broadband

Novatel MiFi 2200 – Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot modem (for Sprint or Verizon)

Gizmo of the Day, Portable / By /

I really like the idea of the Novatel Mi-Fi devices – a mobile Wi-Fi modem that lets you create your very own Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere there is Verizon or Sprint cell coverage. Sure, you have to have one of their broadband service plans, but the device is free (well, $0.01) when you purchase a subscription. It’s useless anyway without one.

The MiFi 2200 is compact (3.5″ at its widest) and thin (0.4″) so it’s easy to slip into your laptop bag. This EVDO Rev A modem has transfer rates in the 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps range, and can support up to 5 Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g devices. It runs on a lithium-ion battery that is rechargeable via a USB connection and gives up to 4 hours of active time and 40 hours of standby time.

As an example of what you might pay for broadband service, Sprint costs about $60/mo and Verizon has a few plans, one of which is $40/mo. Check with them for up to date numbers.

The Novatel MiFi 2200 seems perfect for small businesses that want to provide service to customers coming into their store or even their own employees; or perhaps if your job requires a fair amount of travel with other colleagues; or you’re a student that likes sharing. There are a lot of potential uses for this gadget.

Buy now! (Sprint)
Buy now! (Verizon)
Price: $0.01 (with service plan)
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

VDSL2 ups the ante on DSL technology – 500Mbps possible

Networking & Internet / By /

Ericsson has shown that they can achieve 500Mbps speeds over copper lines, using a next-gen DSL technology called VDSL2 (Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2).

Just one caveat – the 500Mbps rate was only over 500m, and it degrades as the distance gets longer. However, even at 1km, you may still get 50Mbps which beats the pants off of commonly available ADSL.

This may be a crucial technology in bringing broadband to areas with telco infrastructure, but no cable TV or fiber lines.

CES 2009: Dlink’s All In One Router and More

CES, Computers, Networking & Internet / By /

Dlink has announced the Xtreme N Storage Router. This router is touted as a “All In One” router and comes in an impressive little package sporting a small picture frame, wireless N router, 4 1GB ethernet ports, SATA drive bay, and 2 USB ports for hard drive or print sharing. The router allows users to share and view as well as backup data such as music, video and photos on your network. There is even a built-in FTP server allowing you to share and access the files over the Internet. This will be available for around $300.

Also being shown was a 2-bay Network Video Recorder (NVR) supporting all D-Link cameras. You can remotely manage and view cameras connected on your network using various recording methods included scheduled or motion capture. The NVR supports 2 SATA drives in RAID 0 or 1 format. Two cameras were being shown including a pan and tilt for $299 and another camera that support N wireless or wired for $179 and $149 respectively.

For consumers, Dlink now provides a Network Storage Enclosure supporting iSCSI in RAID 0, 1 Standard and JBOD Support. You can transfer files over the Internet using ftp with SSL encryption.

Finally, a couple not-ready-for-production products were displayed including a SideStage 7″ USB LCD Monitor and an Ethernet to Coax Adapter. No pricing or availability were given for those products.

Qwest rolls out 12 and 20 Mbps DSL service

Networking & Internet / By /

It took a while, but now DSL is starting to compete with cable modem service on speed, as Qwest announces that they’ll be offering 12 and 20 Mbps DSL service in 23 markets. When you call up, just ask for Qwest Titanium, or Qwest Quantum, as the services will be dubbed.

Sorry, but will I know you’re drooling over this, you’ll have to wait closer to the end of the year if not early 2009, and you’ll need to be prepared to shell out $65/mo for the 12Mbps and $100/mo for 20. Hmm… perhaps cable may still win this speed war.

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