Netis WF2710 AC750 Wireless Dual Band Router

In a crowded networking market, where many of the latest routers are north of $200 (or more), the Netis WF2710 comes in under $50. Is this white box a peewee wonder? Read on to find out!

The latest standard for networking gear is known as 802.11ac. Devices that conform to this standard offer Wifi that conforms to both the 2.4 Ghz, as well as the 5 Ghz standard. Most of the new networking gear that is being introduced, conforms to this. It offers the advantages of less interference on the 5 Ghz frequency, and faster speeds.

The only real downside of the 802.11ac devices is that not surprisingly they cost more than the previous stuff, the so-called Wireless-N. While one approach for the cost conscious is to purchase a previous generation device, the Netis WF2710 offers a way to get into an AC router, for a price that is even lower than some Wireless-N routers. It is currently available at NewEggfor $39.99.

Brother 2270DW Offline Error and Solution

I have had several printers through the years.  For the last decade I have been in the monochrome laser camp, due to the high quality of laser printing, and the affordability compared to inkjets.  My previous printer was a Brother 2140, which I still have, but as it was very low on ink, I decided it was time for an upgrade.

The new printer is a Brother 2270DW.  The significant advancement is that network printers have come way down in price.  This allows one to put the printer anywhere there is space and it can be hooked up to the network, while having a number of users and devices be able to send print jobs to the printer.  This is how most business environments do their printing these days, and most households can get by with one printer if it is networked.

The Brother 2270DW can be connected by three methods:

1. USB port like a non-networked printer
2. Wired Ethernet (LAN)
3. Wireless (WiFi)

When I hooked it up, I obviously wanted it on the network, but as I change my routers sometimes, for simplicity I went with a wired connection.  I plug the printer with my length of CAT 5 cable, and it is physically connected to my router.  Not super exciting, but at least I can see it is connected.  There is also a rule that the printer can be connected via a wire, or wireless, but not both simultaneously.

One criticism of this printer is that one of the areas they cut costs on were the LED's.  It does not have any display, and rather just has a few LED's for power, toner and error.  These a basically "Idiot lights" and unfortunately, there is no LED for "Network connection," or WiFi on.

If you hold down the Power button for 10 seconds, it prints out a test page.  It also converts the printer from wired to wireless connection, or vice versa.

So the other day, my printer lost the network connection.  It was most frustrating as the printer was still connected via the wired LAN.  I decided to go to the Brother website, and it had information specific to this problem.  In fact, it even directed me to a special software tool that would reestablish the connection, or in my case not so much after running it no less than three times.  I also uninstalled and resintalled drivers as recommended, but the printer was still not connected.

I was reading the manual after nothing seemed to be working, and realized that the printer was probably in WiFi mode.  I held down the power button, out printed the page, and it was now reconnected.  I still find it silly that the 2270DW does not have a light to tell me whether it is connected or not, and whether the WiFi is on or off.  Perhaps when I upgrade again in several years I can get these essential "features."

--Jonas

Dlink 820L: Notes on Firmware 1.03b

I have had my issues with my Dlink 820L router, but at the last tech call, they did get it up and running.  I recently noticed that there was a firmware upgrade available for the router.  The release notes for firmware 1.03b were:

Firmware 1.03 

Date: 06/12/2014 

Release Notes: 

Fix the bug in web filter rule 

Update wireless driver 

Update copyright 

I figured it was worth giving it an upgrade.  My Sony Bluray player was still getting slow speeds from the Dlink of around 3 Mbps and to stream video was painful.

I downloaded the update, and upgraded the firmware on the Dlink screens (available by pointing your browser to 192.168.0.1).  I went from firmware 1.02 to 1.03.  The process took about 5 minutes.  They suggest that this is done via a wired connection, but I did this over WiFi and it was fine (although YMMV).

This firmware upgrade was a good one.  The 820L router's weakness has been on wireless performance, and this gets exposed in my testing, and is especially annoying obvious with my Bluray player when streaming.  After the firmware upgrade to 1.03, the signal is stronger and more stable to my WiFi devices.  I had no disconnects.  My Bluray player on another floor and a distance away from the router now is able to stream at 4 to 7 Mbps, which is a significant improvement, and far more usable.  While I have seen 14 Mbps from another AC router, with the firmware 1.03 the Dlink can now keep up easily with the streaming video of the Bluray.

For those experiencing WiFi issues with the DIR-820L from Dlink, this firmware upgrade is a welcome gift.

Firmware available here.

-Jonas

Netis AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router

A wireless router is an important centerpiece to a home network, and forms the backbone of distributing the internet broadband connection.  The latest standard is the 802.11ac, which incorporates the older 802.11b/g/n standard that works off the 2.4 GHz frequency.  It also add additional frequency in the 5 GHz range, which is capable of even faster speeds.  The other advantage of the 5 GHz frequency is at least for now, there is less gear there, and hence less congestion and interference.

In order to take advantage of the 802.11ac, a new router is a prerequisite.  Today, we take a look at the Netis AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router which incorporates all the latest standards.  Netis is a company that makes a wide variety of networking gear.  This router currently retails for $89.99 on Amazon.

Netis AC1200 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WF2190)

The latest WiFi standard is the 802.11ac one, and more products are being introduced that utilize it.  This provides support across two bands, the first, the crowded 2.4 GHz, and the second, the newer 5.8 GHz portion of the spectrum.  As it becomes more pervasive, 802.11ac gear is becoming quite affordable.

While many devices come with built in WiFi networking capability, such as any late model notebook, there are still two scenarios where a USB networking WiFi adapter will come in handy.  The first is for a desktop that needs to be connected and is either not located near to the router, or Ethernet cable cannot be easily run throughout the house.  As I position my router in the basement, and my desktop on a higher floor of my residence, I am in that category, and have connected my desktop to the internet that way for years now.  The second scenario is on an older laptop, the computer still works, but the WiFi does not, and by using a USB WiFi adapter you can get some extra mileage out of an otherwise functioning piece of hardware.

Netis Beacon N300 Gaming Router

Netis Systems has been making networking products since 2000, but only recently did I hear about this company.  Netis was willing to provide their new N300 Gaming Router for testing.

The N300 Gaming Router is model WF2631.  It is a standard WiFi router with the usual 4 LAN 100 ports, and internet connection.  There is no USB port, but it does have 3 external antennas.  It uses the 802.11n protocol, and is backward
compatible to 802.11b and g, but does not support the newer 802.11ac protocol.  There is also support for WPS, with the push button on the rear of the unit.  It should be noted early on that this unit retails for a budget friendly $49.

Dlink DIR-820L Redux

My Dlink DIR-820L after a few weeks turned my network into a total mess.  I was running 3 networks simultaneously, including an 802.11n on 2.4 GHz, a guest network on the same frequency, and an 802.11ac on the 5 GHz frequency.  For whatever reason, it worked for a time, and then I was in the situation where all my devices were having issues:

• Sony Bluray player that connected but was too slow to stream anything
• Android 2.3 phone that consistently disconnected from the WiFi
• Windows 8.1 tablet that could only connect to the 802.11ac network
• Windows 8.1 notebook that could only connect to the guest network

As the problems accumulated, it was time to call for another WiFi consult.  I nicely complained to them at the support center that all my previous routers had worked out of the box, and had never had so many issues.  My internet connection is a cable modem from Optimum, with speeds of 18/5.  I was getting this on the 802.11ac network when I ran it on Speedtest.net, but on the 802.11n the download speeds were down to 4-6.

They talked me through getting this back down to the basics with a factory reset, initiated with pushing the reset button on the bottom of the unit with a paper clip hold.  When rebooted, they also had me download the firmware right off the Dlink website.  Than we proceeded to name the 802.11n and 802.11ac with new unique names.  I also did not setup a guest network.

I had low expectations at this point, but to my pleasant surprise, the gear than connected.  In addition, the 2.4 GHz speeds now run at the same speed as the 5 GHz speeds.  I think that the guest network was stealing away bandwidth, but not 100% sure.

--Jonas

Dlink DIR-820L: How to Fix the WiFi Not Connecting Issue

 I have had several routers through the years, from a variety of manufacturers, including Belkin and Linksys.  Recently, my Linksys was acting up, and I was eager to upgrade to 802.11ac, the latest standard.  I found the Dlink DIR-820L on Amazon for the fair price of $69, and pulled the trigger.

The initial setup was simple, with the usual connection of ethernet wires.  The 820L has the standard plug for the internet from the modem, and then the 4 ethernet ports for wired connections- in my case I plug in directly a notebook, my Brother 2270DW laser printer as well as the adapter for a Powerline adapter (which is my backup network when the WiFi fails- more to come on this).  The 820L setup in about 10 minutes.  Based on something I had read elsewhere, I decided to name the new 820L as the same name as my previous router, and reuse the same password.  This move proved a seriously lousy idea, and I don't recommend it at all.

EA6500

Apparently tomorrow Linksys will be announcing some new routers.  The upcoming flagship model will support the latest WiFi standard, ac, and be named the EA6500.  Reportedly it will retail for $220, which will buy a max speed of 1300 mbps, with four internal antennas.  It will also feature 2 USB ports for those that want both network attached storage, and a network printer simultaneously.  Look for further details soon, and the reported availability is August.

Jonas

Western Digital MyNet

There is presently no shortage of manufacturers that are in the router market.  Sure, just about everyone has a router these days, but it is not clear to me that they get updated all too often unless they are a real networking guru.  Western Digital has been a long term player in the hard drive market, and at first I was not sure what they could bring to the crowded router table.

The first feature is the FasTrack technology.  This serves to prioritize entertainment traffic over the rest, which translates to a video stream not being interrupted.  Other routers can do similar things these days, but those with an older router, from an older standard like g, would benefit from an upgrade.

The second feature is built in storage.  I am a proponent of built in storage to a router, and have a 4 GB flash drive permanently plugged into my router that I frequently make use of.  The new top of the line router, their MyNet N900 Central has 2 TB built into the device.  While a serious price of $349 makes this less of an impulse buy, those that want to stream media could use this as a turnkey solution with no fuss.  The storage space can also be used for wireless backup.

Tom's Hardware

Linksys PLSK400: Powerline AV 4-Port Network Adapter Kit

There are basically 3 ways to connect a computer to your internet modem:

1- Wired with CAT 5e cable

2- Wirelessly via a WiFi router

3- Wired via a Powerline adaptor

As you build out your home network there are multiple considerations, including the ease of which dedicated Ethernet cabling can be run, the wireless coverage, the location of the modem, and the bandwidth requirements. A decade ago, when most of us had one computer connected directly to their modem, this was much less of an issue than it is today with mutiple connected devices, and the bandwidth required to transmit HD video (which is around 4 to 8 megabits per second in case you were wondering).

While a WiFi router is commonly the central hub of most home networks, there are still times when a wired solution is best. These include situations when the wireless coverage is spotty, there is interference from neighbor's networks, and when bandwidth requirements are high, such as with video or gaming. Depending on the situation, this involves turning to Ethernet cable or a Powerline solution. While the Ethernet cable is affordable, the electrician to install it too often is not, and for those looking for professional appearing results without opening up wall boards and fishing wires, Powerline networking starts looking attractive.

This is the technology that involves sending network information through the home's wiring. There can be issues when the data has to cross a circuit breaker. Early on this technique was slow and proprietary, but with established standards, it is a viable alternative for a simple network setup, or as a supplement to a wireless system. If you are worried about security, quite simply don't as there is 128 bit encryption built into the standard, and your data won't transmit beyond your homes wiring.

Linksys provided their "Linksys PLSK400: Powerline AV 4-Port Network Adapter Kit." It consisted of two Powerline adapters, a basic instruction manual, and two Ethernet cables. Of note, one adapter has one Ethernet port, and the other has 4 ports. The idea is that the single port one gets plugged into the router, and then the 4 port one is plugged into the destination making this ideal for plugging in several devices, such as in a home media setup. There are 3 LED's, with pics that correspond to power, link and Ethernet.

Setup is a breeze with no software to install, and the pair of adapters with the same key out of the box. Additional ones can be added, and there is a small button to sync the keys. This is much better than the last time I played with Powerline networking as it took me an hour to get the keys in sync. For this pair of Linksys adapters, it was truly plug and play.

Here's a word about my setup. My internet comes into the house in the basement, and it is Optimum 15/2 with the modem positioned next to the wireless router. The router is a Linksys E4200 with WPA2 security (that is their top of the line WiFi router for those keeping score). The test system is one floor up, and a Windows 7 Phenom II 945 system; WiFi connectivity is via a draft-N USB adapter and the 10/100 Ethernet port is via the motherboard. The electrical outlets for the Powerline adapters are on different circuit breakers, not on power surge strips.  To keep this fair, there are plenty of wireless obstructions including metal ductwork in the way. This is real world testing, and not some idealized lab setup.

The Powerline adapters connected easily and the computer connected online with no issues. Subjectively, internet surfing was just like it normally was, and online videos played without a hitch. However, I decided to throw it a few tests, and a set of older (circa 2008) Powerline gear from a competitor, the Actiontec MegaPlug AV, that also claimed a 200 Mbps speed.

First test is Speedtest.net. This is a test of the internet connection, and all testing was done on the different adapters on the same day. While it is a test of internet speed more than network, if the home network is slow, it can be the bottleneck.  The chart shows the results:

The results show that the Linksys PLSK400 kit was just as fast for internet speeds as the E4200 wireless router, and the limit is the internet speed itself.  I have to admit I was a bit surprised that the Actiontec gear was so much slower, but it shows how Powerline gear has progressed in the last few years.

 The next test uses the USB port built into the wireless router, to which a USB flash drive is attached.  I use it a "Poor man's network attached storage," and is quite convenient for accessing files between different computers without the need of plugging in a flash drive directly.  It can also be accessed non-wirelessly as well.  Hence, I decided to upload a 188 MB file (LibreOffice 3.4 installation file), and then calculating a transfer speed.

 In the transfer test, the Linksys PLSK400 hits a speedy 287 kb/sec which is leaps better than the older Actiontec Powerline gear which stuck at a pokey 13 kb/sec.  However, the E4200 WiFi did live up to its reputation for speed, and averaged 1070 kb/sec.

The Linksys PLSK400 is available for $119.  It is a viable solution for those seeking an alternative to WiFi and in need of a wired network, or to supplement wireless due to dead spots.  It was ideal for internet speeds, but slower for sustained uploads, although much better than what was available a couple of years back.  With the ease of setup, the built in security, and the potential for expansion, it makes this product a recommended purchase.

More info

Next Gen WiFi

WiFi has been stuck for a while, as the standard went from "b" to "g" (with a detour to "a"), then seemingly endless "pre-n," and most recently "n."  Because it took so long to go from "pre-n" to "n," I think it made the true "n" somewhat anticlimactic.  The current "n" gear is certainly solid and stable (I use a Linksys E4200 these days), but it hardly feels next generation a year after it came into the house.

Hopefully, this should be changing soon.  The latest standard is designated as 802.11ac.  It operates on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz portions of the spectrum, and is designed to prioritize streaming video.  While future iterations will offer faster speeds, Trendnet is debuting their new router, the TEW-800MB, that can hit a speedy 1.3 Gbps.  For the record, this handily trounces the current 802.11n gear that maxes out at 450 Mbps.

The product is expected in the Fall of 2012, for around $200.

[Tech PowerUp]