Top Global 3G Phoebus MB6000
The pyramid shape is funky, but it’s easy to set up, and it connects to EV-DO, EDGE, and UMTS cell data networks.
For the highest possible wireless performance available today, look no further than this router and its WPNT511 CardBus adapter. The throughput reaches over 103 Mbps at 10 feet and a still respectable 22 Mbps at 160 feet. The installation wizard is intuitive, and the Web-based configuration home page is top-notch. As with all pre-n hardware, neither device may be upgradable to 802.11n, though both are backwardcompatible with 802.11g. The router comes with all the features you’d expect from products in this class.
You may have seen those new wireless routers from Linksys, Netgear, and others products promising true 802.11n capabilities. These wireless networks are certainly fast and extend further than most others, but don’t fall for the claims of interoperability and compatibility with future products and with the future spec. Although they comply with an 802.11n draft proposal, there’s no guarantee that anything you buy today will be upgradable to full compatibility, once the IEEE finalizes this wireless networking standard.
So is now a good time to buy these products? If you’re setting up a new wireless network, you should know that while non-standard “draft-n” products are fast and work better around walls and through ceilings than older gear, there is a high premium for this. You’ll have to buy “802.11n” routers and cards for all your computers from the same company to ensure you get the speed and range benefits. 802.11g and 802.11b devices with built-in radios like the excellent SoundBridge Radio will work no better on these draft-n networks.
So, the best action is to wait. Get a cheap 802.11g router like the Linksys WRT54G, and follow this guide to extend your wireless coverage. Need better coverage at home? Add an inexpensive access point, and follow 10 tips for improving your wireless network. It works great, and you don’t have to worry about replacing networking cards in all the computers in future.
If you are adding wireless to an existing wired network with a router, there are two ways you can go about it:
One good way to configure a mixed wireless and wired network is by using a combination wireless access point/router. Thru the simplest possible topology, just plugging the wired part of the network into the access point/router.
One of the sad ironies of this new world of wireless multimedia sharing is that although many gadgets out there use an integrated Linux OS to get music from point A to point B, very few of them actually allow Linux users to indulge in music-sharing fun. Enter the Sonos Digital Music System. The Sonos system is called a system for a couple of reasons.
First of all, it’s split up into components rather than being an all-in-one solution. The basic setup consists of a wireless base station, known as the ZonePlayer, and a portable handheld remote control, known as the Controller. Second, it’s designed to be a multiroom solution. You can place up to 32 ZonePlayers and Controllers around your house or workplace and stream different tracks to each of the different zones.
The Zoneplayer
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The ZonePlayer is the heart of the system. It’s designed to connect to your home network, stream music from shared folders on your local home network and communicate wirelessly with other ZonePlayers in your house. The first ZonePlayer you hook up in your home must connect to your home network using an Ethernet connection; additional ZonePlayers then will connect wirelessly through the first ZonePlayer using a proprietary wireless networking system called Sonosnet, in order to minimize interference from other wireless equipment in your home. If you want to place the first ZonePlayer in a room that doesn’t already have an Ethernet connection, your choices will be fairly limited, but you can get around the issue with a pair of powerline networking adapters. |
Coyote sharing his experience with a famous Singapore tech forum on how to get wireless networking working in linux. He is using DWL-G520 network card and Fedora Core 4 linux to demonstrate how easy to get wireless networking in Linux.
According to Coyote, basically there are two parts in getting it working:
1) Installing the linux drivers for the D-Link DWL-G520 network card.
2) Getting the OS to be support WPA encryption, such that the card can connect to the router using the protocol.
Before setting up a Wireless LAN, you first must plan your equipment purchase.
The wireless approach to networking has one obvious big advantage: You don’t need Ethernet cables. With this approach, each computer in the network still gets its own Ethernet adapter. As always, this might be an internal card that you have to install yourself. Or it can be an external device you just plug into an existing USB or IEEE 1394 port. In either case, the adapter is essentially an antenna that sends signals to a special wireless Ethernet hub.
Despite the obvious convenience of going wireless, you need to be aware of some potential disadvantages. One is that there’s a limit to how far the signals will travel. You need to estimate your distance requirements before you go shopping and make sure you get a wireless networking kit that can reach far enough to meet your needs.
