Advantages: Bargain bundle with wireless card for my laptop
Disadvantages: Just an access point, no modem/hub/etc

...I use the 3Com OfficeConnect Wireless 11g Access Point in my home wireless network, and bought it as part of a bundle with a laptop wireless card - check my other reviews to see if I've got round to reviewing that too... It used the IEEE 802.11g standard (data transfer speeds of up to 54Mbps), plus is backwards compatible with IEEE 802.11b (upto 11Mbps) so works with older equipment (such as a slightly outdated laptop from a previous employer) with no problems. The included CD installed all the necessary drivers very quickly and also contains all the manuals in PDF format. Once the drivers were installed, the configuration wizard runs in a standard web browser. This involves configuring IP addresses, encryption settings, DHCP settings and other techy bits and bobs. This was pretty straightforward, although a basic knowledge... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Awesome Value for Money, Great Setup Utility
Disadvantages: Not the best looking object in the world!

...When you purchase an all-in-one solution for broadband in your home these days, you want something that will sit in the background, quietly providing you with fast broadband - whether wired to your desktops, wireless to your laptops or networked to a whole range of bandwidth hungry appliances. You want it to work and you want it to be reliable and of course it must be simple to set-up. The 3Com OfficeConnect Wireless Router ticks all these requirements. I originally purchased one for a client, and I was surprised at how easy the installation was, especially since they used dreaded AOL! Many manuals for routers are usually of two distinct formats: horrendously complicated jargon-spewing bohemoths aimed at network professionals with accreditation from Cisco, or are partonising pamphlets covering the "perfect" install, which we all know... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: You can access the internet from anywhere in the house (or garden)
Disadvantages: Hard to set up.

...I have been in trouble this past couple of months. I discovered Ciao, and want to spend loads of time here. My husband wants me to spend time with him, understandably. He likes watching car programmes on the television, and I don’t. The solution we came up with was a Wireless Router for my laptop. Having looked around, and found no product reviews on wireless routers, we took our chances on this. We searched around for a good price. We placed an order from ebuyer for a 3COM Office Connect ADSL Wireless 11g Firewall Router, with a 3COM Office Connect Wireless 11g PC Card. The cards on their own cost around £34 if you search the net. If ever they add the correct product to the category, I will write one on the Router itself, but for now, I get to tell you about my experience with the card. This review assumes that you already... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Firewall for the whole Network, Wireless, Your Own Site filtering options
Disadvantages: 20Mbs internet speed restriction.

...The joy of Internet, yet, Internet providers thinks that one computer per house is enough... Hence, they give you modems that allow only one computer to connect to the internet, the one with the modem attached to it. Sure, I tried Microsoft internet sharing, but that means I must keep my computer ON for the whole family to connect their computers to the web across mine... Forget that, the cost of repairing anything on my computer beats many times the cost of this router. With 54Mbs Wireless speed, and a WDS feature allowing me to extend the Wireless range with the help of another 3Com Access Point, 4 LAN ports saving me money on buying a Hub or a Switch to allow my family PC to connect to mine, I actually got myself a good deal. I later configured the wireless and added my laptop to the lot too. Within 10 minutes I... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Very stable, good speed
Disadvantages: Not a pretty boy, yet to get remote admin working

...Anywhere, SMTP, VPN and Webserver forwarding from the routers pre-configured drop-down list. You can also specify your own mappings if required, although I have not tested this. Wireless Security This router supports 64 and 128 WEP, WPA-PSK and WPA (Radius Server) encryption. Only the former 3 levels will be of interest to most people. I shall comment on these as I have no experience of how the router performs with a Radius Server. 64 and 128 WEP and WPA-PSK all work without issue on the 3 Belkin wireless cards, 1 Pro Link and 2 un-branded cards I currently have in use with this router. I have not noticed any drastic fluctuations in performance in using either 64 and 128 WEP and WPA-PSK. Personally I always use the highest level of encryption available and drop back if there are compatibility/performance issues in a mixed... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Simple setup, manages itself
Disadvantages: Very occasional low signal

...Following on from my review of the Belkin wireless router, this is the piece of kit at the other end of the link. The PCI Desktop Card is whats required to allow the PC to communicate with the router. This product cost me £25 when I bought it. I was interested in the Belkin wireless router, so I played safe and used the same manufacturer for both items that would allow the router and my PC talk to each other. --Whats in the box-- On opening the box, there were no real surprises. There was the PCI card, the antenna, a quick installation guide and a CD which contained the drivers and a full manual. --Installation-- On reading the quick installation guide, it was apparent that the software had to be installed before the card was plugged in. The reason for this was because, when the hardware was detected, the software would... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great Design
Disadvantages: No Dual Shock

...This is a great controller jus like the classic ps1/ps2 the design stayed the same. This is the perfect controller i can not say anything about the slick design. As you may know this controller is wireless so you may use it from newere in the room so no messy wires hanging around. And the batttery lasts very long i dont have to charge it very often but i dont play hours every day either. Only bad this about this controller is that unlike the ps1/ps2 controllers this does not have dual shock so no rumble :(.This is because sony could not get rights for the technology. Sony what happened? Well good news this controller is being released again next year as Dual Shock 3 is comming out. So if you can wait i strongly urge you wait for it to come out as it is a great feature. The feeling for the game is lost without dual shock. Need... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Tidies up the lounge
Disadvantages: Needs a PC running all the time music is wanted

...automatically by your system. WOULDN’T IT BE NICE IF IT WERE WIRELESS? It CERTAINLY would, and it can be made to be, but not directly by SliMP3, although they will sell you the bits to do it. If your LAN already operates using a Wireless Access Point (WAP), to allow for the cordless connection of PCs, then you’re in business. You can’t just add on another wireless adapter as you would for an extra PC, because the SliMP3 quite simply isn’t a PC, not being capable of being loaded with installation software. However, you can add a ‘bridge’ adapter. SliMP3 suggest the D-Link DWL-810 offering, priced by them at £98.70, but available from www.dabs.com for less than £70. This kind of adapter works with less intelligent items like stand-alone printers (or the SliMP3), operating without being plugged into a PC etc To my mind, this really makes... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Simple and Excellent quality & Plug In
Disadvantages: Your Laptop should have the plug in facility

...Features ********** • Reliable IEEE 802.11g and b standards-based wireless technology. • Supports roaming between access points when configured in Infrastructure mode. • 54 Mbps high speed data transfer. Wireless nodes negotiate to operate in the optimal data transfer rate. In a noisy environment or when the distance between the wireless nodes is far, the wireless nodes automatically fall back to operate at lower transfer rates. • High level of data encryption using128-bit Shared Key WEP data encryption method. A lower level of data encryption or no data encryption is available to simplify your network setup or to improve data transfer rate. • WPA PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) support. • Device Type Network adapter • Form Factor Plug-in module • Interface Type CardBus • Dimensions (WxDxH) 12 cm x 5.4 cm x 0... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: New faster wi-fi standard. Easy to set-up
Disadvantages: None specific to Linksys, but wi-fi HAS to less secure than a wired LAN

...- this is a slight reduction allowing for the fact that it was ‘opened stock’, but it still enjoys Dabs’ usual warranty and a 3-year one from Cisco. CAVEATS Don’t buy one of these if:- Your ISP uses a networking protocol called PPPoA - you need to check this with them. The very similarly named PPPoE IS supported however. My thanks (and commiserations) to criticalwriter for pointing this out, having found out the hard way himself. Your Windows version is older than Windows 98 Second Edition Your PC does not have a normal Network Interface or LAN card – it is quite common these days for ADSL modems to be supplied as USB connections, which rules their use out with the router, although you can buy a combined router and modem, and just throw the old one away or keep it for a rainy day. (Note: Some late breaking news from Lazza123 - you can... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful