News

Belkin Launches Wireless HDMI Adapter With 131-Foot Range

The ConnectAir adapter mirrors screens without Wi-Fi, targeting presentations, travel use, and mixed-device setups.

Published

8 months ago

January 6, 2026

Nour Nasir

Belkin

Belkin has introduced a wireless display adapter that pushes screen mirroring well beyond usual cable lengths — and does it without relying on local Wi-Fi networks or software platforms.

The ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter pairs a USB-C transmitter for laptops, tablets, and smartphones with an HDMI receiver plugged into a TV or projector. There are no drivers to install and no apps to manage. Belkin says the system can send video up to 131 feet, a range aimed squarely at conference rooms, classrooms, and temporary setups like hotel rooms or event spaces.

The pitch is flexibility: Unlike AirPlay or Google Cast, the adapter isn’t tied to a specific ecosystem. Any device that can output video over USB-C will work, as long as the destination screen has an HDMI port. Video tops out at 1080p at 60Hz. The receiver itself needs power via USB-A, which may mean leaning on a display’s spare port or an external adapter.

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The link runs over a dedicated 5GHz wireless connection rather than a local network. Belkin says the signal can pass through walls, though distance and reliability will vary depending on materials and layout. One receiver can also be paired with up to eight transmitters, letting multiple users switch presenters without touching a ceiling-mounted projector or hard-to-reach screen.

The ConnectAir adapter is expected to ship in select markets in the first quarter of 2026, priced at $149.99.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.