The instructions are actually pretty thorough and explain everything you need to know about running CAT 5e or CAT 6 cables through your walls without making a horrid mess, but please don’t blame me if you somehow manage to destroy something. [Instructables via Lifehacker]

Indeed, having Linux on the RangeMax right from the start means you can load unofficial firmware on the router out of the box. And the USB port means you can also set it up as a media server. Other features include a 480MHz MIPS processor with 8MB of flash and 64MB of RAM. Expect the WNR3500L to ship sometime this fall for $US140. [Netgear via Electronista]

It seems funny to me that wireless N is finally coming around despite the fact that I have been using it for years. But what about you? What Wi-Fi standard do you use at home?

Obviously, shoving the whole internet between two computers introduces the potential for lots of problems—even with the clever handshake mechanism, iTwin’s gotta cut through servers, routers and firewalls—but the idea is great, especially if they can pull it off for $US99 early next year, like they’re planning to. [TechCrunch]

Connecting to your TV via HDMI/composite and your router via ethernet, the Digital Entertainer can stream a boatload codecs from your PC or networked storage, load media from a USB stick or stream YouTube from the web.

The catch, however, is that you’ll need to purchase PlayOn ($US40) if you’d like to stream the premium internet video services like Hulu, Netflix and CBS from a computer.

In other words, the Digital Entertainer’s $US150 price jumps to almost $US200. And for $US200, you’re in console territory with the PS3 and Xbox 360 supporting UPnP, popular codecs like DivX and PlayOn services. Plus, the 360 obviously supports Netflix out of the box.

I’m not saying there’s no point to one of these media streamers, but for $US150 when they’re not a turnkey solution to everything you want to do anyway, it’s probably smart to shop around a bit. [Netgear]

NETGEAR Introduces Digital Entertainer Live, Compact All-in-One Set-top Box for Playing Home Media and Streaming Internet Video on HDTVs

Plays Movies, Videos, Music and Photos from USB Drives, Computers and Network Attached Storage; Accesses YouTube, Roxio CinemaNow On-demand Movies, Internet Videos, Hulu, Netflix and More

SAN JOSE, Calif. – September 8, 2009 – NETGEAR, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today launched the newest Internet-connected set-top box in its popular “Digital Entertainer” product family. The new Digital Entertainer Live (EVA2000) is an easy-to-use and affordable Internet set-top box that enables viewers to play their digital media collections, YouTube videos and a wide range of other Internet content on big-screen TVs. Rather than having to watch downloaded movies and online videos on small computer screens, families can now enjoy media collections stored on USB storage devices, computers and network storage directly on their HDTVs, from the comfort of their couch.

In addition to personal media collections and YouTube, consumers can now easily browse, download and play newly released pay-per-view movies from Roxio CinemaNow. They can also view videos on their TV from a wide variety of Internet sources, such as Hulu, Netflix and CBS, through free software trials and optional subscriptions. The Digital Entertainer Live incorporates all of these functions into a single compact player, an advantage for cluttered home entertainment cabinets.

“People are amassing a huge amount of their own downloaded and personal digital music, photos, and videos, as well as consuming more and more Internet video,” said Phillip Pyo, NETGEAR’s director of product marketing for connected home entertainment products. “According to comScore’s Video Metrix service, between January 2007 and July 2009, there was a 331 percent jump in the number of minutes of video watched per average viewer per month. It went from 2 hours, 31 minutes to 8 hours, 20 minutes.”

He added, “The vast majority of people are still watching these videos on small computer screens, so it’s logical to assume that the amount of time spent will continue to increase as devices such as the Digital Entertainer Live make it even easier to watch online video on HDTVs. NETGEAR is thrilled to offer an affordable, content-rich, and easy-to-set-up and -use solution that bridges this gap and enables people to fully enjoy their home media collections and online video from popular Internet sites on the best screen in their home – their big-screen TVs.”

The Digital Entertainer Live – Product Features
The Digital Entertainer Live is a compact, “plug in and go” home media player with a simple remote control that enables consumers to easily access their digital movies, videos, music and photos directly from their USB storage devices and watch them on their TV. Users need only plug a USB hard drive containing digital media content into one of two USB 2.0 ports on the Digital Entertainer Live and connect the Digital Entertainer Live to their HDTV using an HDMI or composite cable. The Digital Entertainer Live also features regular RCA jacks for connecting to older analogue TVs.

Furthermore, with its integrated network port, the Digital Entertainer Live easily makes an Ethernet wired connection to the Internet and the home network, enabling access to digital media content stored on computers and network storage devices in the home network, as well as Internet content over the web. If consumers do not have an Ethernet connection available near their TV, they can use the optional Digital Entertainer Live Wireless USB adaptor (EVAW111) that connects the Digital Entertainer Live to the Internet and the home network via Wi-Fi. Alternatively, they can use existing electrical power outlets and a powerline device, such as NETGEAR’s Home theatre Internet Connection Kit (XAVB1004), to connect the Digital Entertainer Live to the Internet and the home network.

By connecting the Digital Entertainer Live to a broadband Internet connection, consumers enjoy the full YouTube experience – searching, browsing and watching millions of videos with access to subscriptions, playlists, country selections, categories and channels – all without the need for a computer. Instead of huddling around a small computer screen to watch the latest funny video, consumers can now show it on their TV for everyone to enjoy.

To widen the search for Internet video content, the Digital Entertainer Live is shipped with a built-in Internet video search engine that can locate videos on the entire worldwide web. The Digital Entertainer Live performs dynamic keyword searches of more than a hundred thousand websites for Internet videos without needing a computer. The search feature yields dynamic results with each letter inputted and automatically categorizes popular subjects into easy-to-find folders.

The Digital Entertainer Live also supports pay-per-view movies on-demand from Roxio CinemaNow, where users can buy or rent a range of newly released movies as soon as they are available on DVD and watch them in minutes. Consumers no longer have to wait for the mail or drive to the nearest rental store. They simply browse all the movies on their TV and download them to a USB storage device using their Digital Entertainer Live and Roxio CinemaNow account.

Additionally, the Digital Entertainer Live includes a free trial of VuNow, which provides access to hundreds of other Internet videos, live Internet TV and live Internet radio streamed from popular sites from around the world, such as Bloomberg, CNN Video, C-SPAN, ESPN, Germany’s 2DF, Al Jazeera, BBC Worldwide, China’s CCTV, Germany’s DWTV, Euronews, EuroSport, France 24, France’s Orange Sport, Germany’s RTL, and Sky News. The Digital Entertainer Live also comes with a free trial of PlayOn software. By running this optional software on a computer also connected to the Internet and home network, users enjoy hit TV shows and movies from popular Internet video services such as Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, BBC iPlayer, CBS, NFL, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and more, wherever the service is normally available via the Internet.

“There is an ever-increasing amount of digital media – TV episodes, movies, photos and music – being stored on computers and other devices throughout the home, as well as on the Internet,” said Jayant Dasari, broadband and television infrastructure and services research analyst at Parks Associates. “In fact, some people have even maxed out their personal computers with media, requiring external storage, such as one that connects via USB. Due to this increase in distributed digital media content, consumers are looking for ways to enjoy their digital media and online videos in one place. Internet-connected set-top boxes are one solution that enable the entire family to benefit from viewing the broadest spectrum of digital content on their HDTVs from the comfort of their living rooms.”

Pricing and Availability
Backed by a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, the NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Live (EVA2000) is available in the U.S. through leading retailers, e-commerce sites and value-added resellers at an MSRP of $US149.99. The Digital Entertainer Live Wireless USB adaptor (EVAW111) has an MSRP of $US39.99. Worldwide availability of the Digital Entertainer Live is planned for the coming months.

It’s a wireless router from Logitec—not Logitech, which is known as Logicool in Japan—that’s 7mm thin at its skinniest point, ballooning out to 24mm at its fattest. Except for its uncanny Sony style, it seems fairly unexceptional, but man, it got me good for a second. [Akihabara News]

We’ve already had great experiences with the systems like Sprint’s Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200. But up next?

The Sprint Personal Hotspot PHS300S and the Cradlepoint MBR-1000 Broadband Router are both essentially Wi-Fi routers that accept both 3G and 4G USB wireless dongles. Plug the dongle into the router and you have a Wi-Fi network that runs without a hard line.

The Sprint Personal Hotspot PHS300S ($US160) will support up to four simultaneous Wi-Fi connections while the Cradelpoint model ($US250), aimed at business users, will handle up to 32 simultaneous Wi-Fi connections. Both models are available now(ish) at select Sprint stores and through their website.

Sprint adds 4G to Mobile Broadband Router Portfolio as it Prepares to Launch 4G in More Markets

Any Wi-Fi-enabled device becomes a 4G device with new Sprint 4G Mobile Broadband Routers

Users can create Wi-Fi hotspots by connecting multiple Wi-Fi devices, such as smartphones, laptops and cameras to Sprint 3G/4G networks

Overland Park, Kan. – August 5, 2009 –The search for the elusive Wi-Fi hotspot is a thing of the past for Sprint mobile broadband customers. Instead of hunting for a coffee shop or other fixed hotspot, Sprint’s new Mobile Broadband Router products connect multiple Wi-Fi-enabled devices at 3G or 4G mobile broadband speeds where Sprint 3G and 4G networks are available.

On the heels of launching the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 intelligent mobile hotspot – which allows customers to simultaneously bridge several Wi-Fi devices to America’s most dependable 3G network1 – Sprint now adds two 3G/4G Mobile Broadband Routers to its mobile broadband arsenal: Sprint Personal Hotspot PHS300S and Cradlepoint MBR-1000 Broadband Router for business, each featuring both 3G and 4G connectivity. These devices are available for use with any Sprint 3G or 4G data plan ranging from $US39.99 to $US79.99 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges).

Used in combination with Sprint mobile broadband devices, like the 3G/4G USB Modem U300, these Mobile Broadband Routers can simultaneously connect Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, laptops, MP3 players, cameras, gaming devices and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the Sprint 3G and 4G networks. Used with a broadband device, The routers provide access to the turbo-charged Sprint 4G network as it continues to roll out and access to America’s most dependable 3G network virtually everywhere else. Users can enjoy secure, high-speed connections from virtually any location, whether on a family outing at the beach or doing business at a remote job site.

Sprint Personal Hotspot PHS300S supports up to four simultaneous Wi-Fi connections and Cradlepoint MBR-1000 Broadband Router for business supports up to 32 simultaneous Wi-Fi connections. Both routers will support all of Sprint 3G and Sprint 4G mobile broadband USB devices.
“These mobile broadband routers provide an unprecedented bridge to high-speed network performance for multiple Wi-Fi devices or multiple users,” said Todd Rowley, vice president, Sprint 4G. “The addition of these mobile hotspot products offers even faster connectivity speeds to Wi-Fi users without the need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. These two new products can potentially connect the Sprint 3G and 4G networks to the hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi-enabled devices in the U.S. today.”

The ability of these Mobile Broadband Routers to be used with both 3G and 4G networks will offer added advantages for a growing number of Wi-Fi users across the country. The Sprint Now Network already features 3G speeds that are faster in more places than the AT&T network.2 As the turbo-charged Sprint 4G network continues to roll out in markets across the country, customers will be able to further optimise the performance of their Wi-Fi devices, using them to connect them with the industry’s fastest available network speeds.

Sprint Personal Hot Spot PHS300S is priced at $US159.99 and available in select Sprint retail stores within Sprint 4G markets, telesales, business sales and at www.sprint.com. Cradlepoint MBR1000 broadband router is priced at $US249.99 and is available via business sales, telesales and online at www.sprint.com (all prices exclude taxes).

The first and only national carrier to offer 4G wireless services, Sprint currently offers 4G in Baltimore and will launch 4G in Portland, Atlanta and Las Vegas in August. Sprint 4G provides average downlink speeds of 3-6 Mbps and peak downlink speeds of over 10 Mbps, three to five times faster than today’s 3G service from any carrier (based on average download speeds).

The following markets are included on the list to experience Sprint 4G in 2009: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle. Also available for customers nationwide is the Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300, which provides the best of both worlds – the fast 3G speeds and lightning-fast 4G speeds wherever 4G is available.

For additional information on Sprint 4G mobile broadband products and plans, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

[Images]

Reaching data rates of 1000Mbps (over the former speed of 200Mbps), Belkin’s new $US150 Gigabit Powerline HD Starter Kit includes one Powerline router and two Powerline adapters, allowing you to stream multiple uncompressed HD data feeds through your home with little issue.

Of course, these are best case scenario numbers. If your old home has lousy electrical, that theoretical spec speed could drop a lot lower. Then again, at the overkill bandwidth of 1000Mbps, it can afford to. [Belkin]

Even having the plug stick out another 5cm so the adapter sits over another powerplug would fix the problem. Fortunately, it seems to work through an extension cord, although I’m certain that would have some kind of effect on performance. I’ll let you know how the product performs once I’ve played with it a bit more.

[Netgear XAVB101 Product Page]