Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Belkin isn’t just touting its new FlyWire gear today, it’s also taking the opportunity to introduce the new F5D8235-4 N+ Wireless Router, which brings with it a new design language for all of the company’s networking gear. The vertically-oriented unit features four Gigabit Ethernet port, a USB port to attach storage devices, push-button WPS security, and front-panel icons that turn from blue to amber if there’s a problem on the network. Not bad for $120, but we’ll save our love for the 5GHz gear. (There’s also an N unit without Gigabit ports and a pair of G routers, but really, who cares?) In addition, there’s a matching $99 USB WiFi adapter that shares the glossy black finish, and while we’re at it, let’s throw in three Powerline kits: a $179 three-port 200Mbps adapter,, a $149 200Mbps adapter two-oack, and a $99 85Mbps two-pack. Photos of the stick and Powerline gear after the break.

Read - Belkin N+ Wireless Router and USB stick
Read - The other three routers
Read - Powerline adapters

Continue reading Belkin revamps routers, introduces N+ gear, new powerline devices

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Filed under: Networking

If you’re waiting for broadband over power lines (BPL) as an alternative to cable or DSL in your area, it may be time to finally give in to one of the big companies. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) — a group of amateur radio enthusiasts — has sued the FCC over its plan to speed up BPL’s expansion, citing concerns that the service’s radio emissions provide too many interference risks to the hobby / ham spectrum. While the FCC conducted a favorable study on BPL’s potential problems, their published report had so many redacted sections that the ARRL wants to know what they missed. A D.C. district court agrees with the League, and plans for further rollout have been tabled until the FCC can come up with more facts.

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Filed under: Networking

CeBIT and Powerline seem to have a thing for one another, and sure enough, this year we’re seeing yet another firm storm onto the scene in an attempt to advance the flagging technology. London-based En-Twyn set up shop in Germany to showcase its En-Compass, which doesn’t require any special wall cutouts and differs from most other Powerline systems by packing its electronics on the backside. In other words, you won’t have any unsightly adapters protruding from the front. Beyond that, everything else works as expected — Ethernet signals travel over your existing home wiring setup — but unfortunately, the product is still stuck in prototype stage at the moment.

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Filed under: Networking

Forget 200Mbps powerline home networking — and don’t even mention your poky 85Mbps setup — because industry leader DS2 has just made all current gear obsolete with its introduction of technology that will enable 400Mbps theoretical speeds over standard electrical wiring. Capable of pushing five simultaneous video streams, the zippy new tech will be key for applications such as PVR networking and multi-room HD IPTV, and should start appearing in “next generation” devices slated for 2009. Luckily 400Mbps products will actually be backwards compatible with 200Mbps gear according to DS2, meaning that you should be able to reuse some of your existing adapters and extenders instead of relegating them to the gadget graveyard.

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