ASUS Show Off WiMAX Products At Summit

Category: Networking
Posted: June 2, 2008 12:59PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Neatly fitting into the beginning of Computex in Taipei is the WiMAX summit, which gives companies from around the world the opportunity to get together and talk about where the technology is going. It also gives those companies the chance to show off any WiMAX compatible kit they may be flogging to you in the near future. ASUS was showing off several porducts that make use of WiMAX, including the new Eee PC 901. If you don't fancy buying a new notebook just for WiMAX support then the WUSB25E2V2 (nice name!) USB dongle might be a bit more useful. WiMAX is aimed at delivering last mile broadband services, so ASUS was also showing Customer Premesis Equipment (CPEs), such as the WMV25E1+ as part of its lineup. If you are confused about WiMAX and whether it is something you should be interested in, then you can read more at the WiMAX Forum site. You can expect more from ASUS (as well as every other big company) during Computex this week. Watch out for coverage of the event from OCC as well.

The Successor to HomePlug Technology

Category: Networking
Posted: May 29, 2008 10:52AM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Many times, it's hard for homeowners and renters to establish a reliable Wi-Fi connection in the home, so some of those people turn to other non-traditional networking technologies like powerline networking. While powerline networking is capable of delivering a solid Internet connection to connected computers, devices based on this technology are sometimes hard-pressed to consistently deliver high quality VoIP and high-definition content. Today, D-Link announced its Ethernet-to-Coax, an alternative networking solution that relies on the coaxial (Cable) cable already laid in most homes to provide a high-bandwidth, high-speed transfer mechanism. Users can realistically expect enough bandwidth for streaming high-def content and gaming online without interfering with CATV reception. E-t-C's physical setup is very similar to HomePlug devices, and is priced competitively in relation to a complete HomePlug kit. Look for this new network tech to become available in Q3 of this year.

Allergic to Wi-Fi?

Category: Networking
Posted: May 27, 2008 06:45PM
Author: Dale Shuck

A group of activists in New Mexico is seeking to have Wi-Fi removed from all public buildings based on claims that it causes allergic reactions. Member of the group claim to be hypersensitive to Wi-Fi and cell phone emissions and want the technology banned from all public libraries and other public buildings. The group is claiming discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but local officials aren't putting much credence in the claims although they are investigating the legal ramifications of the matter.

Consortium Seeks to Establish Home Wired Network Standards

Category: Networking
Posted: April 29, 2008 01:50PM
Author: Dale Shuck

A group of electronics and chip manufacturers lead by Panasonic, Texas Instruments, Infineon and Intel have joined together under the aegis of the HomeGrid Forum in effort to establish standards to connect consumer electronics such as TVs, computers and audio/visual systems. Using existing wiring infrastructure such electrical, coax and phone lines, the group expects to establish and test a set of common standards to link these devices together, enabling them to easily share data amongst them. A standard already exists for wireless enabled devices using Wi-Fi, but wired networks can offer advantages such as higher capacity and increased stability. An additional advantage is that these types of wiring already exist in virtually all homes worldwide. Instead of having to connect all the electronics in a home by adding separate wires, the group seeks to set standards allow any certified device to talk to another and hope to have the first such products on the market sometime next year.

Motorola to Split Into Two Separate Companies

Category: Networking, Mobile
Posted: March 26, 2008 09:19AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Motorola has announced that it will split itself into separate publicly traded companies with one entity handling its mobile devices business and the other containing the networking and broadband products. Motorola's board began a review of its mobile phone business at the end of January as a way to increase flexibility and provide better investment opportunities for its shareolders.  The move is expected to take place in 2009 as a tax-free distribution to sareholders.

Apple Release Draft N Version Of Airport Express

Category: Networking, Manufacturers
Posted: March 17, 2008 08:39AM
Author: Ben Grantham

It's generally tradition for Apple to introduce new products on a Tuesday, but then I guess the new version of the Airport Express isn't exactly a major release. It does pretty much exactly the same things as the old Airport (Wireless Printing, Music Sharing), but gives you the speed and range enhancements that all that draft n goodness brings. The compact little Airport is compatible with both Macs and PCs and is available from Apple from today for $99.

Fast Wireless Internet Access; How Does 1.2Gbps Sound?

Category: Networking, Internet, General News
Posted: February 25, 2008 08:41PM
Author: Ben Grantham

InventorSpot -

Once Japan's 'Kizuna' satellite begins its service this summer, that is the kind of bandwidth it will be able to provide. A speed of 1.2Gbps (yes, that's gigabits per second) is insane no matter how you look at it, being over 100 times faster than a majority of commercial broadband services. In fact it's faster than pretty much well, anything available and should be a boon for the Asian cities able to put it to good use. So why spend $342 million in development on a project like this? The simple answer is earthquakes. The Kizuna satellite will be able to maintain communication links when ground based services are interrupted. The satellite is also scheduled for a number of experiments during its expected 5-year lifespan, one of which being test broadcasting for next-gen high definition television. I'm sure everyone is quite aware of how clued up Japan is when it comes to technology in general so it'll be interesting what weird and wonderful things they will do with the new piece of kit they have orbiting up there.

Hit up the read link for more information and a video of the launch of the satellite (in Japanese of course, so good luck working out what they are saying).

Sun Takes On IBM With New Supercomputer

Category: CPU's, Networking, Manufacturers, General News
Posted: February 13, 2008 07:23PM
Author: Ben Grantham

c|net -

Sun hasn't been a big player in the supercomputer arena for a while now, something which they will freely admit. However if everything goes as planned, the Univeristy of Texas' Advanced Computing Center (TACC) will lauch a Constellation System provided by Sun on the 22nd of this month. The system has already been up and running, but this gives those involved a day to make it official (and an excuse to have a party). Sun will look to sell Constellation Systems to other customers after the official launch. Now Supercomputers have always been things which take up a bit of space, and this one is no different. Made up of 82 Sun blade racks, the Constellation system is good for a peak performance of up to 500 teraflops (that's 500 trillion operations per second). That would be a considerable chunk of the cpu power behind the entire Folding@Home project!

The key to achieving this kind of performance is the special switch that Sun has engineered to link everything together. Code-named 'Magnum' it has 3,456 ports (an increase on the norm) that allows data pathways to be freed up and speeds along traffic among data storage, servers and memory. Sun also had to invent a new type of cable to connect the Constellation system together. Now if Sun can get a few more of these systems out to customers it may be able to challenge IBM and its Blue Gene systems in the supercomputer rankings. I'm not sure if the Big Blue will be worried yet though.

Hardware Roundup: Thursday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Networking, Power Supplies, Input Devices, General News
Posted: February 7, 2008 06:15AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Thursdays seem to be a slow day in the roundup so that gives us a perfect opportunity to welcome our newest affiliate Fudzilla and give you a chance to check out their review of the Diamond dual slot 3850 512MB Ruby Edition.  On the green side ThinkComputers offers up the Palit GeForce 8600 GT Super+1GB Video Card.  3dGameMan has posted a video review of the Tuniq Ensemble 1200W Power Supply.  Powerline networking is one of those technologies that seems to offer a lot of promise but so many of the products out there have failed to deliver.  Techgage evaluates the Actiontec MegaPlug AV200 Mbps Ethernet Adapter to see whether it offers a viable option to extend your network.  PCApex has published an interview with Mark Friga Jr. owner of FrozenCPU.com.  Before you go, be sure to check out the SteelSeries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse at OCModshop.

Belkin Wireless Router Earns Computer Outlook's "What's New" Status

Category: Networking, OCC News
Posted: November 13, 2007 03:56PM
Author: road-runner

Belkin - Belkin earned itself a spot on the Computer Outlook Radio Talk Show with it's new Belkin N1 Vision wireless router. The device offers gigabit networking, exceptionally easy set-up with a CD-less installation, simple network security setup, as well as fast, easy, secure access to the internet, all with a sleek design. Other features are an easy-to-read LCD display to view your network's broadband speed, computer bandwidth usage, and the status of the connected devices, with a 1600 feet range.

Cisco: Its Not Our Fault!

Category: Networking, General News
Posted: October 19, 2007 04:04PM
Author: Carl Dunham

ZDNet -

Cisco denies that it committed tax fraud in Brazil after the arrest of 44 people on Tuesday. Authorities said Cisco's Brazilian unit had imported $500 million worth equipment over the last five years without paying import duties and is estimated to owe $826.4 million (1.5 billion reais) in taxes, fines, and interest. Cisco denies these accusations as the company states it used a middleman to import the goods, it is not their fault. The investigation, which has been going on for two years, alleges that Cisco's Brazilian unit used companies based in tax havens like Panama, the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands to avoid paying import taxes in Brazil.

News: Cisco Not Planning to Retire Linksys Brand Anytime Soon

Category: Networking, Manufacturers
Posted: July 31, 2007 10:04AM
Author: Dale Shuck

eWeek -

Well, either they are, they aren't or they might.  Which is it?  Yesterday we reported that Cisco would be dropping the Linksys brand name in favor of an all Cisco lineup.  This was based on comments made by Cisco CEO John Chambers to journalists last week.  Now, Linksys seems to be backpedalling a bit and, while not ruling it our entirely, says that the Linksys name is not going away in the near term. - Nemo *News Editor*

"Linksys consumer and SMB products will continue to be marketed under the Linksys brand and co-exist in the market with Cisco-branded connected home products over the near term. We will continue to examine our branding strategy going forward (as we have to date) and make changes if and when these changes add value to our customers' decision-making processes and our channel partners."

News: Cisco sends Linksys name to the trash

Category: Networking, Manufacturers
Posted: July 30, 2007 11:09AM
Author: Dale Shuck

TechWorld -

Cisco completed its acquisition of Linksys in June of 2003 and now, four years later, Cisco is apparently dropping the Linksys name.  Now instead of seeing the Linksys name and the qualifier "A Division of Cisco Systems, Inc.", it's all going to be marketed under the Cisco name beginning sometime later this year.  This is all according to cooments made by Cisco CEO John Chambers last week during discussions with European journalists last week. - Nemo *News Editor*

“The reason we kept Linksys' brand because it was better known in the US than even Cisco was for the consumer. As you go globally there's very little advantage in that,” Chambers was reported as saying.

News: IEEE Plans On New, Faster Ethernet

Category: Networking, Internet
Posted: July 24, 2007 06:55AM
Author: Josh Jones

Computer World -

Wait a minute, I just upgraded my network from Megabit to Gigabit a few months ago, and now the IEEE is telling me that they are working on releasing 40 and 100 G/bit standards for ethernet?  Folks, that's fast. That's like transferring four full length MP3 files from one computer to another in just under a second's time. Though I would imagine we would start to interfere with consumer hard disk read/write speeds by this point. - Lo *News Editor*

News: Cisco confirms its network gear caused Duke's iPhone flooding

Category: Networking, Mobile
Posted: July 23, 2007 12:14PM
Author: Dale Shuck

NetworkWorld -

Apparently Duke's network issues were not the result of the iPhone's flooding the network as originally reported last week.  Duke is now reporting that it was a Cisco networking issue that caused the problem but provided no futher details as to the nature of the problem.  It would seem that Duke may be a little sensitive to all the brouhaha created by the initial report, especially as it seems it had nothing to do with the iPhone after all. - Nemo *News Editor*

"A two-sentence e-mail from a Cisco PR spokeswoman to Network World confirmed the problem was caused by a "Cisco-based network issue." "Cisco has provided a fix that has been applied to Duke's network and the problem has not occurred since," according to the e-mail. No other details were provided, and no reply has been received yet to an e-mail and two phone requests to Cisco for more details. No additional details have been provided by Duke University or by Apple."

News: CinemaNow Media Manager Now Comes With Xbox 360 Support

Category: Networking, Internet, Gaming
Posted: July 20, 2007 08:30AM
Author: Josh Jones

Daily Tech - With the console market in high competition, and the Xbox division receiving some bad publicity for faulty units over the past months, it's about time we had a breath of fresh air. While Microsoft was shelling out its precious billions to fix defective consoles, it was also working on the sidelines to further expand the Xbox's capabailties of becoming an integrated gaming center and media center extender. The latest release of the CinemaNow client program now allows customers to stream rented or bought movies from their computers to their Xboxes to watch on their large displays. - Lo *News Editor*

"To facilitate the downloading process, the Media Manager automatically downloads to a user's PC when a video is rented or purchased. The new version now has the ability to detect an Xbox 360 gaming console on a customer's home network. A customer can choose any video from CinemaNow's selection, download it to a Windows XP or Windows Vista PC and play it back on a TV using the Xbox 360 as a connective device.

Guide: Security Boot Camp

Category: Networking, Internet, Software, Bugs / Virus
Posted: July 16, 2007 10:40AM
Author: Ben Grantham

TechARP - I would expect the regular OverclockersClub member to be relatively knowledgeable when it comes to security issues, but it's always good to brush up now and again. If you happen to be the kind of person who is always being annoyed by unwanted pop-ups, viruses and don't have much of an idea when it comes to things like firewalls and patching security holes, then this guide from TechARP helps you through diagnosing problems and trying to make sure they never occur again. - jammin *News Editor*

"Spyware has to be the biggest bane of modern computing in recent years. It's that annoying and prevalent because 90% of the PCs I fix these days have problems stemming from spyware. Do note that the term spyware is, in my view, is a bit misleading. Spyware do not just "spy" on you. They are generally much more malicious."

News: Belkin N1 router to display speeds

Category: Networking, General News
Posted: July 11, 2007 07:39PM
Author: Scott Madden

engadget -

The next release of the Belkin N1 routers with have a display showing the upload and download speeds that the user is getting, also on the display will be the bandwidth of the connection. Also included are the usually 4 gigabit network ports an gigabit WAN port and the wireless draft n standard. This router will be selling at the MSRP of $199.99

OCC News: 46 PCs Just For Playing WoW?!

Category: Networking, Internet, Gaming, OCC News
Posted: July 6, 2007 01:09PM
Author: Ben Grantham

OverclockersClub - I'm sure many of you are familiar with the reputation World of Warcraft has as a life sucking force. Well if you think you know someone who has just a small addiction to the game, then you'll probably consider setting up 46 PCs dedicated to playing it as possibly going a little(!) over the edge of sanity. Why would you need 46 machines you ask? Well so that you can do something called "boxing" of course!

OCC News: ASUS On The 802.11n Draft 2.0 Bandwagon

Category: Networking, OCC News
Posted: June 29, 2007 06:05PM
Author: Ben Grantham

OverclockersClub - ASUS today announced the WL-130N Super Speed N Wireless PCI Adapter. Hardly inspired product naming going on there, but what it does is what's important I guess. In this case it's a wireless PCI adaptor with full support (the word certified isn't used) for the new 802.11n draft 2.0 specifications. The adapter also supports MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, which ASUS claims enables it to achieve data transfers faster than a wired 100Mbps connection, which could be pretty impressive if it turns out to be true.

OCC News: D-Link XTREME N™ now 802.11n Draft 2.0 Certified

Category: Networking, OCC News
Posted: June 29, 2007 06:05PM
Author: Ben Grantham

OverclockersClub - D-Link just received all important certification for a couple of it's 802.11n pieces of kit. The D-Link Xtreme N Router (DIR-655) and Xtreme N Notebook Adapter (DWA-652) are the first D-Link products to receive Wi-Fi Alliance testing and subsequent certification. This guarantees interoperability with other certified kit and also means it'll be backwards compatible with previous generations of Wi-Fi equipment. The 802.11n draft 2.0 standard increases both range and speed compared to previous generations, meaning tasks such as streaming HD video are within reach.

News: Buffalo unveils draft-N WZR-AMPG300NH router, PC Card

Category: Networking
Posted: June 29, 2007 01:45PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Engadget - Going over two months without releasing yet another router is quite a feat for Buffalo, but the firm is yet again giving the wireless crowd something to cheer about with its WZR-AMPG300NH. Part of the ever-growing AirStation NFINITI lineup, this draft-N device purportedly plays nice with 802.11a/b/g as well, boasts throughput of around 153Mbps, and includes MIMO technology to make full use of the trio of antennas. You'll also find the typical WPA2 certification, and if you need a WiFi adapter in order to make use of it, the WLI-CB-AMG300N PCMCIA network card fits the bill perfectly.

Article: Dead LAN & Frozen Mice In Windows Vista Rev. 2.0

Category: Networking, Gaming, Input Devices, General News
Posted: June 25, 2007 08:18AM
Author: Ben Grantham

TechARP - Everyone loves to hate Windows Vista, but you can't blame some of them when they hit snags that never happened in Windows XP. Take, for example, our recent problems with LAN controllers inexplicably dying or USB mice freezing randomly. We expect it will take Microsoft and their partners about a year or so to eventually solve these teething problems. Fortunately, some problems have a workaround. Fortunately, the wait was not long as we have finally found the simple solution to these problems. It's easier than what we once thought. Read on and find out.

News: New Wi-Fi distance record: 382 kilometers

Category: Networking, Internet
Posted: June 18, 2007 12:23PM
Author: Ben Grantham

c|net - Researcher Ermanno Pietrosemoli has set what appears to be a new record for the longest communication link with Wi-Fi. Pietrosemoli, president of the Escuela Latinoamerica de Redes (which means networking school of Latin America) established a Wi-Fi link between two computers located in El Aguila and Platillon Mountain, Venezuela. That's a distance of 382 kilometers, or 238 miles. He used technology from Intel, which is concocting its own long-range Wi-Fi equipment, and some off-the-shelf parts.

News: McIntosh unveils the high-end MS750 digital music server

Category: Networking
Posted: May 31, 2007 11:57AM
Author: Ben Grantham

Engadget - High-end audio manufacturer McIntosh Laboratory (they were around long before a couple kids named Steve started fooling around in their garage) is looking to take back some space on the audiophile shelf from all those wannabe-pro upstarts like the Slim Transporter with its new MS750 music server. The unit features a 750GB drive, CD burner, and a FLAC encoder that can be run in real time from the unit's inputs, so purists can rip their precious vinyl at least without lossy encoding.

News: File-sharing sites are being subverted for web attacks

Category: Networking, Internet, Bugs / Virus
Posted: May 30, 2007 02:35PM
Author: Dale Shuck

NewScientistTech - Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks, which let users trade movies, music and software online, are increasingly being used to trick PCs into attacking other machines, experts say. Computer scientists have previously shown how P2P networks can be subverted so that several connected PCs gang up to attack a single machine, flooding it with enough traffic to make it crash. This can work even if the target is not part of the P2P network itself. Now, security experts are warning that P2P networks are increasingly being used to do just this. "Until January of this year we had never seen a peer-to-peer network subverted and used for an attack," says Darren Rennick of internet security company Prolexic in an advisory released recently. "We now see them constantly being subverted."

News: Slurpr Promises to Aggregate Free Wi-Fi

Category: Networking
Posted: May 29, 2007 05:49PM
Author: Dale Shuck

DigitalTrends - Ever sat down somewhere with your Wi-Fi capable device, been greeted with a small swarm of publicly-accessible networks, and wondered which you should choose to access the Internet? Well, why not use all of them? Mark Hoekstra and his colleague Boris at Geek Technique have come up with a not-quite-tiny box dubbed the Slurpr which can attach to as many as six Wi-Fi networks and offer the combined bandwidth as a single broadband connection.

Review: D-Link Xtreme N DIR-655 Wireless Router

Category: Networking
Posted: May 23, 2007 09:25PM
Author: Dale Shuck

Techgage - We are taking a look at D-Links latest Draft-N router, the DIR-655, which is upgradeable to the latest 2.0 standard. We are also throwing their DWA-652 Draft-N notebook card in for testing as well.

Article: Dead LAN & Frozen Mice In Windows Vista

Category: Networking, Operating Systems, Input Devices
Posted: May 23, 2007 08:24PM
Author: Christopher Murphy

TechARP - Everyone loves to hate Windows Vista, but you can't blame some of them when they hit snags that never happened in Windows XP. Take, for example, our recent problems with LAN controllers inexplicably dying or USB mice freezing randomly. We expect it will take Microsoft and their partners about a year or so to eventually solve these teething problems. Fortunately, some problems have a workaround.

News: iPhone: AT&T Exclusive for Five Years

Category: Networking, Mobile, Manufacturers, Gadgets
Posted: May 23, 2007 05:54AM
Author: Christopher Murphy

DailyTech - Apple’s iPhone is arguably this year’s most hotly anticipated consumer devices. AT&T already accelerated its plans to rebrand the Cingular properties in preparation of the iPhone’s arrival – and apparently, its efforts may be well placed as the iPhone could be an AT&T-exclusive for five years, according to a USA Today story. Being an AT&T-exclusive means that the iPhone will remain a GSM phone, leaving it clearly out of reach for CDMA wireless users. Verizon Wireless and Sprint are both CDMA shops, and customers of those carriers who wish to get the iPhone will have no other choice but to make the move to AT&T