Extreme routing how to resolve the crisis Intelligent router is too hot?

On July 15, Circumpolar convened a fairly large meeting (and I did not talk too much about the speech of CEO Wang Chuyun). At the conference, I released a lot of products - such as the name A HiWiFi App for HiWiFi OS (or, perhaps, an open platform), a HiWiFi App for connecting smart home, and an app for connecting to commercial WiFi, a router that works with LB-Link. ... But compared with the new product launch, I think it may call it "strategic conference" will be more appropriate.

In the current Ruyi cloud, 360 security routing, routing, Huawei, LeTV, millet, LeCroy, Haier, TP-Link and Netware and other veteran router players have launched the "smart router", as well as Ali Magic released soon Very loud tone, claiming to "redefine the family"). Although the first route to enter this market has also publicly stated that the number of active users currently in existence has reached 300,000 and the number of polar routes sold has exceeded 1 million (up to 2 million by the end of the year), the outside world such as " Very dangerous routing "Such voices are still endless.

In conjunction with the press conference and earlier discussions with Ding Yi, a co-founder of Extreme Routing, Tiger Snooze also learned some of the challenges faced by the polar routes and how they came up with the solution.

Question one: the router computing power is limited

Due to limited computing power, not all smart routers can be stable while adding functionality. From a certain point of view like a router at home does not shut down a small server, and the server's responsibility is to ensure stable and smooth access. But in the traditional router chip plus memory, storage, it is in fact can not afford to use the operating system from a certain point of view.

Extreme routing approach: In the A + round of investors to introduce MediaTek (MTK), do deep custom chips. In this regard, MediaTek said, "Intelligent hardware and smart home MTK is one of the important strategic direction, and the polar routing in this area is undoubtedly the most successful representatives of the investment route means that the combination of MTK and polar routing is expected in the The future of intelligent hardware to create a unified, open, inclusive and complete hardware and software systems, so that more people enjoy the convenience of intelligent hardware. "

Question two: Hardware profit margins squeezed

From a macro point of view, smart routers want to shake the broader market is hard to say. Extreme route until now also sold less than 2 million units. The price of 99-199 yuan between the very route as an intelligent routing in the price and traditional routing fight, but functional and smart router fight. Although millet routers want to ship 10 million units, hard, but millet there is a mini router, as long as 129 yuan; 360 from the security point of view, to 99 yuan exaggerated prices, destructive subversion of the play came in, Ray Technology Had 360 disassemble analysis, found that the cost of up to 186 yuan, a loss of 87 yuan to sell a loss, is the priceless but "price butcher."

The traditional router vendors TP-Link also showed interest in transitioning intelligent routers. Lei Branch, Netgear, TPLink has shot. These manufacturers router origin, in hardware understanding, supply chain control and traditional offline channels will be more advantages.

Extreme routing practice: Stabilize prices through product lines. Extremely routed product line is pole 1, pole 2, pole 3. Among them, pole 1 is a single frequency, pole 2 is a dual frequency, and pole 3 is a dual-band gigabit. In fact, from a technical perspective, pole 3 reaches the top. Therefore, the new route is not vertical development of vertical, but horizontal - the end of a pole will be extreme 1S, and then out of a hard disk version; pole 2 over the extreme 2S, and so on. In order to enhance the function at the same time to ensure price stability.

Question three: the presence of the router needs to be improved

Because the router's presence is too low, everything becomes the "entrance" of the home or the idea of ​​a "hub," all need to have some useful functionality on the router and this functionality is recognized by the user.

Extreme routing solution: platform plus equipment provider positioning, the first to do a secure system (specifically for OpenWRT unsafe issues to make changes), smart home release later. Ding Yi said, in fact, extremely hard to push the HiWiFi OS from the very beginning, and later because of the discovery of the traditional router can not, was forced to develop their own hardware.

But beyond the hardware, polar routing has not given up its own system plan - after nearly a year of small-scale testing, Extreme Routing officially launched HiWiFi OS, developers can use this platform for extreme routing users to develop router plug-ins (Such as the existing parity plug-ins, offline download, video acceleration plug-ins, plug-ins and other episodes), building an open environment for the Internet of things; user-oriented routing will provide a plug-in market, users download and install. In the polar routing scenario, these plugins provide local or cloud connectivity. Since the advantage of a router is that it has the highest privileges, some plug-ins installed on the router can play a greater role.

In addition, for the delay did not enter the smart home, Ding Yi's statement is: "In fact, we now only come up with 10% of the team resources to do a certain pre-research, smart home standard is still very confusing, not yet at home and abroad Called ZIGBEE, there are some Bluetooth, WiFi, each have their own advantages and disadvantages, there is no one dominate the world agreement, and then the domestic manufacturers of large white goods also have their own agreement, if you do not have the agreement Haier most of you Equipment access can not only take long push agreement, these agreements may only be used by small and medium-sized manufacturers, but small and medium-sized manufacturers are not common household appliances, so now still stay in the light bulb, socket level, away from the real smart home Something is a bit far

Question four: get more users and use of the scene

This is probably the greatest obstacle for the Route to survive in fierce competition and to sell its own hardware or services.

Extreme routing solution: cooperation with traditional vendors is one of the ways to find the route. Today's conference, extremely routing to find their own co-brand in the hardware LP-Link, although less well-known as TP-Link or Lei Division, but finally took the first step - LP-Link hardware + HiWiFi software. Ding Yi has revealed that Extreme Routing has been in contact with TP-Link and LeCroy: "They want us to prove this stuff, we very want very polar route users, he also liked the operating system inside, They are willing to produce products with our system. "

The second approach is to enter the field of commercial routing. Extreme Routers has released four commercial routers designed for different scenarios including SOHO, startups, small and micro enterprises, shops, schools, shopping malls, etc., as well as corresponding system solutions (such as the establishment of a partnership with Ali and the subsequent opening Alipay wallet, you can guide the user to nearby free HiWiFi network shops). Hoping to fill the gap between high-end business routing (such as Cisco) and general home routing (main stability and increased concurrency of home devices).

In addition, for shop users, Ding Yi also mentioned a less mature points system. The core of this integral system lies in "forming a global wireless network by sharing personal wireless small networks." This practice abroad is called "FON" - users share their private network at home to other users and earn points that can be used for online consumption in public places. Due to the national conditions, despite the intent to share the very path of the Internet, but specific to the implementation of the method, I am afraid must be polished research.

The third is the cooperation with operators. Extreme Road launched from the very beginning of a cooperation with Xiamen Telecom's "very smart" project, the project is the beginning of the cooperation with operators and sales of routers (with the phone subsidies to buy mobile phones, do broadband to send routers). Xiamen Telecom users to buy very routing, will be presented with an annual acceleration of 99 yuan package, you can achieve a series of acceleration through the routing software, the benefits of doing so is that operators can do from the original broadband services deferred to a series of value-added Service, and very routing can be converted from selling hardware to selling services (these plug-ins are required to pay).

This time, it is with China Telecom launched in 13 provinces, "extremely + +" transport pipe router, go is still the operator subsidy program.

Extreme routing is not the first from the "hard" to "soft" company, the other impressive is the ring bracelet - in the hardware profit margins have been squeezed moment, the very route launched HiWiFi OS, and active and The cooperation of traditional routers, whether it is helpless, or really as they say, "Extreme Route want to do the system," are the most reasonable step for the moment.