Medialink Wireless Broadband Router – Blazing Fast and Secure

 

If you’ve been putting off upgrading your home Wi-Fi network, now’s a great time to take advantage of the improved technology, speed and security available with the latest round of Wi-Fi wireless routers. Even if you don’t currently have a Wi-Fi network setup in your home and you’ve finally decided to take the plunge, we’ve got a great recommendation for the first-time wireless networker as well.

The Medialink Wireless Broadband Router is the perfect choice for the seasoned wireless networker looking to upgrade their older technology and for the first-time home wireless networker as well. The speed and bandwidth provided by the latest Wi-Fi technology is significantly better than the previous generations of wireless routers. The Medialink Wireless Broadband Router supports the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi protocol giving you bandwidth and speeds up 150Mbps (megabits per second). That’s over 15 times faster than the 802.11b protocol and almost 3 times faster than the previous generation of 802.11g Wi-Fi routers.

In fact, if you’ve been comfortably hanging on to the Wi-Fi router running in your home that you purchased 2 or 3 years ago, you may be missing out on vastly improved speeds and performance that 802.11n broadband wireless routers bring over the previous 802.11g and 802.11b devices. As cable modem and DSL modem bandwidth has improved and increased, many people don’t realize that their old Wi-Fi router from a few years back may actually become the bottleneck in their home network.

The other important area that’s critical to keep up with is security. The Medialink Wireless Broadband Router supports the latest security protocols including:

• WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
• WPA and WPA2 Security Protocol
• WEP, TKIP, and AES – 64 and 128 Bit Encryption

Security and encryption are essential to protect your home wireless network from intrusion and hackers that can easily break-in, jump on your network and even breach your computers that you have sitting on your home wireless network. Unfortunately, the previous generation of Wi-Fi devices that only support the older security protocols like WEP virtually leave the door wide open. Enjoying the convenience of wireless networking in the home is great but be sure you keep your home network secure and locked down with the latest secure technology including WPA, WPA2 and AES 128 bit encryption.

Installation is easy with the Medialink Wireless Broadband Router. The Medialink Wi-Fi router is compatible with all the standard computer operating systems including Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP (32 and 64 Bit), Vista (32 and 64 Bit), Windows 7 (32 and 64 Bit), Mac OS X and Linux. And setup and configuration is a breeze with the EZ Connect Setup Wizard.

The Medialink Wireless Broadband Router provides all the additional features and functions you need in one compact device including a 4-port Ethernet switch (if you’d also like to attach some Ethernet wired devices), a secure and easily configured Firewall  and a DHCP server as well (to automatically allocate and assign IP addresses on your internal home wireless network).

One of the nifty features we like as well with the Medialink Wireless Broadband Router is the internal antenna. You’re probably familiar with the external antennas on the older devices. The Medialink broadband router conceals the antenna on the inside of the device and still delivers the full coverage and signal reach throughout your home wireless network. That’s sleek! And slick!

Now here’s the best part. You get all of this cutting-edge wireless network function and technology for a terrific low price. The Medialink Wireless Broadband Router is super affordable at only $44.99 at Amazon. No wonder this is one of the most popular Wi-Fi broadband routers available!

Available: Amazon

Price: $49.99

Improved Tracking Ability for Firefighters

 

Firefighting is without doubt one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Even with all their safety equipment firefighters put their lives at risk everytime they go into a burning building.

One of the most useful pieces of equipment to a firefighter is their communication device which takes the form of a radio. Unfortunately radio signals can be blocked by concrete walls which mean sometimes a firefighter may have no way of communicating back to their commander. This becomes even more serious if the firefighter is in trouble and needs to let them know their location.

For this reason the US Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate have developed a better system, a system that involves a three-part structure,

Firstly, a book sized tracking device is carried by the firefighter, this is named the Geospatial Location Accountability and Navigation System for Emergency Responders. That’s a mouthful; thankfully there is an acronym for short, the GLANSER. On the back of the fire truck a laptop is used to receive microwave radio signals from the GLANSER. The laptop and the GLANSER software displays firefighters positions in the building in real time no matter where they go.

Secondly, firefighters wear a Physiological Health Assessment System for Emergency Responders (another acronym – PHASER). This device monitors variables of the firefighter such as body temperature, blood pressure, and heart beat/pulse rate. From this, the laptop which the data is streamed to can be used to view the status of the firefighter, obviously if signs are extreme then the firefighter will be ordered to evacuate. The PHASER device can also be used to indicate whether the firefighter is in trouble as along with the GLANSER indicating the firefighter not moving the PHASER may indicate their vital signs slowing down.

The main problem with transmitters for the PHASER and GLANSER is that they may be unable to transmit their signal through thick concrete walls. To help this a third device is used called the Wireless Intelligent Sensor Platform for Emergency Responders (WISPER). This device is small with dimensions of one square inch by half an inch thick. It is robust as well as it’s both waterproof and able to resist temperatures of up to 500F (260°C). Built within the device are an antenna, a two-way radio, and a 3-volt Lithium battery. The idea behind this third part of the system is that multiple WISPERS are dropped as signal from the firefighter to the laptop base station is reduced. Each dropped WISPER combines to form a network that can produce a positive GLANSER and PHASER signal no matter what obstacles the firefighter comes across.

Personally, this sounds like a good system in theory but I think a lot of testing and training would have to be carried out before it can be used in real world situations. Fingers crossed they continue to develop it and if the technology used saves one brave firefighters life that a traditional radio couldn’t then it gets my vote.

[Source: Homeland Security]

MiFi 4082 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Comcast

 

Are you one of us? No, we don’t mean that alien thing but we are referring to the internet revolution which has lured people from all walks of life. If you can’s survive without getting online even for a few hours then the 3G/4G mobile hotspot with Xfinity Internet 2go would be welcome news.

The gadget which is also known as MiFi 4082 has just been launched by Novatel Wireless. This is the solution to family and friends who are always on the go but who deem it very expensive to have their own wireless internet dongles when they are all in one place and can benefit from a single connection.

The MiFi 4082 is the answer to your prayers because this mobile hotspot will allow internet sharing for up to five devices that are WiFi-enabled. By connecting to the Xfinity Internet 2go service, you and the rest of the gang will now have high-speed internet even when you are in areas without 4G.

The best part about this pocket-sized router is its compact design and fast speed of up to 6Mbps when hooked on 4G. You can use the rechargeable router and get signal even within a 30-foot range. The MiFi 4082 will cost you $25 only but you have to get a corresponding Xfinity Internet 2go service plan. Comcast is offering Comcast high-speed internet users a cheap monthly rate of $40 with a monthly usage allowance of 5GB 3G, $15 less than what it normally costs nationwide.

You will be surprised to discover that it is easy to slip the device in your pocket so you can bring it anywhere and use it to connect your WiFi-enabled devices to the internet. Having your own MiFi4082 is actually much like having your own portable office because with this gadget, you can check your email and other online transactions anytime.

[Source: Comcast]

Gallery of posts up to 04-05-2009

Logitec LAN-WG/RA Pocket Wi-Fi Router

 

Measuring just 62mm x 82mm x 19mm Logitec’s new Wi-Fi router is possibly one of the smallest routers in the world. Ideal for frequent travelers requiring internet access, the Logitec LAN-WG/RA pocket Wi-Fi Router weigh in at just 55 grams.

Not much information is available (unable to translate from Japanese) however we do know that the pocket Wi-Fi router will offer encryption such as WPA2(AES), WPA(TKIP) and WEP128/64 bit.

Available: Amazon

Price: $45.99

 

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