D Link DIR 655 Extreme N Wireless Router
April 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Electronics
D Link DIR 655 Extreme N Wireless Router
Create a wireless network to share high-speed Internet access with computers, game consoles, or media players from greater distances in your home or office. Using D-Link Xteme-N wireless products makes it really easy!
The D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router is a draft 802.11n compliant device that delivers up to 14x faster speeds and 6x farther range than 802.11g while staying backward compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b devices. Connect the Xtreme N Gigabit Router to a cable or DSL modem and provide high-speed Internet access to multiple computers, game consoles, and media players. Create a secure wireless network to share photos, files, music, videos, printers, and network storage.
With some routers, all wired and wireless traffic, including VoIP, Video Streaming, Online Gaming, and Web browsing are mixed together into a single data stream. By handling data this way, applications like video streaming could pause or delay. With D-Link’s Intelligent QoS Technology, wired and wireless traffic is analyzed and separated into multiple data streams. These streams are then categorized by sensitivity to delay, so applications like VoIP, Video Streaming, and Online Gaming are given priority over Web browsing. This enables multiple applications to stream smoothly to your TV or PC. Delivering best-in-class performance, network security, and coverage, this router is the ideal centerpiece for your wireless network in the home or office. Backward compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b devices including game consoles and digital media players
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Rock Solid
This router rocks! It is easy to set up, has loads of functionality, and it even looks cool. Its rock solid and stable. I highly recommend it.
5 Stars Great router
I’m new to the whole wireless router world and decided to take the plunge. After doing extensive research and getting a lot of advice from my tecchie friends, I decided to purchase the DIR 655.
Although I’m somewhat of a tecchie myself, the wireless router world was new to me, so I was a little nervous about getting the right router that would work in all my rooms.
After getting the best price around on Amazon, I received it a few days later. Setup was a breeze! I was up and running in no time and hooked up all my wireless gadgets easily. I had an issue setting up the encryption properly, so I called the help desk. My experience with them was fine. The guy who helped me sounded a little high strung, but certainly, I understood his instructions and was all sorted out within a few minutes.
For those that say setup is really complicated, it’s actually not. It does take a little effort in terms of getting the encryption setup correctly if you’re not wireless router savvy, but the helpdesk was helpful and only took a few minutes.
All in all, I’m very pleased with my purchase. I’ve only gotten a couple of quick dropouts which corrected within a second or two and have had no issues over the last month. And it works beautifully with my Netflix Roku box in my living room. No issues at all when streaming movies. After all my research, I’m glad I chose this wireless router.
5 Stars One Nice Piece of Wireless Equipment
I purchased the D-Link DIR-655 router as a Christmas present for myself (yeah, lame, I know, but I had to get one anyways). I went a little over the top with this purchase, opting for the more expensive Draft N over the current G format. In hindsight, it was definitely way over the top. For typical home users, most likely the maximum you will need is G, so it might be worth saving a few bucks and looking at a Wireless G model first.
But, this model still turned out to be a good buy. I have it set to N-mode only, so only laptops with Wireless N can receive the wireless signal. Very seldom do I actually perform a download that maxes out the wireless download speed, but from what I’ve seen during those instances, it has been performing at the 130 Mbps specified (or darn close). My roommate does more downloading than me and has said the wireless performs faster than his land-line ethernet (100 Mbps). So, given the positive feedback from him and my observations of its timeliness, I would say speed is terrific.
The range on this thing is absolutely amazing. In the days following its installation, I took my laptop on a tour around our apartment building after setting the router to mixed mode (for all B, G, and N receiving laptops, which has a lower transmission rate overall). Six apartments away, I was still receiving a signal that allowed me to check my email and other websites. I don’t know if the faster speeds were maintained, but that signal penetrated through nearly a dozen walls. In my experience, I’ve seen Wireless G routers struggle to make it through a few walls, so this was quite impressive.
Installation was a little tricky, but not entirely impossible. Networking as a whole is generally a little cumbersome for the average person, but a few iterations through the instructions got it up and working. The router’s browser page is quite organized and descriptive. This unit has a lot of features, most of which I have not used, but the typical home owner would probably not need half of these.
Some reviewers have complained that this unit runs hot. Unfortunately, I have to say that this is indeed true. It does not run hot to the point where I fear it will start a fire or burn my hand, but it does get a little warm from time to time. It is, after all, an electronic device, which are all prone to getting warm. There are little vents on the sides and top of the unit, so making sure papers don’t get stacked on top will reduce any heat-related issues (an oops I’ve done from time to time). I have not noticed any drop in performance because of the unit getting hot, but again I’m not maxing it out continuously. I will say that it did begin to get warmer when my roommate hooked up and started exchanging a lot of data, but overall there has been no problem. If you’re worried about heat, just do know that all routers, in some state or use, get hot.
Another reviewer commented on the flashing blue lights on the front panel being obnoxious. Yes, that is true also. Unfortunately, I keep this in my room at night and I don’t have to worry about buying a night light to find the bathroom. I keep an office chair between my bed and it and have had no problems as a result. If you’re not trying to sleep though, it actually looks quite appeasing in my opinion (similar to blue Christmas lights).
All in all, while this wireless router is far above the level in which I need, I am pleased with the purchase I have made. It has been in my possession for over a year and I have had no problems whatsoever. Some people may find issues for their particular case, but the typical home user or small office user would likely have no problems with this model either, in my opinion. I would recommend this product.
1 Star A Horid Product with even worse customer service
There are excellent instructions to install the router; however, the guidance on how to go “wireless” is incompete at best. After 4 hours trying to get the wireless feature to work (which involves switching back from the awful instruction book to the less than helpful website where the router must be configured) I spent 2 hours being yelled at by a custmer service rep who failed to mention that I needed to key in a passcode from the bottom of the router. I was never able to get the product to work with my laptop and would not recomend buying anything at all from the company unless you are willing to have a very rude woman yell at you for several hours before telling you to return the product.
5 Stars Router of doom…
Dlink has always had good routers in my opinion. I updated my Linksys WRT54G router with this media-streaming bad-boy and haven’t looked back. Easily streams HD movies from my mac to my PS3 while still allowing full speed access to the internet from my other devices. Great web page for the system interface. With the newest firmware update, it allows you to use the USB port for a wireless USB hub for a network printer, hard drive, orwhatever else you can think to use wirelessly. Windows only on the network USB port though. Sorry Mac fans.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
EyeTV Hybrid Mac TV tuner stick that receives free over the air OTA HDTV Clear QAM and analog TV 10020630
December 4, 2008 by admin
Filed under Electronics
The EyeTV Hybrid is the ideal solution for someone who wants both an analog and digital TV solution for the Mac in one small USB stick. With its classic matte aluminum finish and surprisingly small size for such a versatile product, the EyeTV Hybrid is a perfect complement to the Mac. It features a USB 2.0 interface for the streaming of superior quality, uncompressed TV content to your Mac. It is USB powered and therefore requires no external power supply, and contains a full-size coaxial plug. EyeTV Hybrid works with an Apple Remote. The EyeTV hardware delivers free over-the-air digital TV to your Mac via antenna, as well as analog TV via antenna and standard cable. EyeTV Hybrid also comes with a breakout cable for composite video and S-Video, enabling you to connect a set top box for premium channels, digital cable or satellite.
Connect your game console and enjoy an excellent live play experience. EyeTV Hybrid’s uncompressed analog video signals appear on the screen with zero latency. EyeTV Hybrid records digital TV in one quality setting, Lossless. The digital stream is recorded unaltered and so you’re getting full quality digital content as encoded by the broadcaster. EyeTV supports multilingual programming and Dolby Digital sound. Analog TV can be recorded via EyeTV 2’s software encoder, and the quality depends on the Mac’s processor power. Find TV shows using the built-in program guide (USA only) Export clips and entire episodes to your video-capable iPod Connect game consoles – enjoy zero latency game play EyeTV Hybrid System Requirements – Macintosh with a PowerPC G4, G5 or Intel Core processor, 256 MB of physical RAM (512 MB recommended), a built-in USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4 or later, Internet connection required to download Program Guide data
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Love it – The quality is AWESOME.
I got this to use in my office in New York City. The office building is surrounded by other buildings, which to me means that a signal for HDTV should be impossible. I connected this to my MAC, installed the included software, plugged in a TERK indoor HD antenna, and I was up and running in less then 10 minutes with the NY local networks in HD.
I WAS SHOCKED.
I had perfect signal strength and now a DVR on my mac. I was watching HD TV and able to pause, rewind, record, schedule, etc….
Pros:
MAC compatible.
USB – which makes it portable between home and the office.
Software is top notch.
It works out of the box…no setup issues.
NO CONS I can think of.
I love the software interface and the picture quality.
Enjoy!
5 Stars Fantastic Product
I purchased this back in September (directly from Amazon) and wanted to come back and write a positive review for the the EyeTV Hybrid. Note: I can vouch for the Amazon.com product and the manufacturer (Elgato – they have a web site) but I don’t know about any other online sellers that sell through Amazon.
I was able to give my Mac the powers of television with EyeTV (I also was able to de-clutter my room by getting rid of my old TV). I use EyeTV Hybrid currently with my analog cable and it works great. Just hook up the cable to the EyeTV Hybrid tuner stick and then the tuner stick to a USB port on your computer. (It also works if you have a cable box or satellite box). The instructions on the CD software were pretty straightforward and I had it up and running within an hour (it takes a while for EyeTV to download your tv channels and listings for the first time).
I have a new 24″ iMac and I keep EyeTV running/open all the time (this helps if you have scheduled recordings). The resolution is great in normal screen mode (a small window floating on your screen while you work in other applications). Even in full screen mode (which I use every day) the resolution for an analog cable signal is good. It looks better if you’re sitting at least 2 feet away from your screen if you have analog cable (It’s not EyeTV’s fault, it’s the same quality as if you are watching analog on the new HDTVs). The digital channels look brilliant.
There are tons of features, but the one I use most is the Program Guide. It works like TiVo (using your computer’s hard drive to store the recorded programs). Just as advertised, you can record, pause, and rewind live TV. And, if you have Toast 9, you can burn your recorded shows onto DVD. Best of all, the Program Guide is FREE (no monthly fees). The only weird thing is that one of my PBS stations doesn’t show up on the channel list and I can’t seem to fix the problem. That’s only one of two problem I have encountered. The other is not being able to edit recorded programs (Example: deleting commercials to get the file size smaller for later burning onto DVD). The instructions are located in the Help menu, and it just might be me not being able to figure them out. My brother has owned the product for his Mac for two years and is still happy with it.
Another reviewer mentioned that he didn’t like the remote, but I think it’s just fine. EyeTV also works with an Apple remote, but I use the one that came with EyeTV. It looks just like an average remote, but figuring out what some of the buttons do requires taking a look a the user guide (in the Help menu). It is true that if the tuner stick is hidden behind your computer, you may have to aim at an indirect angle. But it’s not that bad. That reviewer also mentioned that the tuner stick was “clunky.” For hanging off of a PowerBook, probably. But for my iMac, it sits unobtrusively in the back with all the other cables.
The company’s web site says this version is set up to work with the new digital transition, so I think there are no worries in that regard. (It already works with digital channels and set-top boxes, so I don’t see any issues that would come up later). I hope this review helps.
5 Stars A rather clunky USB stick that delivers fantastic HDTV and DVR functions to your Intel-based Mac
My MacBook Pro, combined with the EyeTV Hybrid and an over-the-air HDTV antenna, has been my first introduction into the beautiful quality of broadcast HDTV. While the USB stick is a little big and clunky looking hanging off the side of the laptop, the picture and DVR functionality it delivers has been top-notch! I’m certainly buying another one for the new desktop Mac I’m picking up.
I’ve had this product since version 2 of the software, and El Gato has been great about issuing software updates, bug fixes and interface improvements in the 6+ months I’ve owned it. Version 3 of the software is very polished and functioning well. Upgrades for software have so far been free and delivered in just a minute or two over my broadband Internet connection. The EyeTV software always checks for any new versions that might be out and notifies you on-screen that a new version is available.
The only thing I don’t enjoy about the product is the remote control. It’s a bit cheap looking and has some bad ergonomics in regards to controlling the software. Plus it does not take advantage of the Mac’s own built-in infra-red remote receiver, but instead uses one on the USB stick. That can make for some awkward aiming to get the stick to see the remote’s commands.
Other than that, I’d recommend this product to any Mac user wanting an HDTV connection. I’d imagine this would be a great space-saving device for kids in dorms too! Eliminate space taken by a TV. Your Mac will make an excellent HDTV and DVR with this inexpensive device!
5 Stars EyeTV Hybrid-Mac Tuner
This is the greatest little TV you could ever have. Best used with a straight basic cable connection. It is just perfect. All the channels of basic cable right in your computer as you work.
1 Star Mediocre product – very poor support…
I bought this product because the Pinnacle tuner I already had did not work with my Apple MacBook Pro. Right out of the box, the device produced choppy video that was so bad it could not be watched. The device was also not capable of receiving all of the over-the-air channels that my other tuner received. Contacting their technical support was a joke – it took nearly a week to get any response, and the response I did recieve was completely useless. To date, I’ve never received any response to my follow-up. It’s been well over a month. I was expecting them to replace the product (per their warranty), but it doesn’t seem like they are going to do so.
At this point, I’ve given up on this product – it’s now sitting on a shelf. Thanks for absolutely nothing elgato!
Save yourself the frustration – buy a product from some other manufacturer.
ADVANCED HIGH SPEED DIGITAL 6 FT HDMI 24k GOLD SEALED CONNECTOR CABLE One of few cables certified to support future upgrades to your HDTV devices Supports 1440p 1080p 1080i 720p 480p HDMI Category 2 v1 3a Certified Xbox 360 PS3 PS4 Playstation 3 Blu Ray HD DVD refresh rate of 340 Mhz and 192 kHz 24 bit high resolution audio for ultimate 5 1 7 1 surround sound and 10 2 Gbps minimum bandwidth
November 30, 2008 by admin
Filed under Electronics
HDMI is a data superhighway for digital video and audio. For the best high definition experience, use an HDMI cable that delivers all the picture and sound data your HD components require. . This cable is optimized for the next generation performance of HDTVs and game consoles that will require 1080p resolution with Deep Color technology. . Advanced High Speed HDMI cable with a bandwidth at a minimum of 10.2 Gbps. Specially designed for home theater enthusiasts who also want the best in HD viewing and/or gaming. . Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HDTM Lossles surround sound provices Greater cable bandwidth for support of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD lossless surround sound, available on Blu-ray DiscTM and HD DVDTM movies.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great cable!
This is a great, well made and sturdy cable. You can just tell that it’s high quality when you get it and hold it in your hand. I have another HDMI cable that I payed more for at Frys and this cable is a lot better than it is. I highly recommend this cable.
5 Stars Great cable for a great price
This is an awesome price for v1.3a certified cable. Cable seems solid and not flimsy like other cables I’ve read reviews for. I’m using it to connect my DVR to my LCD TV and its working great.
