Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700

Posted on June 29th, 2010 in Hardware | 2 Comments

Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700

Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700 dual-band wireless router isn’t as fast at close range as our previous fave, Linksys
WRT600N, but it delivers far better range and a stronger feature set than any router that we’ve tested to date.

The Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700 has all the standard high-end features, and then some: You can run an independent guest network on each radio, there is a DLNA media server in addition to the more typical UPnP server, and the USB port provides enough power to support a 500GB external hard drive. See the full review here.

This isn’t the least expensive router on the market, but we think it’s worth every cent. Click for more: Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700 Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router

Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700

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Cisco new Linksys E-Series Wireless Router

Posted on June 27th, 2010 in Hardware, Router | No Comments

Cisco new Linksys E-Series Wireless Router

Cisco ended a nearly three-year-long dry spell by announcing an entirely new line of Linksys routers. The company also unveiled a new line of routers aimed at less tech-savvy consumers. Marketed under the Valet brand name, users can set up their entire Wi-Fi network using nothing more than the provided USB key.

Three of the new Linksys E-Series routers are housed in the familiar flying saucer form factor and use internal antennas. A fourth model, the Linksys E2100L uses the Linux operating system and features removable external antennas; unfortunately, the integrated Ethernet switch on this model will be limited to Fast Ethernet (10/100Mbps). This strikes us as an odd limitation for a product that’s supposedly designed for hardcore users and costs $120.

The Linksys E2000 costs the same but provides a Gigabit Ethernet switch and the option of operating your wireless network on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band. The top-of-the-line Linksys E3000 ($180) has a gigabit switch and the ability to operate wireless networks on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously.

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AT&T 3G MicroCell Pumps Up Coverage

Posted on June 25th, 2010 in 3G, Hardware | No Comments

DO YOU FREQUENTLY experience dropped calls or sluggish data service on an AT&T cell phone in a home or small offce that’s supposed to be within the network’s area of coverage? An AT&T 3G MicroCell might help your wireless connection,
though in my tests it wasn’t 100 percent reliable. And how much hassle you’ll have depends largely on the layout of both your home and your home network.

A white and orange trimmed box about the size of a Nintendo Wii, the 3G MicroCell is a femtocell, that is, it functions as a mini cell site that connects back to the mobile network via Voice over IP through your wired broadband service.
AT&T is rolling out the $150 device in various markets; you can purchase one only in an AT&T store.

Like other femtocells, the 3G MicroCell has a built-in GPS receiver that reports to the network once activated. It is enables E911 emergency service: If you dial 911 on your cell phone when it’s connecting via the MicroCell, emergency responders
will know where you are.

On the first couple of days after installation, my service was pretty good. Phone calls stopped dropping, although voice quality didn’t improve. I also no ticed very slight pauses before my callers’ responses but nothing I couldn’t live with.
Data was zippy. But on the third day, my iPhone was dropping calls from locations fairly close to the MicroCell. Rebooting the device seemed to fix the problem.

Overall, the AT&T 3G MicroCell does appear able to improve service in the home, but with occasional glitches. Though I’m not entirely thrilled with it, on balance it seems to help my service more than it hurts.

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Superfast Wireless Gigabit Spec Published

Posted on June 22nd, 2010 in Wireless Broadband | No Comments

THE GROUP developing a wireless technology that can transmit data up to ten times faster than today’s speediest Wi-Fi published its initial specification in May and named Cisco as a backer. The Wireless Gigabit Alliance has been developing the
technology, called “WiGig,” for a year. It will use unlicensed spectrum around 60GHz and should be able to attain transmission speeds of 6 gigabits per second.

WiGig is designed to replace cables for jobs such as delivering high-definition video streams to monitors and sending data between a laptop PC and its docking station. It’s not intended to compete with Wi-Fi.

The specification includes support for tri-band devices that maintain compatibility with current Wi-Fi devices that operate in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency ranges. The alliance is now also offering equipment makers the chance to sign up as
“adopters” of the technology; doing so would let them access the specification so that they could begin developing
WiGig products. The first compatible products are due sometime in 2011.

Millimetre Wave Antennas for Gigabit Wireless Communications: A Practical Guide to Design and Analysis in a System Context

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Will 4G Wireless Live Up to the Hype?

Posted on June 18th, 2010 in Technologies | No Comments

Perhaps you’re started seeing stories about something called 4G and are wondering what it is and whether you want it. Here’s a quick guide to thebasics of 4G wireless. What does “4G” mean? 4G is a marketing term that service providers are using to de scribe the “fourth generation” of wireless services. They typically offer between
four and ten times the performance of 3G networks.

What technologies run 4G services? The two main technologies are Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMax. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) developed the WiMax standard; the 3GPP, an industry body for providers that use GSM (the leading technology for cellular communications), heads development of the LTE standard. WiMax and LTE use different types of wireless spectrum.

How fast is 4G compared with 3G? WiMax providers are advertising download speeds of between 2 megabits per second and 6 mbps, with peak speeds of 10 mbps or more. Verizon, which will launch LTE networks in the United States later this year, is expecting to offer services with download speeds in the 5 mbps to 12 mbps range. Most 3G data systems today deliver speeds of between 400 kilobits per second (that is, 0.4 mbps) and 1.5 mbps.

Should I want 4G? The faster download speeds of 4G should greatly improve the performance of demanding applications such as streaming video, networked gaming, and video conferencing. You may also be able to re place your home DSL or cable modem service with a 4G service you can use both at home and on the road.

Are 4G services available now? In some places. In the United States, the partnership of Clearwire and Sprint offers WiMax-based services in 28 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Seattle, with plans to add more cities in 2010. Among LTE providers in the U.S., Verizon plans to launch commercial services in 25 to 30 as-yet-unnamed markets before the end of 2010; AT&T expects to add LTE service in 2011.

Do other providers intend to offer LTE? Yes. In March MetroPCS announced plans to launch LTE services in Las Vegas this year. T-Mobile is expected to launch LTE services sometime in the future, but it has not specified a time frame for doing so.

What are the cost advantages of 4G versus 3G? Right now, the Clearwire/Sprint plans provide true unlimited data usage, whereas virtually all 3G cellular plans impose extra charges for downloading more than 5 gigabytes of data per month. Plans from Clearwire and its resellers are typically $10 to $20 per month cheaper than the standard $60 per month of a 3G cellular data plan, too. At this writing, Verizon has not announced LTE pricing.

Can I get 4G on the 3G phone or USB modem I have now? No. 4G networks run at different frequencies than the ones current cellular services use

Does 4G support voice calls?
Not in any current implementation, other than VoIP applications like Skype or Vonage. Most early 4G phones will be “hybrid” devices that include a 3G chip to handle voice calls.

Are any 4G phones available now? As of April 2010, the only 4G phone announced for U.S. markets is Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G, which was unveiled in March and is expected to be available by this summer. Verizon has said that it expects LTE phones to ship by mid-2011.

Why doesn’t the iPhone come in a 4G version? Since Apple sells the iPhone in the United States under an exclusive contract with AT&T, it has manufactured the phone with chips that connect to AT&T’s 3G cellular network.
Many people hope that Verizon, whose plans for a 4G network are more immediate than AT&T’s, will begin selling a CDMA version of the iPhone later this year.

Can I use 4G while I’m on the road, as with a cell phone? Yes. The idea behind 4G is that it’s mobile broadband.

Can 4G services replace my home DSL or cable modem?
Yes, unless you’re looking for really high-speed services. Clearwire’s WiMax service can match some cable modem offerings. For users who want both home and mobile service, WiMax 4G may be a better deal than the combined
price of a stationary service and a 3G data plan.

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ASUS RT-N13U

Posted on June 5th, 2010 in Hardware, Router | 1 Comment

ASUS RT-N13U
Asus has developed a terrific graphical user interface for the RT-N13U’s firmware

Asus isn’t a huge player in the router market, but the company has come up with a few noteworthy models in the past few years. We’d happily count the RT-N13U as one of them if it delivered reasonable throughput or decent range.

This was the only router tested that was capable of sharing a USB printer, and while Asus claims it can support multifunction devices, it guarantees compatibility only with the ones the company has tested. We plugged in an Epson Stylus NX515 and could print documents, but we couldn’t get the scanner function to work. The
RT-N13U was also the only router we tested that was capable of hosting a USB hard drive, but the router permits only FTP access to that storage.

Several of the routers we examined had firmware that enabled them to be configured as wireless access points, but the RT-N13U was the only one that could also be converted into a wireless repeater. In this mode, the router operates like a wireless bridge, but one that can serve wireless clients. Repeaters send and receive at half speed, however; only a masochist would use the slug-slow RT-N13U in repeater mode

Click for more at ASUS RT-N13U Wireless-N Router, Access Point, and Repeater.

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