Cisco-Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, first of all I'm hot on linksys (see my other reviews). I used to do network stuff for a living - don't anymore, but I have always been impressed with Linksys (compared to Netgear, DLink and Microsoft) for the consumer market. Their stuff is by and large (prosumer) - it has some good pro features without having to be a rocket scientist to configure the thing. Now that Cisco owns them - it's even a better deal as Cisco has been putting some nice features into all of linksys's products. While the tech support guys at linksys all need an attitude adjustment (they are a surley bunch) - the products often don't require tech support... so I suppose it is a good-news, bad-news, kind of thing...
But this sucker was PLUG AND PLAY for all intensive purposes. There are a few things, however, I think people should know in order to set this up:
a) You probably want to turn off all WEP and MAC filters. You can turn them back on once you get the sucker id'ed on the network and talking... but for now, leave it off.
b) You probably want to turn ON your SSID (again, makes it easier for the thing to install out of the box.)
c) You probably want to know what your broadcast frequency is on your WAP. If you are using a linksys WAP it is found on the admin screen regarding security. You need to look for the broadcast ID channel (default is six). That is the channel you want to tune the WGA11B. However, what I really recommend that people do is avoid "ad hoc" mode entirely and set the WGA to In mode (looks kind of like 1n on the WGA display) - this is infrastructure mode. Infrastructure mode is what you want to use if you are using a broadcasting router/switch/bridge access point (like the linksys Wireless-B, G, WAP11, etc.)
d) Make sure you know what type of cable you are using to connect it. The cable that comes with the broadcast bridge unit (the WGA) is actually a CROSSOVER cable. This was a bit surprising to me (not that they are hard to make, just, you rarely ever get one from someone - you always wind up making them). You'll know you have the switch in the right position when the WAN light (the little symbol that looks like a circle with two lines in it) lights up GREEN.
e) If you are not already, I'd set up DHCP for the moment. The bridge is default configured to try and connect via DHCP. If you don't have DHCP configured, I don't know what it is going to try to do default IP static (probably 192.176.1.1 if it is like other linksys products). Save yourself the headache and do DHCP.
Okay - otherwise, this sucker is easy as pie to set up. Plug it in to your LAN adapter (I have PS2 so it is a little box on the back of the game thing - don't know about Xbox). Then plug the cord into the WGA. Turn the WGA on and set it to the channel of your WAP. It should start talking IMMEDIATELY. If not - you have done something wrong.
The CD for the PC is interesting. Like most linksys products - it looks nice and is full featured. You won't need the CD for configuring the WGA unless you plan on using WEP.
The infrastucture mode is really fast. I must say that I play online alot.... and this connection point on PS2 shows virtually no lag. I don't know what Sony did via their gaming networks - but this sucker runs QUICK. Like I said, virtually no lag.
The real bummer is that about 99% of the games out there are not multiplayer yet. The ones that are, however, are really fun to play. I play MOH:RS, Desert II, and a few others online. The games are quick paced. To really take advantage of it, however, you might want to go "full bore" and invest in a USB headphone/mic set so you can "talk to people". Also, the USB keyboard might be a nice feature too... although I don't have that...
I've seen quite a few game adapters out there (do a search on Amazon - you will see). This is the best one I've seen for the money.
One last thing - I'd forget "Wireless G" adapaters. Again, unless your connection is like a T3 line straight to the house (which 99% of most people do not have) - you're only as fast as your smallest connection - which is likely to be the ADSL/Cable router connection. Comcast is 3MB - which I NEVER get (even burst inside Comcast's net). So B is MORE than enough bandwidth. I heard some guy at Best Buy trying to talk up a Wireless-G adapter saying he would get "better performance" - and while that is true.. it's like putting brand new wheels on a car with an underpowered engine... yeah, it will look better... but it won't go faster.
See you out there...

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The LINKSYS WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter gives any wired Ethernet equipped game console wireless connection capability. If you have an existing home wireless network with a cable or DSL Internet connection, the Game Adapter lets your PlayStation, XBOX, or GameCube attach to the network so you can get into online games without running wires to the game room. Or, you can use a pair of Game Adapters to form a "cable-less cable" between two game consoles for head-to-head gaming -- in the same room, or all the way across the house!

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USB MODEM UTSTARCOM 175 BROADBAND ACCESS PHONE CARD VERIZON CDMA Review

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(More customer reviews)Living out in the sticks, dialup internet access was what I had to live with for ages. When Verizon added a tower that improved my cell phone coverage, I started wondering if it was an option for my PC as well. I'm not an early adopter of new technology and waited until neighbors had tried various options before I was willing to try this service. I've been using an extra phone line for the computer, the removal of which will save me half what this service costs monthly. Still it's an extra thirty bucks, so it has to be worth it to me.
Some neighbors are using the satellite service but aren't completely satisfied. The only negative comment I got about this little modem and the service was that there is a limit on how much access you get--5 gig/mo--which means you won't be downloading movies or playing internet games much, if at all. Since this isn't an issue for me, I decided to give it a try.
It is definitely faster than dialup access even at the fastest dialup modem speed. I use AOL and the TCP/IP connect is about 3-5 times faster, then all that stuff they display loads much faster as well and I can go about my business without waiting for more than a few seconds. That said, the transfer rate doesn't compare with the Comcast speed of my daughter's setup in town. This service is faster than dialup, but not 'blinding' by any means. As an example, in the past when I tried to download something, I noted the transfer rate on dialup was something like 4-6k per second. Sigh!! Things took forever and sometimes wouldn't download at all. I downloaded the update for my Kindle last night with this little modem and noted 50k/sec transfer rate. Certainly a lot better.
The speed does seem to depend on 'how crowded the air waves' are (or however you'd say that in technospeak :) and how many bars you get. I've found the number of bars is the same as what I get on my Verizon cell phone. Where my desktop PC is located, it varies from 0 to 2. I have ordered the antenna in hopes of boosting that.
Installing the little modem is as easy as running the CD installation disk that comes with it and then plugging the modem into a USB port when prompted to do so. It also comes with a cable in case you want to plug into a port on the back of a desktop PC and set the modem somewhere with easier access. You can leave the modem attached all the time if you want. It turns off when you turn the PC off. When on, it flashes a blue light, which means it's ready to pick up a signal. To connect your computer to the broadband service, you use the modem software (push the 'connect' button), which to me, seems to be equivalent to turning your cell phone on (the modem has a phone number). It is then ready for you to 'make a call', i.e. connect to the internet using some software such as Internet Explorer or AOL.
You can leave the modem connected all day like you would leave your cell phone on and not affect the data limit since that only happens when you are connected to and using the internet. If you use the internet with your cell phone, you know there is a data limit with it as well. This is sort of the same thing.
The modem software will show you what your usage is each time you connect so you're aware of what you've used so far. Sending emails, Facebook updates, photos, etc uses part of your allocation, as well as downloading files, photos, etc. Various internet screen refresh activities uses some. Watching streaming video or playing games uses a lot. Listening to internet radio uses enough that you probably won't want to do that all the time. For me, after 5 days of email, Facebook postings, attempting to watch some short videos and listening to the AOL radio one day just to see what impact it would have, plus downloading the Kindle software update, posting a few Amazon reviews, and the like, I've used about 225mg, or about 50mg a day, so I should be able to stay within the limit easily with no change to my regular internet activities.
I still cannot really watch streaming videos such as those on YouTube with my 1-2 bar connectivity, without breaks while it reloads the next bit. Even though it reloads faster than before, I have to want to see it pretty badly to put up with that.
One concern: This morning there seemed to be a problem with the modem connecting to Verizon. It was resolved within half an hour and it is Black Friday, which may or may not have anything to do with it. I will update if that happens again, but otherwise it has connected fast and remained connected without problem.
Bottom line: It is definitely better than dialup--for me about 5 times faster. That's not seriously fast, but acceptable and worth the extra money to me, especially since I don't have any options other than satellite which is affected by weather, trees, and costs more as well.

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The UTStarcom UM175 USB Modem for Verizon Wireless is a convenient and flexible data card for use with PC or Mac USB 2.0 ports. The UM175 is small, slim, and compatible with almost any computer; if you have a USB port, this card will help you get online from anywhere with download speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps and upload speeds of 153 Kbps. Simple to use, the UTStarcom UM175 USB Modem lets you surf the Web, send and receive email, and connect to your company's remote network.

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Alfa 1000mW 1W 802.11b/g USB Wireless WiFi Network Adapter With Original Alfa Screw-On Swivel 9dBi Rubber Antenna Review

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(More customer reviews)We kinda bought this figuring it was "snake oil". Well, we were wrong...dead wrong! We plugged this into the Vista laptop, Vista found it and we were using it in less than 1 minute, and to our surprise it picked up our neighbor's router 1000 ft down the road and on the other side of his house! We used to get his signal intermittently on the laptop, but with this plugged in with the hi-gain antenna, we get 4 out of 5 bars! This is through tall, thick trees and a motor home!
When the first reviewer (I read)says it got her father in law's signal 1000 feet or yards down the road, she isn't lying!!!
I just put it on my Windows 7 desktop and it works just the same. I just plugged it in, and windows found it, installed drivers and it's fine.
I ALWAYS suggest going online for the latest drivers for any computer hardware, but this one seems to work fine off of Windows Vista and 7's proprietary drivers.

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You asked for STRONGER WiFi and Extended Range and here it is. We have combined this high power Wi-Fi adapters with a powerful +9 dBi 15'' 2.4GHz Hi-Gain folding antenna. Estimated range is (depending on environment) 1.2 mile (2km) Most common Wi-Fi devices (D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear) have power ratings of less than 50mW (milliwatts.) Our new Wi-Fi device is 10x as strong (1000 mW.) This adapter is what the WiFi world has been waiting for. It is compatible with almost all laptops and desktop, PCs and Macs. This kit also includes two antennas- one mini 5 dBi gain travel antenna, and one high gain 9 dBi antenna, as pictured. It is perfect to travel with and weighing less than 2 ounces and measuring 3.5 x 2.5 inches in size (8.5 x 6.3cm) This has a stunning 1000mw output power. So if you are looking for a device to connect to an outdoor 2.4 GHz antenna, such as on a boat or an RV, this is a perfect solution. Because this is a USB adapter, it works on any computer that has a USB port.this also works with Windows Vista, Linux (kernel 2.6.6 and later) and Macintosh (OS version 10.4). And the drivers for ALL of these operating systems are included on CD-ROM - Wi-Fi Certified - Includes 2 external antennas- a 5 dBi mini antenna, and an 9 dBi antenna as pictured- Diagnostic LED indicator - Complies with 802.11g standard for 2.4Ghz Wireless LAN - Contains RP-SMA external antenna jack (one external antenna is included!) - Enterprise-class 64/128 WEP encryption, WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, 802.1X support - 54 mbps High-Speed Transfer Rate for 802.11g - High powered adapter- 1000mw output power - USB 2.0 and 1.1 compliant

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