All Network adapters Feeds

Slinglink Turbo

1208689046

The traditional routes to home networking - and all of its multimedia benefits - are wi-fi and Ethernet.

The problem with wi-fi is that its domestic range is somewhat restricted. If your wireless router is too distant from the device that you want to connect, it either won't, or performance is erratic.

And although you don't get this problem with Ethernet, plumbing in CAT-5 cable isn't everybody's idea of fun. An ingenious alternative is 'powerline Ethernet', which uses your existing mains wiring as the communications medium.

Network around your home

SlingLink's Turbo lets you do this. It's supplied in identical pairs. Each has a mains connection, Ethernet port and status LEDs. Although intended for use with the company's innovative Slingbox, they'll work with just about any Ethernettable device.

I successfully tried them with a networked media player and a Slingbox Solo, but you could easily harness their potential to provide 'net radio to you back garden, for example.

Highs:

Very easy to setup. Truly 'plug and play', and doesn't require any software or drivers.
Small, unobtrusive, and power consumption is under 5W.
Claimed to deliver throughputs of up to 85Mbps, bringing it theoretically close to wired Fast (100BaseTX) Ethernet.

Lows:

The quality of the mains supply and wiring will affect transfer speeds.
With 200Mbps units becoming common, these models are looking slow.
My experiences with HD video were disappointing, but standard-def video and audio was fine.

Devolo 200AV Easy Starter Kit

1208013512

The new Devolo 200AV Easy Starter Kit consists of two dLan 200AV Easy adapters.

At present we only have a guide price of £130 (inc. VAT) which may well have dropped by the time you read this review.

It got off to a good start as the two Ethernet cables in the package measure some two metres in length which is considerably better than the other manufacturers. Then there's the look and feel, which is smart and shiny with a retro look that is straight out of Poirot.

Speedy setup

Plug the adapters in and hook up the Ethernet cables and you're rewarded with a network connection within seconds. There are three green illuminated symbols on the front of the unit to indicate power, power line and network connections are present and correct.

Software is an extra instead of a necessity and consists of three utilities. The dLAN configuration wizard allows you to assign a password based on the security ID which is printed on a sticker on the base of each unit.

The second piece of software is Devolo Informer that advises you of the MAC addresses and firmware versions of the adapters on the network. The software is concise and spells out which adapter is local and which is connected via the power supply grid.

The third utility is Devolo Easyshare, which assists in sharing folders and files across your network.

An impressive networking package

The CD-ROM also offers a firmware update to version 2.0, which is the same version on the review units but it could be handy if you end up adding more adapters to an existing network.

We were hugely impressed by the Devolo kit and would choose it over the other contenders if money were no object, but of course that's not the case.

As things stand, the Devolo 200AV Easy Starter Kit is excellent but needs to drop below £100 to be a winner.

Fritz!WLAN Stick

tech.co.uk staff — 1173312000

If you've been a little slow off the mark in upgrading your PC components or you're still using a five-year-old laptop, you might be in the market for the Fritz!WLAN. Both Windows XP and Vista recognised the stick the first time we plugged it in and there are drivers included for those of you still clinging on to a Windows 98 install. As such, it's suitable for anyone who might need to add wireless to their repertoire.

AVM has added a speed-increasing protocol to its device, promising over 120Mbps if you use it with the Fritz! Box router. However, like most wireless gimmicks this is only useful if you're blessed with specific hardware.

By supporting 802.11g, however, it runs at a fast-enough 54Mbps and the range beat our test laptop's internal card by a good three metres, even when broadcasting outdoors through an external wall. It's better than you'd expect considering the tiny aerial that's crammed into the housing.

USB devices aren't usually blessed with the kindest cases, you see. We have witnessed everything from TV tuners to wireless adaptors turn into roasting lumps of nearmolten plastic as their inefficient, hot electronics struggle with little-to-no room to breathe.

The FritzWLAN gets warm, but it doesn't ever reach such epic temperatures, even under heavy loads. Persistently flashing LEDs glow to show the status of the device at all times, which is useful for diagnosing connection issues.

Extra encryption

If you're a recent adopter of wireless technology, you might find that your shiny new router has overtaken your existing wireless cards in terms of certain technology. Inclusion of WPA2 support - a form of encryption that's considered "unbreakable" - is the Fritz!WLAN's strong suit, and that sort of security at a low price is certainly a good deal.

Bog-standard WPA is also supported, as is WEP, so you'll be well covered whatever network you might stumble upon. That price, however, is something of a concern. Even taking security into account, this is three times more than you could pay for a similarly bog-standard USB wireless solution.

Kensington WiFi Finder Plus

tech.co.uk staff — 1167609600

With Wi-Fi hotspots all over the world and more appearing all the time, it's easier than ever to connect to the internet on the move. However, it's frustrating having to boot your laptop to simply check your emails, only to find you're out of range of any Wi-Fi signals, or even worse, stranded without a connection at all.

To save yourself time, the WiFi Finder Plus from Kensington (£13 inc. VAT) is a tiny network detector that can tell you if you're in range of a wireless signal. Designed as a keyring, you never need be without it. One click of a button is all you need to sniff out Wi-Fi networks, and get an instant estimate of signal strength.

When used on the move, we were able to easily find our way to strong wireless networks. But be warned: it's less effective in built-up areas. By reducing the amount of times you need to boot your laptop, the battery life can be greatly increased, making this an affordable and functional tool.

FirmTek SeriTek/1V4

tech.co.uk staff — 1165363200

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachments) is the new standard for internal hard drives, and Apple has adopted it for use in all desktop Macs.

The main benefits in using SATA drives are that they offer much faster transfer speeds, hot plugability and are easy to set up. Before SATA drives, Apple used IDE (Parallel ATA) drives that required chunky ribbon connectors and supported up to two drives on each IDE chain. However, IDE drives have to be set up as Master or Slave devices by fitting each with a small, fiddly jumper pin.

So we've established that SATA drives are fast and easy to set up, but how do you fit them in a Mac that pre-dates the Power Mac G5? Apple SATA specialist FirmTek produces a SATA PCI adaptor card that can fit in a Power Mac.

This opens up an upgrade path to a whole range of ultra-fast, whisper-quiet hard drives. And because the FirmTek card supports 48-bit addressing, this means you can use hard drives that are larger than 137GB in Power Macs produced before the Dual MDD G4s. That means more storage space and easy installation.

This

The FirmTek card supports booting and is PCI-X-compatible for use with G5s, and it can address up to four devices at 1.5Gbits/sec. If you own a Graphite or Quicksilver G4, you can physically fit four drives into the bays and have up to 1TB of storage - including RAID.

You don't need special drivers for the FirmTek card - just a sixpin SATA cable to connect each drive and a spare power connector inside your Mac for powering each drive. Luckily, most Power Macs have a few spare power connectors or you can use a splitter to create an extra connection.

Our tests with the FirmTek confirmed that it does exactly what it says on the tin. Just fit the card, plug in the drives and off you go. It's a breeze to fit and could keep older Power Macs going for some time to come. Mark Sparrow

D-Link DWL-G122 54Mbps

tech.co.uk staff — 1164931200

There is one Mac-related question our wireless experts get asked more often than any other: "How do you make an old Mac wireless?" Added to which are the all-too-regular emails that ask: "How can I make my slightly newer Mac wireless, the one that I don't want to shell out ridiculous amounts on an AirPort card for."

And there's just one answer: if you don't have an AirPort card already installed in your Mac, then all you need to do is buy a D-Link DWL-G122. That's it. Job done. Game over. For some unknown reason, D-Link seems to be the only company who has twigged that it can corner a segment of the market by sticking an Apple logo on its packaging and selling its rather cheap adaptor to people who wish that their Mac was as easy to make wireless as a PC. Not really nuclear science, is it?

But then, networking vendors aren't usually famed for common-sense decisions. Even Apple itself doesn't seem to have caught on to D-Link's corner of the market, either. The Apple Store sells just one USB wireless adaptor. And the Belkin device only works with Windows PCs, so what can we Mac owners do? Buy the D-Link DWL-G122.

The DWL-G122 includes a stand and USB extension cable in the box. So, if you store your Mac under your desk to save space, you can place the adaptor up on a shelf so your machine can enjoy better wireless reception - a nice and rarely seen touch.

The adaptor's configuration interface also helps you to identify networks wherever you should go; you can create detailed profiles so your adaptor will know which network to connect to, wherever you are. There's also support for the wireless security standards, including WPA (WiFi Protected Access) plus full compatibility with other 802.11g WiFi kit. And what helps the case of the DWL-G122 more than anything? The impressive price, of course. At a very affordable £22, it really is a steal. Dan Grabham