape the wireless tech industry.

• The BCM43569 is a combination 5G Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 chipset that we will see in digital TVs and media boxes. It is a dual-band 2x2 MIMO chip which Broadcom states is the first in the industry to include a USB port for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and integrated Power Amplifiers (iPA). It is designed for HD video streaming as well as for Bluetooth gaming, and audio and motion peripherals.
• The BCM43602 is a chipset targeted for the devices we receive from Internet Service Providers and other enterprises. This is a 3x3 MIMO 802.11ac chip. This new chipset could mean more robust devices for DSL, cable, and other broadband services.

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