Networking Reviews

When I got this product I was a little skeptical when purchasing it. But when I finally got it, my computer automatically identified it, installed the software with no worries, and I was up and running in 2-5 minutes. This is a great product that I recommend to anyone who is looking for a easy ethernet adaptor for either a laptop or a desktop computer.

I bought this adapter to use in conjunction with the Tivo Series 2 DVR Home Media Option, and it is solely upon that use that this review is based. This was a great cost-effective wired solution for connecting my Tivo Series 2 to my home network. Total time involved was about two minutes from plugging the adaptor into the Tivo and hooking it up to my Linksys 802.11b cable/dsl router. I was a little hesitant about not buying one of the "endorsed" solutions offered by Tivo, but this turned out to be a great solution. I also note that mine came with a 3" USB extension cable, thus you need not have this adapter sticking straight out the back of the device to which it is connected if rear end clearance is a problem.

SBC sent me this DFE-680TXD together with their dsl modem about a year ago when we applied for a DSL service with them. I installed it into my laptop and after loading it's drivers for Windows ME, hooking it to my hub with a network cable and restarting the machine, I was online!

Of course you still have to configure your network connections and enter your domain name or in my case workgroup name to be able to share stuff or access shared folders with-in my local network, but even before doing all that I was surfing the web thru my dsl connection.

I waited a long time before leaving a review for this card as I was waiting for some flaw to come up but so far after a year it hasn't dissapointed me yet!

So if you have a laptop that unfortunately did not come with a built-in ethernet card, this D-Link DFE-680TXD is surely the way to go!

this is a great networking card it will work in almost any computer running almost any os and it is really fast! I have used this in my house and it is marvelous I can play a game against my brother or I can use the internet at the same time as my dad without suffering any lag at all!!!! this is a great piece of work and i would reccomed it for anyone with a laptop or notebook (it runs with a type 2 PCMCIA card if you were wondering.)

This is a very reliable hub with features only found in more expensive products. It uses a standard computer (3 prong) connection. No need for a special transformer and fits nicely in a rack.

This product is very affordable to small-to-medium size business as the performance/price is comparable to other switch hub. Strongly recommend to give it a try :)

This card has the following metits: 1) works greatly, even in the condition of weakest signal; 2) easy to install in WinXP Home edition; 3) dual modes ready for potential upgrades; 4) absolutely cheaper than any other dual band cards I have ever known (pls buy it from Amazon.com, I received my card in the third day after I ordered for free shipping). Thank you--Amazon.com!

I purchased this card very recently, and it works great. It is very easy to install (in my case on a Micron Millenia laptop running Windows ME). The installation guide (geared for XP) is very concise and easy to follow. This card is "hot-pluggable", meaning you can easily get onto your network with your OS running. You need a 32 bit cardbus slot which is available on most newer laptops. The only negative would be the "pop-up" design of the antenna, which could cover your second PC card slot and make it non usable). I have 802.11b and use DI-713P, and I get a great and sustained connection signal. I cannot comment on the "a" protocol, but I am sure it will work as advertised. Also it allows you to tap into public "hotspots" when out of town (eg. airports, hotels). I bought it mainly because of its dual mode, which is a very handy feature and keeps your options and potential upgrades open in the future. It certainly makes more sense economically than purchasing 2 separate cards, and Amazon had the lowest price (even cheaper than the 22Mbs 650+ or wireless G), specially with the current rebate. Even though most wireless connections are currently 802.11b, the emerging "G" and faster "A" modes will sure make this dual AB card a first choice. Needless to say I am a D-Link fan for networking (this is my 6th, but not last, D-link product), and would definitely recommend the DWL-AB650. Thank you Amazon.

This adapter works very well compared to the Sony bluetooth adapter I tried (and returned). The Ambicom has good compatability between brands, and the software enables you to link easily with different services. There is even an option in the software to set up an ActiveSync connection, and a proxy internet connection for your PPC. Now my ipaq and vaio can sync easily without wires, using ActiveSync. In the setup, getting the COMport numbers correct can be a bit tricky -- it's important to pay attention to the steps in installation, and to consult your PDA manual. Also, I find I need to connect to ActiveSync (on the ipaq) through the bluetooth manager, which is easy, no problem. Once it's set up, it connects perfectly every time. A relief, after struggling with the Sony adapter and software -- and the Ambicom is half the price -- so I give this one 5 stars.

Having read some of the reviews for other Bluetooth adapters out there, I was a bit reluctant to get a product from a relatively unknown maker. I'm glad I gave it a chance!

I installed it on my home XP Pro (SP1) system on a USB 1.1 (powered) hub! It installed in minutes, and a couple of clicks after that, I was synchronizing my iPAQ 2215 via a bluetooth connection.

This item comes with short USB extension cable. I won't use it since I think it's safer to have the adapter securely plugged into my hub, but I do understand why some people may find it helpful. The adapter itself is very compact, and it doesn't take up more than its share of space on my hub, thus allowing me to use all the plugs next to it.

There are two versions of the latest software for this model, depending on your unit's serial number... Make sure to select the correct one if you download the latest drivers.

There isn't anything special about the design or looks of this small adapter, but so far it's worked perfectly for me. I don't know the exact distances but I've been able to connect my PDA from anywhere in my apartment.

I hope you have a similar experience to mine!

I have been using mine for about 8 months now and have experenced outstanding, fault-free operation. My use has only utilized the USB ports on a long term basis... for an HP4200C scanner, HP PhotoSmart 1100 Printer, and a Castlewood ORB External Drive. Once or twice I have used the parallel port, with friend's equipment, with no problems. This product is completely glitch free to the point where one tends to forget about it... the way it should be, yes? If you need the ports, get one of these, it will meet your needs well.

when i started looking around for a hub, i was just looking for a simple one-to-four usb hub. But when I saw this amazing product all of my viewpoint has changed. This product enables you to expand your options indefinitely. Especially if you use an external parallel port modem plus a printer and a palmtop device like palm3x which uses a serial port, this device will be the only option to consider.

I purchased this PC card to connect an old Vaio laptop running Win98 ver.1 to my new DSL router/switch.

All I had to do was unpack the PC card, slide it into the card slot on the laptop, and pop in the diskette so that the Win98 could find and load the card drivers.

After one re-boot -- which took longer than the card and driver installation -- the machine started up and immediately recognized the card and online connection.

I was not only surprised at the painless installation but pretty pleased at the low cost of the card. Everything worked as advertised.

A few things to watch out for which may affect the installation but has nothing to do with the card itself:

1) Remove any old PC card drivers which are no longer in use
2) Reset your browser setting to it's default configuration if you know changes have been made previously
3) Don't forget to reboot your machine after installing the drivers so that your OS can recognize the newly installed driver software

This is a simple card that works as promised -- happy surfing!

I wish I would have gotten this card eons ago. I had a 3 Com card that worked fine but the dongle was always a problem and after replcing it three times for a few bucks eack time I decided enough of that nonsense and not being able to shift in my easy chair for fear of breaking the connection or the dongle I purchased this card. A breeze to set up on WINME and has all the other OS as well on the floppy. It fired up immediately and has never given me a problem since. I especially like the 6 different LED's in place to let me know the status of my network. I think any card that doesn't require a dongle is a good bet...I just got this one because I have had good luck with other hawking products and the price was hard to beat at 20 bucks after the rebate.

It's been 10 minutes after I posted my last review...

In that time, I have installed the latest software and updated the firmware. The two really took me about 5 minutes.

The update adds a nice feature for single-PC networks. If a device is labeled a single-user device, then you don't need to take control of it every time you want to use it.

I also found out that it is possible to boot others off the server (actually everyone).

If you go to the Admin tab on the server SW, and edit the server settings (something simple like a password change), it will reboot the hardware (not your PC), which will disconnect all shared devices. This is a rather brute-force approach, but the manual doesn't indicate any other way.

Even after an extra 10 minutes of use, I think this device is the best thing since a USB thumb drive (which you can connect to the server as well).

This thing is just TOO COOL!!!!

- end of gushing -

I opened the packing box 10 MINUTES AGO, and both of my printers are up and running on every PC.

I was a little worried when I saw the 'documentation' was smaller than a CD, but everything went off without a hitch:

Step 1: Power up the USB server with no USB device hooked up to it, and connect it to the network via RJ45.
Step 2: Install the software (if WinXP, use the unsigned drivers). Your OS searches the network at this time and finds the USB Server.
Step 3: Hook up your USB devices.

THAT'S IT!!!

If you have a Multi-Function printer, you NEED this device, because even if you find a compatible print server, it will only let you use the print function. A Printer Server turns your Multi-Function printer into a Uni-Function Printer.

With this device, it will be just as if the printer were directly connected to your PC. In fact, you are not limited to PCs; you can connect ANY USB device to it (camcorder, scanner, webcam, even a mouse or keyboard).

The ONLY advantage that a print server has over this device is that with a server, multiple PCs can control a target device at once (really, that's not quite true, since the requestes are put in a queue).

With the USB server, every PC uses a little administration program. When launched, it opens a window that lists all of the devices that are connected to the USB server. A PC on the network that wants to use a device (i.e. print) needs to first take command of that device. You just select the device by name, and hit the connect button. From that point on, it's as if the printer were plugged directly into your PC. Others trying to use the printer would see that you were subscribed to it; they would have to wait until you release the subscription - which you have to do manually.

They could really use a virtual queue that keeps checking until the subscription is open, then releases the subscription when the job is completed. The problem is that if the device isn't a printer, how does it know when the job is finished?

So, even if you have only one PC on the network, you need to request access to use the printer. On the (sort of) bright side, every time you power up the PC, it will remember who owns what. I think the memory is maintained in the USB Server itself, not the PC. So if a PC takes control of a device, then dies, cycling power on the server releases all devices.

This is a little hokey (they claim they MIGHT fix it in a later release) but it's 1000% better than losing printer functions you paid for. They have an 'Admin' panel on the software, but I don't think it currently lets you boot someone off of a device.

If you already installed the devices you want to share, then once you connect to the server, every device will show up by name. When you take control of one or more of the devices, Windows goes through the 'new device ready' popup.

If you haven't added the device to your PC, then the server will show a default name for the device. Once you take control of it, Windows will detect the PnP device, and start the 'add new hardware' wizard.

It's truly as if the USB server didn't exist, and you had a REALLY long USB cable.

I have a Canon i950 Photo Printer, and a Brother 9600 MFC.

The Brother is particularly painful in that it won't even work with most printer servers. In fact, Windows XP doesn't even have a dedicated driver for it; Brother has all but stopped supporting it.

I was highly skeptical, but the MFC's scanner worked right away. As for the Canon, I launched the Status Monitor, and was soon seeing I had to replace an ink cartridge. So, the USB server is bi-directional, too (most Print servers aren't).

It took me longer to write this review than it took me to get the server up and running.

I can't recommend this product highly enough!

This type of switch certainly has its place, but make sure you realize that this switch only has one gigabit port. The rest are 10/100 ports.

This is good for connecting a bunch of 10/100 computers to a 1000 network. However, if your computers has a gigabit card, you'll want a switch with all gigabit ports to get the full speed.

Some of the features of this product are:
- Internal built in 256KB SRAM for buffer Memory
- Up to 4096 MAC Addresses table/hashing algorithm for address learning
- Supports store and forward architecture and performs forward and filtering at non-block full wire speed
- Provides 3 leds per port to indicate the packets traffic pattern and link status
- Signal regeneration ensures data transfer integrity
- Each 10/100 port automatically detects and negotiates up to 100Mbps
- Can integrate your existing 10/100 network with this switch making a server backbone connection

My workplace has set up this switch and using the switch is amazing (fast)!!

Make sure that you have a Gigabit Ethernet card to make full use of this switch.

This card is an absolute MUST if you want to hookup your laptop to a home phoneline network. Once it's hooked up, it works like a charm!!! I installed this card in a new laptop that has Windows XP so I can definitely say that it is compatible with the new operating system.

There is one little installation tip that is not mentioned in the manual: You should hookup your phoneline router to your cable/dsl modem and make sure it is working properly BEFORE installing and using this card, otherwise your laptop will display a message indicating that a network device is unplugged even if you hooked it up to your phoneline. Other than this little tip, installation should go smoothly and you should be surfing the net from any room (having a phone jack) in your house in no time!!!

This product is great. I couldn't run wires between the two rooms so this was a perfect solution. All you need is acess to a phone jack. It works just like a ethernet card only better because i can quicky move it from one computer to another! I love it!!!!!