04.12.2011

Networking and Wifi Equipment Ideas

Mac products, like so much in life, are at their best when shared. Here we look at two products that offer you the ability to build quick, stable networks either in fixed locations or when out and about.

LiveWire Kit - a different take on Powerline technology

For home or business fixed location networking, one way to escape the problem of wireless interference is use Powerline technology, a system whereby the building's electrical wiring is used to transfer data between machines. 

Most Powerline setups include two adaptors, one connected to the router and the other to the device you wish to communicate with.

Usually these adapters provide a single Ethernet port for each power socket used; the Livewire Kit does things differently.

Western Digital have engineered it so that a four-port 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet Switch is built into both of its two 200Mbit/s HomePlug AV Powerline adaptors. This setup means that the adaptors are larger that their peers, but Western Digital have ensured their size won't be problematic when plugging them in, by housing them in a black box which connects to the mains via an extension cable (which also allows for more flexible positioning).

The four-port 10/11Mbit/s Ethernet Switch enables the user to connect up to eight devices - including games consoles and computers - to one another, and the controls on each adaptor can be configured to make the network secure from other HomePlug users who might be sharing the very same building wiring your network is using. At 200Mb/s, data transfer rate is a little on the slow side, although this is still faster than the many older adaptors still in service.

Conclusion:

With a low price of just £90, Western Digital's LiveWire Kit has a lot to recommend it.

Net-3G-A10 Pocket Hotspot - Portable Wireless Router

The Net-3G-A10 Pocket Hotspot from Solwise is a compact and portable wireless router which can be equipped with a 3G SIM card in order to create a wireless network that allows users to share their 3G mobile's broadband with a range of other devices, including iPads and laptops that may not have inbuilt 3G specification.

The router may not be the cheapest on the market, but it's not attached to any mobile company contract, so any standard-size SIM can be fitted to it. Solwise will be making adapters available for micro-SIM cards in the near future, and these can currently be purchased form other suppliers from less than £5.

The Net-3G-A10 is very user friendly; once the SIM card has been inserted and the rechargeable battery connected, it will behave like any normal wireless router and can be configured with a security password via a web browser. The Pocket Hotspot is able to create a portable Wifi network for up to 20 users, and is extremely portable.

Conclusion:

At £61.22 the Net-3G-A10 might be a shade on the expensive side given the need for an adaptor to ensure it's compatibilty with Micro-SIM cards, but it still can provide a very handy way to quickly generate a wireless network for a whole crowd of people who lack the capability. It's strongest card, we feel, has to be that it comes mobile contract free and hence can be used across a range of providers.

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