D-Link SharePort Go Mobile Companion DIR-506L Review

I had the opportunity to test out the D-Link SharePort Go DIR-506L a few days ago and I thought that I would write my thoughts on the product.

The SharePort Go Mobile Companion is portable and slightly larger than a deck of playing cards. It is powered through USB port (mini-USB) or by battery with the included removable proprietary battery. Included with the unit is a USB cable, the battery, and a very small instructional booklet.

I charged the unit using an AC to mini-USB cable from one of my other devices for a few hours. According to the documentation, it takes ~4 hours to fully charge using the USB cable when attached to the USB port on a computer. Charging it fully via my AC adapter was obviously a lot faster. According to the documentation, the battery lasts for 4 hours on a single charge, however like with all electronic devices this number probably depends on how the device is used.

The unit configures via either a WPS set-up button, by connecting to the device via http://192.168.0.1 (either wirelessly or wired), by using an Android/iPhone application. Not being a real fan of WPS since I prefer to configure my wireless devices manually, I configured the device using the free Android application. I also wanted to try it also using the iPhone application but unfortunately, the application only works with iOS 4.3 and above and my iPhone 3GS is still at iOS 4.01. The configuration was straightforward on the free Android application (called QRS Mobile) for basic set-up. The only problem that I experienced was due to the fact that this device's internal IP address matched the internal IP address of my existing wireless router.

Because my home network isn't very straightforward and the very small instructional booklet (Quick Installation Guide) was written for very basic network configurations, I had to download the user manual from the company's website to get some added information about setting up the device as an Access Point. At the same time, I checked to see if there was any firmware updates on the company's website and applied the latest firmware on the device.

Accessing the device's configuration directly via a browser allows for more advanced configuration options. The options available when configuring the SharePort Go Mobile Companion are similar to most advanced router configurations including MAC address filtering, opening network ports, etc.

The company's video below from YouTube outlines some of the features of the device.


I tested to see whether the device would charge my iPhone 3GS and my Android phones (Samsung Nexus-S & LG Nexus-4) and according to the phone display, it was charging without any issues. It was unable to charge my Blackberry Bold 9700 but then again my Blackberry Bold 9700 will sometimes charge using some cables and sometimes it won't charge using the same cable so I'm not sure whether it will charge Blackberry phones. I didn't let the device fully charge my phones, I just looked at the message or icon on the phone to see whether the phone was actually charging.

I tested the device's SharePort capability by plugging in my USB memory stick (with some photos on it) and I was able to watch them without any issues on my Android tablet with the free SharePort Mobile Android application. I also tested it with some MP3 files and didn't have any issues either. Unfortunately, I didn't have any quickly accessible videos in MOV or MP4 to test.

I find the device good and useful but here are my negative comments about the device:
1) Even though I like the fact that the device has a removable/changeable battery, I would have preferred it if the device used standard batteries or batteries used by some other devices (like camera batteries) but then again, the required voltage/amperage probably makes this very difficult.
2) Unlike a laptop which can be powered with an AC adapter without having the battery plugged into it, the device requires the battery in the unit even when it is being charged/powered by an AC adapter (similar to how cellphones behave). For users who don't need a battery powered device, the non-battery powered SharePort DIR-505 might be a better option.
3) Since most cameras use SD memory cards, having an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot would have been nice (but I basically have a USB SD card reader stick so it isn't really a big deal).
4) Only supports USB devices that are less than 500 GB
5) I find the video file format that the unit supports limiting. However since I believe that the primary market for this device is for users/consumers to share videos taken from their digital cameras, this might not be a big issue for most people.

All in all, even with the negative comments mentioned above, I like the D-Link SharePort Go Mobile Companion DIR-506L device and don't have any issues recommending it for any user who needs the functions of such a device.

If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and an comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.

Netgear Universal WiFi Range Extender (WN3000RP) Review

I got the opportunity to test the Netgear Universal WiFi Range Extender (WN3000RP) and since there were a few deadspots within my place and slightly outside of my place, I decided to give it a try. This universal WiFi range extender supports B, G, and N routers.

To configure the device you have to locate (or roughly locate the half-way point of the range for your wireless router) and plug the extender near this "half-way point." You would then connect to the extender and configure it to access your router. After doing this, you can then configure your devices to access the Netgear Universal WiFi Range Extender either via the 1 ethernet port on the device or via WiFi. I've tested it using the network cable (hard-wired) connection and I found that it was "okay" (not great but not what I would consider bad either).

My problem with the device isn't really a problem with the device itself but my place doesn't seem to be ideal for such a device. The reason for this is that there is no power outlet at the half-way point between where my wireless router is situated and where I have a very weak wireless signal. As a result, I have to plug the WiFi Range Extender somewhat close to the wireless router. Because of the distance between the WiFi Range Extender and my wireless router is only about 5 feet, the improvement in the wireless signal near my deadspot/weakspot is not that big of an improvement.

The extender documentation mentions that if both the extender is detected and the wireless router is detected by your wireless device (and the wireless router signal strength is decent), it is preferable to connect to the wireless router since the speed of the extender is slower than the speed that can be obtained from the wireless router.

In terms of whether I can recommend this device, I guess it would depend on whether you have a power outlet near the half-way point of your desired deadspot/weakspot and the wireless router. If you do have a power outlet located in the proper place, I think that this device is a good buy if you can find it on sale.

If you have an questons/comments regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section. Please note that comments are moderated and any comment that contains a URL link (whether or not it is embedded) will be automatically flagged as being spam and will not be posted.

Watching US Netflix while outside of the US

I've been using a service called Blockless in order to get access to the Netflix US content while in Canada. They offer a 7 day free trial so I decided to give it a try before subscribing to their service.

The first thing I want to mention about their service is that they do NOT give you free Netflix service. You have to be an active Netflix customer in order to watch Netflix using their service. As long as you haven't subscribed to Netflix before (or within 1 year), Netflix has a 30 day free trial offer.

The way that their service works is that you either configure your individual device or you configure your router to use their DNS settings and you log onto your blockless account with your PC in order for their service to determine that you are either on a trial membership or you are an active subscriber. Because their service requires the changing of the DNS settings, their service will probably not work with some public WiFi access points especially if the access point requires a type of logging-in (or accepting the terms of service).

I find their service to be very good as it allows me to watch Netflix and get the US content when physically I am not located in the US (similar to a VPN service). The Blockless service works with other geographical IP restricted content/websites as well such as Pandora, Hulu, etc. but I mainly use their service to view Netflix US content while outside of the US on my mobile devices. You can also use their service to access Netflix Canadian content or Netflix United Kingdom content while you are outside those areas as well by logging onto your Blockless account and then configuring the Netflix content to point to either Canada, US, or United Kingdom. So far I haven't accessed the United Kingdom Netflix selection since I have plenty of things to available to me with Netflix Canada and Netflix US but according to the Blockless website, Netflix United Kingdom selections are available as well.

I noticed that the Blockless service only seems to work on "portable" or "mobile" devices. By this, I mean that after configuring my home router to use their DNS and I access my Blockless account on my computer, I'm able to watch Netflix US content with my Android tablet, my Android phone (over WiFi), my iPhone 3GS (over WiFi), my Chromebook (over WiFi), my Windows computer, and my Windows laptop/netbook. It did not work with Netflix my LG SmartTV Upgrader ST600 box even though my LG Smart TV Upgrader ST600 box was using the exact same router and as such it had the same public IP address information/settings.

When I tried to use my LG Smart TV Upgrader box while it was connected to the same router, the Netflix on it would be in a weird state. I would see the titles for the Canadian content (which is where I am physically located) but I would not be able to watch any of the Canadian content because they were not available (in my area). I reset the LG Smart TV Upgrader box and tried changing the settings on the box itself to the US but it still didn't work. I also contacted Blockless' technical support department but they couldn't help me (although they were very helpful when their service stopped working for Netflix on my Android devices). Instead, what I decided to do was to configure the box so that it used the actual DNS settings from my internet service provider. This way I could continue to use Netflix on my LG Smart TV Upgrader box and watch Canadian Netflix content while if I wanted to watch US Netflix content, I used one of my "portable" devices. When I want to watch US Netflix on my television set, I plug in one of my "portable" devices to my television (in my case, I plug my Acer Android tablet using an HDMI cable) and I start the Netflix application and then select the Netflix video that I want to watch.

So far I've used their free trial service and it worked for me enough that I decided to actively subscribe to their service. Based on the cost (~$5/month), I found that I was using their service enough to watch US Netflix content to make it worthwhile for me to subscribe to their service.

If you have any questions/comments regarding anything written on this blog, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section. Please note that comments are moderated and any comments that contain a URL link or hyperlink will automatically be flagged as being spam and will not be posted.

CradlePoint MBR1000 Review

After my old CradlePoint CTR-350 (reviewed in an earlier blog entry) abruptly stopped working after a few years, I started shopping for a new replacement router that would accept my USB data modem. Since I had a good experience with my CradlePoint CTR-350 (see my review of the CTR-350 *HERE*), I opted to take a look at the CradlePoint line of cellular wireless routers and came across the CradlePoint MBR-1000.

CradlePoint no longer sells the MBR1000 model so I managed to find one at an excellent price. I've been using the CradlePoint MBR-1000 for a few months now and I find that it works very well with both my USB data modems (Novatel Wireless MC950D & Nokia CS-18).

Like the CradlePoint CTR350, the MBR1000 router has the standard configurations that most wireless routers have. It also has a few configurations specific to cellphone carriers as well as some configurations that aren't part of most router configurations that I've seen. One of the features that both cellular routers have which is not cellular specific is it has the ability to scan the wifi channels in the area and use the wifi channel that will offer the least amount of interference. For example, if a nearby router is broadcasting/transmitting using channel 6, the CradlePoint MBR1000 router (as well as my old CTR350) can be configured so that it automatically won't pick the same channel of nearby routers. Using software, I've tested this and it does do this.

In addition, there are 4 ethernet ports on the router that can used by devices that only have an ethernet port and there is an additional 1 ethernet port which can be used for fail-over (internet backup) purposes. One of the features that the MBR1000 router has which the CTR350 doesn't is the ability to load balance between the "land based" internet provider and the cellular provider (or any of the other connections (USB port & Expresscard port for example). There are 2 USB ports on the MBR1000 which can be used to plug USB modems. There is also 1 Expresscard port.

In terms of the signal strength, I find it to be very good (much better than what I was getting with the CTR350). According to the specifications, the router's range is approximately 750 feet (compared with the 200 feet for the CTR350). The router has the standard security settings and supports 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Encryption Protocols. Unlike the CTR350, the MBR1000 also supports the N standard.

I find the cellular router to be very good. It allows me to use my carrier's data network on my various WiFi devices. I'm also not limited to using only 1 connection with my cellular carrier's data network (which was a limitation with the USB cellular data modem). I've tested it with my WiFi Skypephone as well as my PDA and I've connected a few items to it at the same time. According to the specifications for this model, this cellular data router is capable of connecting up to 64 devices to the internet at the same time via WiFi and an "unlimited" number of devices via ethernet connection).

The company also updates their firmware on a regular basis, fixing bugs, adding features, and adding support for more cellular data devices.

Some of the things that I like about this cellular data router:

1) I find the range to be very good.

2) It is easy to configure (or as easy to configure as a regular wireless/wifi router).

3) It is able to change the wireless channel automatically when it powers on.

4) It can be configured to automatically enter your SIM or your device's security PIN.

5) Has some nice (non cellular carrier) features not available/found in regular consumer routers from D-Link, Linksys, etc.

If you have any questions/comments regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section. 

LG Smart TV Upgrader Box ST600 Review

I've been using an LG Smart TV Upgrader ST600 box for a few months and decided to write a review on it. Since there are different programs/features accessible in different countries, my review will be based on the box being used in Canada.

This box upgrades an existing HD television to a "Smart TV" by allowing you to stream video through such services as YouTube, NetFlix, and Canadian National Film Board onto your HD television. In the US, you would be able to stream/access services such as Pandora (which isn't available in Canada). The Smart TV Upgrader box also allows for web browsing/surfing as well as streaming video, audio, and photos from your PC or associated network capable device (such as a NAS drive). There are some games available via the LG Apps Store.

In Canada, the online content includes NetFlix, YouTube, The National Film Board, Accuweather, Picasa, Ameba (Smart Kids TV), Tou.tv, Funspot, Karaoke Channel, Vtuner, NHL, MLB.tv, Viewster, I-play7u, Dailymotion, and Googlemaps.

The first thing that I did after plugging in the LG Smart TV Upgrader box and connecting it to my television is to update the firmware/software on it. As of this review, the firmware/software is ST 8.79.198.

The box connects to the network either using a standard network cable or using Wi-Fi. Setting up the box to use your home network's WiFi is very simple and I didn't have any issues connecting to two of my routers. I opted to connect to my network using a standard network cable since my television is in close proximity to one of my routers and I felt that the streaming would be better with wired over wireless. However, I did use the box over my wireless network and didn't experience any major issues.

The box uses a standard HDMI cable to connect to your HD television. If your television doesn't include an HDMI port, you are out of luck (unless you purchase or get some type of HDMI converter). The HDMI cable is not included with the unit and you will have to purchase one if you don't already have one. There is also a port for digital audio but I didn't use it.

There is also a USB port that supports external storage (playback) or a USB keyboard or USB mouse. I was able to use a USB keyboard that included a USB hub and then plugged my USB mouse into the USB port on the keyboard and didn't have any issues.

I use my LG Smart TV Upgrader box mainly for watching NetFlix, YouTube, National Film Board, and streaming online content from my PC. I will also use it quickly for Accuweather or to view some of my pictures on Picasa. The box supports almost every video file format that I tried (AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV, DivX). The only video format that I had which it didn't support was FLV. The streaming from my NAS drive and my PC was seamless. There was no buffering or stalling when accessing the media files over my internal network or when accessing Netflix and the National Film Board. However, with YouTube, the videos did occasionally stall. I did notice that it does sometimes abruptly exits Picasa and goes back to the LG Smart TV Upgrader box's home screen. I've read reviews where some people have experienced problems streaming internal videos as well as external videos but excluding the buffering/stalling that I've noticed with YouTube videos, I have not had the issues that these people have had. I'm not sure if it is because I'm using a different firmware version or whether it is because I'm using a wired network connection.

Another issue with viewing YouTube videos with this device (excluding the buffering/stalling which is probably related to my internet speed) is that you can only view YouTube videos, you can't view YouTube movies. The search feature with YouTube sometimes doesn't work immediately and I would have to enter the search string more than once.

The other thing that I find that happens occasionally is that the Smart TV box will sometimes not be able to see my computer on the network using the included Nero Home software. Rebooting my computer normally will fix this or waiting/refreshing the connections list on the Smart TV box will also sometimes help fix this problem. My NAS drive is always seen by the Smart TV box without any major issues. The only issue that I have experienced with my NAS drive and the Smart TV box is viewing my JPG pictures. Occasionally some pictures for some reason are not viewable on the Smart TV box (even though they were taken from the same camera and in the same format). These same pictures are viewable on my PC without any issues.

In terms of the browsing experience, I find it to be a bit lacking. It is extremely slow and the support for more advanced websites which require either java or Flash is extremely limited. I rarely use my Smart TV box to browse the web.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the LG Smart TV Upgrader box. It could be better but it does what I want without any major issues.

If you have any questions/comments regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section.

*UPDATE: If you want to go to my blog entry on my review of watching Netflix with the LG Smart TV Upgrader Box ST600, please click on *THIS* blog entry.

CradlePoint CTR350 router (cellular data router) Review

I was shopping for a router that would accept my USB data modem and I came across a company called CradlePoint. I found a Canadian retailer that sold a few of the CradlePoint models and I opted to get the CTR350 model based solely on the price and the size.

I've been using the CradlePoint CTR350 for a few months now and I find that it works very well with my USB data modem (Novatel Wireless MC950D).

The CradlePoint CTR350 router has the standard configurations that most wireless routers have. It also has a few configurations specific to cellphone carriers as well as some configurations that aren't part of most router configurations that I've seen.  In addition, there is an ethernet port on the router that can either be used for fail-over (internet backup) purposes or it can be used as an internet connection for a device that doesn't have wifi capabilities. One of the features that it has which is not cellular specific is it has the ability to scan the wifi channels in the area and use the wifi channel that will offer the least amount of interference. For example, if a nearby router is broadcasting/transmitting using channel 6, the CradlePoint CTR350 router can be configured so that it automatically won't pick the same channel of nearby routers. Using software, I've tested this and it does do this.

In terms of the signal strength, I find it to be quite good and generally I'm within a few meters of the router when I'm accessing it. According to the specifications, the router's range is approximately 200 feet. The router has the standard security settings and supports 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Encryption Protocols.

I find the cellular router to be very good. It allows me to use my carrier's data network on my various wifi devices. I'm also not limited to using only 1 connection with my cellular carrier's data network (which was a limitation with the USB cellular data modem). I've tested it with my WiFi Skypephone as well as my PDA and I've connected a few items to it at the same time. According to the specifications for this model, this cellular data router is capable of connecting up to 16 devices to the internet at the same time.

The company also updates their firmware on a regular basis, fixing bugs, adding features, and adding support for more cellular data devices.

Some of the things that I like about this cellular data router:

1) It is small.

2) It is easy to configure (or as easy to configure as a regular wireless/wifi router).

3) It is able to change the wireless channel automatically when it powers on.

4) It can be configured to automatically enter your SIM or your device's security PIN.

5) Has some nice (non cellular carrier) features not available/found in regular consumer routers from D-Link, Linksys, etc.

The only thing that I find missing/lacking from this device is it should either be USB powered (which probably isn't doable since the unit requires more than the 5V that can be supplied via USB) or be battery powered (rechargeable). It requires AC power which limits its portability since if for example, I wanted to use it, I would have to make sure that I was able to plug it into an AC outlet which depending on the location is sometimes impossible/difficult. Actually, Cradlepoint does have a portable cellular data router that is battery powered (rechargeable but unfortunately I couldn't find it at any reliable Canadian online retailers which is one of the reasons why I opted to purchase this model.

One other thing about this router is that the range is limited compared to all the home routers that I have used. This router for example would probably not work between floors unless the person accessing it was directly above/below the router's physical location (and obviously depending on the material of the ceiling/floor). The limited range is probably to be expected given the small size and the lack of external WiFi antennas. I would say that the range is better than what you can get with turning on the "personal WiFi hotspot" on some more recent cellphones but by no means does it compare to what you can get with a regular home wireless router with antenna. You can probably extend the range by connecting an external router to the available ethernet port and then configuring that external router as an access point but I did not try this.

If you have any questions/comments regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section. 

Securing/Configuring a Wireless/Wi-Fi router

In my computer freelancing, I often get asked to configure and/or set up a secure wireless network so I thought that I would create a blog entry about setting up a secure wireless network.

The first thing that I have to write is that regardless of how secure you set up your wireless network, it is always possible that someone will be able to access your wireless network. The only thing that you can actually do is keep out the casual hacker from accessing your network. I also want to state that a lot of the settings that I specify in this blog entry is "overkill" so the least that you should do with your wireless network is to change the router's default password and to enable WPA encryption.

When setting up your wireless network, the first thing you have to do is to change the default password. After changing the password, you should enable encryption. Without enabling encryption, someone can easedrop on your wireless network and possibly get your passwords as well as see the information that is being transferred back/forth between your computer and the internet. Unless you have something that doesn't support WPA, I would set the router's encryption to one of the WPA variants over WEP because WEP networks can be "easily" hacked. For the WPA Shared Key or passphrase, even though it might be easier to remember and to enter into new devices, picking a totally random string is better than picking something composed of words that can be found in a dictionary. You can pick a random string for your router's passphrase from Gibson Research Corporation's website but this might be going overboard and will make entering your passphrase in your wireless devices very cumbersome.

The more restrictive you configure the router, the fewer wireless devices will be able to connect to this. I use this as a general rule when I configure wireless routers. However, it does make connecting new devices to the router a bit more difficult.

The next thing that I will normally do is pick the wireless mode based on my devices. Generally, for compatibility with all my devices, I will pick a "mixed" mode if my router supports it. If I only have devices that support G (or another mode), I will pick G (or the other mode). For security purposes, there is no point in picking "mixed" mode if all your devices support G (or another mode) and you have no plans on getting a device that supports the non-specified mode. If you configure your router for G-only or N-only (or another mode only), all other devices that don't support that mode won't be able to connect to it.

The next thing that I will generally do is to scan the wireless channel spectrum with a program to see which wireless channel I should pick. I will pick the channel with the least overlap. Depending on the OS, there are a few free programs that do this.

Although this doesn't make a big difference (and I wouldn't rely on it as the sole means to protect a wireless network), I will generally disable the broadcasting of the SSID unless one (or a few) of my devices can only connect to SSIDs that are broadcasting. At the same time, I would also enable MAC filtering. MAC filtering allows only devices with the MAC address that I've specified on the router to connect to it. If for some reason, I am forced to enable the SSID broadcasting, I will set the SSID name to something that can't be identified to my network (for example, I would never pick my name, address, phone number, etc. as the SSID name).

The final thing that I will generally do is to set the DHCP settings for the router outside the common network settings for that specific router as well as restrict the DHCP address range. For example, if I only have 10 devices (both wireless and wired) that will access my router, there is very little point in creating a DHCP address range with a large number greater than 10 IP addresses. This doesn't really offer any real protection on the network since if someone knows what network your wireless router is configured to use and is able to connect to your router, he/she can specify a static IP address and would be able to access your router's internet connection.

The only negative thing about configuring all of these settings onto a wireless router is that, depending on your viewpoint, it takes a little bit or a lot more work in order to connect a new wireless device to this router. Personally, the extra few minutes (less than 5 minutes) in order to connect a new wireless device to my wireless router doesn't bother me.

If you have any questions/comments regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section.