TP-Link Systems Inc., a U.S.-based global leader in networking and smart home solutions, introduced Aireal™, a new AI-powered assistant designed to work seamlessly across networking and smart home devices to make home connectivity clearer, faster, and easier to manage. Unveiled as TP-Link’s flagship innovation at CES 2026, Aireal brings practical, conversational AI into the home-transforming complex Wi-Fi management and smart home operations into simple, natural interactions.
Developed in collaboration with Microsoft and launching within the Tapo and Deco ecosystems, Aireal combines Microsoft Foundry technologies with TP-Link’s deep domain expertise in connected home infrastructure. The result is a unified intelligence layer that enhances both network performance and smart home awareness through a single, intuitive experience.
“Aireal is the next chapter in our vision for the connected home: an integrated, intelligent assistant that is designed to simplify and combine network management and smart home awareness into one unified system,” said Jeff Barney, President of TP-Link. “Aireal is designed for a world where your home understands context, anticipates your needs, and is controlled by natural, effortless interactions. This represents the new standard for what a smart home can and should be.”
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Dayan Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President, Manufacturing & Mobility Manufacturing of Microsoft added, “Together with TP-Link, we’re exploring ways to transform everyday networking and smart home management into cohesive, conversational interactions that simplify technology and elevate the smart home experience for users everywhere.”
At the core of Aireal is cross-category AI intelligence that operates fluidly across routers, cameras, lighting, and other connected devices. Built on Microsoft Foundry—including GPT-4.1 and GPT-5 models-Aireal understands natural language intent and dynamically selects the appropriate tools to complete tasks. Using Foundry Tools such as Azure AI Speech and models like GPT-4o-realtime, Aireal supports true multimodal interaction, allowing users to speak naturally, receive instant responses, and resolve network or device issues through conversational voice commands. The assistant translates technical problems into plain language and offers clear, actionable guidance, helping users maintain a secure and reliable home network.
Aireal also introduces advanced AI-powered event understanding, extending well beyond traditional motion alerts. Users can search video recordings using conversational queries such as, “Show me when the package arrived,” “Find clips of strangers at my door,” or “When did my kids get home?” Aireal instantly surfaces relevant moments, eliminating the need for manual scrolling. In addition, users can describe automation routines in everyday language, and Aireal will intelligently coordinate actions across compatible devices, simplifying home automation setup.
To reduce notification overload, Aireal delivers concise summaries and intelligently groups repeated alerts, ensuring users receive meaningful updates without unnecessary interruptions. Behind the scenes, Aireal continuously optimizes network performance through proactive AI-driven capabilities, including Quality of Service (QoS), anti-interference management, and self-healing features that address potential Wi-Fi issues before they impact the user experience.
Many of Aireal’s advanced capabilities are powered by Microsoft Foundry. The assistant leverages GPT-5-mini for enhanced video understanding, enabling precise extraction of semantic meaning and identification of key moments. These capabilities are augmented by TP-Link’s proprietary AI models, which add domain-specific intelligence such as customized object detection. All models are securely deployed via Azure Machine Learning Online Endpoints, providing scalable, low-latency inference that integrates seamlessly into Aireal’s event intelligence framework.
Beyond performance and automation, Aireal delivers personalized insights and recommendations for device placement, usage optimization, and product selection. It also supports energy efficiency initiatives, helping households reduce power consumption and utility costs. For example, Aireal can automatically shift routers into Eco mode based on usage patterns, balancing energy savings with consistent network performance.