Cool Tools archive

Scanning for Wi-Fi made easier
One of the devices I'm excited about trying out is the Canary Wireless Digital HotSpotter, a Wi-Fi detection and analysis device. The $50 device takes the Wi-Fi finder concept and goes one step further. While most of the small keychain-sized devices just scan the area for a signal and give... January 05, 2005

Linksys ships 802.11g CompactFlash card
We're not sure how many Pocket PC devices are out there that need this, but if you have one that accepts a CompactFlash Type II card and you want to connect it to an 802.11g wireless LAN, Linksys has got you covered. The company today launched its Wireless-G CompactFlash Card... November 15, 2004

Linksys ships 802.11g router with Vonage
Linksys and Vonage this week announced the availability of a new 802.11g wireless LAN router that also includes two phone ports for conducting Voice over IP telephone calls. The WRT54GP2 is bundled with Vonage's VoIP service, and costs about $120. The Wireless-G Broadband Router includes an 802.11g access pint,... November 11, 2004

Sony Ericsson launches combo Wi-Fi/EDGE PC Card
Sony Ericsson this week launched a new quad-band PC Card that combines Wi-Fi wireless LAN connectivity with wide-area wireless connectivity (over an EDGE network). The GC89 will be able to connect to Wi-Fi networks, in addition to EDGE and GPRS networks over the GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz... October 29, 2004

Find a hot spot faster
Hawking Technologies said it will ship a new device next week that lets users detect the precise location of an 802.11b or 802.11g wireless LAN access point. The HWL1 802.11b/g WiFi Locator (about $35 street price) is a pocket-sized device that uses a Hawking Hi-Gain Antenna to decipher which direction...

Palm launches Wi-Fi card
Ever since the technology has been available to put Wi-Fi wireless LAN technology onto a Secure Digital (SD) card, we've been waiting for this announcement. PalmOne announced this week that it has launched a Wi-Fi card, providing 802.11b connectivity for some of its handhelds. The new card ($129 estimated street... August 18, 2004

D-Link debuts travel wireless AP
D-Link has jumped into the "traveler wireless access point" market with today's announcement of its Wireless Pocket Router/AP, a portable wireless network device for users who want to access and share a high-speed Internet connection, such as those found in hotel rooms. D-Link joins Netgear, SMC and APC, which have... August 12, 2004

Wireless HD multimedia player announced
Vertex Link Corp. (www.vertexlink.co.jp) and Sigma Designs today announced a wireless high-definition (HD) multimedia player that it's calling MediaWiz HD. The HD version is the successor to theMediaWiz Plus device the companies launched in February 2004. The device enables TV output of video and photos stored on a PC over... July 28, 2004

Netgear launches pocket wireless router
Netgear this week announced its WGR101 Wireless Travel Router, a pocket-sized 802.11g wireless LAN router that gives users wireless access for road warriors and other mobile workers. The device is now available, and costs $99.99. When plugged into a high-speed Internet connection such as those found in a hotel room... June 30, 2004

Linksys plans 802.11g CF card
Linksys has posted a page on its Web site saying that a Compact Flash card with 802.11g wireless LAN connectivity will be coming soon. The Wireless-G CompactFlash Card will work with Pocket PCs that have a Compact Flash Type II slot to provide wireless connections at the 802.11g level (up... June 22, 2004

Linksys ships 802.11g extender
Linksys this week announced availability of a wireless network range extender with its Wireless-G Range Expander (model WRE54G). The device plugs into a power outlet and expands the range of a Linksys 802.11g network (works with Linksys models WRT54G, WRT54GS and WAP54G). The device can be used to help eliminate... June 17, 2004

SMC hooks up with Rhapsody
SMC announced this week that its EZ-Stream Wireless Audio Adapter (model SMCWAA-B) now works with Rhapsody, the Internet jukebox software from RealNetworks. The EZ-Stream Wireless Audio Adapter costs $129.99 and works over a Wi-Fi network to stream music stored on a PC to any stereo, the company said. People who...

Epson launches 802.11g projector
Epson this week launched two new LCD projectors, including one that includes 802.11g wireless LAN connectivity. The PowerLite 835p ($3,899) and PowerLite 830p ($3,699) both include 3,000 lumens of brightness, support XGA resolution and have RJ-45 ports to allow for network monitoring and control features, Epson said. The PowerLite 835p... June 11, 2004

ZyXEL ships 802.11g line
ZyXEL Communications this week launched an 802.11g wireless 4-port router and a USB 802.11g wireless adapter, aiming at the small office / home office and small- and midsize-business markets. The ZyAIR G-2000 ($165, available now) includes a four-port 10/100 switch, network address translation, firewall features (including static content filtering and...

Stream iTunes to your stereo
I'm always pleasantly surprised when Apple comes out with a new device, and it's no different today. The company today launched its AirPort Express device, an 802.11g base station that acts as a wireless access point, as well as a device that can stream iTunes music from a Mac or... June 07, 2004

eFrameCentral ships wireless picture frame
If you're looking for a last-minute Father's Day gift for the "gadget Dad" on your list, check out the Pacific Digital WiFi MemoryFrame, now available at eFrameCentral.com. The digital photo frame features a 10.4-inch TFT, active-matrix, flat screen LCD with up to 800 by 600 resolution. It has an 802.11b...

Tiny Wi-Fi, in my PC
IOGEAR this week launched an 802.11g wireless LAN notebook PC card that it claims to be the "shortest Wi-Fi 802.11g notebook network card" in the industry. While it's always tough to verify this, the IOGEAR card is small enough so that it doesn't "jut out" when inserted into a PC... May 04, 2004

Asante adds WPA to its wireless router
Asante Technologies has added new features to its FriendlyNET FR1104-G wireless router, including support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption, AppleTalk and enhanced syslog services. The enhancements are all through a firmware upgrade to version 1.1 available at the Asante Web site, Asante said. For businesses using the router with... April 30, 2004

U.S. Robotics offers 802.11g adapters
U.S. Robotics (hey, remember them?) this week launched some 802.11g-based USB wireless adapters, for desktops/notebooks and for gaming consoles. The U.S. Robotics' Wireless USB Adapter offers 802.11g wireless LAN connectivity (compatible with 802.11b systems) for desktops and notebooks with USB 2.0 (or 1.1) ports. Security options on the adapter include... April 09, 2004

Linksys projects presentations via 802.11g
Cisco's Linksys wireless division this week announced the Linksys Wireless-G Presentation Player (model WPG54G), which connects to notebooks or desktop PCs to let users share presentations on projectors, monitors, LCD screens or other VGA-compatible devices. The Presentation Player connects via a standard VGA connector to a projector or monitor, and... March 30, 2004

Buffalo touts one-button WLAN setup
Buffalo Technology today launched a new 802.11g wireless router that includes its one-button secure wireless LAN setup process, known as AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS). The AirStation 54Mbps Wireless Cable/DSL Router with AOSS (WBR2-G54) includes a built-in DHCP server, four 10/100 Ethernet ports and works with both DSL and cable... March 29, 2004

Free wireless security tool
Wireless Security Corp. this week said it is offering a free Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) tool for Windows 2000 users that lets them take advantage of WPA in a pre-shared key mode. The tool is available here. The company said that some estimates say that 20% of all computers around... January 22, 2004

Get a free EDGE card
AT&T Wireless today said it is offering business customers a free AT&T Wireless EDGE wireless modem card when they trade in a similar modem card from any national wireless carrier and sign up for a two-year contract for unlimited data service with AT&T Wireless. Customers will receive a free Sony... December 16, 2003

Wirelessly enable your printer
IOGEAR this week launched a wireless USB print server that attaches to a USB printer and allows for printing over 802.11b/g. The $129.95 device is available now, IOGEAR said. The device connects to any USB printer that can print standard or tabloid-size documents, and supports the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP)... December 11, 2003

Storage and Wi-Fi together
SMC this week announced a USB Flash storage drive that also acts as an 802.11b wireless LAN adapter. The $69.99 EZ Connect Wireless USB Flash Drive (SMCWUSB32) is now available, SMC said. The drive stores 32M bytes of data in addition to being an 802.11b adapter. The adapter can work... December 10, 2003

Add GPS for $300
Belkin recently got into the Global Positioning System (GPS) game with its new Belkin Receiver, a Bluetooth GPS receiver that can connect to a Bluetooth-enabled PDA or laptop to provide navigation data to users. The receiver costs $299.99 and will begin shipping on Jan. 15, 2004, Belkin says. The system... December 08, 2003

Moon over My Hammy and Wi-Fi
Café.com today announced it would be providing wireless Internet access (aka Wi-Fi) to Denny's restaurants across the U.S. and Canada. The initial program will bring Wi-Fi access to more than 40 Denny's restaurants from California to Florida, and additional rollouts will continue throughout 2004, the company said. Café.com said that... December 03, 2003

Wireless adapter AND USB storage
Kanguru Solutions today released its KanguruWireless LAN, a device that combines a USB Flash drive storage with a USB wireless LAN adapter (802.11b). The device starts at $99.95 (depending on storage requirements) and is available now. Two storage capacities are available – 64M bytes or 128M bytes. The drive offers... November 13, 2003

IOGEAR jumps into wireless
IOGEAR last week launched its Wireless-G Broadband Gateway, its first foray into wireless LAN equipment. The gateway includes a Wi-Fi router and print server, and four Ethernet ports for wired connectivity. The print server feature is compatible with Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP PCs, as well as Macintosh OS... November 12, 2003

Stream music to your car
True gadget gurus alert! Rockford Corp. announced this week that its Omnifi mobile audio wireless digital transfer system is now shipping, which lets users transfer their music collection to their car wirelessly over an 802.11b connection. The system has three components – the DMP1 car digital media player, a compact... October 31, 2003

Wi-Fi and storage in one device
SOYO announced a device that combines a Wi-Fi (802.11b) USB adapter with a 128M-byte Flash memory tool. The Aerielink Wireless Flash Combo (AWUA1211) will cost $119 and will work with Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP computers, the company said. In addition, both 64- and 128-bit WEP security is supported,... October 17, 2003

eBeam goes wireless
The eBeam whiteboard system, which lets users capture notes, images and drawings and transfer them to a computer or handheld, has now gone wireless. Luidia Inc., which makes the eBeam system, recently launched the eBeam System 3 Wireless product, which lets any Bluetooth-enabled PC, Macintosh, Palm OS-based handheld or Pocket... October 08, 2003

Connect your desktop to 802.11g
Buffalo Technology said today it was shipping a USB adapter that can connect desktop computers to 802.11g-based networks. The AirStation 54Mbps Wireless USB Adapter-g (WLI-USB-G54) device will be available through CompUSA and will cost $99 (street price). The device connects via USB 2.0 port (although compatible with USB 1.1 ports),... September 25, 2003

Go to a hot spot today
Today is Intel’s “One Unwired Day,” the day in which thousands of wireless LAN hot spots are being offered free to the public to get them to try out life without being connected to a wire. Intel says that more than 5,500 locations are available, in places such as hotels,...

Buffalo releases G Ethernet Adapter
Buffalo Technology recently announced an 802.11g wireless Ethernet adapter that can connect your Ethernet-enabled devices (laptops, gaming systems, entertainment devices) to any 802.11g wireless network. The AirStation 54Mbps Wireless Ethernet Converter –g (WLI-TX1-G54) works with both PC and Apple Macintosh computers, and can also support Buffalo’s 2.4GHz external antenna for... September 24, 2003

Get free Wi-Fi on Sept. 25
As part of its Centrino technology push, Intel wants companies and consumers to see the benefits of wireless computing. As such, the company is planning its One Unwired Day for Thursday, Sept. 25 in cities across the U.S. The plan is to offer free public wireless Internet access through thousands... August 28, 2003

Epson projector offers wireless connections
Epson today launched a new portable projector that requires no video cables, or even a hard-wired video connection in order to project PowerPoint and other multimedia presentations. The projector costs $5,399 and is now available through audio/visual retailers and other direct PC dealers, Epson said. The PowerLite 7850p supports XGA...

Buffalo Technology at CompUSA
Wireless networking vendor Buffalo Technology announced today that it will enter the consumer market with a national partnership with CompUSA. The company said its wireless networking products would be soon available at all 226 CompUSA stores nationwide. Buffalo Technology entered the U.S. market in 2000, and are mainly focused on... August 18, 2003

Belkin launches Bluetooth mouse
Belkin Corp. today said it will launch its Bluetooth Wireless Optical Mouse (F8T041-B) on October 1, for $79.99 The mouse supports Windows 98SE and higher,as well as Macintosh OS X v.10.2.6, and includes a low battery indicator. The mouse also comes with a Bluetooth USB adapter, which lets up to... August 13, 2003

Toshiba launches wireless network camera
Toshiba’s Imaging Systems group this week announced the IK-WB11a, a wireless (Wi-Fi) network camera that lets users view video streams (1,280 by 960 resolution) across the Internet with a standard Web browser. The IK-WB11a will ship this month with a retail price of $799, Toshiba said. It includes a 1.4... August 05, 2003

Connect any Ethernet device via 802.11g
D-Link last Friday announced a new 802.11g wireless Ethernet Adapter that can give high-speed wireless LAN connectivity to any device with an Ethernet port, including game consoles, music devices and even regular laptops. The device will be available in mid-August for about $135, the company said. The D-Link DWL-G810 Xtreme... August 04, 2003

Actiontec ships 802.11g gear
Actiontec said today it is shipping two new 802.11g wireless LAN products (an access point and PC Card) that are fully compliant with the new standard, which means its products do not need any firmware or software upgrades. The PC Card ($79.95) includes a discovery utility that lets users find... July 30, 2003

D-Link adds two new wireless devices
D-Link continues to come out with some cool and unique products, both for the wireless world and networking in general. The latest two products are the D-Link Air DWL-122 and the DP-311P Wireless Print Server. The DWL-122 is a wireless USB adapter that can connect via USB to either a... July 03, 2003

Free Wi-Fi for Dell customers
Dell and T-Mobile today announced an offer to let Dell customers get 2,000 free minutes of Wi-Fi service at T-Mobile HotSpots during their first month of service. After the 2,000 minutes are used up (or if 30 days pass), customers have the option of paying $29.99 per month for a... June 27, 2003

SMC says its "G" gear is compatible
SMC Networks announced this week that its wireless LAN 802.11g equipment that was released as “pre-draft” would still be compliant with the standard approved last week by the IEEE. Equipment in the SMC stable that is compatible with the final 802.11g standard includes: The Barricade G 2.4GHz 54Mbps Wireless Cable... June 20, 2003

Calculate a WLAN ROI
The Wi-Fi Alliance has posted a return on investment (ROI) calculator for Wi-Fi-based wireless LANs in a corporate setting. Check out the calculator here. The calculator is built as an Excel spreadsheet, so make sure you can “enable macros” before you download the calculator. Also, it calculates ROI “based on...

Belkin joins official “G” parade
Belkin today announced firmware upgrades for the “official” 802.11g standard on its wireless devices. Belkin said that new drivers for all its 54g products that shipped prior to the ratification by the IEEE are available via free download from the Belkin Web site. Future products will include the features of... June 13, 2003

Netgear offers 802.11g upgrade
Netgear today joined the list of vendors that have 802.11g firmware upgrades for its 802.11g-related products. The company says its firmware upgrade includes the final changes of the specification ratified by the IEEE. The upgrades will be available at the company’s Web site for the Netgear WGR614 Cable/DSL Wireless Router,... June 12, 2003

SMC launches wireless "bridge"
SMC this week launched a new wireless Ethernet Adapter that lets users provide wireless LAN (802.11b) connectivity to devices with an Ethernet port (including an Xbox, Playstation 2 or music devices). The SMC2671W is part of SMC’s EZ Connect family of wireless products. The device, which costs $99 and will...

WLAN vendors add WPA to products
At least two wireless LAN equipment vendors this week announced WPA availability on their 802.11b and 802.11g products. Linksys said WPA was available on its Wireless-G PC Card (WPC54G) and its Wireless-B PC Card (WPC11 v.3). Current Linksys customers can download a firmware upgrade from this Linksys Web site. The... June 06, 2003

Wirelessly enable your projector
InFocus Corp. this week announced a product that lets users take existing projectors and turn them into wireless projectors. The InFocus LiteShow product includes a device (pictured) that attaches to any InFocus projector, or any other projector with a standard MI-DA or MI-D connector. LiteShow software installed on presenters’ notebooks... June 04, 2003

Linksys launches 802.11g bridge
Linksys announced today its new Wireless-G Ethernet bridge (WEG54G), which aims to let any device with an Ethernet port to connect wirelessly without adding any drivers. In addition to supporting 802.11g-based networks, the device can also connect to an 802.11b-based network. The bridge is aimed at connecting console devices with... May 27, 2003

Wi-Fi for $20 per month
T-Mobile today announced a new rate plan for its T-Mobile HotSpot Wi-Fi service for customers who bundle the wireless data service with their cell phone plan. T-Mobile said that new and existing T-Mobile customers can add the HotSpot service for $19.99 per month for unlimited access. The special rate is... May 08, 2003

Netgear offers new wireless adapters
Netgear this week announced two new products to its Platinum Family of wireless (802.11b) LAN products. The Netgear MA111 wireless USB adapter connects to desktop PCs or notebook PCs via a USB port. The Netgear ME101 is an 802.11b Wireless Ethernet Bridge that connects Ethernet devices (including gaming consoles and...

Proxim touts a/b/g card
Proxim today announced a new 802.11 a/b/g combination PC Card that will be able to connect to any flavor of Wi-Fi network (802.11a, b or g). The Gold ComboCard (for enterprise users) costs $110. For home and small office users who don’t need the additional profiles or power levels offered... April 28, 2003

802.11g speeds on 802.11b equipment?
U.S. Robotics today announced a new firmware upgrade to its existing 802.11b 22Mbps wireless networking products that it says will be able to provide the same kind of speeds as the pre-standard 802.11g equipment. The new 54Mbps Xlerator Technology is available as a free download (firmware upgrade and driver update)... April 23, 2003

SMC boosts power on 802.11b card
SMC announced today a PC Card that aims to increase flexibility and mobility of wireless networking. The SMC2532W-B 2.4GHz 802.11b High Power Wireless PC Card is part of SMC's new EliteConnect High Power family of products, and provides up to 200 milliWatts (mW) of transmit power, SMC said. The card... March 25, 2003

D-Link launches wireless LAN range extender
If your wireless LAN isn't offering the kind of range you've been hoping for, D-Link has a $100 solution for you. The company this week launched a wireless LAN range extender and access point for its 802.11b+ products, the D-Link AirPlus DWL-800AP+. The device includes a repeater function that increases... February 20, 2003

Bluetooth CF card from IOGEAR
IOGEAR launched a Bluetooth CompactFlash (CF) Card that lets users connect PDAs to other Bluetooth-enabled devices. The company says the card can connect to other PCs, peripherals and wireless devices within a Bluetooth personal area network of up to 66 feet away. The card costs $99.95 and is available at... February 06, 2003

ZyXEL adds 802.1x to WLAN products
ZyXEL Communications recently launched in North America its ZyAIR series of 802.11b wireless LAN products, which include a wireless gateway with a 4-port 10/100M bit/sec. switch, an access point, PC Card, PCI Card, USB adapter and Ethernet adapter. The equipment is aimed at the small office/home office markets, as well... January 29, 2003

Linksys to give wireless a boost
Linksys announced it was shipping a wireless booster device that helps enhance the performance of its 2.4GHz 802.11b wireless network equipment. The Linksys Wireless Signal Booster 'stacks' upon existing Linksys wireless equipment.The Linksys Wireless Signal Booster (WSB24) connects to a Linksys Access Point (WAP11) or Wireless Router (BEFW11S4) to help... January 21, 2003