Recently Filed in Networking and Communication

You know you want it: the ability to sit by the pool while pretending you’re at work? To do that, you’ll want to locate a wireless access point (WAP) outside of the home. A WAP allows wireless devices – such as printers, cameras and computers - to connect to a network, usually via WiFi (802.11). Doesn’t a wireless router do that? Indeed, wireless routers have WAPs built in, but you can spread additional WAPs throughout the house to extend the network’s reach. A WAP typically… View this story
Networking and Communication • Routers and Switches • WiFi • Deck and Patio • Networking

Not sure how to set up and design your home theater? There’s an app for that. SIM2 says its SIM2Calc app is a handy tool for DIY home theaters. It’s available on Apple’s iTunes store for $29.99. Although the high-end projector manufacturer designed the app, it doesn’t appear to be exclusive to SIM2 projection theaters. The company says it’s a comprehensive collection of calculation tools covering the vital aspects of home theater design, which include: Screen type and size Projector model Aspect ratio Throw ratio… View this story
Networking and Communication • Cell Phones • Internet • Tools • Home Theater • Product News

Aren’t home phones going the way of the dodo? I thought all we needed was an iPhone, BlackBerry or Palm Pre for all of our communications needs. But traditional telephones are alive and well — and there are plenty of apps for them. Like cell phones, they’re just … changing. You’ve no doubt heard about VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) from Vonage and cable TV services, but in the coming years the buzz will be about IP multimedia phones. Market research company In-Stat is calling… View this story
Networking and Communication • Internet • Telephones • VoIP • Info and Answers

Q. Are there any items that will let me send music from my laptop to my receiver, wirelessly, using some type of USB connection? A. Robert Archer of CE Pro weighs in: There are a couple of solutions that address this scenario. The first is an affordable solution from Apple called Airport Express. This $99 device goes into your wireless network and connects to your audio system via a digital optical cable or analog RCA cable. The other solution is more expensive, but it combines… View this story
Networking and Communication • Computer Accessories • Ask a Pro

Almost everyone by now knows the long-term benefits of a smart grid: It will displace much of our country’s oil imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But arriving there could take decades. Even arriving at a workable smart grid is a massive undertaking, necessitating the establishment of hundreds of standards so the grid’s many pieces and parts can work together in a reliable and secure way, according the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in its draft of a Framework and Roadmap for Smart… View this story
Home Control • Industry • Networking and Communication • Power Management • Green Technology • Info and Answers

In our smart grid future, we’ll see smart appliances that can shut off when an electric utility reaches peak capacity. That will save us money on increased time-of-use rates. And this will happen. But what about even smarter appliances that give us options, like whether to delay that dish washing until later at night when the rates go down, or still dry your clothes, but at a lower power level? GE says it could bring such appliances to the market by the end of the… View this story
Appliances • Refrigerators • Industry • Networking and Communication • Routers and Switches • Power Management • Green Technology • Info and Answers

What will a green home network of the future look like? The ZigBee Alliance would like it to look like wireless mesh-network of ZigBee products. It’s planning to introduce a ZigBee Green Power feature set that establishes a global standard for self-powered devices. That means small, networked devices that capture or harvest energy via solar, ambient temperature, or mechanical action (kinetic energy), such as power gained from pushing a switch, says Kevin A. Schader of Global Inventures, a standards development organization that is working with… View this story
Home Control • Networking and Communication • Green Technology • Info and Answers

Q. I tried to uninstall Move Media Player from my PC because it takes up 44.4 GB. When I try to uninstall the application, it tells me that I do not have sufficient access to uninstall and to contact my system administrator. But I am the owner of the computer and I am signed in as administrator. - Arkansas A. I have a possible fix for this problem. I have had success before with this method for uninstalling an application that was giving that same… View this story
Networking and Communication

Apple released its much-awaited iPhone 3.0 software update today, overhauling the operating system (OS) with more than 100 new features. The update, which is free to all iPhone users and $10 for iPod touch users, is available through iTunes 8.2. The update is a great deal for iPhone 3G users who don’t want to shell out the money for the new iPhone 3G S, which is scheduled to be released Friday, or are still locked into their contracts. The software updates should eliminate several gripes… View this story
Networking and Communication • Cell Phones • Internet • Software • Product News

Google’s energy monitoring PowerMeter software is one step closer to reality, as the company is partnering with eight power utilities and smart meter maker Itron to test the technology. Partner companies include San Diego Gas & Electric (California), TXU Energy (Texas), JEA (Florida), Reliance Energy (India), Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (Wisconsin), White River Valley Electric Cooperative (Missouri), Toronto Hydro–Electric System Limited (Canada), and Glasgow EPB (Kentucky). “For now, Google PowerMeter is only available to a limited group of customers, but we plan to expand our… View this story
Networking and Communication • Power Management • Green Technology • Info and Answers

Until recently you had two options for setting up a computer network in your home - wired or wireless. First on the scene was wired networking. The upside is clear and reliable connections between your computers and all the devices attached to your network - printers, external storage, etc. The downside: unsightly wires everywhere. Then along came wireless technology. No more wiring clutter. All your networked devices could “talk” to each other throughout your home without stringing wires across the floor, over doorjambs and around… View this story
Networking and Communication • Powerline • WiFi • How To • Networking • Info and Answers • Research

I just installed Netflix on my S1Digital Media Center. It wasn’t showing up on the Start screen—Microsoft says it’s been uploaded to their servers but it could take 24 to 48 hours to be pushed out into the field—I pushed it out manually. Here’s how: From the Start screen: Tasks > Settings > General > Automatic Download Options > Download now. That took about 20 minutes or so and then, voila, there was Netflix sitting in my TV+Movies tab. Now I’ve given it a shot… View this story
Networking and Communication • Digital Media Servers • Networking • Info and Answers