The manufacturer has announced availability of a new nano wireless extender called the N150 Nano Easy-N-Range Extender. The networking adapter is model number TEW-713RE and it is designed to extend the wireless network easily. The goal of the product is to bring Wi-Fi coverage to areas of the home where wireless connectivity is poor.

This can be a very common issue in multistory homes or larger homes where some rooms simply can’t get a decent Wi-Fi signal to allow computers and game consoles to go online. To use the range extender, all you need to do is plug it into an outlet in an area of the home that still has at least two bars of network connectivity from the wireless router.

A button press on the range extender adapter automatically syncs security details with compatible wireless routers and the newly extended network is ready to go. The device will ship on the 20th for $44.99. Trendnet is also announced a new product in its popular cloud camera line called the TV-IP762IC Wireless HD Day/Night Cloud Camera.

The camera is designed to allow home or business owners to view security footage over the Internet. The device connects easily to a wireless network and features night vision allowing you to view what’s going on up to 16 feet away in complete darkness. The camera supports 720p HD resolution video and connects wirelessly to high-speed 802.11n wireless networks. The camera also supports streaming audio allowing you to hear what’s going on in the video and it features motion detection. The camera can record video to a memory card and it will ship this fall. Pricing for the camera is set at $149.

SOURCE: Trendnet

SOURCE: Trendnet

A company called Edimax has an interesting new solution to providing you with more bandwidth for your wireless network called the AC1200 Router + AC 1200 USB 3.0 Adapter Dual Pack. This system comes with an 802.11ac wireless router and an USB 3.0 802.11ac USB 3.0 adapter for your computer. 802.11ac protocol wireless networking promises as much is three times the speed of 802.11n wireless networks.

Whereas the data throughput of 802.11n wireless network tops out at about 300 Mbps, the802.11ac wireless protocol allows for speeds of up to 867 Mbps, at least those speeds are available theoretically. The router and USB 3.0 adapter support dual concurrent bandwidths of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. The higher 5 GHz bandwidth is used for interference free streaming of video games and high-definition movies.

The 2.4 GHz connectivity is used for services that don’t require as much bandwidth such as chatting, surfing the web, or downloading small files. According to the manufacturer, using the USB 3.0 port for the wireless adapter is required to get the full bandwidth. Bandwidth on the USB 2.0 port tops out at 480 Mbps, whereas the USB 3.0 port is good for up to 5 Gbps. In real world use Edimax says that its router and adapter combo is good for speeds of up to 360 Mbps. The router and USB 3.0 adapter combination pack are available online for $149.99.

[via Edimax]

There’s also DLNA streaming and support for guest networks, allowing you to open up select access to visitors. In fact, the functionality is the same as the N750 wireless router-only that Linksys announced last year, only with the addition of ADSL support.

There’s still a WAN port for external modems, in case you subsequently want to use the X3500 with a cable or fiber modem. Linksys also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, Cisco Connect Express, for remotely tweaking settings, monitoring usage, and upgrading firmware.

Hook up a USB drive, meanwhile, and you can access its contents from any networked device, or indeed stream from it to your PS3, Xbox, or other gadget; a USB printer can also be shared. The Linksys N750 Dual-Band X3500 router is available in the UK now, priced at £139 ($213).

A new router has turned up on Kickstarter seeking funding called Skydog. This router gives an incredibly detailed review of what your network is being used for and which computers are accessing websites and for how long. If you have a large number of people in an office using a wireless network or you have kids that you want to monitor Internet usage on, this might be the perfect thing.

Rather than simply telling you six computers are on your network and Facebook has been accessed, the supporting applications for the Skydog router will tell you which specific computer accessed which specific website and how long they spend there. The router can even send you alerts to tell you when a child has spent all the time allotted on a particular website or online gaming.

Parents can use the included applications to schedule the amount of time kids can use the Internet for homework and for entertainment. Limits can be set for the amount of time spent on social media or gaming and the app can optimize the router for online gaming when needed. The app will also send you a notification if your broadband service is down or a guest connects to your home network. Skydog is seeking $75,000 and has 34 days to go. So far, the project has raised over $29,000. A pledge of $99 will get you one of the routers and the application with no monthly fees with delivery expected in August.

[via Kickstarter]

What you’re seeing above and below are several examples of the software and hardware you’ll be using when you team up with LenovoEMC. The hardware you’ll be picking up will be using the fabulous Milestone Arcus software you’re getting a glimpse of here. You’ll be able to roll out with a one-year software update plan for prices starting at $1,100 USD.

With your brand new network-connected video surveillance system you’ll be working with both automated configuration and setup. You’ll also have motion detection in each of the cameras that you’re picking up as well as mobile live viewing, alerts and playback, and evidence exporting. You can go as mobile as you like!

Several setups are being prepared for you right this minute:

• Double-drive px2-300d with 4TB of storage and four camera licenses (starting at $1,100)
• Four-drive px4-300d with 4TB and eight camera licenses.
• Four-drive px4-300d with 8TB and 16 camera license.

Have a peek at another update from LenovoEMC for more network storage from Iomega – they’re working hand-in-hand to keep you up-to-date no matter what you’re storing!

LinkedIn states that its starting to roll out the new feature to English-speaking users at first, however, it plans on rolling out the feature to its global members soon. You can also utilize the new “mentions” feature in the comments section on your LinkedIn pages as well. You will be able to hold much more organized conversations with individuals in a community, enabling convenient one-on-one conversations.

This new rollout works seamlessly with Twitter as well, despite the two companies severing ties with each other back in July of 2012. If your Twitter account is linked with your LinkedIn account, the mentions in your status updates will transfer over to Twitter seamlessly. The mentions, while appaering as a full name on your LinkedIn status update, will change itself to the mentioned person’s Twitter username.

LinkedIn provides professionals with an easy way to connect to other professionals in their fields, as well as search for new and better jobs. Speaking of jobs, LinkedIn also rolled out a revamp to its jobs page back in February that made it even easier for people to find jobs relevant to their interests and work experience. LinkedIn says that “there’s more to come”, but we should expect no less from a network whose members “are some of the most engaged professionals online.”

[via LinkedIn]

These monitors need a single wired Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi access to connect to a remote PC providing long-distance audio and video signal transmission. These monitors are specifically designed to control the PC and have USB ports for connecting a mouse and keyboard. The FDS1702NT display also supports touch control of remote computers.

The Wi-Fi connectivity integrated into the displays is 802.11n allowing for high-speed data transmission. The native resolution for the 17-inch screens is 1280 x 1024 and the display is available in two models. The FDS1702N has a brightness rating of 250 cd/m2 while the FDS1702NT has a brightness rating of 190 cd/m2 and touch control capability.

Eizo says that a maximum of six of these remote displays can be connected to a single computer via a local network. The displays also have integrated dual 0.5-watt speakers. The touch enabled monitor uses a resistive touch panel allowing it to be used while wearing gloves or with a stylus. The USB ports on the monitors can also be used to connect printers and external storage devices. Pricing for the displays is unannounced.

[via Itechnews]

Burke and Kraut surveyed about 3,000 Facebook users. They were asked about their stress levels, support from friends/family, and about any major event that had happened in their life. The survey was repeated every month for 3 months, and in that time period, about 169 of the users lost their jobs. After observing the behavior of the 3,000 users, Burke and Kraut were able to discover some common patterns in behavior.

Their studies showed that people who talked to other people who they have a strong tie with, like a friend or family member, were 33.2% more likely to find a job within 3 months, and were twice as likely to find a new job compared to the average user. Those who talked to people who they have weak ties with, like a friend’s roommate, or a friend’s family member, were only 6.5% likely to find a new job within 3 months, and were less than half as likely to find a new job compared to the average user.

Facebook’s study showed that original theories provided by Sociologists were incorrect. Sociologists believed that by talking to “Weak Ties”, you’ll be more likely to find a new job, because those are people who you have nothing in common with. They work at different companies, think differently, and have a network of people you don’t know. They believed that your “Strong Ties” tend to be in the same network of people as you, think similarly as you, and have similar tendencies.

Facebook’s study also showed that Strong Ties are great supporters. They can offer you advice, ease your worries, and do you favors. However, if you have recently lost your job, talking to Strong Ties may actually be detrimental to you. The study showed that users who talked to their friends after losing a job would actually see an increase in their stress levels. Burke says that this is because Strong Ties usually push users to a quicker recovery, offer unhelpful advice, and unintentionally threaten users with their success. So the takeaway from all of this is to use your Strong Ties to find you a new job, and stay away from them if you’ve recently become unemployed.

[via Facebook]

This powerline networking equipment uses the electrical cables in the walls of your home to transmit data without any interference. The problem with many of the powerline networking adapters is that they’re so large they tend to block an entire outlet. Trendnet has announced the launch of its new Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter.

The new powerline adapter is available as a single adapter, model number TPL-308E, and as a nano adapter kit, TPL-308E2K, with a pair of the adapters. These adapters are designed specifically to have a compact form factor, saving space around crowded outlets. The devices are about half the size of standard Powerline 200 adapters.

The adapters are secured and encrypted right out-of-the-box. Connecting additional outlets to the network using more adapters is as easy as pressing a single button to change the default encryption keys. The adapters also support Power Save mode to reduce power consumption by up to 70% when the adapters are idle. The nano adapter kit with a pair of the adapters is available for $74.99. A single adapter will sell for $39.99.

[via Trendnet]

Asus briefly mentioned the device in one of its CES press releases, but the details were exceptionally scarce. All Asus let us know was that the device supported 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, supports various security protocols, and was designed to connect to computers via a USB connection. Asus also noted that the device is capable of receiving Wi-Fi and sharing wireless hotspots with other users via the integrated Ethernet port.

Asus was mum on pricing and availability for the little pocket router. However, the device has now turned up on the Expansys website for pre-order. The Expansys page lists the same specifications that Asus tipped in its CES press release.

The pre-order page also lists the release date as February 14 and while you can pre-order, the price is unknown. Rather than a real pre-order, this is more like reserving the product since we don’t know how much it will cost and no charges are made to your credit card. Expansys says you can cancel at any time with no cancellation charges.

[via Expansys]

Although initial suggestions around 802.11ac indicated throughput rates of up to 6.9Gbps, the initial products are more likely to top out at 1.3Gbps at most. “First-generation 802.11ac products will achieve up to 1.3 Gbps through the use of three spatial streams,” Aerohive Networks’ Andrew vonNagy explains, “80-MHz-wide channels (double the largest 40 MHz channel width with 802.11n), and use of better hardware components that allow higher levels of modulation and encoding (up to 256-QAM).”

In fact, it could be “another three years or so until 11ac becomes compelling” as a must-have upgrade to WiFi 11n systems, Spain suggests. Even then, rather than speed, it may be overall capacity that proves the biggest draw. All 802.11n hardware will have support for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, helping shift devices out of the congested 2.4GHz range.

“What’s not being talked about enough is that 11ac clients will free up more 2.4-GHz space for clients that can’t upgrade,” Spain says, “and that advanced features like multiuser MIMO will provide wireless performance that is more switch-like compared to the shared media nature of 11n.”

As Qualcomm explained to us back in February, when the 11ac ratification was still around a year away, co-existing 11ac and legacy WiFi networks will also introduce a hindrance on speed; the biggest advantages will of course be seen when the network is 11ac-only. Routers supporting the new standard but working with b/g/n hardware will use a “round robin” distribution method in that case, rapidly connecting and disconnecting with each client in turn; each connection will negotiate the fastest possible speeds supported by router and client.

In contrast, 11ac supports concurrent operations, with a resulting increase in throughput. Nonetheless, it’ll be some time – even with early hardware getting the jump on sales pre-ratification – before 11ac is the dominant wireless system, and perhaps longer still before we see the key benefits from its on-paper potential.

[via Slashdot]

The project is called 100 Gb/s RF Backbone or 100G for short. The goal project is to provide the US military with networks needing no wires that are about 500 times faster than the current wireless links used. The project is seeking to give soldiers in the field fast connectivity with high bandwidth and low latency you might expect from a fiber-optic network.

Currently the military uses wireless system called Common Data Link, which is secure wireless protocol used for transmitting imagery, intelligence, orders, and other secure communications. Exact specifications on the current CDL system are unknown but it is believed max out at about 250 Mbps. DARPA wants the significantly faster 100 Gbps equipment to retain the same weight and power requirements of the existing system.

To put the speed DARPA is seeking in perspective, most home networks max out at around 100 Mbps making them about 1000 times slower than the 100 Gbps DARPA wants to achieve with its wireless system. DARPA system is expected to use the KU band. While the system is being developed for the military, I can certainly see the potential use for these in the commercial environment for extending broadband access in the US to rural communities where wires are not always available.

[via Extremetech]

Bloomberg, with TV manufacturers expected to be among those interested given the increasing role the internet plays in home entertainment.

However, while the Linksys brand is well-established, that’s not to say it will be guaranteed a high selling price. The competitive nature of the home networking market, along with its maturity, means expectations for the sale are low; Cisco is unlikely to see anywhere near the $500m it paid for Linksys back in 2003, the sources warn.

Even with a loss on the cards, the sale would play into Cisco’s over-arching strategy. The company apparently hopes to pull out of consumer businesses and instead focus on software and services for corporate and enterprise clients.

Neither Cisco nor Barclays would comment on the rumor, though it’s not the first time the financial institution has been connected with a home electronics firm sale of late. Google is believed to have engaged Barclays to locate a buyer for the set-top box (STB) division of Motorola, which it acquired – and apparently does not want to keep – as part of its acquisition of Motorola.

Barclays is believed to have already found two potential suitors for Motorola’s STV business, though none of the firms involved have publicly confirmed their involvement. For Linksys, despite Cisco’s ambitious plans, it never managed to fully subsume the brand into its own. As far back as 2007, executives were talking about phasing out the Linksys name in favor of Cisco.

“Meraki’s cloud networking solutions will expand Cisco’s network offerings by providing scalable solutions for midmarket businesses” Cisco said in a statement about the deal. “The Meraki acquisition will also strengthen Cisco’s Unified Access platform, which makes IT more responsive to business innovation by simplifying IT operations and uniting wired and wireless networks, policy and management into one integrated network infrastructure, unlike other competitive offerings.”

The shift to focus more closely on the mid-range enterprise is part of Cisco’s attempt to broaden its potential customer base, amid a more challenging business marketplace and growing prevalence of cloud-based providers. Meraki’s technology centralizes features such as WiFi, mobile device management, and security control for users in the cloud, and can be used with company-provided devices or users’ own, for local networks, with firewalls, guest access, and more.

It comes just a few days after Cisco revealed it would acquire Cloupia in a $125m deal, the little-known company a provider of converged data center infrastructure software. The company’s tools allow “enterprises and service providers to simplify the deployment and configuration of physical and virtual resources from a single management console” Cisco says, further streamlining the process.

The Meraki acquisition is expected to close in Q2 of fiscal 2013, regulatory approval allowing, as is the Cloupia deal.

In a normal wireless environment, such as a café or airport, multiple devices trying to use the same channel can lead to sluggishness. That’s often because the router gets hammered with user requests, and can’t fire out the data requested promptly; instead, a backlog is built up.

What WiFox does is balance the backlog by assigning channel priority to the router depending on how much data it has to send out. That way, there’s still opportunity for individual users to make requests, but the router won’t get overloaded in its responses.

“The amount of priority the access point is given depends on the size of the backlog – the longer the backlog, the higher the priority. In effect, the program acts like a traffic cop, keeping the data traffic moving smoothly in both directions” NC State University researchers

Interestingly, the efficiency of the system increased when the number of users ramped up. The team saw roughly 400-percent increased data throughput when 25 WiFi devices were active, climbing to 700-percent with 45 active.

Best of all is that, as a software enhancement rather than, say, a new radio system as with 802.11AC, existing routers could be upgraded to support WiFox. There’s no telling when or if that will actually happen, however; the team -  Arpit Gupta, Jeongki Min, and Injong Rhee – will be presenting its research at the ACM CoNEXT 2012 conference next month.

The AC1300 router has a 3×3 antenna array and can simultaneously run 2.4GHz and 5GHz band networks for up to 450 x + 1300 Mbps rates. It also uses WD’s FasTrack automatic bandwidth prioritization system, which makes sure streaming applications like YouTube and Netflix video, VoIP such as Skype, and online gaming, have a stable connection no matter what other uses your broadband is being put to.

WD also equips the router with four gigabit ethernet ports and two USB 2.0 ports, allowing external storage, printers, or scanners to be hooked up and shared across multiple devices. The My Net AC Bridge, meanwhile, is intended to get wired ethernet devices – such as your smart TV, console, or cable box – online without a cable snaking across your living room, and has four gigabit ethernet ports.

Both WD models are on sale now in the US. The My Net AC1300 router is priced at $189.99, while the My Net AC Bridge is $149.99.

As with any powerline networking gear, one of the adapters connects to your router and shoots Internet connection across the powerlines of the home or office to the other adapter. The second adapter is connected to a computer or other device needing Web access. These adapters are compact in size so they don’t block the second outlet at the wall plug.

Many larger powerline network adapters block both outlets making it difficult to plug other things in near your router. The starter kit ships with Ethernet cables needed for connecting at both ends of your powerline network. The adapters also support 128-bit AES encryption network security.

D-Link says that the adapters need no set up and offer a plug-and-play installation. One of the best features of this new PowerLine AV+ Mini Adapter Starter Kit is the price. The kit is available right now for $59.99 in retail stores and online.

The Powerline Music Extender also allows the user to stream music to speakers anywhere in the home from a smartphone, tablet, or Windows computer. Both Apple and Android hardware is supported for music streaming. Users can choose specific remote speakers in the home that are connected to the new powerline music extender and played music easily.

Mac computers and iOS devices use Airplay functionality for streaming music while PCs and Android devices need to download an app to stream music. The music can be streamed to any audio system or device that connects via RCA jacks. Apple users can also stream music throughout the house from services like Pandora, Spotify, or Deezer.

An available download for PCs allows the user to connect a Windows computer to a remote USB device located anywhere in the home thanks to the integrated USB port on the powerline adapter. The connected USB device can be anything from a printer to a hard drive. The adapter also has a pass-through outlet so you can still plug devices into your outlet. The Powerline Music Extender Starter kit sells for $139, and a single adapter sells for $99. Availability is set for October.

The router works with D-Link’s Cloud App to allow the user to monitor controller home network remotely. The router also supports the SharePort mobile app to give users easy access to manage and stream mobile content for the connected USB drive to mobile devices running the app. Router uses a Broadcom 5G WiFi chip and promises data transfer speeds three times faster than the fastest Wireless N technology out there.

The router uses 5 GHz band for less interference and a clear connection and supports IPv6. The router is compatible with current 802.11n networks. Other features include 4 Gb Ethernet ports, extended wireless coverage thanks to an amplified wireless signal, and a clean set of security features, including a SPI firewall and WPA2. The router is available now for $189.99 online.

Cisco say that the default option for routers will be to use local browser settings instead of the Connect Cloud service. Not only that, but the company has simplified the opt-out process for the service and clarified that users don’t need a Connect Cloud login to access their router settings. Cisco also clarified the privacy concerns, saying that it won’t “arbitrarily disconnect customers from the internet,” and that it doesn’t collect or store personal information of any kind.

The only information that’s sent back to Cisco is what’s needed to signup and login for the Connect Cloud service. It looks like Cisco really wants to drive this point home, as it was a major point of contention for customers when the firmware update went live. Finally, the company confirms that firmware updates won’t be pushed to routers if the automatic update setting is turned off.

If your room or office has AC outlets that are at a premium, the integrated outlet is a big deal because you can plug in the powerline adapter and still plug something in the outlet as well. Like any other powerline networking adapter, the new TRENDnet parts send your data across your homes electrical wiring system. Powerline networking is perfect for homes were Wi-Fi isn’t an option or rooms where Wi-Fi signals can’t reach.

TRENDnet says the adapters are designed to sip power with the ability to lower power consumption by up to 70% standby mode. The network adapter has a three-year warranty and will be available starting in October for $64.99. The kit with a pair of adapters will sell for $109.99.

Those frequencies are in the far infrared range of the spectrum. Using the technology the researchers have been able to transmit data at 3 Gbps and in theory transmission at up to 100 Gbps should be possible. The system has been dubbed T-Ray and is said to be similar to WiGig. That means it needs line of sight and can transmit large amounts of data at one time.

The T-Ray system is limited to a range of only 1 to 3 m without significant power boosting. However, with power boosting it could match or surpass the range of WiGig. The tiny transceiver in the photo above next to the coin was the key development that led to the research. The transceiver was made by a Japanese semiconductor company called Rohm. The first application for this technology is likely to be server farms because it has high throughput and low data latency.

[via Extremetech]

In years past, that would be true for the most part. I’m sure today some of the needed hardware still comes from those big companies on occasion, but apparently more and more of it is being purchased directly from China and Taiwan. The reason the Internet giants are moving from US-based companies to buy directly from China or Taiwan is money. There are huge savings to be had from buying directly from China and Taiwan in bulk. Google in particular, is known to create its own networking gear in cooperation with ODMs in Asia. More and more companies operating large networks are expected to go directly to Asia in the future bypassing major US and foreign networking companies.

The man helping these companies to go direct to Asia for purchases is J. R. Rivers, a former Google engineer. Apparently, the move away from US network equipment providers is going pretty much unknown by many. The reason is that some of the giant Internet companies consider their networking hardware procurement a competitive advantage. I have to wonder with all the worry about the security of domestic networks using Chinese made hardware if some of the Asian procurement might change in the future. Some governments have banned Chinese companies from bidding on network-related work due to concerns over hacks originating in China.

[via Wired]

Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the blocking Huawei the bidding process was one of the “prudent decisions” the Australian government had made to ensure that the planned network functions properly. The Washington Post reports that intelligence officials suggested the government ban Huawei from the bidding process.

According to the source, intelligence officials cited increasing attempts to gain access to computer systems of Western nations that have been traced to China. Naturally, Huawei spokespeople deny that the company is a security risk.

[via Washington Post]

In a press release yesterday they’ve stated that the expansion will start with their Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircrafts, as well as its Embraer 190s and some US Airways Express planes. The expansion and rollout should be starting early this summer and they expect in-flight WiFi to be offered on 90% of all domestic fleets by the end of the year, and every US Airways flight by the end of 2013.

The expansion is said to be using Gogo’s latest air-to-ground technology, ATG-4, which offers the best data speeds and rates, that are much faster than previous offerings. Frequent fliers will be able to use the Gogo WiFi app on their Android smartphones and tablets, as well as the iPhone, iPad, and all the other capable devices. While rates still aren’t the best, and most likely the cause for in-flight WiFi’s slow adoption, we expect prices to start falling as more and more offer the service.

Words with Friends mile high club anyone?

[via PR Newswire]

This adapter is capable of 500 Mbps speeds and has 4 Gb ports on the bottom. Four ports would be enough to connect my cable box, Xbox, Wii, and PS3 with a single adapter. That would be great, and all four the devices can get the same 500 Mbps speed. The adapter has a sync button to automatically exchange encryption keys for easy and secure set up.

The adapter also has an LED display for telling which ports are used in when it has connectivity along with technology to save up to 70% in power consumption when the device is on standby. The adapter is shipping right now for $109.99.

The flaw was first discovered and reported on in January by a blog called Console Cowboys, which revealed that by simply appending a specific code to a camera’s IP address, the password requirement could be bypassed. The blog posted detailed instructions on how to breach Trendnet cameras, resulting in links being posted to various message boards.

Offices, children’s bedrooms, and even someone’s bathroom were viewable among the list of video feeds exposed. A list of 679 web addresses to exposed video feeds were posted to a message board within two days with more listings revealed that were also associated with Google Maps locations.

Trendnet is scrambling to release firmware updates to fix the problem, but estimates that there are 26 camera models that are affected. To see if your camera model could be a spy cam, check out the full list here. Also, be sure to check Trendnet’s download page for firmware updates.

[via PC Mag]

However, ThinFilm has apparently been in talks with automotive suppliers about alternative uses of the technology, including tracking the wear on brakes and sending out warnings as to when they need to be replaced. Entertainment is also a possibility, with interactive toys using the inexpensive labels already in the pipeline.

The functionality will be much improved when wireless mesh networking is added, something ThinFilm expects to happen in 2013 or 2014. That would allow NFC communication between the tags and smartphones, for instance, or the central processor in a car.

Roughly 3 x 1.5 inches in size and consisting of five layers sandwiched in a roll-to-roll production process, the ThinFilm labels use the company’s own ferroelectric polymer technology for storing information. Chains of non-toxic polymers can be flipped between two orientations – representing binary “0″ and “1″ – to store non-volatile data; by adding in PARC printed transistors, meanwhile, the tags can collect information themselves and process it.

Cost per tag is around 30 cents, according to the company, which argues that’s cheaper – along with being more accurate – than using alarms in shipping containers for more generic monitoring of perishable goods. They’ll first be deployed in South Africa, but could soon be linking more devices up with the internet of things.

[via CNET]

Both kits boast easy setup: one plug adapter slots into the wall near your router, hooking up via an ethernet cable to spare socket, while the other adapter goes next to your PC, A/V rack or whatever other device you want to get online. 128-bit security is offered between each adapter, and there’s no software to install.

As for the Linksys PLW400 Powerline AV 1-Port Wireless Extender, that will drop in March and offer a way to create a distant WiFi b/g/n bubble somewhere in your Powerline network. It will be priced at $119.99, while the AV 1-Port (PLEK400) and AV 4-Port (PLSK400) are $99.99 and $119.99 respectively.

An ExaFLOP/s capable computer – a quintillion computer operations per second – would be a hundred times faster than current supercomputers, Intel points out, and demand each possible source of latency and delay to be ironed out. To do this, rather than using switched networks as in ethernet connections, InfiniBand relies on switched fabric network topology, spreading traffic over a number of links simultaneously. There’s more on InfiniBand tech at Wikipedia.

QLogic says that shedding its InfiniBand business will allow it to concentrate on its other networking and interconnect specialisms, including “converged networking, enterprise Ethernet, and storage area networking products.” Intel has extended job offers to “a significant number” of QLogic employees from the acquired division.

The SMILE Plug was developed in collaboration with Stanford University and works in tandem with the Stanford Mobile Inquiry Based Learning Environment program to create highly interactive learning environments. The device acts like a small server and is powered by a Marvell Armada 300 CPU and equipped with Marvell’s Avastar 88W8764 WiFi chip. It can connect up to 60 devices at a time, allowing students to interact over a secure and reliable micro cloud controlled by the teacher.

The device can connect to laptops, smartphones, and tablets, such as the recently announced OLPC XO-3 tablet that’s powered by Marvell’s ARMADA PXA619 processor. The 8-inch tablet is designed for educational environments with an affordable sub-$100 price aimed at classrooms in emerging markets as part of the One Laptop Per Child project.

Additionally, the SMILE Plug runs on an Arch Linux-based open platform, the Plugmin administration app and the Stanford SMILE Junction Server. It also includes a 5V Lithium-Ion polymer battery for back-up power. The device is expected to ship this spring.

[via Marvell]

The Powerline 500 Nano (XAVB51010) provides consumers a simple plug-and-play networking solution when connecting a single device that converts a standard electrical wall outlet into a high-speed network connection. To connect multiple devices in a room, NETGEAR offers a new N900 Video and Gaming 4-Port WiFi Adapter (WNCE4004) that can simultaneously connect to up to four wired devices to your WiFi router.

The Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender (WN2500RP) boosts dual band WiFi coverage in home networks to allow users to enjoy fast WiFi speeds at longer distances. It extends both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, reducing WiFi interference. It’s easy to setup, no need for a CD or Ethernet cable, and it’s ideal for homes with a mix of high bandwidth video streaming devices sch as Smart Tvs and network DVRs.

The Media Storage Router (WNDR4700) is a high-speed wireless router that offers 2TB of hard drive storage that makes it simple and secure to store and stream HD content and other media over a high-speed WiFi network.

Additionally, NETGEAR is debuting the N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100) that provides a high speed connection between a notebook or desktop computer and a wireless network. It delivers up to 450 Mbps WiFi speeds and complements the N900 Dual Band Wireless Router (WNDR4500) and the previously mentioned Media Storage Router.

Hardware

This isn’t your regular router: at 93 x 70 x 25 mm it’s a palm-sized glossy black plastic box sitting on four grippy rubber feet. Bigger than a regular mobile hotspot, but the upshot is connectivity: as well as sharing out your USB modem’s connection with up to five WiFi devices, it has a pair of 10/100 ethernet ports on the back for wired devices too. That’s useful if you’re trying to share your connection in a WiFi-saturated environment, where wireless links can often become unstable.

On top is a rotating USB port for your modem, as well as four indicator LEDs for power, WLAN, PPP and WPS status. The back offers two buttons – WPS for easy connections with Windows-based computers, along with power – the two ethernet ports, each with activity LEDs, and a DC power input.

Unfortunately there’s no internal battery for true portable use, so you’ll have to find space in your bag for the included AC adapter. That’s frustratingly bulkier than the Hub itself; ZTE really needs to learn a lesson from the ultra-compact wall warts supplied with recent handsets from Nokia, HTC and Apple.

Software

Unlike USB modems, which generally require an app be installed on your laptop, it’s possible to use the WiFi Hub without any software bother whatsoever. Once your modem is in place and the connection has stabilized, it’s a simple matter of searching for the preset SSID on your tablet/laptop/phone/console and punching in the PIN, both of which are printed on the bottom of the Hub itself. Wired connections are even easier: just plug in your ethernet cable.

ZTE ships the Hub preconfigured to use WEP security, the weakest option but the one with the broadest compatibility. Most users will want to step up to WPA or, preferably, WPA2, (though a fully open WiFi connection is also possible) and that requires logging into the browser-based settings page. That’s found at 192.168.1.1 and logging in with the default username and password (which can be easily changed).

There’s actually a fair range of options available, if you’re of the tinkering mindset. The basics – SSID and security – can be altered, as well as the APN settings for the USB modem, DHCP settings for automatically assigning IP addresses, MAC and IP filtering, URL filtering to limit which sites can be connected to, and port forwarding. There’s also a firewall, with optional DMZ bypass.

Obviously it’s up to the user how deeply they dig through the settings; it’s possible to treat the WiFi Hub as plug-and-play, or get pretty granular with your control.

Performance

We saw no difference in download speeds from Three’s normal performance when using the WiFi Hub, though being able to position the modem near a window meant we could hunt down the best signal at any one time. WiFi range proved sufficient to cover our (admittedly bijou) London flat, with two solid wood doors in-between, with maximum strength showing in OS X.

Unfortunately, our attempts to get the WiFi Hub working with USB modems from other providers than Three failed, even when the modem was unlocked. The settings page refused to recognize that a modem was plugged in, and no connection was automatically made. Three tells us that other operators’ modems should work, but obviously won’t help you out if – like us – you can’t get the Hub to recognize them. It would also be useful if you could plug a wired WAN connection, such as in a hotel room, into one of the ethernet ports, and share it with the Hub.

Wrap-Up

There’s no denying the Three WiFi Hub works, nor that it’s useful. The wireless connection is solid, and the two ethernet ports are a particular bonus over regular mobile hotspots. Ease of use – with a Three USB modem – is another strength, though we wish ZTE had opted for better security with WPA2 by default.

Unfortunately the absence of a battery – even to just power wireless use – significantly limits the usefulness of the WiFi Hub when on the move. Forget dropping it onto the table at your nearest coffee shop or in an airport lounge and getting online in seconds: you need to make sure there’s a power point nearby. For hotel rooms or spur-of-the-moment meeting room connections that shouldn’t be too great a drawback, however.

That power limitation, compounded by the unnecessarily chunky AC adapter, are our main criticisms of the Three WiFi Hub. Those with modems from other providers should also be wary, as compatibility isn’t assured and you’re on your own to figure out any problems. Still, at £39.99, if you’re a Three data modem user who blanches at hotel and conference wireless fees and has enough bag space for the power adapter, the WiFi Hub makes an inexpensive way to get multiple people online.

The 304E was a bulkier solution and the new device has a more compact housing making it easier to place in a crowded outlet. The device has a 200Mbps max speed and will work with the power lines in your home. The adapters also use a secure network automatically with no configuration needed of the network.

The encryption the adapters use is AES and a single press of the sync button shares the encryption key for the network. The adapter is shipping right now for $129.99 in a pair and for $69 for single adapters. Powerline networking is a great way to network your home if WiFi doesn’t work in all areas. Back in September I mentioned the TPL-306E adapter that lacks an outlet and appears to be sized along the lines of the new 307E adapter.

The E2100 chipset will be inside the Gigabyte G1.Assassin 2 mainboards that use the Intel X79 chipset. The E2100 is a high performance Gigabit Ethernet controller that handles game networking traffic and handles networking for all traffic types, not just gaming traffic. The chipset has advanced stream detect, visual bandwidth control, and application priority.

The stream detect technology is one of the key bits and gives the chipset its ability to identify online gaming and video transmissions and give them network priority. The visual bandwidth control portion allows the user to see what programs are consuming the most bandwidth and end them if needed. This will make for a very nice motherboard for gamers. Qualcomm is also putting the E2100 platform into boards from Asus and VisionTek as well.

Google itself consistently declines to comment on the Google X lab specifically, though its spokespeople confirm that some of the R&D budget goes to projects that might be seen as outlandish. Much of the momentum of Google X – which employs engineers from such illustrious backgrounds as Microsoft, MIT and Nokia Labs – is apparently from company co-founder Sergey Brin, described as “deeply involved” and responsible, along with Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, for the original list of research topics underway.

Even if autonomous data-gathering robot cars don’t start handing the Street View team their pink slips, they could end up on the road sooner rather than later. Google is apparently considering manufacturing the self-driving cars in the US, making cash by selling location-based advertising for nearby stores and restaurants. Domestic-scale versions could find roles in homes and offices, meanwhile, and would likely be easier for Google to get through safety testing.

Other home- and office-based projects include ubiquitous networking, with Google apparently hoping to internet-enable all manner of devices and even clothing so that they can tweet your habits, learn your routines and helpfully fill in the gaps such as ordering groceries as and when you run out of them. It all seems terribly practical when viewed alongside space elevators – a fond favorite of sci-fi authors – as a potential way to dramatically reduce the cost of delivering payloads beyond the atmosphere by sending them up a tethered cable that ends in orbit.

Synology spent time making the new NAS device quiet so it won’t bother people in the home. According to the firm, the device puts out 18.3dB of sound. It is also looks to be greener with power consumption of 17.6W under full load and when in hibernation mode it uses 5.5W of power.

This new version of the device uses DiskStation Manager 3.2 as the OS. This is a new versions of the OS made for ease of use and to be intuitive with a web-based interface. The device can also stream video to game consoles and more. The DS212j is shipping globally right now.

Hardware

Netgear’s chassis is sober but sturdy, with a blocky metal casing that’s larger than some rivals thanks to its use of regular 3.5-inch desktop hard-drives rather than smaller – generally more expensive and lower capacity – 2.5-inch mobile drives. Up front there’s a USB 2.0 port with a dedicated “backup” button that pulls the content of any removable storage plugged in off and to a preset folder, along with a power button, activity and drive lights.

As the Duo name suggests, this particular ReadyNAS supports a pair of HDDs which are hot-swappable. Storage can be set up as either RAID 0 “striped” for speed without redundancy, or RAID 1 “mirrored” for data redundancy but half the capacity. However, extra capacity can be added using the two USB 3.0 ports on the back of the ReadyNAS, a welcome update over the more typical USB 2.0 connections.

Inside, Netgear has updated the processor to a 1.6GHz Marvell chip paired with 256MB of RAM. The company reckons that makes the Duo v2 twice as fast as its predecessor, with file transfers and higher-bitrate media streaming each said to benefit from the extra performance.

Netgear will offer three versions of the ReadyNAS Duo v2. Cheapest is the empty, barebones shell, intended for those wanting to use their own hard-drives, and priced at $199. Then there are 1TB and 2TB versions – each with a single drive – at $269 and $299 respectively. Our review unit was supplied with two 1TB Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 7K1000.C SATA 3.0Gb/s drives, spinning at 7,200 rpm with 32MB of cache.

Software

Backup isn’t really sexy, and so a home NAS needs to be easy to use if owners are going to stick with it through not only setup but taking advantage of the various value-adds Netgear and others throw in. The ReadyNAS Duo v2 gets a double-whammy: Netgear has updated its RAIDiator 5 setup software to reduce complexity, and throws in a three year warranty too. For the first 90 days users get access to 24/7 customer service to help them set the NAS up; after that, three years of 24/7 support and hardware replacement is $99. If that seems too rich, three years of hardware replacement alone – within seven business days of a fault being diagnosed – is $29.

We didn’t need to call for help, however, and we doubt most reasonably confident home users would need to either. Once the ReadyNAS boots for the first time, a simple browser-based setup wizard walks you through formatting your drives in either RAID 0 or 1, and then drops you in a straightforward GUI.

As well as access to documentation and Netgear’s online support, RAIDiator 5 consists of various panes for setting up user accounts and shared folders, monitoring the “health” of the NAS including temperature and fan-speed, and checking which “Add-ons” have been installed. For most, the latter will consist of ReadyNAS Remote, which allows you to use Netgear’s iOS and Android apps to log in from your smartphone, browse through folders and download content, and ReadyNAS Photos II, for hosting your own Flickr alternative directly from the NAS.

The Remote app works well, though since you’re accessing your files from your own “personal” cloud – i.e. through your home broadband connection – the speed at which they filter through to your smartphone (or indeed the standalone OS X and Windows software) depends on your home upload speed. That’s less of an issue for photos and most documents, but may make accessing video and higher-bitrate music files a struggle. Still, being able to remotely grab a missing file while you’re at the office or in a meeting can be a very useful thing.

ReadyNAS Photos II bills itself as a free, more controllable alternative to Flickr: since the storage is all on your end there are no hosting fees, and it’s entirely private. Only those you share the link with can access them, and there are various options for limiting visibility to those with accounts or opening them to unregistered guests.

Finally there’s native UPnP/DLNA streaming support, meaning the ReadyNAS Duo v2 can send multimedia across your network to an Xbox 360 or PS3, your digital TV set-top box streamer, iTunes, SONOS kit or Logitech’s Squeezbox platform. Netgear has over 100 different Add-ons – some of its own creation, others from third-party developers – to download, allowing owners to enhance the capabilities of their NAS. Power users may prefer the more advanced “desktop” layout of Synology’s DSM software, which allows multiple add-ons and other windows to be seen simultaneously, but home users will likely find the simple panes of the Netgear interface easily navigable.

Performance

We started off testing the ReadyNAS Duo v2 with a single drive installed. Transferring a single 5GB file to and from the system saw 36.5 MB/s write rates and 100 MB/s read rates. Transferring 5GB worth of 20MB files saw write speeds stay the same, at 36.5 MB/s, but read rates dropped to 85.6 MB/s.

We then installed the second drive in a RAID 1 “mirroring” array, which basically provides drive redundancy. With the 5GB single file, write speed rose slightly to 39 MB/s, though read speed dipped to 94.4 MB/s. For the 5GB of 20MB files, writes took place at 36.2 MB/s and reads at 84.8 MB/s.

Finally, we used the two drives as a RAID 0 “striped” array, which bypasses data redundancy in the name of speed. In this setup, the 5GB single file wrote at 41.3 MB/s and read at 90 MB/s, while the 5GB of 20MB files wrote at 40 MB/s and read at 79.4 MB/s.

Given the relative price and capacity of 3.5-inch drives (compared to 2.5-inch drives) we’d recommend most home users opt for RAID 1 with as big a pair of drives as they can afford. That will provide the best balance of data security and speed.

Wrap-Up

Persuading home users to invest in backup can be difficult, and so the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2′s sub-$200 – albeit drive-free – sets the NAS off to a good start. The company’s home user focus extends to the straightforward setup and the reassurance of the helpdesk support, and those looking for more sophisticated functionality, such as remote access, can have that too thanks to the iOS and Android apps.

The only real potential pain-point is the speed, with the ReadyNAS Duo v2 falling behind what we saw from the Synology DiskStation DS211 (With Diskstation V3.x). Still, Synology’s barebones DS211 is around $100 more expensive than the Netgear, and for general backup and media access many home users won’t particularly notice the difference.

Compromises, then, but acceptable ones when you consider the overall package. Small business and more advanced home users may want to look elsewhere where more expensive NAS offer stronger performance, but for its balance of usability and accessibility the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 hits the consumer spot.

Each accepts 3.5-inch desktop hard-drives, and comes with a front USB 2.0 port (with a dedicated copy button) along with two USB 3.0 ports on the rear for adding extra external storage. Although most home users are unlikely to have the network bandwidth to take advantage of USB 3.0 versus USB 2.0 data rates, Netgear tells us the new NAS should be its entry-level options for at least 12-18 months, and expects home networking speeds to catch up somewhat in that period. A single gigabit ethernet port hooks the ReadyNAS to your router.

Netgear has refreshed its setup wizard and browser-based UI, RAIDiator 5, and now claims it’s less than eight steps from plugging in to being up and running. Up to 96 MBps read rates and 60 MBps write rates are claimed – for real-world performance testing, check out our ReadyNAS Duo v2 review – with hot-swappable drive bays allowing you to replace a faulty drive or add a new one without powering down the NAS. The X-RAID2 software can automatically expand your RAID volume if a new drive is added, with no downtime.

Netgear is particularly keen on its ReadyNAS Photos II app, which basically allows you to turn your “personal cloud” into a private Flickr or Picasa. Custom URLs can be created, to invite friends and family to view certain galleries, or you can throw open the door to public access. Because you’re hosting it, not somebody else’s servers, you can offer full resolution pictures – something many sites demand subscription fees for – though, as ReadyNAS senior product marketing manager Matt Pahnke explained to us, what viewers actually see will depend on their device and connection.

“Photos II automatically optimizes resolution based on the network speed of the consuming device” Pahnke told us. “The goal here is to provide all users with an efficient way to enjoy the photos stored on the ReadyNAS without having to endure lengthy download times. If a user with a sub-optimal connection would like to view the photos at a higher resolution, they do have the option of overriding the optimization.”

There’s also a Remote Access app, available for Windows, OS X, Android and iOS, allowing for browsing and downloading over a secure VPN connection to your ReadyNAS at home. In the future, Pahnke confirmed, Netgear intends to add support for its Netgear Vault cloud storage service (already available for the company’s more advanced NAS) so that ReadyNAS owners will be able to mirror some or all of their content in true cloud backup.

The ReadyNAS Duo v2 will be priced at $199 as a diskless drive, or at $269 pre-fitted with a single 1TB drive. A version with a single 2TB drive will be $299. As for the ReadyNAS NV+ v2, that will be $399 diskless, $499 for a 2TB version and $599 for a 4TB version. Netgear says that, while the cost of hard-drives may rise as supplies grow temporarily scarce, it has secured storage to cater for estimated demand this quarter and will only be passing on its own increased costs, nothing more (the diskless models will remain the same price). They’re all available from today.

The new additions include the PowerLine AV Mini Adapter (DHP-310AV), which is a single adapter unit that can be added to any existing PowerLine Network. There’s also the PowerLine AV Mini Adapter Starter Kit (DHP-311AV) that comes with two units and the PowerLine AV 4-Port Switch Mini Adapter Starter Kit (DHP-348AV) that lets you setup a new PowerLine Network right out of the box.

The mini adapters can deliver up to 200Mbps speeds over existing electrical wiring, making it a great solution for high-bandwidth applications such as when used with the Boxee Box, Blu-Ray players, or gaming consoles. The single Mini Adapter is priced at $59.99, the double starter kit is $109.99 and the 4-Port Switch Mini Adapter starter kit is $129.99.