Linksys WRT160N Wireless-N broadband router (Canadian)
Product summary
The good: The Linksys WRT160N comes in a compact, sleek design. It sports an easy-to-use Web interface and offers a good set of networking features. Its included software is very helpful for setting it up with both Macs and PCs.
The bad: The Linksys WRT160N doesn’t support the faster Gigabit standard for wired connection, nor does it have USB support.
The bottom line: The Linksys WRT160N Wireless-N broadband router has consistent performance, good range, a helpful software application, and a good set of networking features. Its lack of Gigabit and USB support are the only major knocks against it.
Specifications: Networking type: Wireless router ; Dimensions (W x D x H): 8 in x 6.3 in x 1.3 in ; Connectivity technology: Wired , Wireless
Price range: $159.99 check prices
- Reviewed on: 07/21/2009
If you’re looking for a simple workhorse Wireless-N router, you’ll be happy with the WRT160N, especially considering you can get it online for $80 or less.
Overall, the WRT160N is much like Linksys’ WRT320N router, minus the support for the 5Ghz band and Gigabit Ethernet. Nonetheless, it retains the same compact and sleek-looking UFO-shaped design with internal antennas.
The WRT160N achieved decent throughput speeds, especially in mixed mode and range testing. It also comes with a good set of networking features and a useful desktop application that helps set up and manage both the router and the local network. Also, you can use its Web interface to access its advanced features.
Design and ease of use
Similar to Linksys’ recent routers such as the WRT320N, the WRT400N and the WRT310N, the WRT160N sports an aesthetically pleasing sleek, flat, UFO-shaped chassis. The router’s antennas are internal, allowing it to be more compact than other, similarly sized routers.
On the back the WRT160N has four network ports, standard for most routers. Unfortunately, these ports do not adhere to the Gigabit Ethernet standard, which allows for throughput speeds of up to 1,000Mbps. Instead, the ports on the WRT160N are capped at 100Mbps, so if you use the router for wired connections, you’ll be missing out on the higher speed. Also disappointing is the omission of a USB port, which would allow for supporting a printer or network storage device.
On the front of the router is an array of light emitting diodes that show the status of the ports, the wireless network, and the Internet. In the middle of the LEDs is the Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) button, which initiates a window of time when you can hook other WPS-compliant wireless clients to the network without having to enter an encryption key. For example if you bring a WPS-enabled client close to the router and press the button on both devices, they will be connected automatically.
The WRT160N comes with Linksys’ EasyLink Advisor software for both PC and Mac. The software is well-designed and offers a well-thought-out, step-by-step setup process that even the most novice of users can follow. Savvy users may want to skip it in favor of the Web interface, which is more comprehensive than the desktop software.
We had no problems and were able to get the Linksys WRT160N router up and running for testing within a few minutes.
Features
The WRT160N router has nearly the same Web interface and networking features as the other recent Linksys routers. The interface allows access to the routers’ long list of advanced features. We especially liked its elaborate content filtering system, called “Access Restrictions,” that allows for restricting or filtering Internet access of particular networked computers. This is helpful if you want to block certain computers from certain Web sites. The “Applications & Gaming” feature lets you set up port forwarding and triggering to set specific ports for specific applications such as games, remote desktop, or FTP and HTTP servers. You can also conveniently reserve static IP addresses to certain computers in the network, making the port forwarding much more relevant and easy to do. If you want to create a VPN connection, an FTP access, or a remote desktop connection to a certain computer in the network, you will find this handy and convenient.
The desktop software also offers some original post-setup features. We especially liked the ability to see a map of all clients connected to the network and the ability to manage each of them in real time. For example, if you see an unidentified device connected to the network, the software allows you to mark it in red to distinguish it from other known devices. If a client in the network has EasyLink Advisor installed, you can do more, such as viewing its complete status including its MAC, IP address, OS and CPU information, and more.
For security, the WRT160N supports all available wireless encryption standards including WEP, WPA personal, and WPA Enterprise. The router allows for VPN pass-through for all existing VPN protocols including IPsec, L2TP, and PPTP. If you’re using the router from your home, you can use a VPN client to access your work offices via a VPN connection.
Apart from NAT, it also has an SPI firewall that you can turn on or off, or further customize with different options.
Performance
The WRT160N’s performance met our expectation for a single-band Wireless-N router.
On our throughput test, where the router was set to offer the best possible performance, it achieved 40.3Mbps, just a little slower than the 45.3Mbps of the WRT320 and a bit faster than the 40.1Mbps of the WRT400N. At this speed the WRT160N would take about 99 seconds to finish transmitting 500MB of data over its wireless network.
On our range test, where the router was 100 feet away from the client, it got 36.8Mbps, which was faster than the WRT320N and about the same as the WRT400N.
In mixed mode, the WRT160N remained at 36.7Mbps. The mixed-mode test was done with the router set to work with both Wireless-N and legacy Wireless-G simultaneously.
We noticed that the WRT160N, like most of Linksys’ recent routers, offer consistent performance with small degradation over range and mixed mode, which is impressive. The Belkin N+, for example, has a faster throughput speed of 55.4Mbps, but its range speed reduced by nearly half to 29.4Mbps.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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We were also satisfied with the WRT160N’s 270-foot range in our testing facility, which is not range optimized. In the real world, depending on your location, you might get even longer range.
Service and support
Like with its other new routers, Linksys backs the WRT160N with a one-year limited warranty. This is short but standard for most routers on the market. Linksys’ toll-free phone support is available 24-7, as is online chat with a support representative. Linksys’ Web site includes software, drivers, firmware downloads, as well as an FAQ section.
VTech LS6225-3
Product summary
The good: DECT 6.0 cordless phone; relatively inexpensive; 1.5-inch LCD; sleek design; expandable up to 12 handsets; speakerphone on handset; integrated digital answering machine on most models.
The bad: Shiny black front and back of phone attracts fingerprints; no headset jack in handset for hands-free operation.
The bottom line: VTech’s LS6225/LS6215 series may not have quite the range–or the features list–of some Panasonic models, but it’s very stylish looking and affordably priced.
Price range: $76.11 – $102.99 check prices
- Reviewed on: 07/08/2009
New for 2009, VTech’s LS6225/LS6215 series is one of the company’s featured DECT 6.0 cordless phone lines. VTech has a reputation for making sleek and stylish cordless phones and the LS6225 series is an eye-catcher, with a shiny black finish, touch buttons on the base unit/digital answering machine, and a slight curve to the handsets that follows the contour of your face. You can get this model in packages of two and three handsets (the system is expandable to 12 handsets), as well as a unit that leaves off the answering machine.
Design
With the design of the LS62x5 series, it looks like VTech drew some inspiration from Motorola’s Razr phones, particularly when it comes to the keypad. The keys are flush to the phone and made of hard plastic, but their spacing is good and we had no trouble dialing numbers. The keys are backlit and while the 1.5-inch LCD (it, too, has blue backlighting) isn’t huge, it should be ample enough for most users.
The phone and base unit is attractively styled with a sleek, minimalist design that we liked. The base unit has no buttons per se; all the controls are touch-based, and they worked fine in our tests. However, it should be pointed out that the shiny black finish–on both the front and the back of the phone–is a fingerprint magnet. On a positive note, we found the user interface relatively straightforward and easy to navigate. The speakerphone is built into the back of the handset (it sits right in the middle) and Talk/Off buttons are clearly labeled and within easy reach of your thumb as you hold the phone in your hand.
Pop open the battery compartment and you’ll notice what this phone’s biggest drawback is. It’s powered by a 500mAh Ni-MH battery pack that, according to VTech, will give you up to 8 hours of talk time (5 hours with of speakerphone usage and up to 8 days of standby time). In our tests, these numbers seem a little on high side (we only got about 6 days of standby time), but, according to VTech, operating times vary depending on your actual use and age of the battery.
In a wider context, those numbers match up well against the competition (and against some earlier VTech models, which opted for superslim handsets at the expense of battery life). By comparison, Panasonic’s KX-TG6400 series includes two 650mAh Ni-MH AAAs that provide approximately 5 hours of talk time and 11 days of standby time.
Features
The LS62x5 series comes in packages featuring two or three handsets, and you can have a maximum of 12 handsets connected to the system. You don’t get some of the features found on some of Panasonic’s latest models, including Talking Caller ID, Talking alarm clock, Talking battery alert (“Please charge the phone”), or ringer ID (you can attach various ringtones to contacts in your phonebook), but all the standard stuff is here: call silent mode, three-way conference capability, a handset-to-base intercom function (as well as handset-to-handset communications), and a speakerphone in the handset. The LS6225-2 series does not have a speakerphone or dial pad in the main base unit, and there’s no headset jack in the handset for hands-free operation (though some people don’t care about this feature).
The digital answering machine (found in all models but the LS6215-2) can store up to 14 minutes worth of messages and any of the handsets registered to the system (up to 12) can access the phonebook, which lets you store up to 50 names and numbers. However, only one handset can access the phonebook at a time.
Overall, this cordless phone is pretty middling in terms of features, but as we said, the staples are here.
Performance
DECT 6.0 (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) operates in the 1.9GHz range and is designed not to interfere with other electronics in your home, such as microwaves, Wi-Fi networks, and baby monitors. It’s also supposed to offer extended range (up to 200 feet), though distance will vary depending on obstacles and the material in your walls.
Most DECT 6.0 phones offer similar range, but they’re not all equal. In our tests, we found that the LS62x5 series didn’t do quite as well as Panasonic’s KX-TG6400 series. The Panasonic offered about 10 feet more of range before the connection with the base unit died.
Call quality was good and clear overall and we got ample volume
Hauppauge WinTV-MiniStick HD review
No Freeview HD but remains a passable way to view DTT channels on your desktop
Sadly this tuner can’t do UK HD but it handles Freeview well
Slapping a vogue-ish phrase like HD on the WinTV-Ministick is a sure way to attract interest in your DTT tuner but it can be misleading for UK buyers.
While tuners like the Ministick are indeed compatible with terrestrial HD services from countries including France and Spain which use H.264 compression, they lack the DVB-T2 chipsets that will be required for Freeview HD. Indeed, DVB-T2 tuners are not likely to appear in commercial products until late 2009 at the earliest and will likely come at a premium price initially.
So for those not planning to hop across The Channel, how suitable is the single DVB-T tuner-equipped Ministick for standard-definition reception? Well, being little bigger than a stick of gum, it’s not the tiniest tuner we’ve come across but is slender nonetheless.
It plugs directly into a USB 2.0 port on your computer or can be set apart using a USB extension cable. Also included is an adjustable hinged portable aerial fitted with a magnetic base or you can connect the tuner to a rooftop aerial.
Predictably, the latter proves the best option as we were unable to get a signal in our London test area with the portable option either indoors or sat in the garden with the included signal monitor application showing figures stuck stubbornly in the red. Not great for on-the-go laptop users, then.
Also in the box is a basic credit card-sized remote which could do with some variation in button size to make it more intuitive. The tuner works well with Windows Media Center (with Service Pack 2 installed) or you can use the supplied alternative – version 7 of Hauppauge’s also rather basic WinTV application. There’s no support for the third-party TVTV application, however, which would have added such features as remote recording.
The software scans for channels on first loading, generating a single list from which channels can be searched for by name. This displays video in a re-sizeable Windows Media Player-style interface with the option to have it always overlaid over other items on your desktop and display video in 4:3, 16:9 or 16:10 including full-screen.
There’s subtitle support but not teletext. You can view now-and-next data for channels from the main application or there’s a grid-styled EPG populated by seven-day DVB data from which you can also view synopses and schedule recordings.
Recordings are also scheduled from a separate manual scheduler where you can specify channel, length and once, daily or weekly repeat options with the option to have the PC come out of standby to record if needed.
Alternatively, you can start recording directly from the main application window. Recordings are stored with their name, date and time in transport stream format, although Hauppauge has stopped short of including software for editing, conversion or burning afterwards.
The software keeps a running cache of what you’re viewing in its pause buffer, allowing you to skip back and forward 10 or 30 seconds or in one-minute chunks. Buffered files can kept too (useful if you forgot to record what you’re watching).
While we were not in a position to test its HD reception capabilities, viewing Freeview channels and playing back recordings on our reasonably powerful test laptop (Intel Core 2, 2GB RAM, GeForceT5600 graphics card) using a rooftop aerial proved a smooth experience with few glitches. Recordings also started on time with no hiccoughs.
Nokia developing wireless mobile charging
Nokia’s UK-based research and development teams are working on wire-free charging technology to let you re-juice your mobile without tapping into the grid
The ability to harvest ambient radiowaves is already being put to use in the big wide world with RFID tags.
If Nokia has their way, within five years we’ll no longer need to plug our mobiles into the mains when we run out of battery power. The Finnish mobile experts are developing a new mobile phone prototype that recharges the battery over the airwaves.
To be more precise, Nokia’s new charging system uses the ambient radio waves produced by Wi-Fi, phone masts, TVs and radios, that surround us all to power up batteries.
The amount of juice available from the ambient waves is small but Nokia claim it’s enough to keep your mobile ticking over nicely in standby mode indefinitely.
The ability to harvest ambient radiowaves is already being put to use in the big wide world with RFID tags and Oyster cards both making use of the technology but thus far it’s never been applied to gadgets.
So how long will we have to wait for this wirefree power nirvana? Well according to Cambridge-based Nokia researcher Markku Rouvala not long. He told MIT Journal Technology Review: “I would say it is possible to put this into a product within three to four years.”
ASUS Eee Stick wireless controller for PC
ASUS Eee Stick wireless controller for PC
Sonos ZonePlayers ZP90 and ZP120 added to the list
Sonos intros two new ZonePlayers: the ZP90 and ZP120. The ZP120 sports a slim and svelte form and is down 57% of the original size. The ZP90 works as a receiver to stream music wirelessly. Both the devices depend on MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, thus doubling their range when compared to earlier versions. Large spaces and mansions benefit from the extended range and will be able to take full advantage of it. Sonos ZonePlayers ZP90 and ZP120 will sell for £249 ($490) and £349 ($685), respectively.
Sonos ZonePlayers ZP90 and ZP120 added to the list
Sonos intros two new ZonePlayers: the ZP90 and ZP120. The ZP120 sports a slim and svelte form and is down 57% of the original size. The ZP90 works as a receiver to stream music wirelessly. Both the devices depend on MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, thus doubling their range when compared to earlier versions. Large spaces and mansions benefit from the extended range and will be able to take full advantage of it. Sonos ZonePlayers ZP90 and ZP120 will sell for £249 ($490) and £349 ($685), respectively.
Celleden launches Wireless Stereo Player & the Bluetooth dongle
Celleden has planned to introduce two of its products for the UK markets, the Wireless Stereo Player & Speakerphone and the Bluetooth Universal Stereo Dongle. Both these products are catered towards the in-car entertainment segments easing the compatibility to engage in music from different devices harmoniously. The Stereo Player & Speakerphone is a Bluetooth enabled devices that is similar to a portable speaker system enabling you to enjoy and share your music on the move. A spring-loaded compartment stores the speakers to ensure they are secure on a bumpy ride. It can be paired with a Bluetooth enabled phone to act as a hands free speakerphone.
Now comes the Celleden Bluetooth Universal Stereo Dongle, this device is like a converter which connects to any 3.5mm jack and transmits the music to the Wireless stereo player. So incase you have a CD player lying around the back or just want to listen to some music from your iPod or your mobile phone without draining its batteries, this device could come in handy. The Dongle also can be used as a USB drive after installing some software on to your laptop, and also be paired with various other Bluetooth enabled devices.
The Celleden Wireless Stereo Player & Speakerphone has a 10m range and works for up to 20 hours on 4AA batteries. It is 160 x 72 x 32 mm and is priced at £49.99($87.93). The Celleden Bluetooth Universal Stereo Dongle also has a 10m range and is powered by a rechargeable battery. It weighs 26g, is 60 x 35 x 14mm and is priced at £39.99 ($78.17).
Celleden launches Wireless Stereo Player & the Bluetooth dongle
Celleden has planned to introduce two of its products for the UK markets, the Wireless Stereo Player & Speakerphone and the Bluetooth Universal Stereo Dongle. Both these products are catered towards the in-car entertainment segments easing the compatibility to engage in music from different devices harmoniously. The Stereo Player & Speakerphone is a Bluetooth enabled devices that is similar to a portable speaker system enabling you to enjoy and share your music on the move. A spring-loaded compartment stores the speakers to ensure they are secure on a bumpy ride. It can be paired with a Bluetooth enabled phone to act as a hands free speakerphone.
Now comes the Celleden Bluetooth Universal Stereo Dongle, this device is like a converter which connects to any 3.5mm jack and transmits the music to the Wireless stereo player. So incase you have a CD player lying around the back or just want to listen to some music from your iPod or your mobile phone without draining its batteries, this device could come in handy. The Dongle also can be used as a USB drive after installing some software on to your laptop, and also be paired with various other Bluetooth enabled devices.
The Celleden Wireless Stereo Player & Speakerphone has a 10m range and works for up to 20 hours on 4AA batteries. It is 160 x 72 x 32 mm and is priced at £49.99($87.93). The Celleden Bluetooth Universal Stereo Dongle also has a 10m range and is powered by a rechargeable battery. It weighs 26g, is 60 x 35 x 14mm and is priced at £39.99 ($78.17).
