Netgear Tells Customer to Call Geek Squad -- WTF? Posted

Let\'s not kid ourselves, Best Buy\'s Geek Squad division isn\'t exactly a respected establishment in DIY circles, and referring someone to Geek Squad for tech support is like, well, does this even need an analogy? No offense to any of our readers who may work as a Geek Squad tech, but you know what they say about a few bad apples.

What\'s even worse -- and we thought unthinkable -- is when the manufacturer of one your computer parts suggests calling Geek Squad to diagnose your failing gear before they\'ll replace it. That\'s exactly what one user who wrote into The Consumerist claims happened when his Netgear DGN2200 wireless router with DSL modem went on the fritz.

\"Five calls to [Netgear\'s] tech department and it is still not working,\" the user claims. \"On the fifth and final call they suggested I call the Geek Squad (approximately $139 for them to come to our home) to troubleshoot it and if it proves the modem is bad they will send me a new unit at that time (which I only paid $79 to begin with).\"

It doesn\'t take a math whiz to figure out that\'s a bum deal. Assuming it all went down the way the user claims it did, let\'s hope this was an isolated incident.

Fonera 2 Router Upgraded With 802.11n, Support For Flickr, Others

By John Herrman

FON has done some elective surgery on their Fonera 2 router, released just a few months ago with NAS, 3G and BitTorrent support. On top of those previous upgrades, the newest version includes 802.11n connectivity, web app upload support and reduced power usage. But first: What the hell is Fonera?

A re-refresher, from last time they dropped new hardware:

All Fonera routers are open to all Fonera users, meaning that in exchange for providing Wi-Fi to the occasional Fonera-owning passerby, you get to tap into other Fonera users’ connections whenever you’re away from home. It’s a pretty cool idea, but it’s not clear that there are enough Foneras in existence for the concept to work in practice, at least in the US.

The company also has telco partners (albeit mostly overseas), who essentially subcontract hotspots to Fonera users. It’s an interesting concept even if it’s a little cultlike, and for the price—about $US70—the Fonera 2n is a solid deal in strict hardware terms.

The company says the product is now out in “major retailers” in the US, though perhaps tellingly doesn’t name any. A full feature list below: [Fonera via Ryan Block's Twitter]

Caters to Web 2.0 with Faster WiFi, Home Network Access, and Manages File Uploads/Downloads – Even With Your PC Off

MADRID, July 14 /PRNewswire/ — FON today introduced the Fonera 2.0n WiFi router in the US market, combining FON’s revolutionary WiFi sharing and money making features with seamless integration and management of popular Web 2.0 services such as YouTube, Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, BitTorrent, RapidShare, and other content — even while users’ PCs are off. The Fonera 2.0n is on sale now at major retailers. This announcement is significant because anyone can now upload, download and synch ALL of their web apps while away from home, without getting stuck for hours waiting for something to load.

“If there’s one annoying aspect of the otherwise great internet, it’s the time it takes to upload videos, pictures, or download movies, tv series, games, and software from the internet,” said Martin Varsavsky, FON CEO. “The Fonera 2.0n is the first WiFi router that frees up your computer from those tasks. Close your computer, continue uploading and downloading!”

Built around the faster 802.11n standard, Fonera 2.0n has a greater WiFi reach and faster throughput than 802.11g routers, and its more powerful processors and sophisticated software enable it to run parallel applications and simultaneous uploads and downloads. A built-in USB hub and Fonera 2.0 management software allows users to connect external hard drives and other USB devices. This enables users to share data wirelessly, upload videos or photos automatically to YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Facebook, or download* torrents or files directly from BitTorrent, RapidShare, and Megaupload without a computer running at the same time. Additional features include the ability to backup files to a hard drive, print, or access a remote webcam via WiFi, and convert an HSDPA or 3G dongle to WiFi.

Fonera 2.0n can also help users save money on energy and reduce their CO2 output. A Fonera 2.0n router consumes less than four watts while downloading, instead of a PC that averages 100 watts, so users can reduce their CO2 emissions by 273Kg a year — equivalent to driving an SUV more than 1,500km per year. **

“The deep integration of online file sharing, social networks, and other Web 2.0 content into our already busy daily lives translates into more hours spent at the computer, greater energy use and more greenhouse emissions,” said Varsavsky. “By enabling users to handle basic computing tasks from the router instead of the PC, we’re taking a small step towards reducing power consumption without limiting functionality.”

Fonera 2.0 also maintains all the features of previous FON WiFi routers. Once connected, it creates two WiFi signals, one private and one public, that allow for a secure, wireless Internet connection at home and free access at FON Spots worldwide. Fonera owners can also choose to make money*** by selling FON WiFi access passes or letting guests roam at their FON Spot.

Fonera 2.0n is based on open source and developers are encouraged to create and share additional applications.

For further information about the Fonera 2.0, visit www.fon.com.

About FON:

FON started the free WiFi revolution in 2006 with the first Fonera WiFi router and the goal of free, ubiquitous WiFi for everyone. Today, FON has more than 350,000 FON Spots, over 1.3 million registered foneros, and a growing list of Telco partners who add FON functionality to their ADSL modems. Google, eBay, British Telecom, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital are investors in FON.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au

iiNet’s BoB Modem/Router Is The Best Named Gadget Ever

It looks like iiNet has actually put a little bit of effort into their latest modem/router offering, and we don’t just mean the awesome name ‘BoB’.

The device, manufactured by Belkin, features your regular modem/router bits, including support for 802.11n, 4 ethernet ports on the back and a couple of USB charging ports. It’s a pretty stylish piece of kit, with lots of fingerprint friendly black glass. But the big selling point is the inclusion of a phone handset for VoIP calls.

You can get up to five additional DECT handsets, and BoB can support up to three separate phone lines as well, making it a great option for small businesses.

The base unit will set you back $369 outright including a single handset, or you can get it for 269 if you sign up for one of iiNet’s 24-month BoB contracts. Additional handsets cost $69 each, although if you happen to have a compatible DECT phone already, you should be able to pair it with BoB.

BoB (which apparently stands for “Broadband in a Box”, although it’s one of the weakest acronyms I’ve ever seen), is also OS agnostic, working with Mac, Linux and Windows flavours of software. It sounds like a pretty complete solution, so long as you’re with iiNet, that is.

[iiNet via Lifehacker]

USB HSDPA Modem Huawei E272 Cooler

hehehe .. accordance with postingannya title, this time I wanted to share how to make gmn cooler (cooling) for the USB modem Huawei E272 HSDPA .. but ga the possibility to apply to modem laennya series, such as Huawei E220, etc. .. : wink:

material is also what the .. include:

* Heatsinks. taken from the motherboard company aja yang udah ga kepake.
* Fan / fan. buy a small can aja klo.
* Usb cable (extension). ga have to buy a new usb cable him, wrote clearly one end of the cord should be able to plug the usb dimasukin in leptop / company.

nah .. klo udh smua collected, skrg time to assemble .. : cool:

1. usb cable cut one's way as long. watch cable on it. there will be a small cable 4 fruit, whose color can vary, for example red-white-green-black. 2 of them are for data, and the remaining 2 are for power. usually, the wires for power is the black and red colors. but can also be other colors. such as black and white. Incidentally, I have a usb cable, for power is a black and white. klo you have a voltmeter, even better. Where can diliat reply imaginable voltage, it must be for power.
2. Next, take the fan, look no cable trus black and red colors. try to connect / wrap cable from the fan's reply, with a usb cable, wrote to power, washed-we find before. adjust the color. black with a black fan from usb. red from the fan with the red / white from the usb. after that, try to plug the usb cable it to leptop / companies. klo fan can spin it, it means the cord arrangement've correctly. but klo ga mau muter, please try another color combinations .. : mrgreen:

please see pictures below .. hopefully can clarify .. :)

USB HSDPA Modem Huawei E272	Mix USB and Fan Cables
Heatsink with Fan http://el.web.id/usb-hsdpa-modem-huawei-e272-cooler	USB HSDPA Modem Huawei e272 with Cooler