Sure you’re waiting for media-streaming devices to catch up to 802.11n, and the Linksys DMA2200 Media Center Extender does it in style, geek style, that is. The box isn’t particularly attractive, but the dual-band Wi-Fi radio inside that’s capable of operating on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency bands.

The built-in DVD player that is capable of scaling standard-def DVDs to 1080i. The wireless connection stumbled when tried to stream HD video with 5.1-channel audio attached, however, and it broke down completely when moved the extender into a more enclosed area of the cabinet.

Aside from delivering the familiar Windows Media Center user interface, the primary advantages that devices like the DMA2200 offer are support for PCs equipped with CableCARD digital tuners and hooks to online media content offered by the likes of Comedy Central, Showtime, and the Discovery Channel.

Unfortunately, the user interfaces most of those services offer to be utter crap. The ability to pause playback on one media extender and resume it on another, on the other hand, is a slick benefit.

Unlike the less-expensive Xbox 360, this new class of extender freezes out Windows XP Media Center users altogether. Your host PC must run Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate. In fact, aside from the wireless feature and the consumer-electronics form factor, there is not a whole lot here that would lead to recommend the DMA2200 over Microsoft’s gaming console, especially if you’re into games.

Streaming 1080p video on a wireless network is compelling; being forced to use Vista to do it isn’t.

For more, click Linksys DMA2200 Media Center Extender

Tags: Wireless

The Linksys WRT600N is the first 802.11n draft 2.0 router that can operate on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands simultaneously. It’s also the most expensive Wi-Fi router so far.

The router at its default settings: The 5GHz radio operating in 802.11n-only mode and the 2.4GHz radio operating in mixed 802.11b/g/n mode. Both radios have access to the same integrated four-port gigabit switch. The latter was used for data and the former for streaming media to Linksys’s DMA2200. The router delivered impressive results, especially while simultaneously transferring data and streaming HD video.

In fact, the Linksys WRT600N is the best. The chasm widened to a staggering 170 percent when the client was placed at its furthest point from the router inside the home, but the gap narrowed to just 5 percent when we compared performance inside the well-insulated media room.

The dual-band feature really came to the fore when streamed 1080p video clips over the wireless network: The DIR-655’s data throughput dropped by nearly half in some situations; the WRT600N was unaffected.

Not everyone needs a router that can handle conventional traffic, VoIP, and high-definition media all at the same time. If you do or if your neighborhood is simply jam-packed with competing access points, Linksys WRT600N should be at the top of your router shopping list.

Click for more: Linksys WRT600N

Tags: Wireless