Buffalo improves performance, but makes some disappointing design choices in its top-of-the-line NAS.
My previous post describing the D-Link DIR-655 / DWA-652’s failure to switch from 40 MHz to 20 MHz channel mode when encountering a legacy WLAN, might be counter to what D-Link says is the expected behavior. But I have found that it is neither a violation of IEEE Draft 2.0 nor the Alliance’s Draft 2.0 11n Certification.
Since that post, I’ve exchanged emails with D-Link and spoken with both Atheros and the Wi-Fi Alliance to try to find out how the D-Link products could not be performing as D-Link had described, yet receive Wi-Fi Draft 2.0 11n Certification.
With the Wi-Fi Draft 11n certification process underway, I’ve decided its time to resume reviews of these products. This doesn’t mean that I now consider the products to be “done”; far from it. But with the legitimacy of the Wi-Fi mark now being slapped on boxes, I figure someone has to see if these products are really living up to their claims.
Update2 D-Link and Netgear today announced the first products to receive draft 2.0 802.11n certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance. D-Link’s DIR-655 Xtreme N Router and DWA-652 Notebook Adapter and Netgear’s RangeMax NEXT Wireless-N Router – Gigabit Edition (WNR854T) and RangeMax NEXT Wireless-N Router (WNR834B) passed the Alliance’s Certification test suite. Products from other companies, including … Read more
The Plantronics .Audio 910 raises your expectations but then disappoints…just like the last four Bluetooth headsets you’ve purchased.
We’ve once again updated our wireless test methods to include test results that you won’t find anywhere else.
Updated TRENDnet today announced three printservers for USB multi-function printers. The TE100-MP1U 1-Port USB Multi-Function Print Server, TE100-MP2U 2-Port USB 2.0 Multi-Function Print Server and TEW-MP2U 2-Port Wireless USB Multi-Function Print Server support printing from Windows XP, 2000, 2003 Server and Vista operating systems. The wireless model connects to 802.11b/g wireless networks and supports 64/128-Bit … Read more
T-Mobile USA today nationally launched a wireless service that extends its combination cellular / Wi-Fi hotspot service to home wireless LANs.
All-in-one Internet appliances usually don’t live up to their name. Quad Micro Works’ Square One is no exception.
I share Glenn Fleishman’s disappointment with this week’s announcement by the Wi-Fi Alliance that they have only begun their certification testing. But judging from what I’ve seen so far, getting draft 11n gear up to spec is going to be a long, difficult process.
I spent a few days last week testing a D-Link DIR-655 router and DWA-652 Cardbus card, which are based on Atheros XSPAN silicon. These are the first products to have firmware and drivers posted that allegedly implement 11n Draft 2.0 compliance. My primary focus was to see whether the legacy protection mechanisms added in 802.11n Draft 2.0 were working in actual product.
AirMagnet today said it has received a notice of allowance for a U.S. Patent covering multiple methods of identifying “spoofed” or counterfeit devices in a wireless LAN. The methods were co-developed by AirMagnet’s CTO, Chia-Chee Kuan, as well as Chief Architect, Miles Wu, and President and CEO, Dean Au. The technology in the patent application … Read more
Netgear and Ubiquisys Ltd., a developer of intelligent 3G femtocell access points for the residential market, today announced their collaboration to deliver a comprehensive residential gateway with integrated DSL modem, Wi-Fi, VoIP and 3G femtocell technology. The Ubiquisys ZoneGate femtocell is a plug-and-play 3G access point that uses a mobile subscriber’s DSL connection to transport … Read more