I currently have a USB broadband modem. I purchased a wireless router which has ethernet connections. Currently, the modem is plugged into my computer downstairs which is running Windows 98, therefore, it won’t bridge the connections to my computer upstairs(XP). I can’t update to XP because a family member wont ‘risk’ it.

Can I connect the USB broadband modem to my wireless router using a complicated selection of cable adapters ie ethernet to USB (I cant find a USB TO ETHERNET adapter). If this is not possible, if I plug the USB modem into my XP computer, can I bridge the connections to my Win 98 computer using the XP computer as the host?

I think their is Ethernet to USB out their currently but not USB to ethernet. I dont see any reason why you should not be able to hook up your USB modem to your XP computer and use it as a bridge to the 98 computer.

Of course, it would be nicer to have an all-in-one unit, but you can accomplish your goal with this equipment. You cannot use cable adapters to convert the modem’s USB into Ethernet. USB needs drivers to operate, and Ethernet connections do not provide those drivers to the device. you could also connect the modem to the XP machine and bridge connections, yes. but you can leave the system the way it is and configure it to run smoothly like this:

If I had the hardwear in front of me, it would be easier to provide specifics… but i can probly give you an idea of what to do. There are only 2 steps here:

1. configure an internet gateway.

2. configure the router.

And the rest is easy.

1. Set up the internet machine to SHARE AN INTERNET CONNECTION (you can use the wizard if you want, or just enable Internet Connection Sharing), which will turn the 98 into an internet gateway. that gateway needs an IP address designated, however. In essence, the 98 machine will be the internet server, so the IP of the 98 machine is the IP of the gateway. Assign an address, for example: 192.168.1.1 to the 98 machine. the “192.168″ is important, and the last strings you can stretch on, but for the sake of ease lets keep it small. *TIP* the subnet mask will always be 255.255.255.0. okay that takes care of the host machine.

2. after you have an internet gateway, connect the wireless router, and console (or IP) in to the settings, usually by going into internet explorer and typing 192.168.0.1 into the address bar, and look for a slot for Internet Gateway. Type the address assigned in step 1. thats that for the router. (there may be other settings necessary for your specific network, and if there are, be sure to configure those.)

Lastly a few housekeeping tasks. make sure the workgroup for both machines is identical. I usually use MSHOME as the workgroup. Also make sure that on the XP machine, your IP address is set to “Automatically Obtain IP address”, also known as DHCP.

By: Victor Epand

If you are new to computing and the first time you come across so-called IP addresses is when you are in the set-up pages of your first wireless internet CCTV camera, this very basic two-part guide is for you. It’s a quick introduction to IP addressing and its role in the computer network.

Here in part 1, I’m going to explain what an IP address is and how it works within your home network of wireless internet CCTV cameras. In part 2 I will expand on this to explain how IP addresses are used outside your home, to enable computers and internet cameras across the world to communicate with each other.

Things that are attached to a modern computer network need to have some sort of standard way of being identified if they are to be communicated with. If I am in the supermarket and hear an announcement “Will the owner of that nice car please move it”, nobody will know to whom that message is addressed. But if the announcement is “Will the owner of car registration number RU 679 EDW please move it”, then we will all know the car in question, because the car’s unique registration number is included in the message. It is the same in computer networks. Each piece of equipment that is destined to communicate on a computer network, whether a PC, a router, a printer or a wireless internet CCTV camera, has a unique set of numbers so it can be identified. This unique set of numbers is what we call the IP address.

The IP address is actually not truly unique, but unique within its own neighborhood or network. For example, all of the IP addresses that are used for communication across the internet are unique. Similarly, all of the IP addresses in the network in your home will be unique within your home. (By network, I mean the router, computers and internet CCTV cameras in your home). However, your home network’s IP addresses may be, and almost certainly are, the same as IP addresses in millions of other homes. Your laptop may have exactly the same IP address as your neighbor’s laptop. Fortunately this does not matter, because your neighbor’s laptop cannot ordinarily communicate directly with yours, rather the message has to go via the internet where it will take on the internet IP address of your home network, which is unique.

By: Michael I Harper

The newest device to enter the market looking for a portion of your broadband-bucks is the MiFi (pronounced “my-fye”) Intelligent Mobile Hotspot from Verizon Wireless. Priced at around $99 (with new 2-year contract), the MiFi is pricey, but within reach for those looking to expand their mobile broadband network.

The MiFi’s main difference from traditional external USB and Broadband devices is that it has dual abilities, half modem and half wireless router. After activation the MiFi 2200 will work as a modem when it’s connected to a computer, or a router when disconnected. In modem mode it provides an Internet connection to only the computer to which it is physically connected.

In router mode, however, the MiFi connects to the Internet and shares that connection wirelessly with up to five other Wi-Fi enabled devices. This mode works just like any other Wi-Fi hotspot allowing wireless devices to pick up its signal automatically. A very cool feature to have, now that so many devices around the house are wi-fi compatible. Connect your laptop, along with your iPod Touch, Nintendo Wii, TiVo, and have another wireless slot still available for a friend.

Just slightly larger than five credit cards stacked together, the Verizon Wireless MiFi is small and attractive. You can easily keep it in your pocket of purse, which makes this great for grab-n-go with your kids. Imagine a family road trip where your teenage kids are using their Internet, iPod, and you can keep up travel advisories and weather along the way. All simultaneously, and all based on the one single device-your MiFi.

Data plans are different than the standard mobile broadband plans, so make sure you know what you’re getting. The most notable difference is that there is not option for unlimited date transfer. Currently, Verizon is offering two plans: either $40 for 250MB a month or $60 for 5GB month, (overage charges are 5 cents and 10 cents per MB for the $60 and $40 plans, respectively).

The bottom line is that if you’re looking for cell-based mobile Internet, the MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot from Verizon Wireless is a great option to consider.

By: Christopher Litzkow

The Internet speed of a wireless network is given by the strength of the signal. But there are a few things and situations that can interfere with your signal, and you consequently have a very weak connection. We will give a list of such possible factors that can affect your signal in order to avoid them.
The power of the transmitter. Wi-Fi APs transmit at a power output of less than 30 dBm (one watt). Distance from the AD. The further you go away from the AD, the more the signal dissappears. For example, Wi-Fi 802.11b standards promise a maximum operating range of 100 feet at 11 Mbps to 300 feet at 1 Mbps. Indoors, a realistic range at 11 Mbps is about 60 feet. The directivity or gain of the antennas attached to the AP and to wireless network adapters. Some antennas provide radiation patterns. This means that some of them are sending radio waves in all directions equally, and some of them in just one direction. So, you must be very careful with the specifications when you buy one. The construction materials used in the walls, floors, and ceilings. Old houses are made of some materials that reject the signal. A few of this kind are: marble, brick, water, paper, bulletproof glass and metal. The house plan: The phychical layout of the house can also determine the strength of your APs signal. The position of the walls, the number of doors, basements, brick fireplaces can also block or reduce the radio signal. Movable physical objects. Objects like furniture, appliances, plants can diminish the signal. And even people can do that if they are misplaced. AP’s. If you have a big house, a single AP cannot cover the entire space, you might need two of them. It is very possible that radio waves from each AP can interfere among one another.

By: Steve A. Daniels

If you would like to build a high performance wireless network at home, you should take the wireless router with the future technology available at the market today – Wireless -N router with the price starts from $75 up to $350. When you would like to share storage to be accessible across the network and also accessible across the Internet, you need a Network Access Storage (NAS) which the price can start from $75 up to hundreds of dollars. With NAS you can manage the share files that can be accessed by the authorized users either across the local network or across the internet. Or you might need a FTP server for the Internet users to download the files from.

D-Link offers an award winning DIR-685 Storage Router which combines the superior features of a draft 802.11n wireless router, a Network Access Storage (NAS), a built-in FTP server, and a built-in Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) AV server. Not just that, DIR-685 also featuring digital photo frame and D-Link Green power saving which creates the ultimate user experience while conserving energy. Sounds great, right?

With DIR-685 Storage Router, you can share the Broadband internet connection with any computers in the household wirelessly. Connect the router to the Cable or DSL modem and then you instantly go wireless in the house.

High-speed Wireless and Wired Network Connection

DIR-685 Storage Router is powered by the future wireless technology you can taste today – draft 2.0 802.11n wireless standards. The standard is not finalized yet actually, but soon when the standard is ratified – you just need to update the firmware easily – no hardware changes. Using the smart – intelligent MIMO technology, DIR-685 D Link Storage Router provides you faster speed experience and longer range within the house or the office. MIMO is a technology which uses multiple antennas to coherently resolve more information than possible using a single antenna.

D-Link DIR-685 Storage Router supports four built-in Gigabit Ethernet ports Switch, allows you connect using “wired” connection to the Gigabit enabled computers for high speed and high intensive application connection. This will boost the speed of uploading photos and file documents from Gigabit enabled computers to your storage router using the File Uploader Widget Tool, the widget that allow you to manage the files from the computers and view the upload status to your router.

Advanced Security features

Besides featuring the wireless-N with Xtreme N technology that allows for farther home coverage, this Xtreme N Storage router is also featuring an Intelligent Wireless prioritization Technology. To secure the wireless connection, the router supports the latest industrial wireless security WPA/WPA2 encryption. Adding the devices to the network can be done easily utilizing the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) touch-sensitive button.

The router also supports double firewall features: NAT (network address translation) and SPI (stateful packet inspection). NAT is a primary method enabling computers with unregistered IP addresses to access the Internet. NAT functions as an intermediary between a client computer on an unregistered network and the Internet. SPI is a generic term for a process in which the router examines the incoming packets from the Internet more carefully than usual.

Share Storage over a Network or Internet

The beauty of this DIR-685 storage router is the ability to hold a compact 2.5″ hard drive SATA up to 1 TB and includes a built-in Network Access Storage (NAS), which allows you to safely store files on your home network. A built-in FTP server is also included to allow you convenient access to storage wherever Internet is available.

This D Link storage router supports VPN pass-through; multi-sessions PPTP; and L2TP using IPSec for secure remote access to the storage router from the public network (the Internet).
You can also access and store digital media directly from the Internet without the need for a dedicated PC to be turned on or connected by using the feature this storage router supports – The BitTorrent Support.

Internet Photo Frame

The other beauty of this D Link storage router is the Internet Photo Frame feature. You can share your latest photos with family and friends using FrameChannel, Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, and other popular photo sharing sites using your FrameChannel account. You can also use the DIR-685 storage router to subscribe to your favorite RSS feeds. Get the latest news, stock updates, sports scores, clock, calendar, weather conditions, and more directly on your frame.

SharePort Technology

With two USB 2.0 ports, you can connect a multifunction printer and an external storage device to share throughout your network, no need of print server adapter, no need an always on computer for print server. SharePort is Mac compatible.

Video Streaming

DIR-685 storage router supports a built-in Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) AV server that allows you to easily stream HD video files; music and photos stored on your network through a compatible media player onto your flat-screen HD television via media center extender. You can even stream files from your Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 gaming system. No wonder this DIR-685 Storage Router receives an award winning product for its rich functions in one box.

By: Ki Grinsing

Netgear is ahead of the curve in manufacturing affordable wireless routers which combine up-to-the-minute technology with a compact, aesthetically pleasing design. Their sleek, modern appearance makes Netgear routers stand out from the crowd. Browse the number of Netgear wireless routers available today, and you are sure to find the perfect new product for upgrading your home or office network. To make your choice easier, three of the best Netgear wireless routers are reviewed here.

Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router

This is the simplest and most basic of the Netgear wireless routers. At only the size of a paperback book, this router supports data transfer speeds of up to 54 Mbps. A slim, white casing and a brushed aluminum frame give the WGR614 a clean, pleasing appearance, while a compact but powerful antenna sends a wireless signal to ensure every user in your home has coverage to access the Internet. A CD, included with purchase, guides you through the dead simple setup, and the router automatically configures your internet connection by discovering your IP address and obtaining your DNS settings without your having to figure out how to do that yourself. When upgrades to the firmware become available, you are able to keep your router’s software current, ensuring that this will be the solution for your home internet access for many years.

Netgear WG602 54 Mbps 802.11g Wireless Access Point

The WG602 is a sturdier option than most, with a smoothly curved metal casing and flexible antenna, which you can adjust to optimize the coverage so that all areas of your home receive a signal. This router, like the WGR614, supports data transfer speeds of up to 54 Mbps, which is equivalent with broadband Internet connections and is sure to provide for the internet needs of most users, only letting down those who wish to transfer large files or stream video online. This is the most compatible router of the Netgear range, and the software includes back-compatibility with older systems, so that even if your system still uses the 802.11b protocol, the WG602 will automatically make any necessary adjustments.

Netgear DGND3300 RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Router with Built-in DSL Modem

For those who demand a higher performance machine, for example for streaming of live video or online gaming, this Netgear wireless router offers high speeds in a sleek, modern design. Its higher capability is reflected in its appearance, with the shiny black casing and blue accents speaking to the power within. The internet connection is error-free and reliable due to the DSL modem and dual band router technology. With a data transfer speed up to 15 times faster than the lower-end models, this powerful design uses multiple channels to get around the patchy signal problems that can occur when other electronics in your home interfere with the connection. And as if all that was not enough, you can feel that you are doing your bit for the environment when you purchase the DGND3300, as its power supply is Energy Star rated, and the packaging is made up of 80% recycled material.

By: David Patullo

Why you need green router? With green routers, you can save cash on energy costs, comply with government regulations, and the more important reason is you care for the environment.

Power consumption related to technology including the wireless devices such as routers is rising rapidly. As a consequence, this will also creates a rising in technology pollutes including the increase amounts of electricity, toxic elements in the materials that compose the hardware such as cadmium and mercury. It is therefore, the need of electronic devices with the green logo is very important to help save the power and care the environments.

Why You Need Green Router?

There are many general reasons why you need green router. With green routers, you pay attention to energy consumption and other recycling hardware which consequently helps you save power and comply with government regulations, and the most important thing is that you care for the environments, help heal the planet, and make it beautiful and clean.

There are many ways for manufacturers to produce green equipments including green router such as:

Producing equipments that require less power than normal by designing the products with less power consumptions such as minimizing power waste and design power-saving features into software, firmware, and hardware. Reducing the amount of toxic waste materials in manufactured products and using more recyclable materials. Unfortunately, the fact is that almost 70 percent of overall toxic waste comes from dumped electronic equipment.There are many green router products available in the marketplace today such as the following:

Airlink101 AR675W 300Mbps Wireless N Green Router

Airlink101 AR675W is designed with the green Ethernet technology to help save more energy. The router is powered by the high performance wireless 802.11n technology for highest wireless data rate of up to 300 Mbps. It includes the two 3dBi antennas to provide wider coverage to eliminate dead spots.

Other features:

Wireless On/Off Switch to reduce power when you don’t need wireless network. WPA2, WPA enhanced security provide fully protection for your wireless connection To prioritize the HD media streaming or voice, the router supports Quality of Service (QoS) WMM NAT and SPI feature for your internal network protection against any types of internet threats Supports VPN pass-though for secure remote connection via public internet.TEW-672GR 300Mbps Dual-band Wireless N Gigabit Green Router

TEW-672GR Wireless Gigabit Router is powered by GREENnet technology which is designed to reduce power consumption by up to 70% by reducing power supplied to unused ports, and the use of Energy Star Certified external power adapter that help consumes less power. It is also equipped with the Enable/disable wireless functionality with the WLAN on/off toggle switch to save energy while you are not using the wireless.

Other features:

Powered by the wireless -n dual-band technology and 3 external antennas with smart MIMO antenna technology for the speeds of up to 300 Mbps and longer distance coverage Equipped with 1 Gigabit WAN port which is compatible with most popular cable/DSL Internet service providers using Dynamic/Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP. For wired connection, the router is equipped with 4 Gigabit Ethernet Auto-MDIX ports Advanced dual-firewall protection (NAT and SPI) for internal network protection against any threats Access restriction with Internet Access Control; time scheduling, URL and MAC filtering Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for auto discovery and support for device configuration of Internet applicationsWNDR37AV Wireless N Gigabit Router for Video and Gaming

WNDR37AV is a new powerful wireless n gigabit router for video and gaming which is also designed with Netgear Green technology including Power On/Off Button, 80 percent recycled packaging, Wireless On and Off Button, Cable Length Power Save, and Energy Star etc. WNDR37AV is different with others because it is specifically designed for video and gaming with green technology.

Other features:

ReadySHARE USB Storage Access which supports FAT16/32, NTFS Read/Write, Ext 2 Read/Write, Ext 3 Read/Write Powered by Wireless -n technology with dual-band wireless 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz for twice the bandwidth for better connection and less interference Equipped with 4-port Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed wired connection which is ideal for large HD file transfer You can stream video and music from a USB drive to media players easily with DLNA Media Server feature – no PC required Video Quality of Service, a dedicated video network which allows you stream video on one network, while surfing the InternetIn selecting the wireless router, make sure that you choose the router with Green technology logo including Energy Star, On/Off wireless, recycle materials packaging, and so on. By selecting the wireless router with green technology in mind, you care for better environments, help heal the planet, and make it beautiful and clean.

By Ki Grinsing

By: Ki Grinsing

The world revolves around access to the internet. No matter if you live in Kuala Lampur, Timbuktu, Scranton Pa, or Isleton, Ca, you want to be able to access Wi-Fi internet service without the hassle of having to drive to the closest Wi-Fi hotspot in your local cafe, Subway or hotel.

Apple has recognized the common need to Wi-Fi service even when Wi-Fi service can be out of reach. That is why it is teaming up with wireless companies to provide Wi-Fi service using wireless towers throughout the world.

Verizon has said early on that it would love to come on board with Apple and support the wireless capabilities of the Apple Tablet. Who knew that two information/communication industry superpowers would combine their mighty empires to see to the needs of the little people (the people who pay their salaries by purchasing minutes, iTunes and accessories).

Some more good news from the Apple Tablet front is that fact that Apple will need to find businesses looking to make content deals. You can’t have a reading device without some sort of applications service attached to it! Who wouldn’t want to read their favorite murder mystery and then play around a little on a virtual farm- killing hours of time a day?

The Apple Tablet hasn’t been launched yet, and before it can even make an appearance in the media it has some serious business to take care of (finding content providers and wireless providers (Verizon isn’t everywhere you know)).

Apple has taken an idea created by Amazon with its Kindle and turned it into a mass market mobile device that basically functions as a wireless reader, internet browser, and information hot spot. Who wouldn’t want one? When Apple finally gets the Tablet on the market, it just might make a daily sales record- but not many will be holding their breaths…cost is an issue…and so is usability.

By: Christina Cole