Hasta La Gadget!

There are free firmware for routers that extend the functionality of certain models – DD-WRT, Tomato and Hyper-WRT come to mind – but if you want a user-friendly interface, the Skydog system might be better for you. Made by PowerCloud Systems, it lets you monitor and manage home networks using a convenient mobile app.

The Skydog router looks like a typical router. It has four Ethernet ports and offers dual band wireless N at up to 300mbps per band. But where it really shines is in its mobile app. The app is based on HTML5, so it will work with practically all mobile devices and desktop computers. It lets you see and label connected devices and restrict or put a time limit to their access, down to specific websites. This is great for parents who want to control their kids’ internet access without having to look over their shoulders all the time.

It also lets you save and switch templates so you can give more bandwidth to certain devices, like when someone wants to play online games or stream high definition videos. Best of all, you can manage a network wherever you are as long as you have an Internet connection. You can even manage multiple Skydog routers. That’s a godsend for people who are designated IT guys in their families.

Pledge at least $99 (USD) on Kickstarter to qualify for an early unit of the Skydog. Better start a fundraiser among your friends and family.

For all the enthusiasm Oregon Scientific put into launching (and naming) its MEEP! tablet, the company has been a bit timid about getting the kid-friendly Android device into the market — we’re just seeing it go on sale eight months after it was first shown to the world. Now that the slate is here, it may be worth the patience from parents. The 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 chip, 512MB of RAM, 800 x 480 screen and 4GB of storage won’t have the adults regretting their Kindle Fire purchases, but the MEEP! does come in a smash-resistant form with remote parental control and an allowance-based store that lets kids ‘buy’ apps with virtual coins. Oregon helps its case through the use of Ice Cream Sandwich, preloaded games like Angry Birds and a raft of accessories for games and music. The $150 asking price is just low enough that we can see a few families starting their youngest technophiles on a MEEP! before graduating them to bigger, badder tablets with less punctuation in the name.

Continue reading Oregon Scientific MEEP! tablet ships for $150, gives kids a safe, exclamation-filled place to play

Filed under: Tablets

Oregon Scientific MEEP! tablet ships for $150, gives kids a safe, exclamation-filled place to play originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  Oregon Scientific  | Email this | Comments

Cisco won’t be the fastest out of the gate with an 802.11ac WiFi router, but it’s certainly one of the most ambitious. The dual-band Linksys EA6500 and a companion, single-band Universal Media Connector network bridge hike the bandwidth up to 802.11ac’s 1.3Gbps peak, each of them carrying their own quartet of gigabit Ethernet jacks. A pair of USB ports on the EA6500 should make sharing storage that much faster as well. If you ask Cisco, however, the real highlight is the new Cisco Connect Cloud app platform. Not unlike Novatel’s MiFi apps, the software helps either manage the router itself (think parental controls) or tap into other devices around the home, including AirPlay sharing and remote camera monitoring. There’s even a new SimpleTap hardware integration platform that will pair third-party WiFi gear like Onkyo receivers to a router through Android and iOS smartphone apps. Eventually, that should include a gentle NFC-based nudge.

A Linksys Developer Community is starting now with six app developers already lined up, and support is due for any access point Cisco deems worthy of the Smart Wi-Fi Router name. That said, you’ll have to wait awhile if you want the 802.11ac tag attached to that router at the same time. The currently-without-a-price EA6500 doesn’t hit shops until early August; you’ll have to wait until September for the equally priceless Universal Media Connector.

Continue reading Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video)

Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments