The Smorgasbord

Need external storage that’s extremely portable? I’ve wished for an external hard drive enclosure that’s wireless, and my wireless hard drive review guide will show you the in’s and out’s of what’s currently available!

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

*Update* – this is a repost from the archives with new info, since wireless hard drives are more affordable and cheaper than ever nowadays…

I’ve blogged a lot off an on about making your home entertainment network more user friend, and the gadgets that can help you get it done. Yesterday we were talking at home about the value of maybe getting a big external hard drive and hooking it up (wired) to one PC so the entire household could store their media on it. We’d maybe start it off with one big USB 2.0 external 500GB disk. You can get one new for around $120 less than $50 now online. I’ve written about the wireless USB hub and how you could connect multiple external hard drives or enclosures that way, and I’ve also posted about the value of a good network storage drive. But now they’re coming out with wireless hard drives that may start to change all of that…

What is a Wireless Hard Drive?

You have to be very careful when you’re shopping for a wireless hard drive, because devices that may appear to do the same thing may not. There are many, many flavors that may do many many different things – pay attention to what your needs are, the price, and value for the money. I’m going to show you some different kinds of wireless hard drives and enclosures:

The Iomega 33349 StorCenter has 1 Terabyte (1,000 GB) 2 or 4 Terabyte (2-4,000 GB) of storage and is a “Network Storage Device” – meaning you can plug it into your router or switch on your home or business network for everyone to share (without having it hooked to one dedicated computer). The StorCenter is “wireless” as well as wired, so all laptops and mobile devices can access it. Imagine having one device that could be accessed by PC’s, laptops, cell phones, PDA, iPhone, iTouch, or even your PSP or other mobile devices. There’s a price to be paid for all this technology, and around $200 (as of this writing).

You can get the latest price by following these links.

Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 – 2 TB Network Attached Storage 34481 (Black)

Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 – 2 TB Network Attached Storage 34481 (Black)

Iomega StorCenter ix2 dual sata drive NAS with Raid 1000 Mbit
	USD 60.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 23:48:23
New Iomega 4TB StorCenter ix2-200 Network Storage, Cloud Edition 35430 LOOK
	USD 349.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 13:48:20
iomega 35430 4TB StorCenter ix2-200 Network Storage
	USD / 329.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 21:20:41
Iomega StorCenter ix4-200d 8TB 4 x 2TB Network Storage Cloud Edition 35439 LOOK
	USD 849.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 13:53:10
Iomega 35427 StorCenter ix2-200 Network Storage Server
	USD 331.93 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 04:02:32
iomega 35430 StorCenter ix2-200 -AS IS (No Hard Drives)
	USD / 3.25 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 20:38:12
Iomega 35427 StorCenter ix2-200 Network Storage Server
	USD 331.93 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 04:11:31
Iomega 35436 StorCenter ix4-200d Network Storage Server
	USD 749.29 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 03:26:34
Iomega 35436 StorCenter ix4-200d Network Storage Server
	USD 749.29 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 03:21:22
Iomega 34678 StorCenter ix12-300r Drive Expansion Pack 8TB Serial ATA Hard Drive
	USD 1159.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 07:39:07

You have some products that proclaim to be a “Wireless Media Player” like the MG-M2TVD and MG-M2TVDW Media Players by Mediagate. This is just fancy hard drive enclosure – since the device comes sans hard drive. It does proclaim so pretty boasty features, like the ability to stream HD video via wireless up to 1920 x 1080p. It’s got all kinds of fancy connections, like L/R stereo out, and composite, component, and S-video out. This particular unit can stream video from an internal hard drive or a PC on the network and even has a remote control. So you can see that this unit (as a wireless hard drive) is very different in that it can be a set-top box OR a media gateway to access (from networked PC’s). *update* the features of these are a bit different now, but they are still “media player” devices where you plugin external drives…

Follow these links to find more out about this device:

Noah Company MediaGate MG-M2TVDW Network Wireless N HD Media Player HDMI Full 1080P with DTS 2.0 Digital Audio Out (Piano Black)

Noah Company MediaGate MG-M2TVD Digital Media Player HDMI Full 1080P with DTS 2.0 Digital Audio Out (Black)

MEDIAGATE MG-M2TVDW 1080P HD Digital Media Player - BRAND NEW IN BOX
	USD 60.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 05:13:38

You might be interested in an Asus Wireless Storage Router which has an internal 250GB hard drive. It has a USB connector so you can connect other (wired) storage devices to it for sharing, and it even has the ability to download files from the Internet when your PC is turned off. The specs say you can download up to 7 bitTorrent files or 10 FTP/HTTP files simultaneously. For what it does, this wireless hard drive is a pretty good at half the price (and storage) as the StorCenter. You can get the wireless storage router through these links:

Wireless Storage Router

If you a have a hard drive lying around, you might be able to stick in a wireless hard drive enclosure box and put it on your network (wirelessly) that way. You can get one pretty reasonably, but the two I found were only for 2.5″ drives. I hope we see more (and a 3.5″ version) on eBay soon:

Rocketfish Hard Drive Enclosure Kit 3.5" PATA RF-PHD35
	USD 15.97 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 14:36:11
USB 2.5 IDE ENCLOSURE EXTERNAL CASE FOR HARD DISK
	USD 5.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:05:16
USB 2.0 Enclosure Case for Laptop 2.5" SATA Hard Drive
	USD 7.09 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:05:45
3.5 SATA Serial ATA HDD Hard Drive Disk Case Enclosure
	USD 16.70 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 06:56:47
USB 2.0 Enclosure Case for Laptop 2.5" SATA Hard Drive
	USD 7.09 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:08:32
3.5" IDE Aluminum Hard Drive Enclosure IDE USB 2.0 Black nice Supports Windows
	USD 13.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 02:28:42
NEW USB 2.0 2.5 HARD DRIVE SATA EXTERNAL CASE ENCLOSURE
	USD 7.09 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:11:51
3.5 IDE HDD HARD DRIVE ENCLOSURE CASE USB BLACK
	USD 8.03 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:25:12
Black External 3.5" IDE Hard Drive Enclosure HDD Case USB 2.0
	USD 13.79 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 18:42:02
2.5" SATA Hard Drive Disk HDD External Case Enclosure Box USB 2.0 Laptop PC
	USD 0.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:37:35

You can actually make any external hard drive enclosure wireless by using the Linksys Storage Link for USB Disk Drives. Just like many other devices Linksys makes to connect computer hardware to your home or business network, they make a Storage Link that will connect any 2 USB storage devices to your wireless local network. The thing that’s always sucked about external hard drives is that they have to be attached to a physical computer via USB to work, and then you have to access them through that computer on the network. If that computer is turned off or locked up – you can’t access those drives. With a Linksys Storage Link, you can put up to 2 USB storage devices on your network independant of all your PC’s. Just plug it into your router or hub (or switch) to work. Oh – you can even stick a flash memory stick or drive into one of the USB slots to share it on the network as well. This is not only great for file sharing, but an easy way to connect with many mobile devices!

Linksys Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives NSLU2

Linksys NSLU2 Network Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives
	USD 27.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 17:31:02
Linksys Cisco WRT350N 4 Port Gigabit Wireless N Router with Storage Link
	USD 114.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 23:27:13
Linksys WRT350N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router + STORAGE LINK
	USD 79.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 20:02:06
AC power adapter Linksys Network Storage Link NSLU2
	USD 9.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 03:06:38
LINKSYS WRT350N WIRELESS-N GIGABIT ROUTER WITH STORAGE LINK - MINT
	USD / 19.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 21:52:39
Linksys Wireless-N GB Router w/Storage Link
	USD 75.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 20:09:44
Cisco Linksys Network Storage Link - Model NSLU2 for USB 2.0 Disk Drives
	USD 24.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 22:20:43
AC Power Charger For Network Storage Linksys Link NSLU2
	USD 7.59 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 15:05:53
Linksys WRT350N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router + STORAGE LINK
	USD 0.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 04:39:45

Wireless Hard Drive Auctions

Products and listings change on eBay all the time, so here’s the lastest auctions for “wireless hard drive” on eBay right now!

Synology USB Station 3 in 1 wireless print server printer or hard drive hub
	USD 44.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:20:51
Toshiba Mini NB205 Hard drive /wireless COVER door pane
	USD 5.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 19:25:07
XBOX W/ RED RING HARD DRIVE WIRELESS WI FI BUNDLE FOR PARTS/ 4GAMES
	USD 45.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:36:51
ASUS K52F Hard Drive Wifi Wireless RAM Memory Cover Door 13GNXM1AP050-3
	USD 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 19:35:42
Apple Time Capsule 500 GB Hard Drive and 802.11 Wireless Router
	USD 81.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 03:50:14
*BRAND NEW* Seagate GoFlex Satellite 500 GB ,External wireless Hard Drive
	USD 159.50 (16 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 01:50:55
HP G70 COMPAQ CQ70 Memory Wireless Hard Drive Cover Set 489112-001
	USD 11.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 14:22:01
KARAOKE SYSTEM PROFESSIONAL HARD DRIVE CAVS SCDG MP3 DJ PA WIRELESS MICROPHONES
	USD 1299.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 03:48:54
Toshiba A355D Memory RAM Wireless Wifi Hard Drive Cover Door
	USD 9.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 21:36:50
Windows 7 Media Center Computer Micro Size Wireless N 1 TB Hard Drive HTPC HDMI
	USD 150.00 (13 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 04:14:33

My Roku Review will tell you everything you need to know about the tiny streaming device that’s taking the world by storm! Once you get done reading our experience with the Roku – you’re going to want to buy one right away!

What is the Roku Anyway?

The Roku (as in the picture above) is an Internet streaming device. You hook it up to your HDTV, LED TV, flat panel, etc. – and it connects to your wired or wireless Internet in your home and “streams” movies and content for you to watch. Some people like it so much, that they’ve actually cancelled their cable!

The Roku is a little device that’s less than 5 inches wide and only 1 inch small.

There are currently 3 kinds of Roku you can buy:

Roku HD review: The Roku HD plays in 720p HD (lower quality). It has built in wifi, and an ethernet connector. It has an HDMI output, and usually sells for about $60 bucks new.

Roku XD review: The Roku XD plays in 720p or 1080p HD (higher quality). It also has built in wifi, and an ethernet connector. It has HDMI output, but the advantage of this model is that is has Wireless N, and an enhanced remote with instant replay. This model is about $80 bucks new.

Roku XD|S review: The Roku XD|S plays in 720p or 1080p, and has built in wifi and ethernet connections. It also has HDMI output, and the enhanced remote with instant replay and extended wireless N range. But this version also supports dual band wireless, it has component and optical audio out AND (wait for it) a USB port for playing photos, music, and video. You can usually get this version for around $90 bucks new.

What Can I watch on Roku?

It’s more like what “can’t” you watch on Roku? When we bought our first Roku it was to be able to stream Netflix to our TV. And at that time there were just a few additional things to watch. NOW, it seems like there are over 100+ channels on Roku to use. We have used Amazon Video to watch movies, in addition to Hulu plus, Netflix, Imax, and there are many other movie channels. There is also now a large variety of sports, like UFC, MLB, NBA, NHL, and RacefansTV. There are lots of music channels, growing kids content, and lots of web video and misc things. I found it shocking that there were cool games, I’ve been playing blackjack on there quite a bit.

What do the Roku Channels Cost?

Well, that’s the beauty of it. There’s lots of free content, but you only pay for the channels you want to use. To use Netflix, of course you need a Netflix account. For Amazon Video, you only pay for what you watch. HuluPlus requires and account, as do some of the other channels which are as little as $1 per year. For us it’s a no brainer because we already had Hulu Plus and Netflix accounts. What the Roku does is enable us to watch the content from this Internet channels, over our HDTV without needing a computer in the living room. Because of that convenience, we got a second Roku for the bedroom – and both are now completely indispensable! In addition – we’ve taken Roku on vacation with us in the suitcase and used it with the hotel wifi several times! I never would have thought a few years back we’d have anytyhing but our DVD player and cable box hooked up to each TV – but now there’s Roku!

Where can I get Roku?

Your best bet (and where we got our two) is either Amazon (links are above) or eBay (for used bargains)…see links below:

There are TONS of great Roku deals on ebay right now:

NEW! Roku 2 HD Wireless Streaming Player - works with Netflix in the USA
	USD 75.00 (23 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:44:22
NEW Roku HD 2 Streaming Player Latest Version 2DaysShip
	USD 76.85 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 03:13:58
Roku HD Receiver
	USD 29.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:37:14
Roku 2 XS Digital HD Media Streamer
	USD 76.00 (13 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:56:30
NEW! Roku 2 HD Streaming Player w/2 Day Shipping!
	USD 84.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 02:49:47
Roku 2 HD
	USD 56.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:43:59
Roku 2 XS Digital HD Media Streamer
	USD 82.00 (6 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 04:13:13
Roku 2 XS Digital HD Media Streamer HDMI cable Hulu PLUS & Angry Bird Game
	USD 135.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 23:06:47
Roku 2 HD
	USD 65.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 07:04:08
Roku 2 XS Digital HD Media Streamer Angry Birds Edition *NEW IN BOX*
	USD 82.00 (9 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 16:00:17

Roku XD Streaming Media Player 1080p Wireless "Lightly Used"
	USD 68.00 (7 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:23:20
NEW! Roku 2 XD Streaming Player w/2 Day Shipping!
	USD 89.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 02:19:48
Roku XD
	USD 35.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 16:49:17
Roku 2 XD Digital HD Media Streamer
	USD 69.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 20:40:31
Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p *New*
	USD 93.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 00:15:49
Roku XD Multimedia Player
	USD 30.00 (16 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 21:44:14
Roku XD Multimedia Player
	USD 33.00 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 21:45:15
NEW Roku 2 XD Streaming Player Video Device 2DaysShip
	USD 86.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 18:29:18
Roku XD, complete and mint and all original, gets Netflix, amazon, Hulu, NICE !!
	USD 28.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:43:03
Roku XDS XD/S Streamer
	USD 69.00 (20 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:57:02

Roku XDS XD/S Streamer
	USD 69.00 (20 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:57:02
Roku XDS
	USD 41.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 01:34:20
Roku XDS
	USD 50.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 08:24:34
Roku XDS In Original Box And In Great Cond. With HDMI Cord
	USD 41.99 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 20:48:44
Roku XDS - Digital Multimedia Receiver w/ Remote
	USD 56.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 02:43:49
Roku XDS Streaming Media Receiver (NO RESERVE)
	USD 46.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 12:31:49
Roku XDS
	USD 80.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 18:02:41
Roku XDS 2100X Black Streaming Player 1080p Streams to TV Wifi Wireless AS IS
	USD 5.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 22:47:16

Check out my FreeAgent Theater review, I just purchased this thing! I’ve been wanting one of these for a really, really, long time – and finally I found one that does just about everything I want. I mean, I’ve had DVD players with USB ports, and TV’s with USB ports – and nothing seems worth a damn for playing downloaded movies or mp3′s with long filenames (or pictures for that matter).

Enter the FreeAgent Theater + HD Media player! You can get this thing for under $200 (sometimes under $100 if you don’t need the 500GB storage). What this little box does is allow you to move all your music, pictures, and movies from your computer (laptop or desktop) to your TV. No more having to store crap on your xBox 360 or Playstation 3. The media player has a dock for a 250GB or 500GB external hard drive. You also get a separate docking station to connect the drive to your computer. If you have a Windows or Mac based PC the included software will automatically copy your media to the drive. If you run Linux – you have to copy your own s**t to the drive. In either event, plug the drive back into the bay on the media player and voila! You have your content from your PC to the TV!

The media player will to 1080i and Dolby 5.1 playback. You get a remote in the box, and there’s a front USB jack if you want to plugin in a USB stick, digital camera, or camcorder. Connect to your PC with a composite cable or HDMI if you prefer (or S-video and audio jacks). It does play in NTSC and PAL – and it doesn’t say so on the Amazon page, but if you reference the Seagate web site you’ll see that it does play MPC, AAC, WAV, OGG, WMA (window media), JPG’s, subtitles, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (which means AVI (windows), VOB, ISO), and MPEG-4 (which means both DivX and Xvid).

So download movie clips, trailers, rip DVD’s, record streaming video – move it all to the external drive, and watch them all on your PC without ever having to burn another damn DVD or CD! That’s why we bought it (lol)!

check out the FreeAgent Theater price at Amazon:

cheeck out the FreeAgent Theater price on eBay, I’ve seen it for as little as $50-$100, and many of them have the external drive included!

Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD 1080p Media Player (STCEA201-RK)
	USD 70.01 (5 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 18:30:06
Seagate STCEA201-RK FreeAgent Theater+ HD Network Media Player HDMI NETFLIX 1080
	USD 84.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 02:20:51
NEW Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD media player 1080i NIB
	USD 199.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 23:15:18
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ - Digital Multimedia Receiver / HDDr NO RESERVE!!!
	USD / 26.00 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 01:00:36
SEAGATE ST905004CEA1E1-RK 500GB FREE AGENT THEATER HD MEDIA PLAYER SOLUTION
	USD 225.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 20:35:37
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD 1080p Media Player (STCEA201-RK)
	USD 30.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 16:22:36
12V Seagate FreeAgent Theatre replacement power supply
	USD 11.04 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 14:12:35

Is the Samsung BD-P3600 better than the Playstation 3?

Do you need a Blu-Ray player, but don’t want or need the gaming aspect of the Playstation 3? The Samsung BD-P3600 one of the highest rated non-PS3 Blu-Ray players on the market. The features on this player are a laundry list of what you will need to never leave your couch again (or so the marketing people say). According to cNET (the holy grail of tech reviews) “The Samsung BD-P3600 is a huge leap ahead for standalone Blu-Ray players with blazing-fast operational speed, tons of features and excellent image quality.” Well let’s see if this player reaches its potential, or lags back like the rest of standalone Blu-Ray players we’ve seen in the past.

The player claims to boast a new innovative Video Quality Enhancement (QVE) feature that further improves the picture quality by adjusting brightness, flickering and other visual “noise”. While this sounds like an awesome feature it really only goes so far to improve video quality. This feature is clearly targeting videophiles but most videophiles have manually tweaked their settings anyways. We’re talking about guys so geeked about their home entertainment that they’ll spend $120 on a single oxygen free gold plated HDMI cord. This is not a mark down, but a heads up.

Besides the QVE vido enhancement this player really shines when you see all the options for viewing your media. First it has your Blu-Ray player, of which the benchmarks of the loading times met or came close to the industry leader, PS3. Next, it has a Netflix instant streaming player, which in term of performance works only slightly as well PS3’s Netflix player (but at least it’s there). It also has a Pandora Internet radio player but it feels tacked on and load times are on the slow side. Finally, the player offers the ability to stream content from your PC or laptop. Once again the feature seems tacked on, and not as full featured as it could be. It seems like it is only there so Samsung can say “look what we did!”

I really wanted to like this player. It seems like for everything it does right, it does two things wrong. If you are in the market for a Blu-Ray player or you are looking to upgrade, get a Playstation 3. Its really easy and it offers all the features of this player and much more, but it does it all much better.

NEW Samsung BD-D5500 BDD5500 3D Blu-Ray DVD Player WiFi
	USD 77.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 00:58:25
Samsung BD-C6900 3D Blu-Ray Player
	USD / 61.00 (14 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:03:26
AS IS SAMSUNG BD-P1600 1080P BLU-RAY DVD DISC PLAYER
	USD 1.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:47:02
Samsung BD-D6500 Blu-Ray Player/3D Glasses (2) The Polar Express in 3D
	USD 249.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:59:55
Samsung BD-D5500 Blu-Ray Player
	USD 59.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:29:36
Samsung AH64-05236D 3D Blu-Ray Player HD
	USD 30.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:22:17
Samsung BD-D6500 Blu-Ray Player 3D
	USD 79.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:55:22
Samsung BD-D5500 3D Blu-ray Player WIFI Ready
	USD 99.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 02:38:38
HDMI cable included-Samsung BD-C5500 Blu-Ray Player
	USD 47.00 (13 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 23:44:10
** SAMSUNG BLURAY BLU RAY DVD PLAYER BD P1600 \/\/O\/\/ LQQK 8================D
	USD 10.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 23:51:25

If you’re shopping for a “Dual Band Wireless Router”, I hope my review will help you. I decided that it was time for our family to break down and finally get a Wireless N router for the same of speed, but I had some questions to research first. Before putting out the bucks – I really wanted to make sure we got not only the most reliable product, but the fastest router we could find (our house is stacked from floor to rafters with wireless gadgets, lol!).

Can you get Dual Band Wireless N, both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz at the same time from one router? Is a dual band router twice as fast? Let’s find out!

Just about everyone who has multiple computers in their home have a wireless router. Most of those people bought theirs on a recommendation from [insert big box store here]. For most people these routers do their job and don’t give there “operator” any problems until it clunks out and you buy a new one. Well why not get educated on the new guy in the router game, IEEE 802.11n-2009, also known by its common name, “Wireless N”. The best way to take advantage of this technology are dual band routers as two is always better than one, right?

First off, if you go by CNET reviews (and I always do), no dual band wireless N router currently has above a 3 out of 5 rating, which if you’re not familiar with their system is only ‘good’. Okay, now that is out of the way, I rarely go with new technology or recommend it to others until it is completely fool-proof. I think that it just may be getting there now. Here are my recommendations of the best Dual-Band Wireless N routers.

Airport Extreme Review

Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station 802.11n ($175, although you could get it cheaper) – Don’t call me crazy until you have read all the features this little Apple that could offers. It has all the features of comparable features of routers of this type, but offer the ease that apple offers with all their products. If you run a mixed mac and pc network this router is perfect, if you however run all windows machines then you can find something a little cheaper with all the same features (it just may not be as fast). Believe it or not, you can use this Apple product as a router – even if you have no Apple computers in your house (it works just fine with Windows). This is a “true dual band” wireless N router, meaning it won’t make you choose between 2.5 and 5 GHz – you can actually use both. It will support printers and network storage, but it’s pick about USB external hard drives. It only supports 50 clients, which is more than enough for most households, just be forewarned there is a limit. Bottom line, I think most Windows users (advanced ones) will want more features).

Apple Airport Extreme Base Station A1143 Wireless Router
	USD 66.00 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:30:37
Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station 10/100 USB Wireless G Router A1034 & Modem
	USD 29.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 06:00:43
Apple A1143 AirPort Extreme WI-Fi Wireless base station pc router
	USD 70.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 01:00:54
Apple AirPort Extreme Base 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router (MA073LL/A)
	USD 49.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 01:34:05
Apple Airport Extreme Wi-Fi 802.11N 3-Port Router A1408 For Parts Not Working A
	USD 39.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 04:06:03
Apple AirPort Extreme 3-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router MC340LL/A
	USD 75.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 04:06:59
Apple Airport Base Station Extreme WIFI Router A1034 w/ AC adapters (Lot of 2)
	USD / 20.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 20:23:29
New Apple Airport Extreme.802.11n Wi-Fi MD031LL - 3-Port Wireless N Router
	USD 108.50 (16 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 06:49:32
Apple Airport Extreme N Router A1301 SIM Dualband
	USD 15.50 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 18:15:50
Apple AirPort Extreme 3-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router (A1143)
	USD 7.38 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 20:34:06

Linksys WRT400N Review

Linksys WRT400N ($120-149.99 just look around) – In our home we have almost exclusively used Linksys routers since we got our first high speed internet connection many years ago. They have always been easy to use and maintain and have that weird little purple-blue look to them. Well the WRT400N sports a new design but works as well as you would a expect a Linksys should. This router has true dual band support, but no Gigabit or USB support. The 5 GHz speed is a bit lacking.

Cisco-Linksys WRT400N 300 Mbps 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router WRT-400
	USD 14.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:20:41
LINKSYS WRT400N DUAL BAND WIFI N 300Mbps ROUTER & REPEATER W/ DD-WRT
	USD 69.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 01:16:38
Cisco-Linksys Simultaneous Dual-band Wireless-N Router
	USD 20.51 (9 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:22:09
Linksys WRT400N 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router
	USD 39.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 13:58:22
LINKSYS WRT400N SIMULTANEOUS DUALBAND WIRELESS-N ROUTER
	USD / 4.14 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 01:21:18
Cisco-Linksys WRT400N Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless Router w/ DD-WRT installed
	USD 69.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 02:57:08
Linksys WRT400N Dual-Band Wireless N (g,b,a) Router
	USD 56.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:28:14
Linksys WRT400N 300 Mbps 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router - Used, all accessories
	USD 1.25 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 01:17:52
Used Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Router WRT400N
	USD 59.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 02:00:10
Linksys WRT400N 300 Mbps 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router
	USD 1.50 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 17:21:39

Linksys WRT610N Review

Linksys WRT610N ($160.99-199.99 again look around) – This one is the next model up from the previous Linksys. The routers only major complaint is that the warranty is too short. Sounds like a good problem to have, meaning at least the complaints were performance related. The router offers a single mode, mix mode and simultaneous mode for sending the signal out. It support both 2.5 GHz and 5.0 GHz at the same time. You can attach storage devices to it, and on this one the mixed-mode throughput could be better. Other than that, it may be the best of the bunch, especially if you have external storage you want to make wireless.

Linksys WRT610N gigabit router - needs to be unbricked
	USD 30.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 01:34:31
NEW Linksys Cisco WRT610N Wireless N Router with DD-WRT - Version 2
	USD 98.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 08:58:38
Linksys WRT610N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router
	USD 48.88 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 03:36:57
*New* Linksys - WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Router
	USD 99.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 00:01:24
Linksys WRT610N V2 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router (WRT610N)
	USD 10.50 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:06:05
Linksys WRT610N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router
	USD / 18.89 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 21:05:35
Cisco-Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
	USD 49.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 17:56:33
WRT610N Ver.2 Linksys Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless N 4-Port Gigabit Router
	USD 5.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 01:30:42
LINKSYS WRT610N DUAL BAND WIFI N ROUTER & REPEATER W/ DD-WRT MEGA WRT600N
	USD 78.97 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 01:41:41
Linksys WRT610N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router
	USD 40.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 19:48:06

I know most of these routers are more expensive than most routers you will find at Wal-Mart but as they say, you gotta pay for quality. One final note if your computer, laptop or wireless capable device is only wireless G compliant you have a few choices. First you could just stick with what you have as your new wireless N router does accept all incoming signals. Next you could buy wireless n adapters which are usb enabled, work as they should and are relatively expensive. The final choice is yours, the consumer.

Need a Blu-Ray player, but don’t want or need the gaming aspect of the Playstation 3? The Samsung BD-P3600 one of the highest rated non-PS3 Blu-Ray players on the market. The features on this player are a laundry list of what you will need to never leave your couch again. According to CNET (the holy grail of tech reviews) “The Samsung BD-P3600 is a huge leap ahead for standalone Blu-Ray players with blazing-fast operational speed, tons of features and excellent image quality.” Well let’s see if this player reaches its potential, or lags back like the rest of standalone players.

The player claims to boast a new innovative Video Quality Enhancement (QVE) feature that further improves the picture quality by adjusting brightness, flickering and other visual “noise”. While this sounds like an awesome feature it really only goes so far to improve video quality. This feature is clearly targeting videophiles but most videophiles have manually tweaked their settings anyways. This is not a mark down, but a heads up.

Besides the QVE this player really shines when you see all the options for viewing your media. First it has your Blu-Ray player, which benchmarks of the loading times met or came close to the industry leader, PS3. Next, it has a Netflix instant streaming player, which in term of performance works only slightly as well PS3’s Netflix player. It also has a Pandora player but it feels tacked on and load times are on the slow side. Finally, the player offers the ability to stream content from your pc. Once again the feature seems tacked on and is only there so Samsung can say “look what we did!”

I really wanted to like this player. It seems like for everything it does right, it does two things wrong. If you are in the market for a Blu-Ray player or you are looking to upgrade, get a ps3. Its really easy and it offers all the features of this player and much more, but it does it all much better.

Final Rating is a 6.5/10

The Logitech diNovo Mini is a living room entertainment PC mini keyboard for those of us that have home theater PC’s, living room computers that we use on the big screen, etc. The backlight works great, and it has a 30 foot range, and it’s perfect for typing while lounging on the couch!

You’re connecting your PC to your TV. You’re downloading movies and watching them on your big screen. Take control of your PC entertainment with the only palm-sized, cordless mini-keyboard optimized for the way you get your entertainment. Convenience and Style, Palm-sized mini-keyboard with backlighting: Fits in your hand. Backlighting makes text entry effortless, even in low light. Compact: Perfect size for your coffee table. (more…)

You might be able to find a good deal on a diNovo on eBay as well, here’s a few auctions ending soon:

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There’s been a lot said about Windows Vista, but even though many people don’t like all the different version choices many hail the Premium and Media Center versions of Vista for it’s capabilities. Linksys builds on that by creating a third part product, a “wireless media center” that you can access in your home from your Vista PC. Linksys was very smart by building the ability to have streaming movies, music, photos, and even 1080i upscaling to DVD quality by using the PVR features. It’s Wireless N (very fast!), and can send content to your surround sound and HDTV. If cable weren’t enough, since this is connected to the Internet – it can even access, stream, and download movies and TV from the web!

Access movies, your music library, family photos and HDTV programming from your Media Center PC and stream it all to your living room TV or home theater. New Linksys Media Center Extenders give you access to the entertainment content on your Microsoft Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate PC to enjoy in the comfort of your living room. Pause or rewind live TV, record sporting events or episodes of your favorite TV shows and save them for later viewing. Quickly naviga (more…)

You might be able to catch a good deal on eBay for a Linksys Wireless Media Center:

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If you get a wireless Skype phone chances are you’ll ditch your landline for VOIP (if you haven’t already). A lot of people have switched over to Vonage already, and it appears that the idiot proof gadget the “magic jack” has sold millions as well. Skype started years back and you had to hook up a headset with microphone to use it. It caught on in droves because you could “call” anyone anywhere in the world using the service for FREE (as long as they also had a “skype” account). The ability to call anyone anywhere in the world for free was quite the incentive to sign up. Then Vonage came along and made it easy to just plugin a tiny box to your router and use a regular phone to make calls over the web unlimited for just $24.95 a month.

Now it appears that Skype has kind of caught up, because you can now buy a wireless skype phone – so not only do you not need the headset, but the phone works automatically over the Internet just like your land line! They’re pretty reasonable too, I’ve seen them for as little as $30-50. Skype has been growing in popularity, but in the last year it’s probably exploded due to the constant promotion of “Oprah” – every time she interviews guests now outside of the studio they’re shown on video “Skyping” in.

Here’s some wireless skype phones in auctions ending soon:

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I heard about the Linux Game Console “EVO” quite a long time ago – and I guess I forgot about it. Looks like it’s finally ready for shipping on April 17th for $380. Seems like a lot doesn’t it? I mean compared to a PS3 or XBox 360 it seems like the price is pretty much the same.

So what do you get for $380 on a linux console gaming system? Here’s what I read on a recent post from Linux Devices:

• an Athlon 2.4Ghz 64X2 processor
• 2GB of RAM
• ATI HD 3200 graphics processor
• supports up to 1080i or 1080p for HD Hi-Def gaming
• DVI and HDMI outputs
• 120 GB Hard drive
• CD/DVD ROM
• Biometric scanner
• Two 10/100 ethernet jacks
• Six USB ports
• Mirrors Evolution linux (based on Fedora)
• Video on Demand
• Nearly unlimited storage through cloud computing

Here’s a video commercial I found on YouTube from December 2008:

With those specs, it seems to blow traditional main stream gaming consoles away – doesn’t it? Well after I watched the video I went to the EVO Smart Console web site to get the lastest info. The web site boasts a DVR to pause and record live TV, video on demand, and streaming of TV, photos, or music to any web enabled device. The web site says you can get “extras”, such as a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, biometric fingerprint scanner, 10GB of online cloud storage, and play HD video games.

Then I click for “more specs” on the EVO web site to find that you can get the EVO smart console with all the “extras” for $599, but the big shocker was that you could get loaded with Windows Vista Home for $799!! WTF!? I guess the almightly dollar reigns supreme showing that (to stay viable) even people working 5 long hard years on a Linux gaming systems offer a Windows PC version in the end! It does list a “DVD burner” in both of these versions. I click one more time to find a smart console “HD” option for $699 that includes an SD card reader and wireless network, in addition to an HD tuner so you can record in Hi-Def with the DVR. You even get “Windows emulation plug and play software” to play PC games in HD. The EVO Game Store is now online as well.

I have to hand it to them, the EVO has come a long way in 5 years – but is it really competition to the XBox 360 and Playstation 3? It certainly doesn’t have game studios with million dollar budgets behind it. And really – it’s not a gaming console at as is it? It’s a fully fledged Linux PC in a small form factor box. The fact that it has windows emulation software to play PC games and makes it so. I think it’s a great idea, but maybe it should be marketed as the “Linux Living Room PC” or something like that.