Mesh Wi-Fi technology startup Plume has raised US$37.5 million in its third round of funding led by Comcast, Presido Ventures and Samsung Venture Investment.
Comcast is the largest broadband provider in the United States, while Presido Ventures is a sister company of Japanese broadband provider J:Com. The investment marks a collaboration between a broadband Internet provider and a new mesh Wi-Fi technology maker that sells router systems.
This new round of funding was also joined by Plume’s prior investors, including Liberty Global, Shaw Cable and Jackson Square Ventures. The total amount raised by the company has exceeded US$63 million.
Plume’s technology is called Adaptive Wi-Fi, which maximizes and configures home Wi-Fi signals dynamically through a cloud-based network management service. It uses multiple access points to distribute signals through the house. When gadgets move around in the house, the system is capable of allocating bandwidth to devices and switching access points as needed.
By plugging the Plume Pod in a power outlet at home, the device will connect to the home’s network gateway and create a mesh-networking system.
The technology may also be used by other manufacturers since the system is powered by Plume’s software. For example, Comcast said it will adopt Plume’s technology and Wi-Fi Pods in routers in order to offer a better Wi-Fi experience for its consumers.
Besides single households, Plume also has a solution to manage Wi-Fi performance in a multi-dwelling unit environment. Internet service providers may also find the solution useful.
As for Samsung, the company said in a statement that it plans to deploy Plume’s advanced Wi-Fi technology on its future IoT devices.