LaCie Intros ‘Wireless Space’ Wi-Fi Router / Access Point / NAS Media Server All-in-one | eHomeUpgrade

Video direct link

My comments

There have been previous attempts to combine a network-attached-storage device with a broadband router but most of these have resulted in devices having the worst of two worlds unless you build a computer to work as this kind of device. Mostly you have a “storage router” which is a regular wireless “edge” router which can convert a USB-connected storage device in to a network-attached storage or a network-attached storage which can serve two networks and offer elementary routing functionality.

But LaCie have made a better attempt to bring the best of both worlds together. They have released the “Wireless Space” which is a NAS with integrated wireless-router functionality in a beautiful piano-black housing.

The network-attached storage can do what most single-disk systems can do such as offering integrated backup using operating-system-integrated backup functions that are part of Microsoft Windows or Apple MacOS X. Of course, files can be stored using the SMB or CIFS in a network-public share or a private share and the unit can provision media using UPnP AV / DLNA or Apple iTunes. One feature that I would like to know about with the UPnP AV media server is whether it can work with the full metadata for audio, image and video files or simply provide a folder view.

The unit can be set to work as a wireless “edge” router, a wireless access point or a wireless client bridge which provides for high flexibility, no matter whether you want to keep your existing broadband router going or replace it with something better. There are 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN side of the connection and one Gigabit Ethernet port for the WAN (broadband) side of the connection, which makes this unit fit for use with “next-generation broadband” setups. The wireless network is based on 2.4GHz 802.11n technology and can use WPS quick-setup options.

When the unit works as a broadband router, it has the full expectation for a mid-range broadband router including UPnP Internet Gateway Device functionality and VPN pass-through. If it works as a switch, it can work alongside UPnP Internet Gateway Device routers to enable remote access to the network-attached storage resources.

It could have support for 4-port switch functionality when in switch mode rather than the 3-port switch + “recovery port” functionality that it has. As well, it could do well with support for WPS-assisted “extension access point” setup so it can work quickly and easily as part of an “extended service set”. Of course, I would prefer to hook this device to a wired backbone or run it as a wireless broadband “edge” router in order to avoid putting your data at risk due to the radio-interference risks associated with wireless networking and the fact that the wireless network is a shared-bandwidth network.

This may raise questions about this device being an “infill” NAS/access-point network device for a small network or being a replacement for an existing broadband router such as to “fatten the pipe” for next-generation broadband.

 NETGEAR Rolls Out HD Media Players, UTM and Powerline Products – SmallNetBuilder

My Comments

I have read the attached article and found that most of the devices had impressed me as devices that would work well in a home or small-business network. This was because of particular abilities that had made the devices unique rather than run-off-the-mill devices.

NeoTV network media players

NeoTV 550 network media player

This group of NeoTV network media players may be very similar to the other network media players  like WDTV Live that are appearing on the market. This is that they are capable of playing audiovisual media held on a USB memory key, camera card reader or external hard drive; or from a DLNA/UPnP-AV-compliant media server that exists on your network. But one of the models in this lineup, the NeoTV 550,  has eSATA connectivity and the ability to be a Blu-Ray Disc player when connected to an optional eSATA-connected Blu-Ray drive. This can benefit people who want to consider running this unit alongside their DVD player as a network media player but may take the plunge for Blu-Ray when they are ready.

At the moment, I am not sure whether this unit can work as a substitute DVD player if it is connected to an eSATA or USB DVD drive or a DVD is loaded in to a connected Blu-Ray drive.

HomePlug AV 802.11n access point

XAVN2001 HomePlug AV 802.11n wireless access point

One device I am pleased to see on the scene is the XAVN2001 HomePlug AV 802.11n wireless access point which work like some of the 802.11g wireless access points that can connect to a HomePlug 1.0 Turbo segment. It is also available as part of the XAVNB2001 kit which includes the Netgear XAV2001 HomePlug AV-Ethernet bridge as well as this access point. Like these other access points, this unit plugs in to the wall and works as a bridge between an Ethernet segment and a HomePlug AV powerline segment as well as being an access point for a 2.4GHz 802.11n wireless network.

This device can work as a way of extending the effective radio footprint of an 802.11n wireless network with the use of an Ethernet or HomePlug AV wired backbone. On the other hand, it could bring an 802.11n wireless network and Ethernet network point in to an outbuilding or static caravan (trailer) in the manner talked about in my feature article “Multi-Building Home Networks”.

Quick extension-access-point setup with WPS

I had done further research about this access point through Netgear’s Web site and found that this unit uses WPS as a way of simplifying the creation of a multiple-access-point wireless-network segment. This kind of segment, also known as an “extended service set” makes use of multiple access points with the same SSID, network operating mode and security parameters so a portable device can move between access points with minimal user intervention. I have written a bit about the concept of using WPS as a way of simplifying setup of a small multi-access-point wireless network in an article I had posted last year on this site at its old location and had moved to the current location.

The user just has to hold down the unit’s ON-OFF button for a few seconds then press the WPS button on the WPS-ready wireless “edge” router to start the configuration routine. A few moments later, they are then able to move the access point to the area where the Wi-Fi network is needed and proceed to connect this access point to the Ethernet or HomePlug AV backbone which the wireless router should be connected to.

Conclusion

If more manufacturers can look towards making affordable and easy-to-use network devices, they can end up with equipment that will appeal to most users and have equipment that is out of the ordinary.

Telekom: VDSL-Ausbau in BaWü geplant (VDSL service in Baden-Württemberg planned) | VDSL.de (Germany – German language)

My comments and translated notes from this story

There is some increased VDSL deployment activity occurring in Baden-Wurttemberg with an intent to make sure it is “switched on” in Crailsheim, Satteldorf and Rudolfsberg by June-August 2011 (north-hemisphere Summer). I have used Google Maps to have a look at these towns and found that these are the small country towns with Rudolfsberg being a village.

Deutsche Telekom will be needing to lay 70km worth of new fibre-optic cable and install the necessary VDSL2 switch-boxes to provide this service to the three towns.

At the moment, they would need to have 2000 potential subscribers registering interest for VDSL2 service in these three towns by the beginning Dec 2010 and want to run with their “Call & Surf Comfort VDSL” telephone+Internet plan as the preferred deal.

This plan which is worth €44.95 / month yields inclusive telephone calling to German landlines and VDSL Internet use with a bandwidth of 25Mbps standard or 50Mbps for €5 extra.

What would be interesting to know is whether all of these communities will achieve the 2000-potential-customer goal in order to see more of rural Baden-Württenberg become covered with VDSL2. It would also be interest to find out whether any of the rural VDSL2 services in Germany do make the contract bandwidths. This may be more likely because of that country being one who operates on precision and excellence and the telephony infrastructure being kept in high order.

Introduction

I am reviewing the HP Mini 210 netbook which is pitched as Hewlett-Packard’s main nethook for this year. It is available in a few different colours or can be purchased for extra cost as the Vivianne Tan edition which has the design work of this famous handbag designer on its outside.

The computer itself

User interface

The small keyboard is of the “chiclet” type which appears to be flat and more at risk of errors. There is also a touchpad which works in a similar manner to the Apple Macbook Pro and the HP Envy. This means that the selector buttons are areas that are marked off at the bottom of the touchpad area.

Like most laptops, this unit still requires you to press the Fn key to use standard functions and the Fn functions on this unit are written very dimly. This will make it hard to use the function keys like F5 for particular tasks like reloading the browser. I have found that there isn’t a PgUp or PgDn key on the keyboard which is important if you wish to browse large documents or Websites.

As well, the keyboard is very cramped which is common with all netbooks. This therefore makes it not suitable for long sessions of typing.

Audio and Video

This unit still has the similar audio and video capabilities for a computer of its class. It can reproduce a Youtube video properly for the bandwidth of the video and is still efficient on the battery when this happens. You also have  stereo sound reproduction but there is still that tinny sound that is common with laptop and netbook sound systems.

Battery life

There wasn’t an optical drive integrated in to this nethook so I wasn’t able to run down the battery on a DVD of a feature movie being played, which would normally test the battery on video, sound and disk activity. But I was able to complete a new-machine antimalware scan and a Windows Update concurrently, which would test the battery on the hard disk and the network. The unit had finished on 50% full at the end of the virus scan and Windows Update.

Therefore the unit can still do most tasks expected of a netbook on its own battery for a long time.

Quick-start shell

There is a pre-boot “quick-start shell” which allows you to do some elementary tasks without you having to fully boot Windows 7. This allows you to work with the Web, including viewing selected Webmail accounts; use an online calendar or  play music and view photos held on the computer’s storage.

I would like to see this “quick-start shell” extended to support for a desktop mail client for POP3/IMAP/ActiveSync mail setups which most home and small business users would use as well as support for access to DLNA media servers for online media playback. This could be extended to use as a DLNA Media Control Point for use in playing media on DLNA MediaRenderer devices. 

Conclusion

The higher-capacity hard disk can be of benefit when you want to do things like preview many digital pictures or work with a lot of email using a desktop email client like Windows Live Mail. Other than that, it has the typical capabilities of a netbook.

This means that I would still place it as a secondary-use traveller computer or as a “floater” computer for the home network for accessing the Social Web in front of the TV for example.

HTC Unveils a DLNA-based ‘Media Link’ for Handset TV Streaming | eHomeUpgrade

My comments

At the moment, Samsung has already delivered a DLNA media control point / server with their Android handsets in the form of AllShare. This would have meant that someone who had an HTC Desire or wanted to start a mobile service contract using an HTC Android handset would have had to visit Android Marketplace to add on TwonkyMedia Server and Andromote to add on DLNA media-sharing / media-control functionality to their handset.

But HTC is intending to supply a “Media Link” app with their newer Android handsets to integrate them in to the DLNA Home Media Network. At the moment, this app is standard with the upcoming Desire Z and HD handsets and is intended to be available for newer HTC Android handsets.

The main issue I have with this app is whether it is available as an in-place upgrade or add-on for existing HTC Android handsets or will these users need to look towards Andromote and TwonkyMedia Server?

From what I have gleaned about this program, it seems to be able to work with content held on the handset but I would like to know whether a person can use the handset to have content held on another DLNA media server like a NAS playing on the DLNA-enabled media player or be able to “pull-down” selected content held on the DLNA media server to the phone via the network.

It is still worth keeping an eye on the Android market for apps that may do the job better than whatever comes with the phone, especially if you are after more DLNA functionality.

This morning, I listened to the ABC 11am news broadcast and read an article in “The Age” about the National Broadband Network being established in Tasmania on time and under budget (which I had written a post about). There was the typical response from the Liberal-Party / National-Party Opposition about it being a waste of money even though there was around a 50% takeup of the service according to these news reports.

The Opposition need to look beyond the perceived waste of money by assessing the value that the infrastructure will bring to that area. One thing I always think of in relation to any improved-broadband technology is that it could increase the area’s attractiveness to business or education / research. Then, whenever there are major employers in that state that support these high-value industries, there is also the likelihood of supporting businesses becoming established in order to serve the employees in these industries.

As I have said in previous posts on this site, it would be worth that the Opposition looks at countries who are deploying FTTH broadband setups like France and observe how many people are taking up these services. They should look at fibre-copper setups like Germany’s VDSL2 services and see whether these are also being set up to be future-proof with FTTH fibre.

A summary post of the year in review for home and small-business Information Technology

Technological Changes and Events

Arrival of Windows 7 and MacOS X “Snow Leopard”

Windows 7 and Macintosh “Snow Leopard” have been primarily “under-the-hood” reworks of the operating systems in order to make them perform in an optimum manner on today’s hardware. This has led to both of them being fine-tuned to work properly with the latest Intel-architecture processors, both the 32-bit versions and the 64-bit versions.

The main benefit is that Windows has been brought up to the same performance expectation as the Macintosh platform especially when it come to graphics and multimedia tasks. This also has affected the industrial design of Windows-based computer hardware where the computer systems, especially portable computers (laptops, notebooks and netbooks) and “all-in-one” computers which have the computing power integrated with the LCD screen, are aesthetically on a par with or overtaking the Apple Macintosh computers, especially the MacBook portable computers and the iMac all-in-one units.

There will still be the Macintosh users who crave the glowing Apple logo on the back of the computer but an increasing number of these users are still considering the Windows 7 platform.

The rise of the netbook

This year has seen the netbook become a significant computing option. These compact portable computers run on a processor like the Intel Atom platform, use a screen of up to 11” and have as their secondary storage a hard disk of up to 160Gb and a memory card reader but no optical-disk drive. As far as networking is concerned, they will usually have Wi-Fi wireless networking at least and may also have wireless broadband connectivity built in to them. These grew out of the “One Laptop Per Child” project where the goal was to provide portable computers to children in underdeveloped communities, especially the Third World, to assist with their education.

They are now being seen as being of value to computer users who have a desktop, larger laptop or “all-in-one” as a secondary computer for use when travelling or for computer users who consider that their only needs are word-processing, email and Web surfing. They also have become of value to “hotspot surfers” who make regular visits to cafes, bars and similar locations where a wireless hotspot exists.

Apple iPad and the arrival of the consumer tablet computer

Another significant technological event that had happened this year was Apple launching the iPad. This is a touch-sensitive portable computing device about the size of an average magazine and is supported by an electronic book and periodical library provided by Apple’s iTunes infrastructure.

It has attracted a lot of curiosity and interest from consumers, publishers and competitors alike and there has been interest in it being a platform for delivering books, newspapers, magazines and other printed material. It has been taken further with the concept of rich media and video as part of illustrations in the electronic publications.

Of course, competitors have answered the device in different ways. One was to provide low-cost touch-enabled convertible notebooks including “netvertibles” which are touch-enabled convertible netbooks. These units would run the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system or another “tablet-form” operating system. Another was to provide touch-enabled “tablet” computers that run Android or another competing consumer-electronics operating system. They would also run “front-ends” for various electronic-publishing platforms like Amazon and / or provide PDF reading functionality.

The ultra-cool Apple iPhone faces serious competition

Google had officially released the Android embedded-device operating system and this led to the arrival of touch-enabled smartphones from HTC, Samsung, Motorola and Sony Ericsson which were able to effectively compete with the Apple iPhone. This operating system was backed by an application development environment and on-phone “app store” that gave developers more freedom to do what they want with their applications.

Similarly, Samsung had developed Bada, which was their own touchscreen smartphone platform and supplied a number of smartphones that ran on this platform. Other smartphone platform designers like RIM, Symbian and Microsoft had prepared touchscreen smartphone platforms and app-store environments that were able to compete with Android and the Apple iPhone platform.

The arrival of the competing platforms had occurred concurrently with an increased developer dissatisfaction with the way Apple handled iPhone apps for sale through through the iPhone App Store. This dissatisfaction has also been intensified by the “found iPhone 4 prototype” saga which engulfed the Gizmodo blog circa May and June, where Apple wanted to haul that blog and one of its reporters “over the coals” because they were perceived to be spying on their trade secrets.

Next generation broadband

Another major technological change that has happened over this year was the arrival of next-generation broadband in an increasing number of countries with the most progressive rollouts being in UK, France and Germany.

This is a category of broadband service that gives network bandwidths of at least 10Mbps to the customer’s door. Most such services use a backhaul that is primarily fibre-optic cable but there are some that use fibre-optic cable to the customer’s door whereas others use copper-based technology, usually VDSL2 which is a fast version of ADSL2 optimised for short runs.

Major promises that have been offered with this technology include the delivery of IP-based TV services that provide many streamed or on-demand channels of high-definition video as well as IP-based voice and video telephony with the voice service at the sound-quality equivalent of FM radio.

TV content delivered over the Internet

This leads me to an increased interest being shown by broadcasters, Internet service providers and the consumer-electronics industry in delivering TV content via the Internet. This encompasses content streamed in real-time to the end-user in the traditional broadcast context and video-on-demand content able to be drawn down by the end-user for immediate viewing or storage on a hard disk local to the end-user’s home.

Some European countries are using this technique to provide free-to-air TV and pay TV through “triple-play” Internet services. But the technology is being considered in the USA and Australia as an alternative to pay TV. This is being considered more so in the US especially during the Financial Crisis because of a desire to save money by “cutting the cord” – disconnecting from cable TV and is augmented by the fact that a lot of Americans are becoming disenfranchised by their cable-TV providers.

TV over Internet has been augmented by the development of the Google TV platform and consumer-electronics manufacturers developing their “online-TV” platforms that are part of their TVs and Blu-Ray players. These platforms include a front-end to various video-on-demand or IPTV services as well as social-Web services like Facebook and Twitter. Even Panasonic, LG and Samsung have integrated Skype in to their TV platforms and provided support for a Webcam so that their TVs become a large-screen communal videophone of the kind only dreamed of in science fiction.

As well, companies like TiVo and Sony are proposing that the FCC (the communications regulator in the USA) implement a standards-driven “broadcast-IP” way of delivering premium TV services, both broadcast and on-demand, to the networked home. This is to be considered as a preferred alternative to the status quo of delivering pay-TV where the signal is delivered from the cable-TV infrastructure or satellite dish to set-top boxes that are leased from the pay-TV provider at each viewing location. The DLNA-driven setup would provide for viewing and recording of regular broadcasts, viewing of on-demand content as well as use of interactive TV using equipment purchased by the consumer and supporting the ability to have the user experience branded by the equipment’s designer for example.

On this site

Naming change from cumbersome name to simple HomeNetworking01.info name

This site used to be known as the “Home Networking Information And Discussion Blog” but has been rebranded to an easily-remembered “HomeNetworking01.info” brand. This reflects the actual URL address for this site rather than the URL referring to a cumbersomely-worded site name.

As well, the site isn’t just pitched as a blog. With all the many feature articles and product reviews, this site is positioned as an information portal for home and small-business information technology.

Plenty of reviews

Over the past year, I had built up strong relationships with various names in the consumer and small-business IT scene in order to review network-enabled equipment for this class of user. I have focused on equipment that can be managed by the user themselves, especially that the householder or small-business owner is likely to be the one who manages all of the equipment rather than relying on dedicated staff or outside contractors.

I have reviewed network-based media players that support UPnP AV media playback as a standard. This encompasses the Internet radios that I have reviewed here because they are able to fulfil the role of a network media player as well as an Internet radio.

It has been dominated by a lot of table radios, mostly made by Revo; plus one Pure Evoke Flow portable radio and a Sony home-theatre receiver that was primarily a network media player.

I have also reviewed plenty of network-enabled printers, primarily multi-function printers with or without integrated fax functionality that are targeted at either home users including home-office users, or small-business users. This was to work with the theme of how you can take advantage of your small network but also to show people that there are printers out there that are capable of being there “for the long haul” rather than those el-cheapo specials that cost as much to replenish with ink or toner as they do to by and have a very short service life.

Most of these were Hewlett-Packard printers that covered most of the “good-quality” home and small-business market but I had reviewed two of the Canon “home-office” PIXMA fax-enabled multifunction printers. I had also reviewed a Brother network-capable all-in-one printer with fax functionality that could scan from or print on A3 or US-Ledger paper.

I have not forgotten about the laptop, notebook or netbook computer being a centrepiece of the “new computing environment”. Here, I have reviewed a range of machines that suit different usage types like users who have the laptop as their sole computing device as well as users who have a desktop or larger portable computer and want to have a portable computer primarily for use while they travel.

I have reviewed a number of Dell and HP notebooks but am diversifying to other brands, especially as I am starting to review Sony’s VAIO lineup of portable computers.

More feature articles

As the 802.11n wireless-network standard was declared “final”, I had written an article about understanding this new standard and selecting the right equipment for the home or small-business network. This includes catering for older equipment that operates on the 802.11g standard.

I had also written an article on understanding and optimising a HomePlug powerline network in order to gain best value out of the technology. This also includes using HomePlug to extend network coverage out to outbuildings in larger properties, especially where a remote building like a cabin may be wired from another outbuilding like a garage that is closer to and wired from the main house. It also encompassed deploying a HomePlug AV network in to a premises which has a legacy HomePlug 1.0 Turbo network already in place.

Not forgetting the shops and other small businesses

The HomeNetworking01,info site is also targeted at shops and other small businesses who have the business owner being the business’s IT staff. In a lot of cases, these businesses can easily end up making mistakes by not understanding IT trends that come about to them or by buying cheaper poor-quality computing equipment that doesn’t suit their needs exactly.

I had written a buyer’s guide article about understanding IP-based video-surveillance systems because most businesses who actually run or are contemplating installing a closed-circuit TV setup may be talked in to buying one of these systems. As well, I had written an article about using UPnP AV / DLNA technology in the small business whether to play music or use one of the recent Samsung or Sony DLNA-enabled LCD TVs as part of a digital-signage effort.

Similarly, I have reviewed a number of fax-equipped multifunction printers that would be considered fit for small businesses like the Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet 6500 and LaserJet M1210 Series as well as the Brother MFC-6490CW A3-capable unit as well as two single-function printers from the Hewlett-Packard stable – the OfficeJet 7000 A3-capable inkjet network printer and a direct-connect LaserJet  P1560 monochrome laser unit suitable for doctors’ offices, motels and the like. Of course, there are businesses who may need to make short-run promotional material that is to be printed on A3 paper or who need to print material like ledgers and charts on to A3 paper for easier reading or mounting on a wall or noticeboard. I have reviewed a couple of network-connected printers that can do this job at a cost-effective price, one being the previously-mentioned Brother all-in-one and the other being an HP OfficeJet 7000 single-function wide-carriage printer.

As for laptop computers, I have reviewed an HP ProBook 4520 business-grade unit that is best used by business owners who take the computer between their business’s shopfront and their home office. I have also reviewed netbook and subnotebook computers for people to use as “traveller” computers that are secondary to a desktop or larger notebook computer.

Expect a lot more

As the new technologies are introduced through the coming year, especially as countries increase the deployment of “next-generation” single-pipe triple-play wireline broadband and more people take up wireless broadband, there will be a lot more coverage in this site.

As well, as each year yields a new technology for release to the home, SOHO or small-business market, I will be covering these technologies by explaining what is involved when buying equipment based on them. There will of course be more articles concerning the online life and other plans that are afoot concerning this technology.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY

HOMENETWORKING01.INFO