Looking more like a futuristic toy than a router, the Linksys Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link was the fastest router that I looked at. The router itself is attractive enough, with its blue and black accents, and the paddle-like antenna in the middle of the antenna array.

There are some problems setting up the Linksys router. As was the case with several of the routers, the setup wizard was smooth enough, up to a point, but the wizard crashed about halfway through without any suggestion as to why.

The administrative user interface is pretty well-organized if not beautiful. The responsiveness of the UI, as it saved settings quickly and allowed you to move between screens quickly. The Linksys was the best-performing router of the lot, turning in the best times. Of course, it’s also the most expensive router-card combination of this test, so it probably should perform the best.

The Linksys router offers Gigabit Ethernet connections, so its price quickly becomes more attractive when you take that into consideration. The Linksys offers most of the key features, as shown in the chart, but it also threw in management tools for storage that were unique in this group. The Linksys is the best combination of performance and functionality. If you’re not averse to spending a little extra cash, this router is the best choice out of this lot.

If several hotspots exist in the same general vicinity, you may need to specify the network to which you want to connect. To view the available wireless networks, right-click the Network Connections icon in the System Tray and click View Available Wireless Networks. Click Advanced to open the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box. Next, select the wireless network’s SSID (Service Set Identifier) from the list of available networks that appears on the Wireless Networks tab.

Click the network you want to connect to and select the Allow Me To Connect To The Selected Wireless Network, Even Though It Is Not Secure checkbox. Next, click the Connect button at the bottom of the dialog box to continue. If you aren’t sure which network you want to connect to or you don’t see the network you’re looking for, click the Advanced button. From this dialog box, you can rescan for the available wireless networks by clicking Refresh.

Windows 2000 users don’t have a utility designed to detect and configure wireless networks. As a result, you need to use the software that came with your wireless adapter or an application provided by the wireless IP. For example, if you have Intel’s PRO/Wireless network adapter and the PROSet profile management software, you can double-click the Intel PROSet icon and select your wireless adapter from the left pane of the General tab. Click the Networks tab and click Scan. A list of Available Networks appears and displays the SSID names of the available networks. Select the network from the list and click Connect.

Continue from Part 1

Listen
Bluetooth-capable devices with the Music icon have the ability to wirelessly stream music from a mobile phone or other audio source to a wireless stereo headset, such as the Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones mentioned above, or to a car stereo. The AD2P (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) defines how a two channel audio source is streamed over a Bluetooth connection. Alpine’s KCA-100BT Bluetooth Interface Module ($220; www.alpine-usa.com) lets you place and take calls using your compatible Alpine car stereo. Additionally, the module uses the A2DP profile to play streaming music from Bluetooth-capable cell phones and MP3 players connected to a Bluetooth transmitter.

The Logitech Wireless Music System for iPod consists of a wireless transmitter that plugs into your iPod and a wireless music receiver that connects to your home stereo. To change tracks or adjust volume, simply use your iPod as the remote.

Print
If you see the Bluetooth Print icon on a device’s box, then you can use any compatible Bluetooth-capable computer, smartphone, or PDA to print wirelessly. The BPP (Basic Printing Profile) governs how Bluetooth devices send text, emails, vCards (electronic business cards), images, and other documents to printers. The HP bt1300 Wireless Printer Adapter lets you completely unwire your printer. Simply plug the adapter into the printer’s parallel or USB port, establish a connection with your Bluetooth capable device, and print whatever you need. The FAX (Fax Profile) can also be used to wirelessly send faxes between compatible devices and faxcapable printers.

Transfer
The Transfer icon denotes one of the more common applications of Bluetooth’s wireless technology. Devices that feature this icon on the packaging offer the ability to make file and data transfers with other compatible Bluetooth devices. Applications include streaming music, videos, and files; syncing contacts, calendar appointments, and reminders between your Pocket PC, cell phone, and desktop; browsing the Internet when a broadband connection isn’t available using dial-up networking; and transferring and updating way points on GPS (Global Positioning System) devices.

The Logitech mouse and keyboard combo mentioned above feature a sync button that lets you quickly synchronize your PC calendar and address book with your mobile phone or PDA.

Two profiles used for file exchange are OBEX (Object Exchange) and GOEP (Generic Object Exchange Profile). Both profiles let compatible devices swap pictures, documents, business cards, and other files over a Bluetooth connection. If two Bluetooth devices employ the VDP (Video Distribution Profile), then you can stream videos between a PC media center and Bluetoothcapable handhelds or other devices. Another profile that falls under the Transfer icon umbrella is the DUN (Dial-up Networking Profile), which defines how devices can access the Internet and other dial-up services via Bluetooth.

Bluetooth is about more than just using wireless headsets and syncing Outlook contacts. Within Bluetooth technology, there is a dizzying array of profiles that define the technology’s various capabilities, from streaming music to your car stereo to paging through a PowerPoint presentation from across the room. As Bluetooth technology continues to evolve, your Bluetooth devices just keep getting smarter and smarter.

Bluetooth has been a popular short-range, low-power wireless standard for nearly a decade, but the technology seems to be coming of age more than growing long in the tooth. If you don’t currently own a Bluetooth-capable device, then chances are good that you will in the very near future. According to the industry analysis firm ABI Research, more than 1 billion unique devices currently employ Bluetooth technology. As if that’s not enough, the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group), the standards-making body behind the technology, aims to churn out twice that number in a single year by 2010.

Bluetooth technology uses radio waves in the 2.4GHz frequency spectrum to transmit voice and data signals between Bluetooth-enabled devices. Like any standard that’s been around for a while, Bluetooth has undergone several revisions. Depending on the device class, Bluetooth can communicate at a range of up to 3 feet (Class 3), 33 feet (Class 2), and 328 feet (Class 1); and at a rate of up to 3MBps. Like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth is capable of transmitting and receiving data through walls and solid objects, but it does so using 1/5 of the power.

Bluetooth is also easy to use, letting you connect and share data by simply pairing two Bluetooth-enabled devices. Pairing consists of turning on the Bluetooth functionality in each device and configuring them to recognize each other.

Bluetooth is popping up in a wide range of consumer electronics for a number of different applications, and some may surprise you. To clarify the capabilities of Bluetoothenabled devices, the Bluetooth SIG has set out to label each Bluetooth-capable device with one or more icons that clarify the device’s Bluetooth capabilities. The icons represent Bluetooth devices that are headset, input, music, print, and transfer-capable. Within these general categories exist dozens of Profiles. In order for two Bluetooth devices to perform a given wireless function, they both must support the same profile and/or icon category. Below, we’ve provided brief explanations of the new labels and a few details about some of the profiles they encompass.

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The Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router is the most staid looking router of this bunch. In fact, it looks more like an old-fashioned external modem than a router, if not for the antennas, you might confuse it for something else. The Belkin used an extra-wide outlet plug. Every other router has upgraded to a thin plug or to an external adapter. Its appearance is probably fitting, as the Belkin is workman like in almost every sense.

Setting up the Belkin router is easy, but the setup wizard focuses only on users who are setting up their first wireless routers and doesn’t consider those migrating from a previous router. The Belkin notebook card was another story. It didn’t install correctly the first time, and at one point the card’s utility crashed the test notebook. However, on the second time through the installation, all seemed to work well. Even with issues of stability aside, the card utility was not very impressive.

While the Belkin router offered good security and VPN functionality, it didn’t offer as much in the way of features as the D-Link or the Linksys. The Administrative user interface looks plain but is reasonably responsive and well-organized. The Wireless G Plus MIMO Router performed well enough, offering significant improvement over the class-g control router, but the throughput tended to vary substantially.

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Most casual bystanders are likely apt to consider municipal Wi-Fi a good thing in almost every circumstance, but the former FTC deputy director of policy planning warns that cities might get themselves into hot water if they think they can run such networks simply because they have experience running other utilities.

In a Reason Foundation study written by Jerry Ellig, cities should carefully investigate whether they could indeed handle such an undertaking before actually doing it. Further, he warns city officials should beware of “geeks bearing gifts,” or service providers that offer to provide free Wi-Fi in exchange for extensive access to public infrastructure.

“Proposals for free or privately subsidized Wi-Fi are obviously attractive at face value,” said Ellig, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, in a statement. “Exclusive access to rights of-way and poles would bestow a significant competitive advantage on any firm selected to use them. Local governments should beware of granting one Wi-Fi provider exclusive access to public assets, even if the Wi-Fi service itself is free of charge to users.”

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Do you want Wi-Fi in your car? Autonet Mobile might just have what you’re looking for. The company markets its recently announced AutoNet Mobile Unit for vehicles, promising to transform cars into Wi-Fi hotspots that let users send instant messages, stream media, send emails, play online games, listen to music, and perform other online tasks.

However, although the AutoNet Mobile Service bills itself as Wi-Fi-enabled, the Wi-Fi is used to beam the service from the in-car router to mobile devices. The router, on the other hand, receives the signal from cellular towers. So it remains to be seen whether the service can match the performance of connections found at the average non-moving hotspot. Still, early reports indicate that the service can deliver speeds ranging from 400Kbps to 1Mbps, which certainly isn’t shabby for an on-thego connection.

AutoNet Mobile plans to release the AutoNet system for retail sale in August with a $399 price tag, plus another $49 per month for the service subscription. If you want to try out the technology sooner than that, you’ll need to rent a car from Avis. Avis Rent A Car System recently announced that its customers in 10 major markets would soon be able to rent AutoNet-equipped vehicles for an additional $10.95 per day.