An hour with the WRT610N, or How I Finally Have Decent WiFi

Back Story

Before the WRT610N, I had spent a grand total of $10 on wireless technology. If the adage is true, you can imagine that with what I’d paid for, I’d not gotten a lot. I did however, have a cheapy ZyXel P-330W wireless-G router ($10) and a D-Link Wireless-G router I got from Freecycle. The D-Link? Like every piece of D-Link equipment I’ve owned, it is a piece of crap. The version of the router I got is apparently plagued by overheating and reboots. When it was up and running, coverage was decent, but I had to pull the case apart and put a fan on it to keep it cool enough just to transfer files between machines on my local network. A fan. On a network router. Give. Me. A. Break.

The sound pollution just wasn’t worth it. We’d moved the (much more fully featured) ZyXel upstairs to act as a wireless client for my daughter’s computer, so to go back to using that as our house router would have required purchasing another wireless adapter. And, I was about to order my wife’s new MacBook. While I could tolerate intermittent dropouts on the network, I wasn’t about to come home every day to complaints about how much the network sucked. So that would be two draft-n clients and a .11g client, with plans to add a HTPC later in the year. Oh, and we occasionally have 15-20 guests descend on our house with laptops.

I don’t like to have my bandwidth interrupted. I want the higher speeds. So I went looking for a simultaneous dual-band router. I was advised to get a business-class WAP for stability’s sake and use a wired router (I have one already). Excellent idea, but wireless access points in the business class START at $300 and go up from there. Like everyone else, I too am a victim of recession and spending $300 on this didn’t seem to be a good first resort. So, enter the Linksys WRT610N. It’s a Linksys, which is good, since I’ve had nothing but good luck from them. It’s GigE on ALL the wired ports, including the WAN port. That’s good, since I recently upgraded to RoadRunner Turbo which is >10Mbit. Reviews on NewEgg tended to be in the 4-5 range with the 1s taken up mostly by people who have to use adaptive technology for web surfing since their head seems permanently lodged in their rectum.

In The Box

I ordered the WRT610 from NewEgg for about $150. It arrived quickly, as expected. Inside the package are the router, an ethernet cable, a startup packet, and the power adapter. I must say that I do like this power adapter better than previous wall-wart style models from Linksys. It uses a laptop-brick style adapter that has a standard laptop-style removable cable that plugs into the wall and the power brick. The power brick has an LED that indicates you’re connected to the juice and a fixed cable to the router.

Setup

I connected my wired desktop PC to the router’s port 1 and the WAN port of the router to my cable modem. I reset the cable modem and powered on the Linksys. In case you were wondering, it really was that simple to get internet back on my wired PC.

Linksys may have invested a bunch of money in pretty software to help you configure things and set them up, but if you’ve bothered to get THIS router, chances are you know what you’re doing. The login and password are the standard for Linksys, and the router defaults to 192.168.1.1. I changed that and the admin password immediately. The web interface looks exactly like every other recent model Linksys router, so there are no big surprises. Just click around and set things up to your liking.

Next I set up the wireless. I set up WPA2 passwords on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and set up different SSIDs on both. Then I got out my trusty Lenovo X200 and tried to log on.

My laptop would only recognize the 2.4GHz SSID. This was troubling, since a) I had paid for both bands to work at once, and b) I wanted my laptop to be the primary user of the 5GHz band with the 2.4GHz band for everyone else. I did some frantic googling and read some reports of defective 5GHz setups, requiring RMA. Not a good sign, methinks, but let me do some debugging. I completely disabled the 2.4GHz band and turned off security on the 5GHz band. Viola! There it was, with lovely signal strength, showing up in the network list.

When I went to re-add security to the 5GHz band I got an interesting error message. WPA2 passwords must be at least 8 characters. The previous password I had used was 7 characters long, but I got no error.

It looks like there’s a bug in the error reporting on the security web page for WRT610N. If you have both 2.4GHz and 5GHz security enabled, the error reporting for the 2.4GHz band (which occurs further down the page) will overwrite any errors from the 5GHz band’s config. So, if you screw up your 5GHz band but the 2.4GHz stuff is okay, you won’t get an error.

With that discovered, I re-enabled the 2.4GHz band and everything was detected. Booyah.

Wireless Connectivity

I changed my SSIDs with the new router, so I had to go and reconfigure the little ZyXel box. This involved a full configuration reset for it, because once it goes into client mode, it’s impossible to update. Did the reset, added in the new configuration and it came back online immediately.

As for my Thinkpad, everything worked great, once I told it to ignore Wireless Protected Setup and let me enter the password. I was advised to disable WPS completely and just do things manually. I’ve got no problem with that, since entering a password is not really a sufficiently big deal to skip it.

File transfers on the network jumped to over 5MB/sec and I was seeing a consistent 60 – 120Mbit link from my living room to the router in the office. The link seemed stable at 300Mbit when the laptop was in the same room as the router, although I’ve not done a file transfer in that room to check performance.

Other Thoughts

This router vents heat to the bottom, which is a bit bizarre. The only thing I can imagine is that the router is intended to be hung vertically on a wall. I have not done so yet, but I might as electronics performance improves with lower temps.

Firmware updating was easy through the web interface and didn’t wipe configuration settings, at least on the upgrade I did.

This router is listed as a WIP for DD-WRT. I have NOT downloaded or tried the DD-WRT development firmware. For those of you using DD-WRT, would I get performance or range gains over the stock firmware? Or is it just in feature set?

Having a GigE port for WAN is nice, considering that we upgrade things like routers far less frequently than we upgrade our network performance. My old Linksys wired router lasted more than 8 years and started with a 512k/64k DSL line. Now, my performance is more like 18Mbit/1.5Mbit, with speed increases coming on 1-2 year basis. It’s nice to realize that I won’t come close to topping out my router before I’ll need to replace everything else.

The antennas on this router are internal. I don’t personally have a problem with that. If you want high gain antennas, this is probably not the model for you.

This model also takes the new Linksys styling which is black and shiny and has shaped LEDs to indicate function. I kind of like square LEDs with labels and boxy boxes, but I’d like very much to start ignoring my router again so this isn’t really that big a deal. If you have to have your router visible, it’s pretty sleek. Just make sure to wipe up your fingerprints when you’re done caressing it.

Wrap-Up

I have about 2 hours experience with the router so far, however my wife reports that the internets don’t seem any more retarded than usual. Long term performance remains to be evaluated.

Thanks for the guest post, Keith!

When I got to the office yesterday morning, my boss met me almost at the door with my Dell box in hand.  FedEx had apparently just delivered it, and he knew how excited I was to be getting my Mini at long last.  I did take some unboxing pictures, even though I was super impatient to crack open the box and reveal the Mini in all its glory.

I was super impressed by the size–one of the reasons I was semi-reluctant to upgrade from the Eee PC was because I considered it to be the perfect size for a netbook.  The Dell Mini 9 is scarcely larger than the Eee PC–not even a whole inch bigger on either height or width, and it is a bit slimmer overall.  My husband even thinks it feels lighter than the Eee PC, though I think it is a tad bit heavier.

The form factor is also really nice.  As much as I loved the Eee PC, it did feel like a toy to me at times.  I know part of that was the fact that I got it in Barbie pink, but it also had a boxiness that made it feel a bit cheaper, even though I thought the construction of it was more than solid.  The Dell Mini 9 is very sleek, with rounded corners and a more streamlined profile than the Eee PC.  I have to say, it feels a bit more grown-up and like a “real” computer to me.  The glossy white finish is a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but I don’t mind it that much–I am used to it with the iPhone!

The Dell’s screen is absolutely GORGEOUS.  My biggest fault with the Eee PC was the screen.  It was small…really small.  I also hated the coating on the screen–it made things look dull even at the brightest setting and reminded me of my very first laptop, an ancient Toshiba with only 525MB of RAM.  The Dell’s backlit LED screen is glossy, sharp, and bright.  I was absolutely floored when I turned it on for the first time.

The keyboard on the Mini is a LOT better than the one on my Eee PC 701.  It is still small, but I can touch type on it very accurately, without developing a cramp in my hands!  The keys have good tactile feedback, which is always a plus for me, and it is very responsive. Sometimes it felt like I had to hit a key really hard on the Eee PC keyboard to get it to register, but that is not an issue with the Dell keyboard at all.  However, my one complaint is actually with the keyboard layout–the ; and ‘ and – keys are in weird places, which flubs my touch typing a bit.  I am getting used to it, and I think I am going to remap the keys for ; and ‘ so that they fit my typing style a bit more.

The battery life on the Dell is very good as well.  I used it only on AC power for the first 12+ hours per the Dell manual.  Today, I have been using it for almost 3 hours sans the power cable and I still have about 45 minutes left on the battery.

Performance is very snappy–I can tell a huge difference between the 1.6 Ghz Atom processor and the clunky Celeron in the Eee PC.  For someone who does basic tasks the Eee PC is great, but I consider myself to be a power user and the extra oomph in the processor is a welcome change.  I put 2GB of RAM in before I ever even turned it on, so I don’t know how it performs with the stock 512MB, but everything is always better with more RAM!

Finally, my very favorite thing about the Dell is that it runs Mac OS X like a dream.  I purchased the Dell Mini 9 both because it had been reviewed as a great netbook and because it was proven to run the Mac operating system perfectly.  With the help of a few utilities, I was able to install the OS on the Dell with surprisingly little trouble and have a great, value-priced MacBook Mini.  It is truly astonishing to me how well OS X runs on the Dell.  After the install, everything just WORKED, like it was a real Mac.  I have been in heaven getting all my favorite software installed and configured.  It is going to be nice to not have to sacrifice my favorite programs and utilities in the name of portability.  But, more on the Dell and OS X later–I will be writing at least two posts about it for Gear Diary!

All told, I couldn’t be happier that I traded in my Eee PC 701 for this beautiful little machine.

http://www.geardiary.com/2009/04/06/stanza-ebook-reader-for-iphone-updated/

Go read it here:  http://www.geardiary.com/2009/04/01/review-pocket-informant-10-for-iphone

Be sure and leave a comment if you visit!

I have to say, the Apple TV is one of my favorite gadgets in the house right now. It took a bit of fineagling to hook up–we had to buy a component switcher box for our kind-of-ancient HDTV to accomodate more than two HD devices, I had to go to the store twice to get enough cables for everything, and we had to rearrange everything in the entertainment center. But it was worth it, trust me!

Once we got everything hooked up, the first thing I did with the Apple TV was install Boxee. One thing I really like about Boxee is that it doesn’t overwrite the default software. You can still use everything on the ATV as designed, including streaming iTunes from your computer, purchasing content from iTunes directly on the ATV, YouTube, etc. The Apple TV on its own is wonderful, but the Apple TV with Boxee…it’s amazing.

I have a large library of media, and it’s growing all the time. I also use services like last.fm and Pandora on a regular basis, and have really wanted to have a way to use them at home that didn’t involve sitting in front of the computer. Boxee not only lets me view AVI files without converting them for iTunes (a HUGE boon, because conversion takes forever), but I can also listen to Internet radio (such as last.fm and Pandora stations), watch videos from all over the Internet, catch up on podcasts, and even see what my friends on Boxee are watching.

I do use the “normal” Apple TV set up from time to time too, to watch iTunes-purchased video, or to listen to specific playlists that I’ve created (like the ones that filter my husband’s massive death metal collection OUT). It has been great for parties or when I’m just working at home and want some music on in the background. Who needs a stereo?

I like the Apple TV on its own, but I love the Apple TV + Boxee because it doesn’t dictate to me how I have to use my media. I’m getting really sick of DRM and constraints (see the recent Boxee/Hulu dustup courtesy of the content owners who just don’t GET new media) and I like being able to watch and listen MY way.

With the Apple TV and streaming Netflix on the XBox 360, I barely need satellite service anymore! Between the two, I have thousands of movies and TV shows at my fingertips. If there was a live sports stream available that was comparable to what’s on ESPN and Fox Sports Southwest, I think my husband and I would dump DirecTV and go rogue with our entertainment.

If you’re looking for a pretty easy media solution that doesn’t involve buying a whole new computer, I highly recommend the Apple TV. It’s hackable for those inclined to do so, but also simple, valuable and user-friendly for people who aren’t interested in hacking and just want to use it as-is out of the box. I think it’s a wise investment for anyone who doesn’t want to create their own media center PC or Mac.

You see, Pocket Cocktails is an absolutely gorgeous drink recipe app for the iPhone.  The interface is fun and retro, which is a big plus for me…but the real beauty lies in the recipes themselves.  Each one features a painstakingly photographed drink to go along with the recipe, presumably so you know how the drink is supposed to turn out.  When we were planning my birthday party, I thumbed through all the yummy-looking drinks and landed on a pretty pinkish one that looked delicious–the French Martini.  I sent my husband out for party supplies and he came back loaded down with raspberry vodka, Chambord, and pineapple juice…the very instruments of my demise.

Despite the hangover, the drink–and the party–were both raging successes, and Pocket Cocktails became a must-have app on my iPhone.  I’m forever hemming and hawing about what drink to order at a bar, especially if I’m in the mood for something fruity.  I’ve never been a beer girl, and sometimes I’m just not feeling like having a glass of wine.  Most of the time if I’m drinking liquor, the fruitier and girlier the drink is, the happier I will be!  Pocket Cocktails is not just a reference for mixing my own drinks, it’s a great primer for ordering something a little more exotic than your typical Cape Cod or Long Island Iced Tea.  And if the bartender doesn’t know how to make it?  Just hand him your iPhone!

What really impressed me was that Pocket Cocktails was developed by Robert Maran and his fiancée out of their apartment in Toronto.  They set up their bedroom as a temporary studio to shoot the gorgeous drink photos and put the app together.  One thing I love about Apple app development is that it allows anyone who can make an application to do so, without requiring significant resource needs or overhead.   I really enjoy supporting small developers like Robert because I can tell that a lot of hard work and attention to detail went into the development.

I highly recommend Pocket Cocktails if you’re in the market for a drink recipe app for the iPhone.  For more information or to purchase the app, please visit http://www.pocketcocktails.com.

Gameplay is intuitive and uses the iPhone’s tilt sensor to great advantage.  The goal is to match at least three of the same colored pieces in a grouping, with combinations possible that create chain reactions for super high scores, special pieces that fill in all the empty spaces on the board, and pieces that let you move around on the board exactly where you want, which allows for easier diffusion of bomb pieces and matching of locked pieces.  Once you get to a certain level from matching the pieces, the bombs and locked pieces show up to throw a wrench in the works!

I was intrigued to see that Demiforce included unlockable achievements in the game, similar to the system on the XBox 360.  My husband is addicted to the achievements, and I am starting to come around to them myself.  Demiforce has even developed an achievement system called Onyx Online that will allow any iPhone game to have achievements, leaderboards, and more.  With iPhone gaming becoming so popular, I think it would be really cool to have more online gameplay and community features.

I cannot recommend Trism enough.  It’s a solid, fun game that is sure to please any puzzle game lover.  It’s on sale right now for 2.99, which is a bargain.  Go to the iTunes App Store to pick it up here.  To learn more about Trism, visit http://www.demiforce.com/games.html.

So, when I was planning my switch over to the iPhone, one of the first things I was concerned about was the availability of a good eBook reader.  I have tons of books in tons of different formats, and it was important to me that I would be able to read them on the iPhone without having to jump through a lot of hoops.

The app that caught my eye after the release of the app store was Stanza.  It promised support for almost every kind of eBook file one could imagine (txt, html, doc, lit, pdf, etc.) and retails for the low, low price of free.  It was the first app that I downloaded in anticipation of purchasing my iPhone…I wanted it ready to rock and roll when I brought my shiny new baby home!

Stanza has two components–the iPhone app, which lets you read books as well as download them OTA from various sources, and the desktop app, which lets you read books on your computer as well as share them over Wi-Fi for download to Stanza on the iPhone.  Right now the desktop app is in Beta and also free.

From the get-go, Stanza was great.  It reminded me a lot of my favorite eBook reader on the Windows Mobile platform, uBook.  I loaded the iPhone up with some books and have used it to read on an almost daily basis since getting my iPhone back in August.  It allows you to fully customize your reading experience with font size, colors, and more.  I prefer my reader to have a black background with white text, which is less hard on my eyes.

Recent updates to Stanza have been amazing.  Books now have cover art associated with them–if your book doesn’t have cover art, all you have to do is tap a few buttons and Stanza loads cover art for you directly from the Internet.  You can even choose from different covers if it brings up a selection.  The covers appear as small thumbnails next to the titles when the phone is in portrait mode, and in landscape mode you can browse your library in a Cover Flow-esque setup.

You can also now purchase and read anything from the eReader/Fictionwise catalog directly from Stanza.  I had some old books purchased from eReader that I hadn’t read, and I used Stanza to download them and put them into my book library.  This is a huge boon for me because I don’t like having multiple applications that serve the same function.  Now I don’t need eReader!  This also means that I’m no longer jealous of the Kindle owners who can buy a book from just about anywhere–now, so can I!

Random House also offered a selection of free eBooks this week, again directly accessed through Stanza on the iPhone.  I must confess, they all looked so good I downloaded every single one!  Who doesn’t love free?

Once Stanza is out of Beta, it will reportedly cost somewhere in the vicinity of $15 (I assume for the desktop application).  I personally can’t wait to give Lexcycle some of my hard earned cash, because they deserve it for writing such fantastic software.  Stanza may very well be my favorite iPhone app…it has a coveted spot on the front page!

For more information on Stanza, please visit http://www.lexcycle.com.

After that I tried Twittelator, Twinkle and TwitterFon, but none of them really did what I wanted them to do.  Twittelator flat out never worked on the iPhone no matter how many times I tried it.  The other two just didn’t really feel like they offered anything more than Twitteriffic did.

I hesitated on buying a Twitter app when Twitteriffic was perfectly functional and for the very reasonable price of free, but I decided that as much as I use my iPhone, I needed a more robust app to do my Twittering and Twitter reading.  I surfed around for a bit and did some custom searches, and decided that I would give Tweetie a try for 2.99.

Boy am I glad I did!  Tweetie has every feature I could have wanted–the ability to load as many tweets as you want, picture posting, location posting, DM and @ replies, retweets, auto-shrinking links, trend watch, custom searches, being able to follow or unfollow people right from the app, the ability to look at your followers and following screens, and MORE!  Plus, it was stable and speedy from the moment I installed it.  It’s been a day or so now and I’ve already used Tweetie more than any of the other Twitter apps I’ve tried.  I love it when an app turns out to be worth every cent of what I paid for it.

For more about Tweetie, visit http://www.atebits.com/software/tweetie/.