X

TP-Link gets a new logo as it aims for smart home

Does this suggest friendlier to you?

Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
See full bio
Scott Stein
screen-shot-2016-08-23-at-9-08-18-am.png

More curved, softer colors.

 TP-Link

Rebranding for the smart home means new logos.

TP-Link, maker of routers and networking equipment, announced a brand redesign today. Why? Because it wants to be thought of as a home lifestyle brand, according to a conversation CNET had with its president and chairman, Jeffrey Chao.

The company has been making routers and other home networking equipment in the US for years, and it has 13.1 percent of the American networking market. (Netgear leads the way.) But for a company that has over 40 percent of the global market share according to IDC, that's not enough.

The new logo is part of a focus shift to the smart home: TP-Link is investing in R&D for smart home products in the US, and it's launching a smart home-focused IOT router and smart lightbulbs in the next few months. Its existing smart home app, Kasa, works with Amazon's Alexa. TP-Link also makes smart plugs and developed the Google OnHub router last year. The company has a relationship with Google that Chao did not discuss further.

"We're embarking on a new journey to meet the needs of today's connected lifestyles," Chao said. In the updated logo, with its fresh color scheme, the broad curve and the arrow point represent the user interacting with the company, he said.

TP-Link will be showing off the new logo at the IFA show in Berlin next month.