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<\/p>\nAuthor: Tim Higgins
\nReview Date: 3\/22\/2001<\/i><\/p>\n
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Model<\/strong>: NCP600<\/p>\n \n The Basics<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Power<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Wireless Link<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Wireless Activity<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ethernet Link<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ethernet Activity<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n One RJ45 10BaseT Ethernet<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Power<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n printed Quick Installation guide<\/p>\n<\/li>\n printed User’s Guide<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 25 foot UTP Normal cable<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 100-240V Power supply<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n <\/p>\n Introduction<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n \nThe NetBlasterII 802.11b wireless products are probably the closest thing to wireless plug and play that I’ve run into yet!\u00a0 But there is a catch…<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Setting up<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n This took me aback at first, since I tend not to like restrictions on what I can and can’t do, but I said, “What the heck, let’s try it their way..” and pressed on with the install.\u00a0 I installed a PC card client on my Compaq 1650\/ Win98SE laptop, and ran the BlasterII Utility setup program, and after answering one question about the BlasterII “hub” ID, I sat amazed as I typed a URL into my browser and it came up!\u00a0 I was wirelessly connected through the BlasterII “hub” to the Internet via my Ethernet LAN!\u00a0 No trying to guess the IP address of the AP, no wrestling with ESSIDs, just fast and simple connection!\u00a0 I even moved the “hub” from one router to another in my test network and all I needed to do was do a DHCP Release\/Renew on my wireless laptop and I was connected again to the new subnet!<\/p>\n NOTE:<\/b>\u00a0You can use NetBlasterII client cards with other manufacturers’ 802.11b products, and you can use other manufacturer’s 802.11b clients with the NetBlasterII “hub”.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/b>\u00a0The default ESSID of the NetBlasterII is its MAC address, which is printed on a label on the bottom of it.\u00a0 But I just entered “ANY” as the ESSID when the Utility asked me and I connected just fine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n The BlasterII Utility sits in the System Tray. Right clicking on it lets you jump directly to the different parts of the utility or a regular click will bring up the Toolbar shown below.\u00a0 Holding the mouse pointer over the Tray icon gives you the link Quality and the icon turns from green to red when you lose network connection.<\/p>\n The four icons stand for the Adapter Properties, Connection Quality and Traffic Monitor apps, and Wireless Hub Properties.<\/p>\n I didn’t find the Connection Quality (shown above) or Traffic Monitor very useful (the Monitor vertical scale was too large and not adjustable), but the Properties windows were very nice.\u00a0 You could access everything you needed to from them, with no rebooting needed for changes. (Click on the shots below for a full-sized view.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Encryption<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n \nThe BlasterII supports\u00a040 bit WEP encryption<\/b>, and you can set four keys, either directly as 10 Hexadecimal characters each, or automatically generate the keys using a “passphrase”.\u00a0 There’s also a “Quick” Encryption method, which the manual says “utilizes a simpler encryption method to offer security without sacrificing data throughput speed”. I saw throughput differences among the three modes, which I detail below in the Performance section.<\/p>\n \n Since you can only administer the “hub” via a wireless client, I approached testing the different WEP modes with caution.\u00a0 I expected to get disconnected from the “hub” as soon as I changed the client Encryption mode.\u00a0\u00a0Not to worry!<\/b>\u00a0 Changing the client’s Encryption mode disconnected me from the network as expected.\u00a0 But changing the mode in the “hub” properties window (with matching keys),\u00a0automatically rebooted the “hub” and changed the Encryption mode on the client!<\/b>\u00a0 All I had to do was wait until the “hub” came back on-line and I was connected with the desired Encryption!\u00a0\u00a0Wow!<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n What’s not to like?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n How many clients are using the network<\/p>\n<\/li>\n the MAC or IP address of clients<\/p>\n<\/li>\n the state (active, roaming, etc.) of clients<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The Traffic Monitor provides some info about network performance, but doesn’t provide any statistics on dropped packets, etc.<\/p>\n You also can’t control access to the wireless network by blocking\/allowing MAC addresses, and can’t do any packet filtering to control the services that users can access.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Pros:<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n <\/td>\n – Amazingly easy setup!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Cons<\/span><\/b>:<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n <\/td>\n – Have to buy a client card to set up “hub”.
\n– 50% throughput decrease with WEP enabled<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n
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\n \nThe BlasterII had the fastest and easiest wireless setup that I’ve experienced with any 802.11b product<\/b>, but I was a little confused at first.\u00a0 Since I’ve installed many an Access Point, I opened the box and read the\u00a0printed<\/b>\u00a0manual, looking to see if the BlasterII “hub” (it’s really an Access Point or 802.11b to Ethernet bridge) was administered via a Windows application, or a web interface.\u00a0 I found that there was nothing I could do to set up the “hub”, except plug in power and connect it to my Ethernet LAN.\u00a0 The configuration of the “hub” would be done when I installed a LAN client.\u00a0 Yup, that’s right,\u00a0you must have a SOHOware BlasterII client card (either PC card or PCI card) if you use the BlasterII “hub”<\/b>.<\/p>\n \n\n\n
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\n \nSadly, with all the great ease of use that it has, the NetBlasterII isn’t perfect!\u00a0 As is all-too-common among inexpensive Access Points, the BlasterII comes up short on network monitoring capabilities.\u00a0 You have no way of knowing:<\/p>\n \n