Microsoft Vista Home Networking Setup and Options
The most daunting part of upgrading to Windows Vista may be trying to figure out where in the layers of menus the networking and file-sharing options are hidden.
Tips for Securing Your Home Router
Seemingly minor and easily overlooked settings can still have profound security implications. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your wired or wireless home router — and by extension, your network — is as secure as possible.
Most Popular Reviews
Microsoft Windows Home Server
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Iomega StorCenter Network Hard Drive
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Total of 8389 reviews
SonicWALL SOHO3 Recommended by that guy? [yourhouse@yourmom.com]
on 2/7/2010
BOTTOM LINE: good! REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: better than I expected. DETAILS: None.
BOTTOM LINE: Wlan connection drops REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: much worse than I expected. DETAILS: I've been using Buffalo for a couple of months now. It seems that the ADSL connection works ok, but the wlan connection is not very reliable. It has got worse. Currently the connection is dropping maybe every two minutes or so. Both with my HP G7032 laptop with integrated wlan and with my Nokia 5800XM phone.
BOTTOM LINE: FAR too many major problems REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: worse than I expected. DETAILS: Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD Starter Kit: FAR too many major problems
Problem #1: If these wall adapters run this hot, what kind of power/electricity are they wasting ?? Are they then reliable over time ??
Problem #2: "Despite the implication of "starter kit" in the product name, the Belkin adapters aren't currently available individually. While that won't be an issue for most, it will be for those that want to use the Belkin adapters to network devices in two separate locations back to a router, thus needing three devices."
Problem #3: "The level of performance you ultimately wring out of the Belkin powerline adapters will depend on the capabilities of devices you connect to them, as connecting either adapter to a device with a mere 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet port can represent a potential bottleneck. That's an important thing to remember, because while many desktop and notebook PCs and routers sport Gigabit Ethernet ports these days, they're far from a given."
Problem #4: "(plugging powerline adapters into surge suppressors or battery backups is a recipe for poor network performance due to the power filtering those devices perform)"
And Belkin is actually selling these ??
And why can't we assign "NOT recommended" ??
BOTTOM LINE: FAR too many major problems REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: worse than I expected. DETAILS: Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD Starter Kit: FAR too many major problems
Problem #1: If these wall adapters run this hot, what kind of power/electricity are they wasting ?? Are they then reliable over time ??
Problem #2: "Despite the implication of "starter kit" in the product name, the Belkin adapters aren't currently available individually. While that won't be an issue for most, it will be for those that want to use the Belkin adapters to network devices in two separate locations back to a router, thus needing three devices."
Problem #3: "The level of performance you ultimately wring out of the Belkin powerline adapters will depend on the capabilities of devices you connect to them, as connecting either adapter to a device with a mere 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet port can represent a potential bottleneck. That's an important thing to remember, because while many desktop and notebook PCs and routers sport Gigabit Ethernet ports these days, they're far from a given."
Problem #4: "(plugging powerline adapters into surge suppressors or battery backups is a recipe for poor network performance due to the power filtering those devices perform)"
And Belkin is actually selling these ??
BOTTOM LINE: Too many problems REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: worse than I expected. DETAILS: Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD Starter Kit poses insurmountable problems:
Problem #1: If these wall adapters run this hot, what kind of power/electricity are they wasting ?? Are they then reliable over time ??
Problem #2: "Despite the implication of "starter kit" in the product name, the Belkin adapters aren't currently available individually. While that won't be an issue for most, it will be for those that want to use the Belkin adapters to network devices in two separate locations back to a router, thus needing three devices."
Problem #3: "The level of performance you ultimately wring out of the Belkin powerline adapters will depend on the capabilities of devices you connect to them, as connecting either adapter to a device with a mere 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet port can represent a potential bottleneck. That's an important thing to remember, because while many desktop and notebook PCs and routers sport Gigabit Ethernet ports these days, they're far from a given."
Problem #4: "(plugging powerline adapters into surge suppressors or battery backups is a recipe for poor network performance due to the power filtering those devices perform)"
Is Belkin is actually selling these ??
(and this is NOT offensive language or flaming)
BOTTOM LINE: Get it. REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: better than I expected. DETAILS: I am trying to set-up a network at our church. I installed all the wires, routers and switches. I was hoping for a program that would show me the complete lay-out on one screen. That way I would know everything was working properly. Instead it shows all of the computers connectd to the main switch that is connected to the Internet. All of the second layer routers are shown off of it with nothing connected. It is great because I can see all of the computers and get their information from my sound room computer instead of having to go to each computer. I agree that the troubleshooting program needs work. I was working on it last night and none of the computers were showing up (might be because my Internet wasn't connected) but the Magic couldn't find a single problem. Even though I ran it on all of the computers. It kept telling me to go to their home page. I'm going back this morning to run the coax upstairs to the modem to see if that is my problem. Over all I like the ease of use of Magic and plan on buying the full version once I get everything in place.
BOTTOM LINE: Most stable consumer router I've used. REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: better than I expected. DETAILS: I've used D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear wireless routers and all had some functionality issue or another. All would "lock up" the connection and require power-cycling to restore it; the Linksys from time to time, the Netgear more often, and the D-Link at least daily. I have been using the same Buffalo AirStation Turbo G High Power Wireless router for more than three years and it has never "locked up" the connection. Although it can be painful to set up because the user interface resets the router after each and every setting change rather than allowing you to enter all changes and then do one restart, this router is truly a "set it and forget it" device.
BOTTOM LINE: Excellent deal on cheap phone service. REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: much better than I expected. DETAILS: I built up an energy efficient ITX board computer with a solid state hard drive to use with the Magic Jack 24/7. Works out great.
Miiikeee said that!
BOTTOM LINE: Pricing Clarification from LogMeIn REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: much better than I expected. DETAILS: The new pricing of $199 for commercial use actually includes up to 256 clients automatically. Our previous pricing was on a per device basis (starting at $39 per computer), so once you're connecting six or more computers, Hamachi is actually LESS expensive under the new pricing. For example, a small business can buy the new version, connect 200 devices together and pay less than $1 per year per device.
We'll update our site to make sure it's more clear for users going forward.
Thank you,
Andrew Burton
VP, Consumer and SMB Products
www.LogMeIn.com
BOTTOM LINE: Pricing Clarification from LogMeIn REALITY vs. EXPECTATIONS: much better than I expected. DETAILS: The new pricing of $199 for commercial use actually includes up to 256 clients automatically. Our previous pricing was on a per device basis (starting at $39 per computer), so once you're connecting six or more computers, Hamachi is actually LESS expensive under the new pricing. For example, a small business can buy the new version, connect 200 devices together and pay less than $1 per year per device.
We'll update our site to make sure it's more clear for users going forward.
Thank you,
Andrew Burton
VP, Consumer and SMB Products
www.LogMeIn.com