I use the Internet quite a lot. Should I get a 50ft Ethernet cable to go from my computer to my modem or should I just use a wireless network adapter.

Recently I got U-verse, so my modem is now downstairs with my TV. I used to use an Ethernet cable, but now I’m wondering if i should continue to use Ethernet and buy a 50ft cord, or just use a wireless network adapter.

Do they both deliver relatively the same speed?

Hello there!

I had the same question myself a year or so ago. It really depends on what you use your computer for. If you’re into online gaming or lots of music downloads, the Ethernet cable may be better for you. Although this isn’t necessarily true.

For regular applications, you shouldn’t notice much difference at all between Ethernet or a wireless network adapter in terms of speed or reliability.

What I did was “not decide” until I used the wireless for a while. I got everything set up knowing in my mind that it may not stay that way. Good thing I did that too, as I had to move around a bit to find the better connection spot. But once I did, I was really happy with the set up.

My wireless network adapter worked no different than a direct connection as far as speed.

I’m on Clear now and they’re all about wireless however most people haven’t even heard of them yet. I hadn’t heard of Uverse from AT& T before. It looks like a great service to have!

Tom Keating at TMC Net Wrote This In His Cool Post About Uverse

Put to you this way. If I could get U-verse in my area, I’d do it. Yes, I knocked AT&T for not meeting their target goals, as did many media outlets. While I think AT&T & Microsoft were perhaps 1-2 years too early with their proprietary technology, it is still a good solution.I’m just not a fan of proprietary solutions. AT&T and Microsoft have had a bumpy road, but I think AT&T & Microsoft have worked out most of the kinks. (read his article here, it’s really good)

Bottom line, unless you’re a heavy duty gamer (and still test it for yourself), you should be absolutely fine with a wireless network adapter.

Hope this helped!

Love,

Sophie

Hi,

I have the Sony Ericsson W9q0i phone. I’m looking for really good wireless earphones or headphones for my cell and recently came across this Sony HBH-DS200 headset.  Obviously they’d be compatible with my phone but will they also be compatible with my iPod Touch?

Thanks!

Hello:

You’re in luck! It looks like this headset is compatible with the following Apple products:
iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 2G

Here’s a review (below) from Amazon which talks about compatibility

Battery life is only 4 hours, in a day when Sony’s mp3 players get 33 hours and an ipod can play for almost as long. If you do buy this product, you can double the headphone output if you use skull candy’s ear buds. The operability/human factors of the control unit leave a little to be desired–pressing two buttons to get the unit to pair/synch with a bluetooth transmitter. Why not just one ‘pairing’ button instead of pressing a small button at the same time pressing the >/Stop button. Battery life is the deal breaker. I bought this as a first try in the bluetooth world along with the Sony Bluetooth transmitter—lessons learned.

While this is one of the whinier reviews it does talk about the compatibility. Besides, it’s best that you can see the not-so-good things other people say as well. Most of the reviews are stellar. It looks like one of the favorite features of this unit is like all All Sony Ericsson wireless devices it has been developed in coordination with Sony Ericsson mobile phones, but is also compatible with Bluetooth™-equipped handsets from other manufacturers.

Another thing many people talk about when mentioning the HBH-DS200 is that the sound quality is absolutely amazing. Makes me jealous!

The one complaint I heard more often was that the battery doesn’t last very long. But really, is there ever a battery run device that people don’t hate the battery life? Not usually. And if that’s the only issue, I’d live with that to experience the sound quality that others speak of. In my opinion, good choice!

Hope this helps!

Love

Sophie

It brings up the generic, “just bought a computer” windows desktop, with none of my personalized settings. My documents/pics are also gone. (The other user desktops appear to be unaffected.) The first couple of times it occurred, I rebooted and it was returned to normal.

Now I don’t even get the error message; it just automatically goes to this generic default desktop. So, keeping in mind that I am basically a “techno dummy”, could you share your thoughts on what might have happened, and is there any way to fix it? We recently had Best Buy install a wireless router so that my son could have XBOX Live. Could this have anything to do with it?

I will give you some information and guidance here to help you make the best choice…. a quality Linksys router for a great price!

One of my favourite brands is Linksys, and has been for quite a few years. Yes, there are quite a few other brands out there, and in other lenses, I will look at them all. I’m keeping it simple here for you, one brand at a time, and three categories.

“I just need a cheap, easy solution for a couple computers to share Internet access”

“I’ve got several computers and a wireless printer I want to share without slowing things down”

“All of the above, with downloading and online gaming too!”

B G or N. Huh? What do those letters mean? In a nutshell, speed.

Wireless B is the oldest protocol, or language, of the three, and is not really used anymore. Wireless G is still widely used but is rapidly being replaced by wireless N as more and more people upgrade their routers and computers to the latest technology.

One very important thing to remember is that the newer N is backwards compatible with G and B. This means that if you have a wireless N router and a wireless G network adapter in your computer…. it WILL work. The catch is that the speed will be the slower of the two, which means the G speed.

Now, before you panic, and think that you have to go out and upgrade your computer as well, consider what you are using the connection for:

1 – Sharing Internet connection
2 – Sharing a printer
3 – Online gaming and streaming movies
4 – Moving files from one computer to another through your home network

If you are in the first two general uses ONLY – then wireless G speeds will be fine. At a speed of 54 Mb/sec (that’s mega-bits per second), that’s still TWICE AS FAST as the fastest residential Internet service that I’m aware of. Most high speed Internet access is anywhere from 3 to 10 Mb/sec. So, go ahead and get that Wireless N router and don’t worry about your computer for now.

If you are into online gaming, have more than 3 computers online at once, or share files between computers, then you will want more bandwidth, which is what wireless N offers. Wireless N gives you up to 160 Mb/sec transfer speeds in the real world. This added speed is what allows you to share the Internet connection with several computers at once without slowing down. If your laptop only has wireless G, you can upgrade that by purchasing a USB wireless N adapter. This little device plugs into a free USB port on your laptop and will give you the faster wireless N connection that you want.

The “Just a router” Answer: My recommendation is for an inexpensive, basic wireless router – Linksys WRT54G2

This easy-to-set-up wireless network lets you access your broadband Internet connection to surf the Web and send email – or connect between computers to share music, photos and other files, or print to your printer. All without wires, from all around your home. No trading cables, no waiting for someone else to finish what they’re doing, no being stuck in one place.

Keep your digital photos or music in one place; share them from any computer on your network. Four built-in 10/100 Ethernet ports make it easy to connect additional wired computers, storage devices, printers, and other wired devices to your network so you can access them from your wireless-enabled computers.

Wireless security and firewall protection designed to help safeguard your home network and computers from most Internet attacks.

I need more, but without spending a fortune. My recommended solution for the productive network – Linksys WRT160N

The speed and bandwidth of Wireless-N, today’s most advanced wireless technology, makes it easy for multiple users to share Internet access, files and printing. Enjoy media-intensive activities like gaming, video and Voice-over-IP phone calls – all at once, with less lag and performance degradation. Achieves faster speeds when used with Wireless-N enabled devices, but is fully compatible with Wireless-G and -B equipment.

Experience coverage you can count on, all around your home. Wireless-N’s Multiple in, Multiple Out MIMO technology actually uses the signal reflections that confuse ordinary wireless technologies to boost range and reduce dead spots.

Four 10/100 Ethernet ports let you connect printers, networked storage drives, and other Ethernet-enabled devices to your network, so you can access and share them wirelessly from all your computers at once. No need to trade cables, or wait for someone else to finish their work before you do yours.

Advanced wireless security and SPI firewall protection designed to help safeguard your home network and computers from most Internet attacks.

You need it ALL – Then go with the best…. Linksys WRT610N

Experience faster wireless connectivity with fewer interruptions with two bands of Wireless-N, today’s most advanced wireless technology. The 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands are designed to work separately yet simultaneously, so you can easily customize your ideal configuration – for example, use the 2.4 GHz band to surf, email and print while keeping the less crowded 5 GHz band free for time sensitive traffic like music, gaming and high-definition video. Built-in Media Optimized Networking technology gives time-sensitive traffic priority, so your media can run more smoothly, with fewer interruptions.

Coverage you can count on, all around your home. Wireless-N’s Multiple in, Multiple Out MIMO technology actually uses the signal reflections that confuse ordinary wireless technologies to help boost range and reduce dead spots, while its ultra-wide bandwidth greatly reduces interference from nearby wireless devices.

Four integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports let you connect networked storage, computers, and other devices directly to your network and access them at much faster speeds. Storage Link provides USB connectivity for hard drives and memory stick.

Advanced wireless security and SPI firewall protection is designed to help safeguard your home network and computers from most Internet attacks.

Read important recommendations about the topic of sciatic nerve – go through this site. The time has come when proper info is really within one click, use this opportunity.

This is very annoying because my laptop’s network card does allow for Wireless N. I am running windows vista.

It needs to have 120GB memory (More or less . . .for pictures)
It has to have reliable internet connectivity.
Microsoft office Excel, Word and Outlook
Vista or XP
Weight is an issue, so the lighter, the better.
Battery life should be at least a couple of hours. I hope to be able to plug it in most places I use it.
It must be able to work with wi-fi, wireless internet card or ethernet cable.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks.