Soap puts an Android touchscreen smart router in your home

This device might have a strange name, but Soap is nothing to take for granted. What looks like a thick 7-inch tablet is actually a smart router on steroids, powered by by nothing less than Android.

Routers are a dime a dozen and there are numerous software or firmware available that give those router additional features beyond those provided by the manufacturer. However, those are really nothing compared to the truckload of features that the Soap router comes with simply by virtue of running Android. Colorado Springs, the company behind the device, believes that leveraging Android gives them as well as users access to more functionality than other routers can ever imagine. And the sky’s the limit theoretically since new functionality is only limited by app developers’ imagination and coding skills.

Out of the box, Soap already comes with tons of features that allow owners fine-grained control over their Internet connection, connected devices, as well as security features. Parental Controls let parents configure blocks and limitations directly on the router instead of having to set them on each and every connected device. Soap FlyPaper helps you trap potential hacking attempts while Soap Astringent tries to block malware before it even reaches devices. In the future, Soap may even be programmed for controlling smart appliances or detecting when devices go out of range or a certain zone.

Those features make Soap sound formidable and its makers claim the hardware is up to task. The router is powered by a quad-core ARM processor, though the exact speed isn’t disclosed. Naturally, it has a variety of connection ports and features, such as two USB 3.0 ports, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and four Gigabit LAN ports. If all the above has gotten you interested, you might have to wait for a bit. Soap isn’t a finished product yet and exists as a Kickstarter project. A $100 pledge gets you one Soap Essentials, which doesn’t have a touchscreen and connects to an HDMI display instead, and the $170 tier is a $30 discount on the Soap Touch version. should all go well, the Soap smart router will ship to backers in October this year at the latest.

SOURCE: Kickstarter