Seriously thinking of leaving Ciao now, just too many problems, too often......off by crimbo, you wi...
Seriously thinking of leaving Ciao now, just too many problems, too often......off by crimbo, you will find me on another well known site, same member name.
Member since:22.06.2004
Reviews:153
Members who trust:53
I have known for some time that I needed to get a wireless connection at home. I have two PC's and a laptop. One downstairs for work (the laptop I take out when needed), and an upstairs machine which has become my youngest sons machine for homework (occasionally) and games.
I am okay at computers but never having set up a wireless network went into PC World and asked their advice, bad move number one, they sold me the wrong package, which i had to go back and exchange for this package. By the way, a good tip, check on PC World's internet site before you buy anything, this was £69.99 on their website, £89.99 in store, I expressed surprise and dismay at this and they agreed to let me buy at
the net price, kerching, £20 reduction straight away.
In the box there is:
Router itself, this looks pretty modern and sleek, white with lots of clear plastic sorround, a really annoying blue light (I will come onto this later) The power adapter (plug) Ethernet cable Setup guide and installation CDs Stand attachments Warranty card (2 year) Voucher for 50 free emusic tunes (trial)
I have read other reviews that say you get the USB receiver, I never, I had to buy that seperately, and it will be reviewed seperately.
The Specifications (taken from the box packaging and information) are as follows:
Standards: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, 2.4 GHz Dimensions: 223 x 153 x 31 mm Weight: 1.2 lbs or 0.5 kg MIMO: G Available bandwidth: 108 Mbps 7 internal smart antennas
Whatever all that means, and you need on your PC:
Broadband (cable, DSL) internet connection and modem with Ethernet connectivity (so Virgin, Telewest, NTL), Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, Mac OS, Netware, UNIX or Linux Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 4.7 or higher, if you don't know if you have any of this, do not buy, get some expert advice.
I tried to get the PC World Tech assistance only to be told the only slots they had (that were good for me) were some weeks away. Luckily I know a few people in the business who will do stuff quite cheaply for me, I would advise getting some help as the setup is easy, but the configuring accounts etc. is not.
Making it all work:
Firstly, remember it like this, the router is putting your internet connection signal OUT, it is like (but isn't) a radio transmitter mast, you will need another piece of kit (USB connector or receiver card) on each computer that you want to recieve this signal IN to.
Surpisingly easy to set this up and get it working (glowing).
Step one, plug the router in to the plug socket.
Step two. CD in, and do what it says on the screen.
Step 3. Then simply unplug the cable connector from the existing modem and plug it into the router, replacing the now empty connector on your old modem with another cable attached to the router (it really is pretty obvious), no need to unplug anything else, alter anything, just like that.
Step 4. When prompted, set a password, (useful tip) write it down at this point).
Simple as that, it is now working. You will see all the lights (green) on the front, with a number, also glowing that tells you which connection you are using (there are four).
Does it work?
Yep, within ten minutes I had this up and running, and once I set up the USB connector upstairs, it all worked just fine. You do not need the PC with the router attached on all the time (common mysth), but clearly you will need to keep the modem signal and router on. Strength of signal is fine, speed is fine.
I said I would come back to this. I have no idea why the makers put this circular blue, flashing light on top of the router, it is the most annoying thing i have ever seen, it reminds me of the bottom of the spaceship in 'Close encounters', only it has just the one colour, electric blue, it's big enough to be a disco light, I have taken to hiding theis router behind my modem so I can't see this light. It drives me insane, and that is a shame, coz' just about everything else is good.
Overall:
Good, easy to set up, reasonable price, get some help if you are unsure, you don't really need it though.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Great Review! Very Helpful! Though Im a little confused as to the product picture - or is it just my ciao messed up!! xx
matty0501 18.09.2007 18:43
Great review. I agree that PC world staff rarely know what they're on about. I didn't know that they actually had an expert though. Sounds like a good wireless router. Matt :-)
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Sep 14th, 2007
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