Posted 07/30/08 at 04:44:29 PM by Paul Lilly

The net is no place for slowpokes and Netgear hopes to nudge home networks into 802.11n territory with its Wireless-N Upgrade Kit (WNEB3100). For MSRP $149 (cheaper online), the kit comes with Netgear's 5GHz Wireless-N HD Access Point (WNHDE111) and the company's RangeMax DualBand Wireless-N Adapter (WNDA3100). When plugged into an existing router or gateway, the kit gives surfers an easy upgrade path to a speedy dual-band Wireless-N network which any Wi-Fi compliant computer or device can then tap into.

“The Wireless-N Upgrade kit enables customers with existing gateways and routers from their ISPs to easily add the performance benefits of 5GHz Wireless-N to their networks by simply connecting the kit to their existing wireless equipment, eliminating the need to re-wire, reconfigure or replace any existing equipment,” explained Som Pal Choudhury, Senior Product Line Manager for Advanced Wireless at Netgear.

The Access Point can also serve duty as a standalone bridge for connecting game consoles, media receivers, and other similar devices, and supports a wireless 'ad-hoc' mode for multicast point-to-multi-point high definition video streaming and wireless LAN peer-to-peer gaming. And because it comes equipped with automatic Quality of Service (QOS), Netgear claims gaming and movie watching will be lag- and jitter-free.

Anyone tempted?

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Posted 06/24/08 at 06:04:07 PM by Mark Edward Soper

D-Link's new DIR-628 offers support for 802.11n 5GHz as well as 2.4GHz support with a street price of around $100. 5GHz support enables 802.11n networks to escape the channel congestion inherent in 2.4GHz networks (where only three of the 11 channels theoretically available do not overlap) and achieve faster throughput through the use of double-width (40MHz) channels.  Find out what's included, as well as what features hit the cutting room floor to help the DIR-628 make its price point.

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Posted 06/23/08 at 06:56:53 PM by Mark Edward Soper

From today's best laptops to the new eee Box, 802.11n is today's hottest wireless network standard. It's rapidly replacing older 802.11g networks on store shelves, but there are actually two distinct versions of the "almost ready for prime time" standard. Find out how to tell them apart, and what their advantages are.

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Posted 09/28/07 at 10:10:56 PM by Mark "Marcus Soperus" Soper

Windows Media Center no longer needs a TV tuner to bring you TV. Should you tune in?

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Posted 09/10/07 at 10:50:45 PM by Mark Soper

Microsoft's planning big rollouts for multimedia fans later this month. Here's what to watch out for.

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Posted 07/25/07 at 10:37:21 PM by By Mark Soper

With Gigabit Ethernet storage devices abounding, it's time to look for routers with faster ports.

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