THE BROADBAND REPORT *************************ADVERTISEMENT************************* Win a Sony Mavica Digital Camera! Simply take our fun quiz and you could be the winner. Sponsored by Winmag.com and TechShopper. To enter, go to: http://techshopper.com/contest/wmcontest.html *************************************************************** March 16, 2001 -- Vol. 2, No. 4 By Scot Finnie, Winmag.com Read the neater Web version of the Broadband Report online! http://www.winmag.com/columns/broadband/ IN THIS ISSUE * Living with StarBand * News on Pegasus Express * Review: SOHOware's Broadband Router with Firewall Features * Review: D-Link's Top-Notch USB Wireless Adapter ***WinList*** * Early Look: MaxGate's UGate 3200P * Product Beat: NetBlaster II and More * Reader-to-Reader: Spectrum Analyzer * My Broadband Story: So What Else Is New? * Link of the Week: Charles Steinkuehler's LRP Website * Subscribe, Unsubscribe, or Change Your Address. Get up to speed on broadband data-transfer rates: http://www.winmag.com/columns/broadband/2000/03a.htm PROGRAM NOTE: The Broadband Report is actually published on Fridays -- even though it's supposed to go out Thursdays. I'm fixing that problem. From now on, Fridays are the official publication date. LIVING WITH STARBAND ----------------------------------------------------------------- StarBand, the two-way satellite service I've been testing since January, is a study in extremes. When I wrote the last issue of Broadband Report, my StarBand service had been inoperative for about a month: http://www.winmag.com/columns/broadband/2001/03.htm#2wayupd Within hours after I completed the last newsletter, however, my StarBand service was up and running beautifully. In fact, it took the technician longer to make the phone call to inform the main office the problem was fixed than it took to actually fix it. The outage was caused by a bad USB 180 satellite modem. It appeared to be working, all the right lights lit up, but it was definitely dead. With the new one installed, bingo, everything worked. For the two weeks since then, I've had nearly flawless StarBand service. No more software crashes or system freezes overnight, and I've only encountered one problem, which I'll get to in a minute. The first thing I did once it was working was download the small update to the Mission Control software that interfaces with the satellite modem. Actually, I believe this update adjusts the Internet accelerator utility that runs in background. There was no immediate apparent difference in the behavior of my StarBand connection. But I hear this update has a cumulative effect: The more people who install it, the faster everyone's StarBand service will be. I don't know whether that's why my performance has improved recently. But since about Wednesday of this week, I'm seeing downstream speed test numbers back in the 600-800kbps range. That's pretty decent, and a lot better than the 300- 500kbps numbers I had been getting for quite some time (when it was working at all). The advent of the new 180 box cleared up most of another problem I'd been having with StarBand: networking. With the old satellite modem, if the NIC in my StarBand-connected PC was attached to my local network, either the local network or the satellite modem stopped working, or both. (I'm not even talking about sharing the StarBand connection; I wasn't trying to do that.) I found myself constantly having to either pull out the USB cable or the NIC cable in order to do the other thing. It wasn't a consistent problem, but I was beginning to believe that it was par for the course with StarBand. When I moved my StarBand installation to a second PC, the problem continued, only reinforcing my sense that StarBand wasn't going to be a longterm solution on my network. Now, with the new 180 box, this problem has 99 percent disappeared. The leftover one percent is an occasional, temporary, and minor network-related StarBand outage. StarBand has its own network adapter configured in Network Properties, with its own StarBand user IP address. Even so, if the dynamically-assigned IP address for the NIC in my StarBand PC changes, the StarBand Internet connection will be interrupted for a minute or two. It's annoying that something seemingly unrelated to StarBand should interrupt the service. But it does. I see this a lot when I test broadband routers. As soon as I install a new one, its DHCP services start, which tends to throw off the network slightly. StarBand is always the first thing to flinch, though. I like StarBand when it's working. But I should have known it would go down. As I was getting ready to send off this installment of the BB Report, it just went down for the first time in two weeks. After about 20-30 minutes, it came back of its own accord. And this is the nub of my problem with the service. As one reader wrote me, it's a great Web-surfing service, but it's not a service you'd want to rely on for work. The long and short is that if StarBand can improve the reliability of the service, and perhaps improve the way it handles the Internet applications that millions of people use (such as AOL and instant messaging), I would be ready to give it Winmag.com's WinList seal of approval. The service is improving overall. But as it stands today, it's just not worthy yet. I plan to continue working with it in the months to come, so if something changes I'll keep you posted. I'd like to add this week's comments to my two earlier reviews of StarBand: StarBand Road Test: http://www.winmag.com/columns/broadband/2001/01.htm#lederev StarBand Update: http://www.winmag.com/columns/broadband/2001/02.htm#starbandup -- WinProxy for StarBand -- The folks at Ositis Software contacted me this week to say that they're quite close to releasing an advanced beta version of WinProxy, optimized to work with StarBand. As far as I'm aware, no other broadband-sharing software is undergoing this kind of specific development for two-way satellite. So, for anyone who wants to retain StarBand's significant software-based acceleration (you lose it if you open the 180 unit to enable the Ethernet, which also voids your warranty), WinProxy is probably the best hope of sharing StarBand among multiple PCs. -- VPN Update -- Several issues ago, I wrote that I'd heard from more than one source that VPN does work on StarBand. Well, I'm here to tell you that standard Microsoft Virtual Private Networking PPTP does not, in fact, work on StarBand. If you've managed to get VPN working via StarBand, please send me email about it: mailto:bbreport@scotfinnie.com?subject=StarBand_VPN According to a StarBand spokesperson, VPN is not supported on the two-way satellite service. NEWS ABOUT PEGASUS EXPRESS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Over the last couple of weeks, I've interviewed two executive- level people at Pegasus Broadband: http://www.pgtv.net/ They gave me the skinny Hughes Electronics (DirecPC, DirecTV) two-way satellite service that Pegasus will be the first to offer commercially under the name of "Pegasus Express." As is often the case with large service undertakings, Hughes and Pegasus are still in the midst of a tightly-restricted beta program. Originally the service was slated to roll out toward the middle of February, but that date has slipped considerably. Reading between the lines, I'm hoping to hear from Pegasus toward the end of this month, and shortly after that to have a third satellite dish on my property -- thereby eliciting the appropriate eye- rolls and behind-my-back smirks from my wife. If you're waiting for the service, my recommendation is that you set your sights on late spring, early summer. I learned a few other things during my talks with the company. Pegasus Express will come in two flavors: consumer and business. It will only be available as a USB-based solution. Two DirecPC-style boxes (which are much smaller than the StarBand 180 USB satellite modem) will be stacked on top of each, using a lot less desk space. As I've reported previously, Hughes and Pegasus are quoting "up to 400kbps" service downstream, and a maximum 128kbps upstream connection. At present it's tough to say whether that's really any different from StarBand, whose top performance levels are stated to be 500kbps. What about sharing the connection? The Pegasus/Hughes satellite modem hardware does not come with a concealed Ethernet port, as does the StarBand product. On the other hand, I'm told that Pegasus and Hughes are actively working on software that will let you share the satellite Internet connection among multiple PCs. It's unclear, however, whether that software will only be available to business-class users. But I'm told that, like StarBand, Pegasus will not tell its consumer customers that they cannot share the connection. Presumably Ositis, and possibly others, will step up to provide software products that fill this need if Hughes and Pegasus do not. You might be wondering what Pegasus brings to the party. Interestingly, Pegasus, and not Hughes, will be the ISP for Pegasus Express. Pegasus is an unknown quantity (to me, at least) as an ISP. But Hughes hasn't earned high marks in the past, so this may be a good thing. Pegasus Communications is the single largest Hughes DirecTV distributor, or franchisee. It owns the rights to distribute and market the service to specific regions all around the U.S. But as a licensee to deliver two-way satellite, it is free to distribute the service anywhere in the continental U.S. I know from your e-mails that many of you are interested in Pegasus Express because you either have or plan to get DirecTV. You'll be happy to know that it'll be very easy to either upgrade to Pegasus Express from your existing DirecTV service or purchase both services together. For a good deal more information about Pegasus Express, see the FAQ: http://www.pgtv.net/Faq.html REVIEW: SOHOWARE'S BROADBAND ROUTER WITH FIREWALL FEATURES ----------------------------------------------------------------- This is interesting. In the category of consumer-oriented broadband cable/DSL router/hub products, SOHOware is the only company other than Linksys that really gets how to reach this market. Linksys has done it with a simple box that just works and works, no questions asked. SOHOware's BroadGuard takes a different tack. The company is marketing BroadGuard as being able to supply a level of security beyond that of what's offered by NAT (Network Address Translation), a feature virtually all hardware and software broadband-sharing products employ. That's an important distinction, which we sought to test. BroadGuard offers a first in this field. It comes with both standard and cross-over Ethernet cables, and it provides an excellent, detailed, easy-to- understand manual. What's more, the ports and LEDs are labeled not for network engineers, but for the average everyday Joe who recently scored broadband and wants to make it work with more than one PC. Anyone who doesn't already know what WAN, cross- over, and uplink mean would probably do well to buy this product. It's the easiest one to set up and use in a simple networking environment. That's probably why I ran into some trouble with the BroadGuard. Although I was able to make it work quickly and easily, my rather complex peer network definitely ruffled the BroadGuard's feathers. Most of my troubles narrowed down to one thing: The BroadGuard insists on a DHCP (effectively, dynamic IP assignment) IP address range that isn't the one I usually use on my network. There's no provision for changing anything but the last three numbers of this range. As a result, BroadGuard rendered my HP JetDirect 500X print server unusable. There's no way to access the JetDirect's Web-based configuration screen to change its fixed IP address with the BroadGuard installed. (The JetDirect does offer DHCP, but that renders the print server inoperable in a peer network setting.) I was eventually able to make it work, after I removed the BroadGuard and popped my trusty Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router back in place. But make a note, SOHOware: The BroadGuard should have a DHCP IP range that allows the user to configure both the third and fourth sets of IP addresses. That could probably be added in firmware. The BroadGuard's extra attention to security is evident in several smaller areas. For one thing, it has an automatic e-mail notification feature that alerts you when someone or some server appears to be probing you. That feature works just fine. BroadGuard also employs "stateful inspection" techniques to analyze potential contacts. Stateful inspection is a big firewall buzzword that, boiled down, means smarts that keep track of the context of Internet contacts, both in terms of past connections and also the current application. So in other words, it doesn't just analyze packets in isolation, but takes into account the surrounding context when drawing conclusions about the nature of the contact. Often, stateful inspection employs a rules-based approach to guarding against proscribed activities, or allowing prescribed ones. In addition, SOHOware claims specific protection against Denial of Service attacks. Taken as a whole, the BroadGuard's stated security feature set goes significantly beyond any other product tested in the Broadband Report except the SonicWall SOHO Telecommuter, which costs something like three times more than the $160 BroadGuard (pricing from JandR.com). In testing (see links that follow to the test sites), the BroadGuard did as well any product can in GRC's Shields Up! and the HackerWhacker port probe tests. Like every other hardware product I've tested, it failed GRC's LeakTest. BroadGuard did score 100-percent secure on the Security Space test, which scans for vulnerabilities to hundreds of specific types of attacks, such as Denial of Service. That's actually slightly better than the SonicWall SOHO Telecommuter scored last year. But given the failure on the LeakTest, anyone using this product would still need to run a solid firewall software product, and the only I recommend at this point is ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm, which is about to come out in a new 2.6 version: http://www.zonelabs.com/products/za/index.html For the price, BroadGuard is a good value. It comes with two cables, solid documentation, and the labels on its ports and LEDs are easy to understand. It has excellent security features that take it beyond the competition in its price category, although you'll still need a software firewall. It comes with four auto- sensing 10/100Mbps switches. It supports PPPoE and basic Microsoft Virtual Private Network PPTP VPN (outbound only, and no IPSec). It does MAC address cloning. It has Web-browser configuration, with extra features, such as DMZ (placing a specific PC out on the Internet, outside the firewall), and site restrictions. It supports all flavors of desktop Windows, Linux, and the Mac. I like this one a lot. But it's just not quite going to edge out the Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router on Winmag.com's WinList. Based on my testing, the BroadGuard's extra security features represent only a minor improvement over what Linksys offers. Plus, the Linksys has the advantage that it's versatile; it just works in whatever environment you place it. The Linksys is also $20-30 cheaper on the street. With a little work on the firmware, and a slight price reduction, SOHOware could have a real winner on its hands that would be especially well suited to less-experienced computer users. * $160, BroadGuard NBG800, SOHOware, Inc., 800-632-1118 Product Page: http://www.sohoware.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=58205&prmenbr=14716&parent=20209 Company Home Page: http://www.sohoware.com/ -- The Broadband Report Firewall Test Suite -- GRC's Shields Up! https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 GRC's LeakTest http://grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm HackerWhacker.com http://hackerwhacker.com/ Security Space http://www.securityspace.com/sspace/index.html REVIEW: D-LINK'S TOP-NOTCH USB WIRELESS ADAPTER ***WinList*** ----------------------------------------------------------------- There's a whole lot of reviewing going on this time in Broadband Report. There's good news from D-Link. It's among the earliest companies to release a WiFi (802.11B) wireless USB adapter, or endpoint. I wrote about issues with PCI-based WiFi adapters last time in Network Know-How: http://www.winmag.com/columns/broadband/2001/03.htm#netknowhow D-Link's DWL-120 USB Wireless Adapter was the first USB WiFi product on the market (although the latest PC Connection catalog shows a similar product from BUSlink). Employing a USB connection makes it a snap to connect the DWL-120 to any USB-equipped Windows PC on your WiFi (802.11b) network. I've tried it, and it works perfectly. It took me literally five minutes to install and begin accessing my WiFi network with D-Link's USB adapter. The driver installation smartly installs the endpoint configuration and monitoring software too. And the four-page color Quick Start guide made everything simple. Really, the only thing you have to do is put the icon for the configuration and monitoring software in your Windows StartUp folder. D-Link's hardware is pretty nifty. A small arm recessed into the side of the tiny unit swings out to become an antenna. Unless your desktop PC is already loaded down with USB devices, this is clearly the way to WiFi network it. First, at $125 (Buy.com), it's cheaper than most PCI card-based solutions. Second, it doesn't require a PCI slot. Third, because it comes with four- foot USB cable and its own built-in antenna, you can fine-tune our connection by moving the adapter around a little bit. There's no question about it, the D-Link DWL-120 USB Wireless Adapter is very cool WiFi hardware at a decent street price. It easily earns a spot on our WinList. * WINLIST: $125 street price, DWL-120 USB Wireless Adapter, D- Link Systems, Inc., 800-326-1688 Product Page: http://www.dlink.com/products/wireless/dwl120/ Press Release: http://presslink.dlink.com/releases/pr111000.htm Company Home Page: http://www.dlink.com/ EARLY LOOK: MAXGATE'S UGATE 3200P ----------------------------------------------------------------- Earlier this week I attempted to test MaxGate's UGate 3200P broadband router/hub device. The 3200P has a lot going for it. It comes with seven Ethernet ports and a parallel port that lets it operate as a print server. Like most of the rest of the products in this field, it offers Web-based configuration. Unfortunately, I ran into several problems with my UGate 3200P evaluation unit. At first I was able to get it to work, but there were several problems. It wouldn't connect properly to my network. In the Web configuration screen, there was an obvious problem with the second three-digit field for the second DNS server IP address. The three numbers I entered there kept converting to "-56" when I saved them. I also had a hard time getting a host name and other entries to stick on saves. Other times when I went to save changes, the browser would hang trying complete the update. Because of these problems and because the unit arrived with absolutely ancient firmware and because of the little blue card included in the 3200P's box that directs customers to upgrade their firmware, I decided to do just that. I followed the somewhat out of date and poorly-edited instructions on the MaxGate site for updating firmware: http://www.maxgate.net/firmware.htm But I ran into trouble when I attempted the update. Not only would the firmware would not upgrade, but I immediately lost the ability to connect to the Internet at all, and I couldn't get any settings changes to take thereafter. As a result, MaxGate is sending me another evaluation unit. Because it didn't arrive in time to be re-tested for this issue of the newsletter, I hope to offer the formal review next time. One thing I like about the UGate 3200P is the number of ports and the form factor. It's thin, flat, and very stackable. One thing I don't like is the lack of Ethernet cables and skimpy documentation. The Buy.com price of $253 for this model is also expensive, even with the extra ports and print server. PRODUCT BEAT: NETBLASTER II AND MORE ----------------------------------------------------------------- * SOHOware has been in the wireless networking area for a while; long enough that it's announcing a 2.0 version of its NetBlaster access point product. I don't have a lot of details about it yet, but the CableFREE NetBlaster II hub will retail for $249.99, the desktop card for $149.99, and the laptop card for $199.99. Unlike those of most other companies, SOHOware's PCI-based cards are don't accept a PC Card wireless endpoint. They have the circuitry dedicated on the PCI card, a better way to do it. * The Broadband Report has received 3Com's Home Wireless Gateway, and intends to test it in an upcoming issue. Oddly, I'm still waiting for the conventional 3Com broadband router/hub product, which is apparently on backorder. * Linksys recently sent me its EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with an 8-port switch, as well as its Wireless EtherFast Cable/DSL Router. Watch for a review of the wireless version in Winmag.com's upcoming Wireless Networking feature, and a review of the 8-port right here. Does your company have a new or recently updated computer product of interest to broadband users? Submit it to Product Beat: mailto:bbreport@scotfinnie.com?subject=For_Product_Beat READER-TO-READER: SPECTRUM ANALYZER ----------------------------------------------------------------- -- Spectrum Analyzer -- "I just read your article about StarBand's broadband service. Thanks for the information, as I have a few customers who could use this service. In your article you stated 'an oscilloscope- style device should be used to align the dish to the satellite.' That device is actually called a spectrum analyzer. If a prospective customer asks a satellite installer whether they use a spectrum analyzer to align the dish and the installer hesitates, then find another installer. --Michael Collins, MCP (and ex-Army 29Y satellite communications repair and operator) Response: Thanks, Michael. That helps to clarify. --S.F. -- Potential Satellite vs. Windows Problem -- Winmag.com Hot Fixes author Dave Methvin dropped me a line this week saying: It seems like a lot of satellite users may run into the problem addressed by this Microsoft Knowledgebase Article: "Windows 95 and Windows 98 TCP/IP May Retransmit Packets Prematurely" (Q236926): http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q236/9/26.ASP Check with your satellite ISP before making these changes on your PC. MY BROADBAND STORY: SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW? ----------------------------------------------------------------- The good news is, StarBand is working better, as I mentioned above. You're not going to believe the bad news. Remember when my DSL connection was acting up last year and I was having all those disconnects and packet losses? It's starting again. I'm not sure whether to blame SpeakEasy -- a company that is seriously overloaded with new customers -- or the weather. The weather? Yes, where I live we've had snow. A lot of snow. And for a week there every wire, cable, and tree limb was hanging way low, weighed down with ice and heavy wet snow. That's about when the problems began. Even after the snow melted, one of the three phone lines that attach to my house is dangling yards lower between two telephone poles across the street as a result of the snow storm. I can't trace it visually to be sure it's my DSL line, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is. Snow wreaks a lot of havoc on broadband. In three recent storms, my StarBand connection has conked out. There are two things that cause this. If it snows heavily, the satellite disk is literally blocked from the satellite -- there's so much snow in the air between the two it becomes interference. The other problem is that snow and ice literally pile up on the dish itself. Your connection won't return until you clear them away. Anyway, back to my SpeakEasy connection. The problem comes and goes. I got a letter back from SpeakEasy technical support saying that they're aware of latency, slow-downs, and packet loss in my area, and that they're working on upgrading service in my area. The word "months" was mentioned, which makes me think some day they'll fix it maybe. Meanwhile, I'm now getting word that AT&T Broadband isn't making as much progress in my area as had previously been thought. The new estimate is six months before I get cable modem service (although that isn't an official projection). LINK OF THE WEEK: CHARLES STEINKUEHLER'S LRP WEBSITE ----------------------------------------------------------------- This Link of the Week is for all you Linux types, or really for anyone who wants a do-it-yourself firewall that's free if you have an old 486 or faster PC lying around and the space to keep it set up and running. Many people have written me about the Linux Firewall Project over the last couple of years. People are enthusiastic about this use of Linux because it's a powerful application, and fairly simple to set up. But you'll need some help, and that's where Charles Steinkuehler's LRP Website comes in: http://lrp.steinkuehler.net/index.htm Its simple but effective instructions, layout, and links are just what you need to get up to speed on this. I want to thank William Smith for suggesting this Broadband Report Link of the Week. What Web sites have you checked out that you liked? It could be broadband content, broadband tips or news, performance testing, utilities, you name it. Drop me a line. Please include the site's URL and tell me briefly what you liked about it. Thanks! mailto:bbreport@scotfinnie.com?subject=Link_of_the_Week FINE PRINT ----------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the back issues of the Broadband Report on the Web: http://www.winmag.com/columns/broadband/backissu.htm If you like this newsletter, share it with friends and co- workers, and encourage them to sign up! It's free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS Use your browser to visit our Newsletter Subscription Center: http://www.winmag.com/subscribe/ You may also unsubscribe by replying to this message using your e-mail program's message-reply feature. Type the word "Unsubscribe" on the subject line. Be sure you're sending the message from the e-mail account you originally subscribed with. NOTE: You cannot unsubscribe by sending e-mail directly to me. Please send comments, suggestions, or questions about this newsletter to mailto:bbreport@scotfinnie.com?subject=3-16-2001. -- T-H-E--B-R-O-A-D-B-A-N-D--R-E-P-O-R-T ------------------------ Copyright 2000-2001 CMP Media Inc. A service of Winmag.com. http://www.winmag.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Distributed by MessageMedia Inc. - http://www.messagemedia.com