Hasta La Gadget!

HomePlug has been around for years now, nearly as long as mobile broadband, Windows Mobile and sliced bread… combined. Unlike any of those three, however HomePlug hasn’t exactly caught fire in the industry. For those unaware, the general principle with these devices is to send network signals (or other signals, we suppose) over a home’s existing power network. In theory, this would prevent someone from being forced to run a 50 foot Ethernet drop, instead using the 50 feet (or more) or power wiring that already resides within the walls of a given abode to transmit the same signals. For whatever reason, early models were plagued with flaky performance and speeds that were far less than advertised. Granted, things have progressed quite aways since the HomePlugs of old, but has the tech finally reached a place where it could be adopted en masse?

We recently had the chance to test out Innoband’s HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit, which is a two-piece solution that consists of a transmitting unit (which connects to your router or modem via Ethernet and plugs into a nearby wall outlet) and a 802.11b/g/n WiFi transceiver, which is designed to be plugged into a different wall socket where you need an Ethernet connection or extended wireless coverage. Curious as to how things stacked up? Tap that ‘Read More’ link for the rest of our review.

Continue reading Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review

Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just spent a tick talking with Verizon Wireless‘ Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer Tony Melone (shown speaking) after the company’s LTE roundtable here at CTIA, and while we’ve heard a lot through the grapevine recently, we wanted to set a few things straight for ourselves. For starters, VZW affirmed that data-centric devices would be splashing down on its commercial LTE network first, possibly as early as the end of this year. When we asked specifically what kinds of devices he meant, he stated that “aircards, USB data sticks and MiFi-type devices” would be first out of the chunnel, with smartphones being “about a quarter behind.” Naturally, we asked why there would be a delay, and he stated that getting a smartphone onto a new network is more difficult than a simple data-only product; there are obvious voice-related issues to work through that aren’t present when you’re only sucking down torrents, and it’ll take some time before full-on phones join the fray. He assured us the earlier data-only device launches wouldn’t be “a public trial,” and he noted that a conservative estimate as to when we’d see LTE phones on Verizon would be “the first half of 2011.” Though, he did confess that folks would likely be pushing for earlier ship dates, and we may see a few phones drop closer to January than July if all the stars align.

Verizon talks commercial LTE deployment details: data devices first, smartphones in ‘1H 2011’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frankly, it’s not at all easy finding the new goodies at ASUS’ CeBIT booth, but luckily we managed to catch word of this crazy spectacle of a router. Introducing, dear reader, the RT-N56U. It supports 802.11a/b/g/n, dual band support, 3G HSDPA USB dongles, printers and HDDs (via USB). Input methods include Two USB ports, four Gigabit LAN and one Gigabit WAN… no wait, this is impressive but inconsequential. It’s just really, really thin — and that’s all that matters here, right? It’s also quite reflective; just imagine trying to take a picture of a mirror behind a foggy window, and you’ll understand our pain with product photography today. No details on price or release date. Video after the break.

Continue reading ASUS’ ultra-thin RT-N56U router reflects on its CeBIT display

ASUS’ ultra-thin RT-N56U router reflects on its CeBIT display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Working for a large company comes with a lot of baggage, the least of which is an RFID security badge. For those small companies who can’t afford such extravagantly wireless door key solutions there’s another option: this DIY project completed by a team of developers at Sunlight Labs. It all centers around a Linksys WRT54GL, a Linux-based wireless router that, with a little firmware hackery and a bit of wiring, was tethered into the office’s door release buzzer. The team then went about allowing SSH access to the router and created Android and iPhone apps that instantly connect to the device and open the door, authenticated by a PIN and a unique ID assigned to each device. Users can also deliver their PIN via SMS or a simple phone call to open the door. Elegant, impressive, open source, and one less thing to forget on a Monday morning when groggily heading to the office.

Continue reading Linksys router turned into smartphone-controlled doorman (video)

Linksys router turned into smartphone-controlled doorman (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you haven’t freaked out and given up on MiFi after they were shown to be, well, a little bit vulnerable, good for you, because there’s good things in store. Novatel is working on a new revision of its routers with integrated GPS, USB charging, and what’s pledged to be better battery life. Perhaps most interesting among the revisions is firmware able to run Linux “apps” that display content within the MiFi’s admin webpage. Current apps are things like data usage and weather but the possibilities are endless — or slightly broader than weather and usage, at least. It’s unclear which (if any) of the current MiFi models will be also be blessed with this firmware update and its resplendent selection of homebrew widgets, but we do know that the new MiFi model will be hitting carriers sometime toward the middle of 2010 and will be selling unlocked around the end of the year.

Continue reading Novatel shows off next-gen GPS-enabled MiFi, integrated ‘apps’ (video)

Novatel shows off next-gen GPS-enabled MiFi, integrated ‘apps’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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