A chunk of the electromagnetic spectrum is opening up, and everyone wants a piece

In January 2008, a 60MHz band within the 700MHz range, currently reserved for analog television signals, will be auctioned off by the FCC to the highest bidder. Consumer advocates are calling for an open-access policy, noting that the availability of this spectrum has the potential to allow nationwide wireless broadband access. It’s a stance supported by at least one of the five FCC commissioners, as well as Google, which has pledged to bid at least $4.6 billion if the FCC commits to keeping the spectrum impartial to specific software and devices. Verizon, on the other hand, is opposed to such regulation, preferring, naturally, that the market sort things out. AT&T supports keeping 22MHz of the spectrum open to all, but, of course, has its own ideas about what to do with the rest.

Along with Belkin’s N1 Wireless Router, the Ndx from US Robotics is one of the few wireless routers to provide decent support for Mac users.

The manual includes instructions specifically for Mac users, and the Easy Configurator software included on the CD runs on Macs too. You have to start by connecting your Mac to the router with an ordinary Ethernet cable, some people might find this inconvenient if the router and Mac are in different rooms, but it’s a common feature with several of these routers.

You then run the Easy Configurator program and enter the account details provided by your ISP before moving on to activate the wireless networking options. We had the router up and running in less than 10 minutes, so US Robotics gets big brownie points for providing decent Mac support for a change.

The RangeMax router must have the unwieldiest name in a group of products that is collectively blessed with the clumsiest monikers we’ve come across in many a long day. But, perhaps to compensate for its bloated nomenclature, the router has a slimline design that allows you to lay it either flat or on its side, so that you can easily squeeze it onto a crowded desk or shelf.

The installation software provided with the RangeMax only runs on PCs, and the PDF manual was a bit annoying, there really should have been a proper printed manual to save time. However, once we skimmed through the instructions we were able to set the router up without any real problems. You’ll need to make the initial connection to your computer with an Ethernet cable, but once that’s done it’s fairly easy to configure the router’s wireless features to set up a wireless network.

Click on the image to view product details.

Several of these wireless routers actually require you to use a wired Ethernet connection when you initially set them up, which is annoying as the whole point of a wireless network is to avoid trailing wires from room to room. So we were pleasantly surprised when, upon plugging in the D-Link RangeBooster for the first time, the computer immediately detected the wireless network and allowed us to join it straight away.

Unfortunately, things went downhill from that point onwards. In order to set up a password to protect your new wireless network you have to configure the router through its built-in web page.However, that web page didn’t work properly with the Safari browser so we had to use Firefox instead. Ten minutes of testing with a Mac would have allowed D-Link to avoid this problem, and it’s hard to recommend the RangeBooster to Mac users if it doesn’t work properly with the standard Mac web browser.

Click on the image to view details

Like the Netgear RangeMax router, the Wireless-N router from LinkSys has a handy slimline design that lets you stand it on its side so that it doesn’t take up too much space. The plus point is that it showed up on your computer’s menu the moment the cable is plugged it in, so there was no need to much about with Ethernet cables in order to set the router up.

However, like so many of these routers, the Wireless-N was marred by its lack of decent software or manual for Mac users, but perfect for PC users. The installation software on the CD only works on PCs, so Mac users are left to wing it on their own. You can connect to the router’s built-in web page easily enough, but this is full of technical jargon and settings that will confuse anyone who isn’t fairly knowledgeable about networks. So, poor Mac support scuppers another router’s chances.

Click on the image to view product details.

Tired of playing hide and seek with the Internet? Get the AT&T Laptop Connect Card and easily access the Internet at mobile broadband speeds when you’re out of the office, on the road, away from hotspots.

• Delivers mobile broadband speeds in more than 165 major U.S. markets and more cities worldwide than any other U.S. carrier.
• Send and receive email, download large attachments, and access corporate systems at mobile broadband speeds.
• Enables secure laptop connections to AT&T BroadbandConnect and EDGE networks.
• Fast and easy set up.

For more information, visit AT&T.

Connecting to your printer wirelessly lets you print from PCs located anywhere in range of your wireless network, no host needed.

Most new printers come with Ethernet or Wi-Fi built in. If you’re due for a new printer, look for this feature, which lets it connect directly to your Wi-Fi router.

If your printer lacks built-in Wi-Fi or Ethernet and you want a new router anyway, look for a model with a USB printer port, like Apple’s AirPort Extreme Base Station which supports draft-802.11n.

Buy a dedicated adapter; such as Belkin’s Wireless-G Print Server or D-Link’s Air-Plus G Wireless USB Print Server that lets you plug in one or more printers and then connect to your router via Wi-Fi. If you have a multifunction printer, look for D-Link’s $100 Range Booster G Multifunction Print Server or Linksys’s Wireless-G Print Server with Multifunction Printer Support, either of which lets you share scanning and printing with many all-in-one printers.

Learn more on wireless printing here:
1. Wireless Networks and Printers Way to Go

2. Sharing Printers and Other Wi-Fi Gadgetry

3. Lexmark’s Latest Wireless Printer