TechRadar: Networking news

Buying Guide: Best NAS drive: 8 on test

PC Plus — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Best NAS drive: Overview

NAS (network attached storage) devices certainly aren't the most glamorous gadgets you can have in your home. A network-connected hard drive might seem like a remnant from a home office – a backup necessity for over-paranoid users and not much more.

Early NAS devices – and even some new no-frills budget ones – do little more than allow any computer that's connected to a network to access an external hard drive as if it was physically installed in the computer. However, a lot of new NAS devices have some great features built in, which can completely transform what your home network is capable of.

Not only can they act as media servers throughout your house – letting your devices access and stream music and videos to any device on the network – they can also be used be used to stream your media across the internet, letting you access the files from anywhere in the world, and effectively allowing you to create your own version of Spotify or Netflix.

As for cloud backup and synchronisation services, while you could pay Dropbox the equivalent of $9.99 a month for 50GB of space, with a NAS device you could have your own service with huge amounts of storage (some NAS devices accept hard drives of up to 3TB) without monthly fees or the need to trust your private data to a third party. We've gathered the best NAS devices on the market to find out just what they are capable of.

Buffalo Cloudstation Duo - £240
www.buffalotech.com

Western Digital My Book Live - £147
www.wdc.com

Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4 - £423
www.netgear.co.uk

Buffalo Linkstation Pro LS-VL - £129
www.buffalotech.com

D-Link ShareCenter - £60
www.dlink.com

Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 - £274
www.iomega.com

Netgear Stora MS2110 - £130
www.netgear.co.uk

Synology DS411 - £485
www.synology.com

Best network storage: 1-6

1. Buffalo Cloudstation Duo

There remains a lingering feeling that setting up a network attached storage device can be complicated, time consuming and fiddly. Buffalo aims to dispel these preconceptions with the Cloudstation Duo, a NAS kit designed to be as user friendly as possible without losing any features or functionality.

The device itself is compact, though quite heavy. Flicking open the front gives quick access to the two 1TB hard drives that come installed. Removing the drives is a bit fiddly at first, but the process is certainly a lot easier than with many other NAS drives.

The fact that the Buffalo Cloudstation Duo is supplied with two large hard drives already installed and set up in a RAID 1 configuration is great, and eliminates a more fiddly and complicated part of the setup procedure.

Read the full Buffalo Cloudstation Duo review

2. Western Digital My Book Live

When it comes to hard drives, Western Digital knows its stuff. While the Buffalo Cloudstation Duo is promoted for its ease of use, the Western Digital My Book Live goes even further in its pursuit of simplicity.

For a start, the small case is completely enclosed, so there is no easy way to open the My Book Live up and replace or upgrade the hard drive as you can with the Buffalo Cloudstation Duo. This means that it's not really suitable as a comprehensive backup device – the lack of hot swappable hard drives means you'd have to physically remove the entire thing if you wanted to store your data safely off site.

The 'My' in the title is evidence that this is a NAS device that focuses on creating your own personal cloud, sharing your own media and files across the internet with as little fuss as possible.

Read the full Digital My Book Live review

3. Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4

NAS devices are a speedy, convenient means of backing up data, and units like the ReadyNAS Ultra 4 featured here are also capable of streaming any multimedia files to any device that can accept them.

Each of the ReadyNAS Ultra 4's bays can accommodate a 2TB drive, resulting in a possible 8TB of storage – that's an awful lot of video, photos and music.

The Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4 supports various implementations of RAID technology, which trades off available capacity against protection for your data. If one of the drives fails, you should be able to recover your files.

Features like RAIDar and X-RAID 2 help you make the most of this handy feature. Powered by a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, it's speedy and responsive. The onboard DLNA 1.5 media server worked well with a variety of networked players. Even multiple full HD video streams were glitch-free.

Read the full Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4 review

4. Buffalo LinkStation Pro LS-VL

Devices like these are becoming the tool of choice for storing a wide range of digital media, including downloaded movies and TV, music, images and CD/DVD/Blu-ray rips. Speed, capacity and reliability are all essential features, and the Linkstation Pro LS-VL has all three.

This 'Multimedia Shared Network Storage BitTorrent Download Box', ships with a power supply, LAN cable and installation discs, and is available with built-in SATA hard drives in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB sizes. Windows and Mac OS X compatible, the unit is simply plugged into any network Ethernet port or into the back of your wireless router, and is instantly accessible from any networked device.

The device features transfer speeds up to 76MB/s courtesy of a 1.6GHz CPU, which is a big increase from Buffalo's more home user-orientated Cloudstation Duo.

Read the full Buffalo LinkStation Pro LS-VL review

5. D-Link ShareCenter

D-Link has designed its NAS device to be at the centre of your home network, sharing your files and media throughout your home and over the internet – an admirable aim. The installation process is fairly straightforward, though there are a few options that you need to set yourself, and these can be confusing if you're not used to setting up network attached storage devices.

For example, at one point you're asked if you want to enable NTP server, without any explanation of what this is. There's also a step that asks you to enter your email address, along with port number and SMTP server – a pain if you don't have that information readily to hand.

The network drive wasn't mapped during installation – instead we had to run the D-Link Easy Search Utility, which found the D-Link ShareCenter on our network and then let us map it.

As with other aspects of the ShareCenter, the execution was rather cumbersome and inelegant, but it worked.

Read the full D-Link ShareCenter review

6. Iomega's StorCenter ix2-200

This 2TB NAS drive is billed as cloud storage, which means you can access the drive from anywhere with an internet connection. It's nothing hugely new, but Iomega has provided a good web interface for accessing your stored data online.

Unlike some of the other drives in our test, we had to install software to make it appear on our network. Fortunately, the software is well designed and your hand is held firmly through the process, making it ideal for people who have never used a NAS drive before.

From here, every feature of the drive is clearly explained with colourful bold icons, and essential tasks – such as setting up backups – are highlighted.

There's a range of useful tools too, from email updates to let you know if anything's changed on the drive itself, to the rather useful ability to download torrent files. You can also view hardware statistics, such as how full the drive is, and its current temperature. It's ideally suited to a RAID setup, too, and this can be implemented quickly and easily.

Read the full Iomega's StorCenter ix2-200 review

Best network storage: 7,8 and verdict

7. Netgear's Stora MS2110

We had high hopes for Netgear's NAS drive – after all, Netgear's home networking solutions have often trumped the competition in tests like these. However, we found ourselves sorely let down.

As soon as we connected the drive, all other computers on the network lost the ability to connect. It turned out that the drive had been completely locked down to the previous user, forcing us to do a complete hardware reset. That's not hugely unusual, but we're not sure why Netgear insists on you entering a software-style product key for something that's unlikely to ever leave your home or office.

Although the drive is hefty, the build quality is below par. The front panel – which clicks off to access the hard drives – sprang off in our hands. In fact, merely placing it on the floor caused the panel to flop open. Fortunately, the drives inside feel nicely secure, with a latch at the back to eject them.

Read the full Netgear's Stora MS2110 review

8. Synology DS411

The DiskStation feels like it's stuck between being a consumer-friendly NAS drive and a rack-mounted server. It's supplied without any hard drives, and looks like a small PC, complete with thumbscrews at the back and an array of lights at the front.

Synology recommends certain drives for the product, which are formatted on insertion. This isn't an easy process, especially compared to the more user-friendly drives we've looked at.

Hard drives must be mounted and formatted with Synology's software, and then the NAS drive itself has to be configured via a small patch located on the CD. Then any folders you want on the drive need to be added manually. These all seem like features that would be automated on other NAS drives.

Read the full Synology DS411 review

Verdict

This group test proved to be a perfect microcosm of the current state of the NAS market. On one hand you have devices that stick to the old ways of doing things – heaps of functionality, but with little thought of user-friendliness. The main culprits here are the Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4, the D-Link ShareCenter and the Synology DS411.

On the other side of the divide are the devices whose manufacturers have acknowledged that there is a growing market for centralised storage in the home, and have tailored their devices to offer easy to use interfaces for creating our very own personal clouds without a single network administrator in sight.

We believe that these devices that will excel in the future, when more homes are equipped with internet enabled devices like smart TVs, leaving the backwards-looking NAS devices in their wake.

Best NAS: Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 - £274

The StorCenter ix2-200 encapsulates everything we were looking for in a NAS device. Its advanced features are wrapped up in a user friendly package that's easy to set up and maintain. It isn't as fast as a professional NAS, but for the internet connected home, this is a great choice.

Best value NAS: Western Digital My Book Live - £147

It's not quite the cheapest NAS device on test here, but the Western Digital My Book Live wins the best value award because it has some great features, is reliable and is easy to use. If you want a relatively cheap NAS device that you can quickly set up and then just leave it to do its job without you having to check on it and tinker every now and then, go for this.

Opinion: Years of deliberate broadband confusion are costing UK

Patrick Goss — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:41:00 GMT

With all the talk of 300Mbps broadband and increased national average speeds, it would have been very easy to miss one of the most important points made in Ofcom's latest research into the UK's internet connections – that millions are settling for crappy connections for no good reason.

It's obviously a good thing that the average speed of broadband connections has increased, up from 6.8 to 7.6mbps in a year, but given that those willing to pay for the privilege (and in the right area) can now get 100Mbps it was inevitable that this would tug up the average.

For me, the fact that Ofcom felt the need to highlight its concerns that people were settling for much worse connections when they could upgrade for little or no extra money, was much more important.

"More than 4 in 10 broadband consumers remain on packages with speeds of 10Mbps or less even though many of them would be able to get a higher speed at little or no extra cost if they switched package or provider," said Ofcom's report.

Why choose below average?

So the question here is why? Why are people forking out for broadband and getting less than 10Mbps?

First up there's a huge and very disgruntled group that are geographically disadvantaged; with many rural areas still incapable of achieving anything like 10Mbps.

But Ofcom says that 'many' would be able to get more bang for their buck, which brings us back to our original question.

Presumably another big group can be excluded because they get bundled services – meaning that their broadband is part of a package of services for things like television.

Within that group you have those that just take broadband because it is there and don't really need fast connections at all and those that don't want the inconvenience of finding another provider – even if the service is better.

And then you have another group – quite possibly the largest within Ofcom's 'many' – those that simply do not upgrade for no good reason.

Confusion reigns

And that's where you hit a major issue; a huge swathe of those people won't even know that their poor internet connection is costing them the same as a better one.

A huge swathe of people that have been left confused and bewildered by the frankly ludicrous misdirection and half-truths in the way companies advertise their broadband speeds.

A huge swathe of people who feel that switching their broadband over is likely to be a confusing, difficult and lengthy process involving call centres, canned music and often obtuse service.

A huge swathe of people that should have been helped much more, and much earlier, by the watchdogs that have allowed the ISPs to ride roughshod over what is clearly right and what can be argued in a court of law.

Fair price, fair product

For most of the people who read TechRadar things like what a megabit and megabyte are, the differences between fibre to the cabinet and fibre to the home and what the star next to "unlimited" data really signifies allow us to make good decisions on our broadband.

But for millions of others they just want to pay a fair price for a fair product and not have to worry about the terminology, and that only works when there are safeguards in place.

They want to be told the truth without hyperbole or companies hiding behind semantics, they don't want to be told they could get up to a speed, they want to know speed that will be. They think that companies should be fair to them, not sticking small print in fair usage policies.

And now, ridiculously belatedly, there are: advertising must be clearer and more accurate, data must be more rigorous and companies will have to give more actual, you know, factual information to people who want to sign up.

But for many the damage has been done; broadband didn't need to be confusing or difficult but companies have made it so and many of the ISPs seem to be genuinely miffed that they are finally being brought to task.

So perhaps the real question is not why people are not getting fair broadband for a fair price, but how they were allowed to reach this state of affairs in the first place.

Millions in UK settling for shoddy broadband

Patrick Goss — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:06:00 GMT

More than 40 per cent of UK consumers could be getting significantly better broadband speeds for no extra cost according to watchdog Ofcom – although the UK's average speed has gone up significantly in the last year.

The jump in average speed from 6.8Mbps to 7.6mbps is welcomed by Ofcom in its latest broadband research, with more Brits plumping for fast broadband packages.

However, Ofcom's findings also suggest that a huge percentage are settling for sub-10mbps broadband when better packages are available for little or no extra.

Little or no extra cost

On the positive side, 58 per cent of UK broadband now has a headline speed of more than 10Mbps.

Of course, when the average is significantly less than 10 that shows the vast gulf in what is advertised and what is actually received by the public, something that Ofcom is hoping to rectify.

"CAP and BCAP published guidance in September 2011 on the use of speed claims in broadband advertising, which will come into force in April 2012," said Ofcom.

"Among other things, it requires that speed claims should be achievable by at least 10 per cent of the relevant internet service provider's (ISP) customer base, and where a significant proportion of customers are unlikely to receive a speed sufficiently close to that advertised, further qualifying information, such as the speed range obtainable by those customers, should be included in the advertisement.

"In addition, any claim should be based on robust and reasonably representative data."

With the next research being conducted in July, it will be interesting to see if the continued roll-out of fibre and ADSL2+ will give UK average speeds another much needed hoik.

And even more fascinating to see the advertising of the services finally move beyond the half truths that are served up by so many ISPs currently.

In Depth: 802.11ac: what you need to know

Gary Marshall — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:42:00 GMT

802.11ac: next-gen Wi-Fi

If you thought Wi-Fi couldn't get much faster than 802.11n, think again.

802.11ac, dubbed 5G Wi-Fi, promises ridiculously fast wireless connections, better range, improved reliability, improved power consumption and a free horse. (OK, we're lying about the horse.)

802.11ac is the latest evolution of Wi-Fi, and it should be particularly good for gaming and HD video streaming.

So how does it work, does it live up to the hype, and how long will you have to wait before you can get your hands on it? Let's find out.

Your 802.11ac speed could break the gigabit barrier

The fastest current 802.11n Wi-Fi connections max out at around 150Mbps with one antenna, 300Mbps with two and 450Mbps with three antennas. 802.11ac connections will be roughly three times faster - so that's 450Mbps, 900Mbps and 1.3Gbps respectively. Netgear, brilliantly, illustrates this with two pictures of motorways: the first picture, showing "Today's Wi-Fi", is normal, but the one labelled "3x speed with 802.11ac" is really blurry.

Your 802.11ac speed won't break the gigabit barrier

As with previous Wi-Fi standards, the speeds quoted on the box and in the promotional materials are theoretical maximums, not the speeds you'll actually get: so far devices with potential top speeds of 1.3Gbps have topped out at around 800Mbps. That's still blisteringly fast, of course, but there's still a gap between advertised speeds and real world ones. 802.11ac connection speeds will be reduced by numerous factors: network overhead, which is the chatter your hardware needs to keep the connection going; interference, congestion and physical obstacles; distance; the number of simultaneous connections; and whether the router is running in compatibility mode so that older wireless kit can still connect.

802.11ac video and gaming

Because 802.11ac has bandwidth to spare, it should be great for HD video streaming and for gaming. According to Netgear [PDF], you can say bye-bye to buffering: "802.11ac will significantly enhance the user experience by improving the playback quality to any point throughout the house. With 802.11ac, for the first time wireless will provide similar performance as wired Gigabit connections."

802.11ac routers use more antennas

To improve range and reliability, 802.11ac routers can use more antennas than existing 802.11n kit: your next router may have as many as eight antennas inside it.

802.11ac routers will use "beamforming" technology

Wi-Fi is omnidirectional, but 802.11ac routers will be able to use directional transmission and reception technology dubbed "beamforming". The router will be able to identify the rough location of the device it's talking to and strengthen the appropriate antenna(s) accordingly. The idea is to reduce interference.

802.11ac Wi-Fi uses the 5GHz frequency band

Older wireless kit uses the 2.4GHz frequency band, which is fairly crowded: your kit is potentially sharing radio frequency with next door's baby monitor, your cordless phone and even your microwave. Like high performance 802.11n kit, 802.11ac routers will use the less cluttered 5GHz band where there's considerably more room for data transmission. 802.11ac hardware will use two kinds of channels in that range: 80GHz ones and 160GHz ones.

802.11ac routers will be backwards compatible

You won't need to throw out all your old wireless-capable kit as 802.11ac routers will be backwards compatible with your existing Wi-Fi kit. For example, at this year's CES Buffalo demonstrated an 802.11ac router that operated on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands and that promised to play nice with 802.11a, b, g and n hardware.

The 802.11ac release date is now, sort of

As with 802.11n, hardware is coming out before the 802.11ac standard is actually finalised. That's going to happen later this year, but manufacturers are readying their products now and they'll be everywhere by the summer, with minor software updates addressing any changes that might happen to the standard before it's finalised. We'd expect 802.11ac prices to be steep initially, as they were with the first 802.11n kit, but those prices should start to fall almost immediately.

Apple's putting 802.11ac into everything

Apple's a key early adopter of wireless technology - it helped popularise Wi-Fi in the first place and was quick off the mark with 802.11n support. According to AppleInsider it's going to be quick off the mark with 802.11ac too, sticking the technology into "new AirPort base stations, Time Capsule, Apple TV, notebooks and potentially its mobile devices."

802.11ac hasn't skipped lots of letters

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the body in charge of the 802.11 standard, isn't skipping lots of letters: while major WiFi standards have jumped from 802.11n to 802.11ac, the IEEE didn't just skip 802.11o, p, q and so on. Successive versions of the 802.11 standard can also denote amendments to existing standards, so for example 802.11i introduced improved security and 802.11j introduced extensions for Japanese networks.

Sky announces fibre broadband, hotspots and wider reach

Patrick Goss — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:30:00 GMT

Sky has announced that it will be extending its broadband offering, hoping to reach 88 per cent of UK homes by June 2013, as well as rolling out WiFi hotspots for its internet subscribers and a fibre broadband offering.

Although many take advantage of Sky's bundled broadband its coverage remains limited, leaving big swathes of the UK unable to plump for the offering.

However, in its financial results Sky has announced that it will be extending its network footprint by around a million extra homes.

Unlimited fibre

Also significant is the company's decision to offer Sky Broadband Unlimited Fibre - charging £20 for a service that will offer up to 40Mbps download speeds with "no usage caps".

Last, but not least, Sky is rolling out WiFi hotspots for its subscribers - allowing customers of its broadband unlimited access to hotspots from The Cloud, the company it bought last year.

"I'm delighted that our existing home communication products are making such an impact with customers. It's clear that customers are responding to the higher levels of value, quality and service we offer, said Stephen van Rooyen, Managing Director of Sky's Sales and Marketing Group.

"This year sees a number of enhancements that will ensure we create even more choice.

"Whether it's the launch of free public WiFi, extending our network into more parts of the UK, or adding fibre to our product mix, we are focused on meeting the demands of customers and on being their number one choice for home communications."

There's no official news on the UK launch date of Sky Broadband Unlimited Fibre - although we're expecting it soon - and the WiFi offering will arrive "shortly", according to Sky.

Tutorial: How to create a VPN for faster gaming

Adam Oxford — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:45:00 GMT

Why create a VPN?

To paraphrase one of the great works of science fiction, the internet is big. Really big. I mean, you wouldn't believe how mind bogglingly big it is.

But you can make it seem much smaller by setting up a virtual private network (VPN), which reduces it to the size – or at least structure – of a domestic LAN. Why would you want to do that? To make your games run better, of course.

Reducing lag

Not only is the internet big, there's no easy route across it from A to B. It's all jumps and hops from one node to another following paths that are criss-crossed all over the place. There aren't many direct ways for packets of data to get from one place to the other. And yet it's possible to connect to a games server on the other side of the world and send information to and fro so quickly you could kid yourself that you're playing on a machine in the same room. Most of the time, anyway.

Sadly, not all games work quite as well over the internet as they should. Writing good netcode is difficult at the best of times, and if it's just not a priority for the developers, well, budgets have always been tight and some things get overlooked.

Lag, latency and dropped packets can result in a terrible gaming experience if all you want to do is get together with a few friends for a multiplayer game of Battle for Middle Earth, for example.

With some games you can have the fastest broadband connection in the world, but getting them running over the public internet can be an impossible task. Often, the problem is associated with the way the interface between your local network and the internet at large is handled.

Every machine on a network is identified by an IP address, a series of numbers that appear in the format 123.456.78.9. The problem that many games have is that the IP address which your PC announces to the internet isn't actually it's own address at all – it's your router's.

Your router acts as a kind of bridge between your home network and the internet at large, but it doesn't put all of your computers onto the internet – it shares one address among them all, and issues separate addresses relevant only to your LAN to every device around your home.

Games that are designed to work well on a LAN often stumble when trying to connect computers. Often, this can be cured with port forwarding. For some games, however, smooth online play requires a lot of ports to be forwarded, and since each port that's forwarded through a firewall is a potential security risk, it's not an ideal situation to leave your PC in.

Neverwinter Nights 2 – a game that's best played with friends – requires over 100 ports to be left open if you want to play. Good security practice would dictate that you close them between games (and some dedicated gaming routers can do this automatically), but that's not going to happen, is it?

Your own network

Fortunately, there's another way to get around the problems of address translation between internet and your network. Just invite everyone you're gaming with to join your own LAN.

Paradoxically, they can join your local network over the internet. To get around the issues of opening up holes in firewalls for remote workers, many businesses operate virtual private networks or VPNs. These create all the conditions for an IP-based LAN, but use the hardware of the public internet.

Computers connect to the VPN using special tunnelling protocols for point-to-point communications, and once on behave as if they're connected to a LAN. Anyone with the right security credentials can log into the VPN, and once you're in all traffic acts as though there's a direct physical connection between yourself and the LAN host.

A VPN is still at the mercy of latency and lag introduced by the distance and dodgy IP nodes innate to the internet at large, but it neatly sidesteps routing and firewall issues. Older games which were designed for LAN multiplayer rather than the internet will work better over a VPN, for example, and you'll spend less time fiddling with router settings.

Even with newer games, VPNs are worth brushing up on. It might surprise you to know that even though modern games are often designed with internet play in mind, they still work much better over a LAN. Dead Island is a good example here – and coincidentally the game we'll be using for our walkthrough.

VPNs are also popular with pirates who want to get around online authentication by setting up a fake master server on a virtual network for key authentication in multiplayer games amongst friends. There are more legitimate reasons for setting up completely private servers – to avoid downloading automated patches in games that connect to internet master servers, for example.

Judicious use of Google will also throw up ways to run illicit servers for those new shooters and RTS games that insist on spawning servers for you, over which you have little or no control. And because you can, of course. What better reason is there than that?

Create a VPN step-by-step

Part 1: The options available

1. Use Windows' tools

Everything you need to set up a VPN is built into Windows 7. It's straightforward to do, as well. The only catch is that you'll need compatible hardware, and if anything goes wrong – as it almost inevitably will – you're on your own when it comes to trying to fix it.

Still, it's free, and it puts you in complete control, plus it's unlikely to do any lasting damage if it does mess up. So why not give it a go?

2. Ham it up with Hamachi

Hamachi is one of the best known VPN applications around, and with good reason. Designed by the remote desktop specialist LogMeIn (a remote desktop is essentially a very private network), all you need to get things working is the client software from https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi.

It's not free (although there is a trial), and because it's designed for corporate use, it has a lot of features you'll never use.

3. It's Tunngle time

A VPN works by creating a tunnelling layer over the internet, hence Tunngle. This application is similar to Hamachi in terms of ease of use, but is designed with gaming in mind.

The Tunngle servers do most of the work, and while the lobby system for creating VPNs isn't as private as you might like, it doubles as a community tool like Gamespy or Xfire for finding like-minded players.

Part 2: Setting up a VPN with Windows 7

1. Getting started

Windows 7 has everything you need to create a VPN built in, although if was quite as simple as that, no one would bother making simple clients like Tunngle.

Among your friends, choose who is going to be the VPN host – all that means is that their PC is the one others will need to connect to in order to join the VPN. Open up Control Panel on that PC, and go to Network and Sharing Centre.

2. Create a new connection

In the right-hand panel, click 'Change adaptor settings'. This will bring up a window with your network adaptors in.

Press [Alt] to bring up the menu bar, and select 'New incoming connection'. You'll need to issue all the players with user accounts and passwords to your PC, and this is where you create them. Click 'Add someone' and enter their details, then use the checkboxes to give them access permissions.

3. Networking by numbers

The next dialog box will ask you how people are going to connecting to your computer. Check the box for 'Through the Internet', then click 'Next'.

A new box will open asking you what protocols will be used for your VPN – you can leave IPv6 unchecked, just make sure that TCP/IPv4 is definitely selected. You can change the properties of any of these settings by clicking the button on the right.

4. Assign IP addresses

In Properties for TCP/IPv4, for example, you can change how IP addresses are assigned to the computers who connect to your network.

It's safest to leave this on 'Assign IP addresses automatically using DCHP', but you can assign specific ranges if you want to. Remember this is not the same as your PC's address on your own LAN, though, or you router's IP address for the internet.

5. Configure adaptor

You're almost done. Click 'Allow access' and Windows will configure the new virtual adaptor for you. It'll appear alongside your Ethernet and wireless adaptors in Network Connections, and you can right-click to change its properties.

Accept the changes, restart your PC and you should find the new adaptor in Network Connections. Right-click on it and check the box for 'Virtual private network'.

6. Moving forward

To finish, you need to set up port forwarding on your router. Go to your router settings (every router is different) and find the option for this.

Create a rule that sends all of the traffic for port 1723 to your host PC. Your friends just need to type 'Create a VPN' into the Start menu, and follow the wizard using the IP address of your router as a destination. Congratulations, you're all networked together!

Part 3: Install and set up Tunngle

The gamers' VPN service is easy to use and works with all versions of Windows

1. In a Tunngle

Tunngle is a great tool, and best of all, it's free. It takes the heavy lifting out of setting up a VPN for gaming, because you aren't really setting up a VPN at all.

The tricky bit, with DHCP servers etc, is taken care of at Tunngle HQ. All you need to do is download a client and join in. If you're running a software firewall, you'll need to make sure Tunngle is allowed through.

2. Get connected

When you install Tunngle, you should find that as well as the client software, a new network connection has appeared in Windows Explorer.

This is what you'll be using to communicate with friends. You'll need to create a username and password on the main website, then just fire up the client. On the left is a list of game genres, on the right a list of people, and in the middle a main chat window.

3. Find a lobby

Now select the genre of your game and you should be directed to a lobby that you can join. If your chosen game isn't included in the default list of titles, you should join the Misc channel instead.

Every time you navigate this tree, you should be able to see Tunngle logging in you in and out of various different VPNs – keep an eye on the IP address in the bottom left of the window.

4. Start playing

Once you've connected to a lobby/network, minimise Tunngle and start your game server. If your friends are logged into the same lobby, they should be able to see it and play as if on the same LAN.

If you're having problems, you may need to set up port forwarding for Tunngle. In the options menu you can change which port you want to use, or if your router is compatible, use UPnP to configure this.

CES 2012: Netgear shows off cloud-based app store

Nic Vargus — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:01:00 GMT

Today Netgear announced "Smart Network," enabling users to download tools and utilities via a cloud-based app store.

"For the first time, consumers can use our dashboard to create a customized network experience that caters to their needs and desires," said Cedar Milazzo, Senior Director of Engineering.

"Today's smart devices are only as smart as the networks they are connected to."

Smarter is better

"Netgear Smart Network will allow consumers to use innovative new applications to harness the power of all of their network devices and use those devices in new ways that meet customers' needs and that enable accessibility from anywhere." He said.

Netgear showed off an AirPrint-app, and a home security system that could access Netgear cameras with the click of a button.

Download from the cloud

They also showed the simple download process - in which they quickly downloaded a data usage gauge from the cloud-based store, called AppManager.

Smart Network will work with Smart Network-enabled products, including the recently announced N900 Video and Gaming WiFi Adapter and the WN2500RP Dual Band WiFi Range Extender.

We're fond of any attempts to spruce up the unimaginative network landscape, but it's yet to be seen if developers will really jump at the chance to develop apps for such a niche market.

CES 2012: Next gen 802.11ac Wi-Fi kit arrives at CES 2012

Patrick Goss — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:24:00 GMT

The next generation of Wi-Fi kit has emerged at CES 2012, with TRENDnet and Buffalo among those showing off the latest 802.11ac networking devices.

Just when you thought it was safe to stick with your current 'n' kit, ac has come along to show you that your WiFi is pathetically slow.

That's because, as you've probably guessed, 802.11ac is the next generation of wireless standard, and although it won't be ratified until the end of the year the first bits of kit are already here.

Dual-band

TRENDnet's offerings are TEW-811DR 1300 Mbps Dual Band Wireless AC Router and TEW-800MB 1300 Mbps Dual Band Wireless AC Media Bridge.

The top end devices will, of course, offer up compatibility for your sluggish 450Mbps enabled devices and then add on the ultra high performance 1300 Mbps wireless band for your next-gen kit.

It's not quite time to sound the death knell for cables, but we're definitely moving closer.

In Depth: Bristol's community-built wireless network

Jonathan Roberts — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT

Bristol's community-built wireless network

In the unlikely surroundings of Bristol's Windmill Hill City Farm - a community project half a mile south of the city centre - we found ourselves drinking coffee in a unique computer lab.

More than a lab, it felt a bit like a second-hand computer shop, with walls lined with shelving stacked with refurbished beige boxes waiting to be sold.

The workbenches, which formed the core of the lab, were lined with old thin clients donated from the NHS, while a repurposed P4 desktop to power them all sat in the corner.

Far from being symbols of an outdated project, though, this was just how those who built the lab envisioned it.

RECLAIM AND REPAIR: A healthy stock of second-hand computers waiting to go to those who need them most

We were guests at Bristol Wireless, the "social enterprise working to bring connectivity, computers and IT skills to all sectors of society". It's a project that's enjoyed great success over the past 10 years, and it's all been built on the back of Linux and free and open source software.

And it's not just a successful project, it's cool too: much of the equipment is homemade, it encourages learning and hacking, and it embodies the spirit of Freedom 2 of the Free Software definition - the freedom to share so you can help your neighbour.

When we first discovered it, through a comment on TuxRadar, we immediately wanted to find out more. The project was founded in 2002 as an off-shoot of the Easton Community Centre (ECC). For those unfamiliar with Bristol's geography, Easton is a vibrant and diverse inner-city area with community centres, cafes and pubs; it's also listed by the Government's Indices of Deprivation as one of the most deprived areas in the country.

One result of the deprivation is that the area was late to join the digital revolution. In a bid to help rectify this, in 2002 the ECC received a grant of £170,000 to build an IT centre to provide local residents with internet access. As part of this, a 2.2Mbps ADSL line was installed at the centre.

"It was a lot of money," explained Rich Higgs, one of Bristol Wireless's longest serving volunteers, "but they didn't really know what they were doing with it." It was 2002, and the dot-com bubble had just burst, so there were quite a few under-employed IT people in the area, including Rich and his friends who rallied around to help.

Their main focus was the new internet connection. It was a significant amount of bandwidth - few people had internet access, and nobody had anything faster than 512kbps - and they immediately recognised the impact such a connection could have.

Their first website, captured by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, on 24 November 2002, said: "By now we all know the benefits of computers, so far as education and research go. It would be a crime not to reach out and grasp these benefits, making them available to all."

Shared vision

BUDGET BUILD: Some of the equipment used to build the first wireless network, including a cantenna

So that's exactly what they set out to do - share the connection with as many people as possible. They began talking about the best way to go about it, and settled on the idea of a wireless network as the easiest way to share the connection throughout Easton.

They had no money to begin with, so all of the equipment was home-made - as the website explained: "A policy of lowest-cost solutions was rather rudely forced upon them." Although, as the website also notes: "This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the project has become a study in conservation and the re-use of materials."

Their first piece of equipment was a series of 'cantennas'. These ingenious devices, otherwise known as 'tin can waveguide antennas', can significantly extend the range of a Wi-Fi connection for virtually no cost.

As well as being made of a tin can - the project found that a J&B whisky tin was the best solution - the only other components they require is a tiny and cheap connector and a bit of wire. Of course, as clever as the cantennas were, they were useless without the wireless cards to generate the signal, and the routers and servers to connect them to the ADSL line.

By this point, however, the project had begun to garner some attention from the wider Bristol community - as Rich recalls, it "had grown into something". The first wireless routers were made out of old PCs donated by the University of Bristol. The team stuck some wireless cards in these, installed Linux and put them to work as the routers on their new network.

Other donations, in the form of time and equipment, came from Psand, a local hosting and web development company. With all the pieces in place, the team turned on the network and, considering that all the equipment was home-made - some of it salvaged from bins in the city centre, it was an incredible success.

It stretched from the ECC, up the entire length of Chelsea Road, and could even be used in Whitehall - more than half a mile from the ECC. Given that most Wi-Fi networks have a range of just 300ft outside, that represents a nine-fold increase.

WI-FI TOILET: This toilet has the best Wi-Fi reception in the country

Andy Sabel, another volunteer, was working at the ECC at the time. He remembers a great deal of energy and enthusiasm surrounding the team: "These guys were around, ranting about Linux and doing interesting stuff." It was more than enough to excite local residents and non-technical ECC members.

After the network was turned on and working, the project started to take things further. They began setting up other key community buildings with the equipment to connect to the network, and with the computers they'd need to use it. In 2004, the project's website announced that: "After some initial problems… the installation at Greenhaven elderly residents' support accommodation is now up and running."

They managed to provide Greenhaven with two computers running Red Hat Linux, which were placed in a communal area and connected to the nascent network. This was just one of nine such installations that the project would carry out in short succession.

As these installations came online, and demand for access to the network spread to other parts of the city, the original infrastructure needed to be developed further. In particular, there was demand for the network to reach across Stapleton Road. This meant that the project needed to get an antenna on top of Twinnel House, a council-owned tower that would give them a direct line of sight to much more of Bristol.

Expanding the Bristol Wireless network

Usually at this point, plans are scuppered by British bureaucracy, health and safety laws or Nimby (Not In My Back Yard) attitudes. But you'll be pleased to learn that the council supported the project, gave access to the tower's roof, and the network continued to spread: from this point, the furthest it could reach was Long Ashton, a distance of almost five miles.

DAYS GONE PAST: An early router, including CRT monitor!

This all took place in Bristol Wireless's first few years and now the project is rapidly approaching its 10th birthday, so what's happened in between?

A significant development came out of the project's natural growth. As it served more and more people with internet, it outgrew ECC's 2.2Mbps connection, and now uses its wireless network to provide access to the Broadband Media Exchange's (BMEX) highspeed network. Bristol Wireless now provides many community projects with a symmetric connection burstable up to 10Mbps.

This might not sound fast compared to advertised domestic connection speeds today, but the BMEX network achieves these speeds far more consistently and provides uploads at the same speed as downloads. This has also led to a change in the way the project is run.

The BMEX connection has to be paid for, as does the continuous maintenance and upgrading of the antennas and routers across the city, so Bristol Wireless's services are now paid for. It's still staffed by volunteers and it doesn't turn a profit but it provides third-sector organisations with the cheapest IT solutions possible.

IT solutions is the correct phrase, too, since the team has, over the years, expanded its services in response to shifting demands. Starting from the deployment of those two Red Hat boxes, the team has gradually developed its knowledge of LTSP, the Linux Terminal Server Project. This means lots of people can use the same computer at the same time.

All the applications run on a server, which is then accessed through a thin client - a very low-powered computer that links the server with individual input and output devices. As Andy points out: "Originally it was a great way of disseminating bandwidth at our public access locations." They might not be powerful, but in locations where all that's needed is some internet, document editing or image viewing, they're the ideal solution: they're cheap, and can use as little as 11W while operating.

One of the team's more original endeavours was the creation of a mobile LTSP suite. It's not much more than half a dozen old laptops, a few extension leads and plenty of network cable all tucked into a box, but it's proved to be a very popular solution for events across the country.

MOBILE WI-FI: An LTSP suite - great for protests in fields

At the Climate Camps, for instance, the team was contracted to provide network access. They took along their mobile LTSP suite, powered it with some small solar panels and wind turbines, and connected it to the internet through a satellite link. This enabled protestors to communicate with the outside world, providing an alternative to the mainstream media.

The team has also started venturing into VoIP, using the Bath-based Gradwell trunk network to connect clients to the outside world. As you'd imagine, its solution continues to be entirely built around free and open source software and uses the FreePBX distribution as the switch.

THE BRISTOL NETWORK: The current extent of Bristol Wireless's network

Today, customers include the Cube Cinema, Fareshare SW, the ECC, St Werburghs City Farm and the Princess Royal Gardens sheltered accommodation, amongst many others. In effect, the team is now operating as a small, community telecoms provider, and since it's now supplying paying customers, quality of service is a matter of increasing concern.

In the interests of maintaining a quality network connection for as many groups as possible, Bristol Wireless does engage in active traffic management. The team uses Nagios to monitor the condition of the network and, if it sees a prolonged spike in network traffic, is happy to temporarily disconnect the source and ask what's going on. Without this, its VoIP service wouldn't be reliable, and there would be constant hassle from copyright holders.

Bristol Wireless's experience as a small ISP sheds some interesting light on the realities for larger internet companies too. The team sees great value in people being able to do whatever they like on the net, but when it comes to the day-to-day reality of ensuring that the network is always available, it's had to compromise on these ideals. It's no wonder then that larger businesses, who may or may not consider net neutrality important, need to implement traffic management policies, too.

As the project faced new challenges and sought to meet new community needs, the volunteers found themselves having to learn new skills. Indeed, many of the current crop started out with no formal training or qualifications, but relied on man pages and knowledgeable friends.

The sad death of a key engineer, Lloyd Cohen, and the departure of a number of other members, left the team feeling a bit vulnerable. With such a depleted pool of knowledge would the volunteers be able to properly maintain and support the network? It was a serious predicament, but one that was resolved thanks to the loyalty and goodwill of former staff.

A number of those who'd gone on to new jobs created a top-down, systematic course on networking to bring the remaining members up to speed. It started out with simple home networking and progressed all the way through to Class-C, B and A networks and how DNS works - all before lunch. After lunch, they then dived into their own network to see how it all worked in practice.

Not only did this, as Rich puts it, "good ethos of shared learning experiences" prove vital to the continued success of the project, it also acted as a springboard for other members to gain experience and go on to find professional employment.

Matt Leonard, who arrived to join us during his lunchbreak, was the project's wireless guru before getting a job as a network engineer. Now that he's back in the area, he's getting involved again. "It was an awesome playground," he said, reflecting on his experiences. "At least in the early days before it was so relied upon - you could really get stuck in to networking and play with it in the real world."

Now, approaching its 10th anniversary, Bristol Wireless finds itself at a bit of a crossroads. There are a number of new customers it's waiting to bring online and there are also some new projects it wants to pursue. In particular, it's interested in building an install-and-go LTSP solution.

Its great worry, though, is that there aren't enough volunteers with either the time or the expertise to make this a reality. In the past, the team looked to Pete Ferne, its charismatic chair and leader, but he passed away last year. Now it hopes to find someone new, with fresh ideas, energy and enthusiasm.

WIDE REACH: Antennas used as the network spread - a touch more sophisticated than the cantenna

Whatever happens, the project has certainly made an impact over the past ten years and hopefully it will continue to provide an invaluable service to many of Bristol's best third-sector organisations for the decade to come as well.

Verizon planning Media Server for FiOS TV

Chris Smith — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:30:00 GMT

Verizon has released a video showcasing its plans to eventually replace traditional set-top boxes with a wireless media server for its FiOS TV platform.

The Media Server device, according to the ZatsNotFunny site, may launch as soon as late 2012 and could have up to six tuners and 1TB of DVR storage.

The idea is to rid your entertainment centre of the extra clutter provided by the set-top box and instead send your television service from the server to various networked devices around the home.

For example if you have an Xbox 360, a PlayStation 3 or a Wi-Fi enabled Blu-ray player you'd be able to stream TV directly from the server, through those devices and to the TV set.

Stick-on set-top boxes?

The company also says it is working on making its existing set-top boxes so small that they can be simply stuck to the back of the television set.

Verizon hasn't revealed too many details about the box, but the video below is certainly an interesting watch which reveals plenty about the potential future of in-home television networking.

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QogfVxtsOP8

BT launches patent case against Google

Patrick Goss — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:11:00 GMT

UK telecommunications giant BT is apparently the latest company to file a patent-related lawsuit against Google, as the legal wranglings of the mobile world continue to shovel money into the pockets of lawyers.

FoSS patents reports that BT has called Google to task over six of its patents, with the legal documentation making sure to mention its roots as the oldest telecommunications company in the world and the mass of patents it holds.

BT has accused Google of infringing on a range of different patents – including 'service provision for communications network', 'navigation information system', 'telecommunications apparatus and method' and 'storage and retrieval of location based information in a distributed network of data storage devices.

Derived profit

"Google has derived and will continue to derive substantial value from these products and services that incorporate BT's patented technologies," adds the documentation.

"BT brings this action to recover the just compensation it is owed and to prevent Google from continuing to benefit from BT's inventions without authorisation."

One thing that BT could hardly be described as is a patent troll – as a company with a huge heritage in innovation stretching back to its incorporation in 1846 as the Electric Telegraph Company.

BT also points to the heavy investments it has made in the last twenty years in mobility and related network tech, which "BT recognised early on would revolutionise the way people communicate".

"Extensive work in this field throughout the 1990s has led to numerous patents in the field of mobility including the patents in-suit," adds BT's claim.

Tutorial: Hack virtual 1980s networks with Telehack

Jon Thompson — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 07:00:00 GMT

Using Telehack: learning the ropes

Long before social media, online shopping and cloud computing came something that was far more magical and engaging.

The ARPAnet was the forerunner of the internet – a place where security was an afterthought and people roamed the expanses of the developing digital world looking for new systems to explore.

Those days were long gone until a developer going by the username Forbin decided to recreate as much of the ARPANet as possible for people to explore by hacking.

Currently standing at around 24,000 simulated computers, Telehack is a stylised simulation of the ARPANet as it was around 1985-1990.

Getting into Telehack

ENABLE TELNET: For security reasons, Microsoft has disabled the Windows 7 telnet client and buried the switch to turn it on deep inside the Control Panel

Telehack is a massively multiplayer environment for would-be hackers to legally hone their skills. You can enter it on any computer that has a telnet client.

Entering Telehack is as simple as surfing to telehack.com, but you can also open up a command line and type telnet telehack.com. If you've never used telnet in Windows 7 before, you'll need to enable it before this command will work.

To enable telnet, click the 'Start' button and select 'Control Panel'. Click the 'Programs' section and then click 'Programs and features'. Next click 'Turn Windows features on and off'. A sub-window appears and populates a list of Windows features. Scroll down to the entry 'Telnet client' and make sure its tick box is selected. Click 'OK' and dismiss the Control Panel. You should now be able to telnet into Telehack.com.

To log out of any computer in the Telehack universe, you can type exit, quit or logout. However, a hacker would simply press [Ctrl]+[D].

When you connect, you should be met by the Message of the Day (MOTD). This is a piece of text that used to appear whenever people logged into a computer terminal and told them important things such as who owned the machine, who to ask for help and any restrictions there were on behaviour. Nowadays, it's considered dangerous to reveal anything about the system, but those were different times.

Until we create an account on the Telehack server, we're limited to just the commands displayed in the MOTD. Enter the command newuser to set up an account. You're asked for an account name and a password. The prompt at the start of the command line changes from a full stop to an @ symbol, showing that we're logged in.

Every time you telnet into the Telehack server, you'll begin in the guest account again. To log in, enter the command login, then your username and password.

Telehack is a kind of game, and there are levels to attain. When you learn a new hacking skill, a system message from an account called Operator will inform you of your progress. You'll also gain access to more commands and system resources.

The Unix command finger is usually used to look up useful information such as a user's phone number or office address. In Telehack it's also used to view your score information by entering the finger command followed by your username on any host. If you use finger without a username it will give a list of all the users currently logged in. Enter with another user's name and you'll see their progress.

To see the users on another server (correctly called a host), use finger @<hostname>. You'll see a mix of historical accounts that are available for you to guess passwords, and other players. The players appear at the end of the list and don't have an IP address. So how do you find other hosts?

Making connections

NEW USER: Use the newuser command to create an account and you're ready to hack. It's a simple as that, somewhat worryingly

Computers on the ARPANet each had a local table of other hosts they could connect with. This table is accessed using the netstat command. Enter this and a list of computers appears. These belong to corporations and universities, just like they did back in the day.

Let's now telnet into one of these hosts to look around. Pick one and enter the command telnet <hostname>, replacing <hostname> with your choice of host. Hit return and you'll see the MOTD of the remote host and a request for a username.

These days, the guest account is disabled by default in Windows and other operating systems, but in times gone by, it was considered a courtesy to grant such access to anyone who may need temporary use of your computer.

To help remote guests log in, the account usually had no password. Enter the username guest and press 'enter', and you'll log straight into the remote host's guest account. The guest account is limited in what it can do, and the aim in hacking is always to gain the best system privileges possible because this gives the best access and control. Press Ctrl-D to log out of the remote host and you'll be returned to the Telehack server.

Just like today's command lines, the account you're logged into has an associated directory. Enter ls to list the content of the directory. The command can take a wildcard (*.exe, for example). There are a couple of executable files among the others: wardial.exe and porthack.exe.

It's time to cross the line into the world of real hacking by 'illegally' gaining a privileged account on a host.

Using Telehack: The First Hack

The First Hack

ARPANET: A diagram of the ARPAnet as it stood in 1977. By the mid-1980s it had tens of thousands of hosts. Things were so much simpler back then

Enter the command run porthack.exe. A banner appears and you're asked if you want to continue. Press y and enter.

Porthack scans a remote host for ports that can be exploited. If you know the name of the host you want to scan, enter it, otherwise enter ? to view the output. Enter a name and porthack gets to work.

First, it scans the remote host for open ports and returns a numbered list, just like a modern portscanner scanner Nmap. Enter a port number and porthack attempts to run an exploit called a buffer overrun against the service listening for connections on that port.

Porthack installs and runs a program on the remote host that creates a user account with your Telehack username and password. If it fails, run it again and choose another port until you find one that works.

All you have to do to log into the compromised system is to enter the command rlogin tandem. This will send your username and password to the remote host and log you in.

Once logged into a new computer, you should enter the help /all command to see what commands are on offer. The /all argument means that help will display a full list of all command options.

Among the commands is rootkit. This has the same meaning as a modern rootkit, giving you admin level access to the operating system. Once the rootkit command is completed, your command line prompt changes to a , showing that you're now logged in as a user called root, which is the Unix administrator account.

In tandem's root account the help command is no longer available, but a shorter form is. Type ? and hit [Enter].

One of the commands is 'setmotd'. This is our chance to leave our mark by changing the MOTD in a process called 'capturing the flag'. Enter the setmotd command then type in a suitably pithy victory message. Enter a blank line to finish.

If you now enter the motd command, you'll see what others will see. That is, until someone else works out how to do it. When this happens, you'll be sent a message to say that you've lost the flag.

Going to war

PORTHACK: Running porthack against a host will set up an unauthorised account for
you to log into. It's just like the old days

War dialling is an often-misused term. It simply means calling all the numbers in an area code to see which are answered by a modem. Although many will be fax machines, some will be computers we can then dial into.

In the directory on the Telehack server is another executable called wardial.exe. Run this by entering the command run wardial.exe and either enter an area code or ? for a list. Enter a likely code (a California area code is a good one) and wardial.exe begins calling a random block of numbers in that area. If you're lucky, it'll find a modem that is connected to a computer accepting logins.

As hackers develop their skills, they also collect a toolkit of utilities to help them. Porthack and Wardial are two such programs, but Telehack has many more spread across its hosts. Whenever you run an EXE file, it's loaded into your static core, making it available wherever you are. To run it again, type list to get its number, then type run <n> where <n> is its number.

Note, however, that you're initially limited to just five programs, thereby making mapping the Telehack universe a vital skill. To load a sixth program, you must use the unload command to unload a previous one.

Hackers' quest

Moving between machines can be dull, but there's more to Telehack than that. On the Telehack server, enter the command quest. You're given the task of finding a host out of the 24,000 that exist within the Telehack universe.

The target host will contain a file giving you further instructions. These include entering secret commands and system calls that will increase your status and control over the Telehack universe.

Along the way, you'll pass through computers with more executables to map, files full of information and other stuff you can use. Completing quests also gives you bragging rights over other users.

Tutorial: How to speed up your wireless network

Jon Thompson — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 07:00:00 GMT

How to speed up your wireless network

Wi-Fi is a great technology, but how you set up and use it can have a huge impact on its efficiency.

If you're constantly waiting for web pages in general to load, then before you complain that your ISP isn't supplying that promised 24Mb/s connection, spare a thought for what happens when that signal hits the airwaves in your house.

How it works

To improve Wi-Fi performance, we first need to understand what it actually is. Wi-Fi is also called wireless local area networking or WLAN in the management console of your base station or broadband router, and it uses a group of frequencies clustered around 2.4GHz to transmit and receive data between computers.

To ensure that data gets through, it uses a protocol called 802.11. If every network within range all used the same exact frequency of 2.4GHz, the various devices would swamp each other's signals - a bit like two radio stations transmitting on the same frequency.

To overcome this, the protocol allows devices to use 13 numbered channels, which all use slightly different frequencies to ensure that there's as little interference as possible.

Confusingly, there are a few versions of 802.11. The oldest is 802.11a, which is now obsolete. This has been superseded by 802.11b, which has a maximum data transmission rate of 11Mb/s. 802.11g, which is the dominant version in the UK, can transmit at a healthier 54Mb/s. The newer 802.11n can use two channels for a maximum of 300Mb/s.

Encryption

Security is very important in Wi-Fi networks, and this has to do with both logging onto the network and how individual packets of data are encrypted. The oldest Wi-Fi security standard is WEP (Wireless Equivalent Protocol). This was part of the original 802.11 protocol and has been cracked, making it insecure.

This insecurity came about because if enough packets can be captured from the airwaves, software can be used to work out what that password is. Several open source packages now exist (AirCrack, for example) that will attempt to solve WEP passwords, thereby allowing people to log onto your network.

An updated security standard called WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) was introduced in 2003, with a newer version called WPA2 coming along in 2004. This is still secure and uses a government-strength encryption algorithm to keep your networks safe. In some Wi-Fi equipment, the security used is referred to as RSNA (Robust Security Network Association). This is really just another name for WPA2.

CSMA

If every computer on your Wi-Fi network transmitted at the same time, they would jam each other's signals. To prevent this, every Wi-Fi network card sold (including the one in the base station) uses a technique called Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) to share the airwaves.

In CSMA, a situation called contention occurs when a Wi-Fi card wants to transmit a data packet, but hears that a packet is already being transmitted. It waits for a very short but randomly selected time before listening again. If the airwaves are clear at the end of that period, the card transmits its packet before listening again and subsequently transmitting the next packet if the airwaves are still clear.

This 'first come first served' scheme means that over time, all network cards get an equal opportunity to transmit all their packets. CSMA is also used in wired networks, and is a very efficient method of data transmission.

This being the case, it's usually external influences that are to blame for adversely affecting Wi-Fi networks. Before attempting to improve the performance of your Wi-Fi network, it's important to know what its performance is like before you start. Otherwise, how will you know for certain which measures work and which don't?

Set a baseline

The easiest way of measuring current performance is to use an online broadband speed testing service. There are plenty available, and they all work in the same way. One service is Broadband Speed Checker.

First, ensure that your entire network is quiet. Turn off all streaming services such as Spotify (including killing the service in the system tray), all social media services, all torrent services, and all email clients that automatically update themselves. Check to make sure that the WLAN light on your base station is not flashing to ensure that everything is turned off.

From a Wi-Fi connected computer, click Start Speed Test and wait until the test completes. Rather than just performing the test once, collect several results over a few days. Try to run the test at different times of the day to see when the local loop from the nearest telephone exchange to the houses it serves is most congested.

Keep the results of these tests on a spreadsheet and you'll be able to see the best time of day to perform large downloads.

It's also a good idea to perform the same tests from a PC wired directly to the base station. This will give you a definitive measure of the difference in performance between wired and Wi-Fi connections.

Whenever you implement a change, re-test the Wi-Fi speed to see if there's any appreciable difference. You may be surprised to find that some simple changes can help you resist an upgrade to a supposedly faster connection.

Interference

The 802.11 protocol family uses some very clever low-level encoding techniques to ensure that regardless of circumstances, the signal stands a chance of still being heard over other noise, but anything we can do to help it will improve network performance. In some cases, such techniques can make a dramatic difference.

Everything would be fine if Wi-Fi network cards were the only things transmitting at 2.4GHz in our homes, but they're not. There are plenty of sources of interference that can cause the network cards to have to wait multiple times before being able to transmit their packets.

Incredibly, one of the biggest sources of Wi-Fi interference is your domestic cordless phone. If you have one in the same room as a Wi-Fi device, you can expect network performance to noticeably degrade every time you make or receive a call.

Bluetooth devices also use the golden frequency of 2.4GHz to transmit and receive data, and therefore also tend to cause interference on Wi-Fi networks. Microwave ovens are a domestic boon that we usually take for granted, but they're also a source of 2.4GHz interference.

Despite remaining perfectly safe to humans when cooking food, a microwave oven situated less than about 10 feet away from a Wi-Fi network card will degrade its performance. Don't forget that this 10-foot range can extend through walls into other rooms.

Added to these interference sources there are also less obvious ones. Your neighbour may be transmitting on the same channel, and have placed his base station right near your adjoining wall. Mains wiring running through walls and floors, faulty household appliances containing electric motors, and physical obstacles like brick walls also play a part in degrading performance.

More ways to improve your Wi-Fi

Location matters

Once you establish a baseline, it's important to think carefully about where you place your base station. The general advice from ISPs is to locate it at a central position in your property, but this overlooks several important factors.

The number of brick walls between the base station and the computer will affect the strength of the signal. Studded walls carrying cables or water pipes will do likewise, and a large aquarium in the way will also absorb some of the signal. Try to site your base station high up to overcome as many obstacles as possible. On top of a bookcase is a good place, and will give the upper floor of your home a little more signal.

Metal surfaces reflect electromagnetic radiation, and mirrors are no exception. A large mirror will shield the room behind it from Wi-Fi signals. Try to find out where your immediate neighbours keep their base station. With a little co-operation to maximise the distance between them, you can both improve performance.

On a desktop or tower PC, the Wi-Fi network card's antenna may be internal. Because the metal parts of the case and internal frame are earthed, they act as a Faraday cage, helping shield the card from the outside world. Try turning the PC so that as little metal as possible stands between the Wi-Fi card and base station.

Other dense materials can also block Wi-Fi signals. Very large wooden wardrobes, full bookcases and so on can all contribute a small amount to the overall degradation of the signal.

At the base station

If your base station and Wi-Fi network cards all use 802.11g, there's no point occupying the airwaves by also transmitting over the older 802.11b. Transmitting both is called 'mixed mode'. To turn off 802.11b, you'll have to go into the web-based management interface on your base station. To do so, you'll need the admin password (which you changed from the factory default when you got it, right?).

The management software used in different manufacturer's base stations differs, but the terminology is usually the same. In the section for interface setup, select the Wireless or WLAN page. One of the general configuration parameters will determine whether you transmit 802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11b+g. For compatibility, the default is almost certainly 802.11b+g, meaning that you're transmitting both versions of the protocol. Change this to 802.11g and then save the configuration.

If another network within range uses the same channel as you, there's a good chance that it'll interfere with your network's ability to transmit and receive packets. See the box 'Monitor The Airwaves' to discover if this is the case.

Rather than hunt for an unused one as the new BT hubs do, most base stations simply default to channel one, which increases the dreaded network contention. To ensure the least interference from other networks, pick a channel as far away from the strongest signals as possible. When you save the configuration, the Wi-Fi network cards in your computers will all automatically begin using the new channel.

Repeat yourself

If you still have problems after doing your best to increase the strength of your Wi-Fi signal and to minimise interference, there's one last method of overcoming problems. A Wi-Fi repeater simply retransmits any traffic it hears on your network, thereby increasing the signal's strength and extending the network's range.

A repeater can act as a relay to parts of the house that simply can't get a decent signal from the base station itself. If you're particularly security conscious, you can use multiple repeaters and run everything at the minimum transmission power so your signals are less visible beyond your property's borders. Each repeater, again set to transmit at low power, can still serve the farthest reaches of the house.

Get a new aerial

The aerials on Wi-Fi base stations are omni-directional antennas. The signal is transmitted with equal strength in a doughnut shape perpendicular to the aerial. This means that if the aerial is vertical, it sends Wi-Fi signals out across the room.

The antenna that came with your base station has a power transmission rating of about 2dBi (sometimes referred to simply as 'two units'). The higher this number, the more efficient the aerial is at transmitting the power passed through it. Every 3dBi effectively doubles the transmitted power, so if you've increased your base station's power output to the maximum in its web management console and want more, you can increase it using an aerial with a higher dBi rating.

The problem with these aerials is that they transmit in all directions. Most of the transmitted energy is lost, but you can reduce this using a directional aerial, which focuses the transmitted signal in one direction. This creates a long hotspot through your property and can be used to extend your Wi-Fi network to out-buildings without losing most of the signal. Prices start at around £20.

Monitor the airways

InSSIDer2 is a free tool by MetaGeek that you can use to analyse Wi-Fi signal strengths and to ensure you pick an unused channel.

Once installed, run the program and it'll show any Wi-Fi networks in range. In the lower pane it also shows signal strength and channel number. Click the 'Time graph' tab and select your network in the upper pane.

If you're monitoring on a laptop, try moving a few centimetres in any direction. The signal strength will change - but why? All electromagnetic waves have a wavelength, which is calculated by dividing the speed of light (about 300 million metres per second) by the frequency (2.4GHz). This gives a wavelength of roughly 12.5cm.

What this means is that across the room, the signal is stronger at some points than others. You can use this technique to map the areas of your home that have the strongest signal.

Sneakily, you can also use dips in the strength of a Wi-Fi signal to tell when someone is between you and a base station. This is because people are mostly water, which absorbs radio waves. As long as the monitoring PC is in the same position, moving around will affect the signal in a predictable way.

Update your firmware

Some ISPs automatically upgrade the firmware on the Wi-Fi base stations they supply as part of their broadband packages, but if you bought your base station separately to use with an existing wired broadband connection, you'll have to upgrade it yourself. This is a simple process that can fix bugs and improve Wi-Fi performance.

First, make sure you have a network cable at the ready in case the process wipes your current configuration and you need to access the web-based management console without Wi-Fi access.

Next, go to your base station manufacturer's website. Make sure you download the firmware for your exact hardware model - this can be found on a sticker on the bottom of the unit. Download the latest firmware and the latest user manual. This will tell you about any new useful features the firmware upgrade gives.

Upgrading may make the base station lose its configuration, so make sure you save the current settings first. The terminology tends to vary here, so consult the user manual.

When you click the 'Upgrade' button in your base station's maintenance page, browse for the firmware file and click 'OK'. The process takes a few minutes, after which the unit will reboot. If necessary, reload the saved configuration and you're done.

4G LTE fixed and mobile broadband trial starts in Cornwall

Patrick Goss — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:22:00 GMT

Everything Everywhere and BT Wholesale has started the first live trial of 4G LTE broadband in the UK, with Cornwall being used as the testbed for the next generation network.

Everything Everywhere, comprising Orange and T-Mobile, along with BT Wholesale will be running the trial for customers in St Newlyn East and South Newquay.

The trial is not just for mobile phone customers but also fixed line users, making it a world first, and it follows a successful eight week laboratory test.

The trial was announced back in May, but has taken slightly longer than the original estimate to begin in earnest.

Optimise

"The purpose of the laboratory testing was to prove it would be possible to share, manage and optimise valuable radio resources between two service providers, explained the press release.

"The field trial will now examine the experience of live triallists to help both Everything Everywhere and BT Wholesale test and better understand realistic 4G LTE speeds, as well as general mobile broadband data service conditions in rural areas."

The trial is just for 100 mobile and 100 fixed line triallists – so don't be carting your imported handset over to Newquay to try it out just yet.

And for those that like the granular details about these things, we can tell you that the trial is using 10MHz of test 800MHz spectrum.

The trial will run until early next year, with LTE still on course to begin arriving in 2013.

Mobile

Olaf Swantee, CEO, Everything Everywhere, said:"Soon, more people will be accessing the internet on their mobile devices than on their PCs, and that means we need the right kind of networks in place to deliver the right kind of experience for our customers.

"That's why, as the UK's largest communications company, we are leading the development and introduction of new technologies like 4G.

"This next generation mobile network will allow individuals and businesses across Britain to access the people, places and things they want, wherever they are, whenever they want - and it will be faster and easier than ever before."

Tutorial: How to access your Mac on your iPad

Matthew Bolton — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:00:00 GMT

How to access your Mac on your iPad

Thanks to the huge range of tools available in the App Store, many people are finding that they can use the iPad as a replacement for a MacBook. But there are still plenty of cases where this simply isn't possible.

Some users are reliant on software that isn't yet available on iOS, while others may struggle with the storage limitations of the iPad. Remote desktop software can provide the solution to these problems, enabling you to access your Mac OS X machine, and all of its files and applications, right on your iPad.

Here, we're going to look at using Splashtop Remote on the iPad to connect to the desktop of a Mac. There are other iPad remote desktop and VNC options, including the free TeamViewer, but Splashtop is the only one capable of sending full video and audio, making it great for personal as well as business use.

You'll need to download the free desktop client on your Mac, and we'll guide you through setting it up and connecting your iPad to it. Once that's done, you can take total control of your Mac from your iPad's touchscreen, accessing all of the files on its hard drive, opening and using your desktop applications, and harnessing the more powerful hardware inside.

If your iPad and Mac are on the same local network, they'll see each other automatically and be able to connect. If you're planning to connect over the internet, you'll need to know your Mac's IP address – the SplashtopRemoteStreamer desktop client will display this when you open it.

Soon, you'll be able to use a Google account as a way to bypass the need for configuring IP addresses, but this wasn't functional at the time of writing. You can choose to browse your desktop either in its native resolution or reduced to the iPad's fixed 1024x768. If you have a large screen, such as a 27-inch iMac, you may want to consider the latter – unless you've got a very fast network connection indeed.

How to get connected and start using your desktop

01. Connect over a network

Download and install SplashtopRemote Streamer from www.splashtop.com. Open it, and you'll be asked to provide a security password for when you connect to the Mac. Open Splashtop Remote on your iPad, tap your Mac and enter the password to connect.

02. Connect over the internet

To connect to your computer over the internet, you need to have a Google account. Enter your username and password in the streamer software on your Mac, then go to the Internet Discovery option in the settings menu in Splashtop on your iPad. Enter your details here, too. Now, your iPad will be able to see and connect to your Mac from anywhere without any further setup required.

03. Take the hint

When you connect to your Mac desktop, you'll see a hint screen detailing how to control your PC using the touchscreen. Note the useful multi-touch gestures: pinch-to-zoom and three finger scrolling. Make good use of the keyboard, accessed via a button in the bottom-right corner.

04. Access your files

Even the top-end iPad only has 64GB of storage, so you can use Splashtop as a way to access your Mac's hard drive. If you've forgotten an important document, email it to yourself by getting the file in Finder and opening Mail – or add to a cloud storage folder such as Dropbox.

05. Use Microsoft Office

While there are plenty of productivity apps for iPad, Office applications aren't among them. If they're installed on your Mac, you can use Word, Excel and PowerPoint to their full potential once connected with Splashtop. This means access to all their desktop features.

06. See Flash content online

Flash is still absent from the iPad, but you've probably got it installed on your Mac. By connecting to your desktop, you can watch videos and interact with Flash websites and games. Splashtop's two-finger 'mouse over' gesture is extremely useful for this.

07. Play games

Though you'll struggle trying to play Portal 2 using Splashtop's touch controls, there are other games available for the Mac, but not iPad, that work fine. Here we're playing Torchlight, a 3D dungeon crawler that works well on the touchscreen.

08. Initiate tasks remotely

Tasks such as video transcoding, 3D rendering or large file transfers can take your Mac a while to crunch through. But you can connect with Splashtop and start these processes while you're away, so they're completed when you get back to your Mac.

Interview: Rovi: we want to bring Blu-ray experience to streaming

Marc Chacksfield — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:33:00 GMT

At IFA 2011, digital entertainment leader Rovi announced it was introducing DivX Plus streaming into its portfolio.

This technology – which was acquired by Rovi back in 2010 – offers protected movie streaming on set-top boxes, connected TVs and the like, and Rovi is hoping that it could be the key to bringing a Blu-ray like experience to movie streaming.

This is because the technology enables the addition of subtitles, multiple language tracks and smooth fast-forwarding and rewinding of content.

The real key though, is the manufacturers which have adopted the technology. LG, Samsung and Toshiba all partner with Rovi, and DivX Plus has been created to be cross-platform – so you can theoretically move content through your LG TV and play it from where you left off on your Samsung tablet.

Blu-ray like experience

"One of our goals when speaking to Hollywood is that we can build a format that can deliver extra content and give a Blu-ray like experience," said Richard Bullwinkle, chief evangelist, Rovi, to TechRadar.

"[With the technology] you can pick the audio track, subtitles on the fly when you are watching the stream and you can a director's track."

If you want a true 1080p stream when using DivX Plus you will need around 6Mbps bandwidth, but Bullwinkle did note that there's some interesting technology within the codec that will smooth out any judders usually associated with the streaming of big files.

"Built into the codec you can put pre-loaded information in there," said Bullwinkle.

"So we can tell it when an explosion is coming up and it will make the stream a lot smoother."

Getting smart

Bullwinkle is hoping that DivX Plus streaming will unlock the full potential of connected televisions and thinks that, even though consumer response has been rather muted so far, the latest range of televisions with web capabilities are just what the industry needs.

"I think the latest generation of smart TVs nailed it – the new Samsung TVs just work.

"The things I am seeing coming out of LG and Toshiba are also really good. Now we need retailers to promote it.

"There's a full display [of these TVs] in Best Buy and this is what needs to happen elsewhere. They spend a lot of money showing people how to use them."

With Google TV coming to the UK as well, the idea of TV married with web content isn't going anywhere soon but Google has found the US unresponsive to its connected set tops.

Bullwinkle things this will change, however, when the search giant releases Google TV in the UK.

"I have enough respect for them to know that the next generation [of Google TV] will be much better than the first gen, so I expect they are building something that is much more entertainment focused than search focused."

IFA 2011: Netgear announces new home networking gear

Henry Winchester — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:37:00 GMT

Networking company Netgear has announced three new products designed to shunt bits to your internet-enabled entertainment devices at IFA 2011.

The Powerline Nano Dual-port Set works like any other powerline adapter, with the advantage that the units themselves are small enough not to block a second outlet. The adapters come with two ethernet ports, and are capable of speeds of up to 200 mbps.

Powerline adapters are as cumbersome as they are convenient so if Netgear can shrink the form factor it will make them far more attractive.

The Nano Dual-port Set will be released in Europe in November, and is set to be priced at approximately £98.

TV on the radio

If you're resolutely against the idea of powerline networking, or somehow live in a house without powerlines, Netgear's other products may prove more enticing.

The Universal Dual Band Wireless Internet Adapter for TV and Blu-Ray players is designed to do exactly what it says on its rather elongated tin.

The adapter connects to any ethernet-enabled TV or Blu-Ray player and allows wireless streaming at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the latter of which Netgear reckons is perfect for HD video.

It's also designed to blend in with home entertainment devices, and can be powered by a TV's onboard USB socket or directly from the mains.

The Universal Dual Band Wireless Internet Adapter for TV and Blu-Ray has a release date of September, and a suggested retail price of approximately £55.

And finally...

Finally, the Universal Push2TV Wireless PC to TV Adapter broadcasts the contents of a Windows PC's screen on HDMI-compatible TVs.

The product consists of a USB flash drive-sized adapter for your PC, and an HDMI adapter for your PC.

Installation is said to be a simple one-time affair, and it's capable of displaying in full HD 1080p on your television.

The Universal Push2TV HD Wireless PC to TV Adapter will be released in September with UK pricing of around £78.

BT seals deal with Heineken for pub hotspots

Patrick Goss — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:03:00 GMT

BT has announced a partnership with Heineken that will see 100 London pubs get Wi-Fi and location specific content.

The deal will see a further 200 pubs across Britain receive the service by the end of next year.

Wi-Fi access will only be free to BT Broadband customers, "plus users of iPads, iPhones, iTouch, Android, Samsung and Blackberry devices and smartphones through other BT partnership agreements".

According to BT's press release, punters will be routed through a "special area of the internet" with content from Independent spin-off newspaper 'i'.

Tech innovator Heineken?

Rick Lawrence, Marketing Manager at Heineken UK said: "The partnership with BT reinforces the brand's reputation as a leading player in the development of technology.

"The Wi-Fi initiative will provide excellent exposure for Heineken among its key target audience and build greater affinity between the brand and its consumers."

Chris Bruce, CEO, BT Openzone, said: "Using Wi-Fi to deliver free and exclusive content, Heineken is engaging and exciting pub goers and will undoubtedly increase business. It's an exciting time to be involved in hospitality marketing."

BT also indicated that the latest deal took its total hotspots number over three million, including John Lennon Liverpool, Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield and Teesside regional airports.

Googorola deal a shot in the arm for Google TV

Patrick Goss — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:26:00 GMT

Google's acquisition of Motorola may be more about patents than hardware, but as well as the obvious impact on Android devices, there could also be a big boon for Google TV.

Speaking at the conference call on the $12.5 billion Googorola deal, Google CEO Larry Page talked about the prospect of a greatly enhanced Google TV offering, using Motorola's well established set top box and IPTV infrastructure expertise .

"Motorola is the market leader in home devices, said Page. "We're excited to work with them to accelerate innovation."

Close relationship

Motorola Mobility's chief executive Sanjay Jha added: "We have a very close relationship with carriers in the home space."

"As we know there's been a secular transition from [traditional] set top boxes to those in the IP world. I think in addition to that, we're seeing great convergence between the mobile world and content from the set top box - working with carriers we can accelerate convergence and delight customers."

Google TV has had a tricky start to life, despite arriving in a blaze of publicity and has yet to make the move over to the UK.

The major sticking point remains deals for content, but Motorola's infrastructure and set top box expertise will not go amiss if Google decides to plough on with its IPTV concept.

And it's clear that both companies are keen to look at the way in which our increasingly convergent devices.

Buying Guide: Best wireless router: 8 reviewed

Nick Odantzis — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:30:00 GMT

The wireless modem router your ISP provides could well be insufficient for your needs. Your wireless signal will weaken or disappear when you move your laptop into another room.

If you have several wireless devices - PCs, phones, printers and so on - it may struggle to keep up with the amount of data going back and forth.

The solution is to upgrade a a router that features Wireless N technology, which will enhance the speed of your wireless network, increase its range and allow you to connect more devices to it without it falling over when all systems are go.

We're going to show you which of these routers offers the best performance, which is easiest to set up, and which has the most useful added features.

Don't worry if your home is among the 20 per cent of UK households on a cable broadband connection - we've made sure there are cable routers included, too. Whichever type of broadband you've got, there's a faster router out there for you.

Wireless routers tested

Asus RT-N56U - £100
www.asus.com

Belkin Play Max N600 HD - £66
www.belkin.com

D-Link DIR-825 - £93
www.dlink.co.uk

Draytek Vigor283Vn - £239
www.draytek.co.uk

FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7390 - £238
www.fritzbox.eu

Linksys E4200 - £140
www.linksysbycisco.com

Netgear RangeMax DGND3300 - £100
www.netgear.co.uk

TP-Link TL-WR1043ND - £42
www.tp-link.com

Asus RT-N56U

The Asus RT-N56U doesn't look like your typical drab slab of a router. In fact, it doesn't really look like a router at all.

The RT-N56U is Asus' effort to stand out from the rather boring-looking crowd. Not only are its looks unconventional, the location of its connections is too - side-mounted as opposed to located at the rear of the unit.

Although this is handy because it makes them easier to access, it also means that they stick out like a sore thumb when the unit is in use.

Read the full Asus RT-N56U review

Belkin Play Max N600 HD

Although the award for cheapest router of the day sadly can't go to the Belkin Play Max N600 HD - the TP-Link has the other routers on test here licked in that regard - it nevertheless offers the greatest range of features and the best performance for its price tag.

Its nearest competitor, the Asus RT-N56U, costs over £30 more and doesn't seem to offer many more features to justify the expense, even if it does look somewhat more interesting.

For example, Belkin's router supports cable connections, unlike the Asus.

Read the full Belkin Play Max N600 HD review

D-Link DIR-825

There's some funny marketing magic going on with the D-Link DIR-825. On the outside of the router's box, D-Link promises a quad-band device - presumably a bid to get one over all the dual-band routers on the market, which are currently the top of the range in terms of performance. But look closely and you'll see that this is actually just another dual-band router.

Quad-band or otherwise, the DIR-825 offers pretty exhilarating performance, with the 1GB test files taking just two minutes to transfer from one PC to another over wireless, while at the 10M range it took six minutes 10 seconds.

Read the full D-Link DIR-825 review

Draytek Vigor 2830Vn

Looks aren't normally important when you're choosing a router, but the Draytek Vigor2830Vn is a bit of monster. Then again, it's not designed to be propped up next to a home hi-fi - this device is intended for small business use.

This is made clear by the fact that the ports are located on the front for ease of access, and because the Vigor2830Vn is bursting at the seams with features.

As well as being ADSL and cable internet compatible, there's the option of having up to three different internet connections active at once: the main ADSL one, an Ethernet port for connecting another modem and a port for adding a 3G modem - which would be useful as a backup if your primary or secondary internet were to fail.

Read the full Draytek Vigor 2830Vn review

FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7390

The FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7390 combines an ADSL2+ and VDSL modem in one. Whether you have a regular broadband internet connection running through your phone line or a fibre optic cable one, you can replace your old modem altogether.

This is great if you aren't sure which type you need, or if you think you might change the type of broadband service you use in the future.

This convenience comes at a price, and the FRITZ!Box costs over twice as much as a regular router that simply upgrades your standard modem. In fairness though, you get a lot more with the FRITZ!Box than a conventional router and modem combination.

Read the full FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7390 review

Linksys E4200

The E4200 is a breath of fresh air. In a sea of devices that offer only limited support, it's almost surprising to use a router that feels as if it's been designed to welcome new users with open arms, rather than frighten them off.

The installation process is remarkably easy. Jargon isn't thrown at you as you configure the router - everything is explained in plain English.

During the setup process you're given the option of either choosing the default network name and password, or changing it to your own - an option that some other routers hid under layers of menus.

Read the full Linksys E4200 review

Netgear RangeMax DGND3300

Although the Netgear RangeMax DGND3300 doesn't have the feature set of the FRITZ!Box Fon 7390 or the Draytek Vigor 2870Vn, it's a pleasant surprise to see that for about £100 less than either or these routers (and only marginally more than most of the others on test) it offers the luxury of a built-in modem.

Rather than having an additional box sat next to your current modem router, you can replace it altogether and have one device that does it all.

This doesn't apply if you have a cable internet connection, because the modem is ADSL-only. Instead you'll need the WNDR3300, which is the cable alternative.

Read the full Netgear RangeMax DGND3300 review

TP-Link TL-WR1043ND

Just £42 for a superfast modem? Seems fishy. That's the price you'd pay for a standard Wireless G router, not a dual-band Wireless N model.

Ah, that's the thing. The TP-Link TL-WR1043ND - one heck of a mouthful - isn't actually a dual-band router; it's just a lowly single-band. Surely that means it has no chance against the dual-band devices in this test.

Well, no. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Although the TP-Link doesn't benefit from the 5GHz transmission band, it has a crude way of making up for this, using three antennas to ramp the standard 2.4GHz signal to its maximum. And it works, with the fastest recorded transmission speed of the 1GB test file over wireless.

Read the full TP-Link TL-WR1043ND review

The best wireless router is...

There's some good news to be had from this test - no matter which router you choose, there's a clear advantage to upgrading an ageing router with a newer, faster one. The difference is noticeable at just two metres, and at 10 metres, with a couple of heavy-duty walls in the way, it's quite dramatic.

In both cases, a Wireless G router was around 10 times slower than the best-performing Wireless N router. If you're using wireless a lot, then a Wireless N router is an essential upgrade.

Some of them perform marginally better than others, so rather than concentrate solely on performance you need to factor in what sort of features they offer and how easy they are to setup and use - the difference in the test was quite substantial.

Value award: TP-Link TL-WR104 3ND

With one of the fastest performance at both short and long range, for the cheapest price. TP-Link might not be a household name at the moment, having previously focused on business-orientated products, but it's now moving into the consumer market. Judging by the ease of use, excellent performance and competitive price of the TL-WR1043ND, we're sure it's going to do well.

Verdict: 4/5

Editor's choice: FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7390

The FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7390 might be expensive, but it's cash well spent. The sheer amount of features this router offers and its impressive performance put it well ahead of the competition. It combines some of the best features of professional offi ce-based routers with the user-friendliness we've come to expect from the top home wireless routers.

Verdict: 4.5/5

Tutorial: How to set up an iPhone Personal Hotspot

Laurence Cable — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:50:00 GMT

Personal Hotspot is a new feature in iOS 4.3 that enables you to use an iPhone 4 or 3GS to get other devices – such as your MacBook or iPad – online wherever there's phone reception.

While you've been able to do this before in the shape of tethering, Personal Hotspot is less limited on the iPhone 4 – you can attach up to five devices using USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Note that tethering on the iPhone 3GS has been renamed Personal Hotspot, but works over USB and Bluetooth only.

We haven't got space to go into specifics on each UK network here, but have a look at this for more details on the possible costs of using the feature.

Speak to your provider before using Personal Hotspot to be sure that you understand what, if anything, you'll be charged.

You can connect up to five devices to your iPhone 4 Personal Hotspot, consisting of one over USB, a maximum of three using Wi-Fi (on the GSM models we have in the UK) and up to three on Bluetooth. A blue bar across the top of your iPhone's screen tells you how many devices are connected and the mini Wi-Fi network it creates is password protected.

Using your iPhone's data connection in this way uses more battery if you're doing so over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The first thing to do is update to iOS 4.3 by plugging your iPhone into your Mac, loading up iTunes, selecting your phone and clicking Check for Updates. If you're prompted to update carrier settings, do this as well.

Once it's done, go to Settings > General > Network > (Set Up) Personal Hotspot on the iPhone to get started. If you don't see the setting, speak to your network about enabling it. It's best to switch it off again when you're finished.

How to browse the web with Personal Hotspot

01. Connect the USB lead

Using Personal Hotspot over USB charges your iPhone battery and, if you disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your device, it ensures no one else can 'steal' your connection. You don't need any passwords using it over USB so plug the cable into your Mac and iPhone.

02. Make sure it's recognised

With the iPhone hooked up to your Mac, it's time to check everything's working. In the Apple menu, select System Preferences. Now click the Network entry – you'll see the various ports listed down the left-hand side. The iPhone USB should be in there with a green dot next to it.

03. Try it out

If there's a red dot next to the iPhone, try unplugging and then reconnecting it. If this doesn't help, restart your Mac. Once it's listed as Connected, you'll be able to browse the web, check your email and catch up on the latest news, all on your Mac's big screen!

04. Go wireless!

As long as Personal Hotspot's enabled and Wi-Fi is switched on on the iPhone 4, your iPhone's Wi-Fi will appear in the AirPort list on your Mac. Select your phone and type the password (you can find it in the Personal Hotspot screen in the iPhone's Settings app).

05. Change the password

To change your Wi-Fi password, open up the iPhone's Settings app. Personal Hotspot should now be on the main page – tap it, then tap Wi-Fi Password to set your own. If you've previously connected to your iPhone's Wi-Fi hotspot, re-enter the password on your Mac.

06. Pair over Bluetooth

To connect up to three devices to your iPhone over Bluetooth, first go to Settings > General > Bluetooth to enable it. On your Mac, open System Preferences, click Bluetooth, tick On if necessary then click the + button at the bottom of the list or Set Up New Device…

07. Connect the two

Find your device in the list, select it and click Continue. Your Mac will try to link to your iPhone and show you a number. Keep the two close and the same figure should appear on your iPhone screen – check they're the same and tap Pair.

08. Get online!

Click Continue on your Mac. Then click Network Preferences… on the dialog shown and a Bluetooth entry will appear in the list. Select it and click Connect. In future, skip steps 6 and 7 and connect from the Bluetooth menu (enabled in the Bluetooth preference pane).

Quick tip

Worried about how much data you're using over Personal Hotspot?

On the phone, go to Settings > General > Usage and scroll down to Tether Data. Set an iCal reminder to reset the counter each month so you know exactly how much you're using.

Tutorial: How to hack your wireless router firmware

Neil Mohr — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:00:00 GMT

Everyone likes being in control - we don't want to be told that we aren't allowed to do something with our own hardware. In this world of locked-down operating systems, proprietary software and rights-removed content, anything that gives us control over our hardware is a good thing.

One such area is the world of wireless router hacking. You might not have come across it before, but it's a well-established niche that provides fresh, Linux-powered firmware for a wide range of wireless routers, which wouldn't necessarily get updated otherwise.

It's something you should be interested in: it gives you total control over your wireless routers, and it's fun.

Suitably scared

Before you dip a toe into these murky waters, you should be aware of the potential dangers. Router hacking isn't without its risks - if you try to flash a router with the wrong firmware, you'll brick it and end up with something that's about as useful as a concrete kite. Because of this, we strongly recommend that you don't try it if you only have one router to hand.

However, if you have a suitable old one lying around, you'll be able to revitalise it with a raft of new features that might even push your current router into the background.

The idea here is simple: you circumvent the firmware upgrade process of an existing router to inject and run your own feature-packed software.

Over the years, certain manufacturers have made this job easier by making their router firmware and chipset software open source, thereby making it easier to implement third-party versions. This has led to the creation of a number of router-hacking projects. We'll be looking at the benefits of some of the most common ones, because they tend to cater for different segments of the market.

WRT or WRT?

In the world of router hacking, the main branches of firmware code are OpenWRT and DD-WRT.

For our walkthrough, we're going to concentrate on DD-WRT, which tends to be more end-user orientated. Its main aim is to provide a working firmware that you can actually install.

OpenWRT takes a slightly more high-brow approach, wanting to provide framework and source code support for embedded devices that also happen to be gateways and wireless routers. Having said that, many devices have ready-compiled OpenWRT firmware, with comprehensive installation guides provided.

Going back to DD-WRT, the first and most important step is to identify your router's make and model. Make sure you've got the exact one - there may be several with similar model numbers and designs. Doing this will provide you with the correct firmware and tell you exactly how it should be installed.

It's important that you follow the installation instructions to the letter - if you're told to do a power cycle or reset, do it. These instructions are linked to clearing the NVRAM that stores tables and other settings. If these aren't cleared, they can play havoc with the new firmware, and cause you headaches trying to work out the source of the problem.

Failure state

Oddly, it can be quicker to come from the other direction and check if you have an incompatible router. There's a list of known incompatible devices here.

There are some quick rules that can quickly eliminate certain models from your search. For the UK, it's important to note that routers with a built-in ADSL modem won't work for DD-WRT. Don't despair, though - owners of ADSL routers can try www.routertech.org, which supports various models that use the Texas Instrument AR7WRD platform. There's a list of compatible devices here. It isn't exhaustive, but it's worth a look.

If your model isn't listed as incompatible, don't get your hopes up just yet. The list also includes technical limitations for devices: less than 4MB of flash or less than 16MB RAM means you're out of luck unless it's a Broadcom device. Texas Instruments, Marvel, Ubicom, Realtek and Freescale chipsets are also incompatible.

To find out which chipset your router uses, look on the back of the unit for its FCC ID number, then search for this on http://fcc.gov. This is a US database of electronic devices bound by law to submit to radio regulation.

The device's FCC entry will include photos of its internals, from which you can identify the manufacturer of the main IC and flash IC. If that doesn't work then you can always crack that hardware open and have a look inside for yourself.

By this point you should have either eliminated your router or confirmed that it's supported, but there's still a grey area of partially supported, or work-in-progress status devices. For routers in this bracket, forums are the best places to monitor progress.

Unto the breach

Let's assume we've had good news and our router is compatible. We've dug up an old Linksys WRT54GS v6 for this project, because its firmware installation process is relatively involved.

Installing the firmware can be a simple update process, or a multi-stage affair that requires the use of a 'kill' app to terminate the old software, with the new software transferred via a TFTP utility. If you've found your router on the list of compatible devices, or found a suitable forum post that outlines the installation process, then you're ready to go.

With DD-WRT, you'll find a host of builds and variants of the firmware. Many routers require a specific or later revision to be installed. This should be easy enough. The other element is based on the amount of VRAM and RAM a router has. Routers with sub-4MB VRAM are restricted to the 'micro' builds rather than OpenVPN, STD, 'big' or 'mega' builds.

This shouldn't make much difference, especially if you're just trying it out, but you might want to add more features at a later date. For instance, the mini build has specific variants that add hotspot, USB and NAS support. Having said that, even the base micro version provides most of the features you're likely to need, including repeater features, QoS, SPI firewall, UPnP, WPA1/2 support, bandwidth monitoring and more.

Changing firmware

Give your old router a new lease of life with a software upgrade

1. Router revisions

The first step is to identify your router. Go to www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database and search for the make and model. It's not always straightforward - we had a Netgear WG602, which initially looked like it might be compatible. However, closer examination showed that it was an original v1 revision. The compatible v3 and v4 versions are white.

2. Identify your model

An alternative way to identify the model is to look at the huge list of routers hosted on this page. You need to find the manufacturer and scan down the list of FCC ID codes. You also need to double-check the hardware-specific list here, which will let you know if your particular router needs its own unique install.

3. Reset cycle

Before installing, do a 30-30-30 reset cycle. This is an important step, which involves powering the unit up and pressing the reset switch for 30 seconds. While pressing reset, disconnect the power and hold for 30 more seconds. Still holding the reset button, reconnect the power and hold for 30 more seconds. This is often accompanied by all the LEDs flashing.

4. Set the IP

Once the router has been reset, you're ready to connect your router to the PC you're using via a wired Ethernet cable. Ideally, you need to set your PC's IP to a static one, which helps to eliminate another area of potential issues. You should set it to either 192.168.0.11 or 192.168.1.11, depending on its base range (usually the latter).

5. Flash time

For a number of routers, at this stage you can use the standard web-based interface to install the DD-WRT firmware provided by the database. Wait for it to install (up to five minutes), perform a hard reset and you're done. For our Linksys model, we also needed to use pre-install firmware, which sets the stage for the full firmware update.

6. The scary bit

The final DD-WRT firmware is installed using a TFTP tool - a Windows GUI version is provided. Enter the 192.168.1.1 address, a blank password and choose the correct firmware. Power cycle the router, wait two seconds and click 'Upgrade'. Wait five minutes. If you can now access the router on 192.168.1.1, do a power cycle and a final 30-30-30 reset.

Tutorial: The complete guide to AirPlay

Ben Harvell and Laurence Cable — Sun, 01 May 2011 07:00:00 GMT

The complete guide to AirPlay

AirPlay was originally demoed by Steve Jobs during the announcement of the new Apple TV, but then its memory slipped away. Maybe it was the long wait for iOS 4.2 that dulled its impact, or perhaps it was the lack of AirPlay-compatible devices on the market. Either way, this is a technology to shout about.

While streaming a video from your iPhone to your Apple TV (as shown by Steve) is great, there are many more uses for AirPlay, as you will find out here. This includes the ability to stream music to every room in your home without wires.

Of course, as we mentioned before, there are few AirPlay devices on the market at the moment and they're likely to be fairly expensive when they do arrive, so we've looked at a number of AirPlay alternatives you might want to try out using some kit you may already own.

What is AirPlay?

Apple's first real foray into streaming digital media wirelessly was with the AirTunes technology found within its AirPort Express Base Station. The technology wasn't widely promoted and required a headphone jack running to the line-in port on a compatible speaker system in order to stream music from your Mac.

Then, with the launch of the new Apple TV and iOS 4.2, AirTunes became AirPlay, a more advanced adaptation of the technology that enables the streaming of audio, video and images between computers, iPhones, iPads and TVs without the need for cables.

Previously, companies such as Sonos ruled the home-streaming market but now Apple has made multi-room audio a more affordable option than buying a complete system.

As this feature will explain, you will likely have a number of machines that can help you create a network of AirPlay speakers and devices and, with a little work, you can even bring non-AirPlay devices into the mix.

In layman's terms, AirPlay is a way for you to control the media you play and the devices you play it on from one central location and, most importantly, without wires. For example, let's say you start watching the latest episode of 30 Rock on your iPhone while on the bus. The episode hasn't quite finished by the time you get home so, using AirPlay, you can drop onto the couch and stream the remainder of the episode from your iPhone to your Apple TV.

The same applies to music: using AirPlay compatible devices, your Apple TV and available Macs, you can send music to speakers located anywhere in your home or office, even multiple speakers in multiple rooms.

What you'll need

You probably have AirPlay ready to go without knowing it. You'll need the latest iTunes and the most recent iOS software for your devices.

To make sure you're up to date, run Software Update. Next, connect your iPhone, iPod or iPad to your Mac and click on the Check For Update button in the Summary window in iTunes. If there's a new version of the iOS software, download and install it.

Finally, if you're using an Apple TV, turn it on and head to the Settings screen. Click on the Update Software option to ensure you're up to date. You should now be AirPlay compatible in the software stakes - now for the hardware side.

The centrepiece of your AirPlay experience will likely be your Mac. From iTunes 10 you can push media to any connected devices such as Apple TV, or compatible third-party speakers. However, there are ways to include non-AirPlay devices.

AirPlay works best using Wi-Fi, so ideally you'll have an existing network set up. However, you can go via Ethernet, but it won't be as impressive as the ability to stream from iPhones, iPods and the iPad.

Assuming you have a Wi-Fi network up and running, the more AirPlay compatible devices you own the better your experience will be.

The simplest setup will be a Mac, Apple TV and iPhone connected to the same network. Using this setup, you'll not only be able to watch movies from your Mac on your Apple TV but you'll also be able to control them with Apple's Remote app for iPhone, as well as stream video to your TV from your iPhone.

And why not add an iPad plus multiple speakers that are AirPlay-compatible or connected via an AirPort Express Base Station? AirPort Express Base Stations appear as AirPlay devices in iTunes, as do compatible hardware devices.

Streaming audio

Once you're connected to various rooms in the house, you can stream to all or some of your speakers. Let's say you're listening to a podcast in front of your Mac and decide to make a cup of tea. Rather than pause the podcast until you return, you can send it via AirPlay to the speakers in your kitchen and continue listening while the kettle boils.

AirPlay is also great for parties, allowing you to stream music to rooms containing compatible speakers. If you're using AirPlay with an AirPort Express Base Station you can even send audio to multiple speakers using an adapter to split the signal into two and run an audio jack to each set of speakers.

As well as accessing your iTunes content and music stored on your iPhone or iPad, you can use music apps such as Pandora to stream music to your AirPlay speakers or Apple TV. And as more and more applications catch on, it won't be long before most radio and music apps can push their media to different rooms in your home.

Streaming video and slideshows

As well as music, you can also stream movies and slideshows from your iPhone or iPad to the Apple TV and, with any luck, we'll soon be seeing AirPlay-compatible digital picture frames as well.

At present there are no AirPlay-enabled video devices on the market, so you're limited to streaming video to your Apple TV-connected HDTV, but there are a number of sources to stream from.

Firstly, you can send video from iTunes on your Mac straight to your Apple TV without having to search for files via the Apple TV interface. Simply select your Apple TV from the AirPlay menu in iTunes and you're good to go.

Then there's streaming of videos on your iPhone and iPad via AirPlay, as we've discussed already. You can also stream video and audio from YouTube via an iOS device by tapping on the AirPlay icon that appears on the video window. Certain compatible apps can also stream video to Apple TV, including the new iPad newspaper The Daily.

Using an app called AirVideo from InMethod (£1.79), users can even stream video from their Mac to their iPad or iPhone using AirPlay. An app called SlideShow Remote by LogicInMind (£2.99) allows for streaming of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations from iPhone and iPad to Apple TV via AirPlay; another app called Twonky Mobile by PacketVideo (£1.79) offers AirPlay streaming from iPhone, iPad, Mac and even Android devices.

Basically, wherever you see the AirPlay icon you can select a device to stream media to, and thanks to iOS 4.3 there are more apps with this functionality appearing every day.

Controlling AirPlay

To control your AirPlay experience the best method is to use Apple's free Remote app for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. When connected to the same network as your AirPlay devices, Remote can send music from your iTunes library to speakers, as well as control playback. You can also choose which speakers and devices to send media to and from your iPad.

Once you've selected the iTunes library you're playing the media from, you can control the volume of each device. Media stored in iTunes can be played from Remote and sent to your Apple TV or speakers. This includes movies, TV shows, podcasts and audiobooks that can be streamed across your home and, if you're in front of your Apple TV, you can choose to control it from your iPhone or iPad using Remote.

The interface makes it easier to browse and search the Apple TV, and you can use touch gestures to move between menus and select media.

Compatible devices and alternate options

Any wireless Apple product will work with AirPlay, but there are some third-party speakers that will also do the job. Because Apple has partnered with a company called BridgeCo, hardware manufacturers are able to license the AirPlay technology from Apple for inclusion in their devices.

Companies such as Denon, who already make use of BridgeCo hardware in their speakers, can update firmware in order to make a device AirPlay compatible and has done so with a number of its products.

Other big players including iHome, Bowers and Wilkins, Klipsch, Marantz and JBL all have AirPlay-enabled speakers in the pipeline that should be available this year. If you're waiting for the launch of compatible AirPlay devices or you don't want to shell out for a new set of speakers in every room, there's a more cost-effective option.

Rogue Amoeba software makes two apps that can harness the features of AirPlay and turn existing speakers into remote devices.

AirFoil provides a similar interface to the AirPlay menu in iTunes and allows you to select speakers and devices including your Mac, Apple TV, speakers connected to AirPort Express Base Stations as well as laptops and other Macs. To turn another Mac into an available speaker you need to run the AirFoil Speakers app so that it can be discovered. Using the line-out socket on this Mac you can then connect to non-AirPlay speakers and stream music to them in the same way you would an AirPlay device.

AirFoil doesn't just handle iTunes music, you can send audio from any app running on your Mac or all system audio to your remote speakers. This is ideal for playing web videos or other streaming content from the web, or using other music apps such as Spotify that don't support AirPlay.

There's also an app for iPhone and iPad called Reemote for Airfoil by Kai Aras (£2.99) that lets you control AirFoil and select which speakers to use as well as control volume and playback. The benefit of using AirFoil with AirPlay and your existing devices is that, with devices you already own, you can create remote speakers without having to buy anything new.

If you're already using wireless speakers that are not AirPlay compatible you can still keep them on your network and use them as normal for streaming web radio and iTunes music, but also use the line-in port to send audio from a computer or Airport Express.

During the writing of this feature our AirPlay only setup included an iMac in the study streamed to a speaker in the kitchen connected via AirPort Express. It also streamed to an Apple TV in the living room, connected to an HDTV and surround sound system, with everything controlled via the Remote app for both iPhone and iPad.

By using AirFoil and AirFoil Speakers, however, we added a speaker in the bathroom and bedroom using a MacBook and a Mac mini. While this isn't an ideal solution, it's possible to connect speakers across your home without having to use AirPlay-enabled devices.

Ideally, a wireless AirPlay speaker in every room should be your first choice as the ease of setup and control is second to none.

Next steps

There's no doubt that AirPlay will continue to develop as Apple adds new software, hardware and features, so now is certainly the time to invest in the technology around your home. Even if you start with a two room setup, you can add more speakers later.

As we mentioned before, an Apple TV or AirPort Express in each room could be a simple way to use existing non-AirPlay speakers in your setup and the dream setup would be an HDTV and Apple TV in each location. With HD displays offered at an affordable price these days, you could kit out a room for less than £200.

The beauty of AirPlay is its flexibility, as you upgrade your iOS devices, television and speakers it will continue to work, even if your home or technology collection grows. The technology is, to quote an Apple term, almost 'magical' in the way it works and, if you hadn't considered it before, take a look at the kit you already own and have a crack at your own multiroom streaming solution.

Live TV on your Mac

With the right kit, you'll be watching and recording TV in no time

We all like to sit back and relax with a good TV show. And thanks to your Mac and some special kit, you can take the experience to another level.

If watching, pausing and rewinding live TV on your Mac sounds good, you ain't heard nothing yet. You can get an electronic programme guide (EPG), record programmes, export them to iTunes to play on an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, and control the setup from your portable Apple device.

Elgato networked tuners

An alternative to the USB tuners is one of Elgato's networked TV tuners, such as the Netstream DTT (£180). Connect it to your aerial, plug an Ethernet lead between it and your Wi-Fi router, and you've got TV anywhere on your home network.

A benefit over USB, is you're not limited to where you watch TV in your house, as your Mac doesn't have to be tied to an aerial all the time. Another great thing about the Netstream DTT is that it's got a twin tuner, meaning two people can watch different channels simultaneously, or you can record one show while you enjoy another.

You need to think about where you're going to put the Netstream DTT, because it needs a direct connection to an aerial and your router. You'll also need an aerial splitter to enable you to leave your existing TV plugged in, since the Netstream DTT doesn't have a coax-out socket.

And with Elgato's £2.99 iOS app, you can connect to and control their TV tuners from anywhere using an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, provided your Mac's running.

Elgato USB tuners

One of the big players in the Mac TV market is Elgato, which makes a range of tuners that plug into a free-to-air TV aerial and connect to one of your Mac's USB ports. There are also products for free-to-air satellite connections, but not for Sky or Virgin Media TV - to watch these services on your Mac, have a look at the Slingbox Pro HD.

Elgato doesn't support UK Freeview HD either. To see a full list of the tuners Elgato offers, have a look at the Elgato site, but the one we particularly like is the EyeTV DTT Deluxe (£70), because it's so small.

As well as a remote control, it comes with two small aerials, and depending on how strong the signal is in your area, these may be enough. If not, you'll need to connect a larger antenna, such as your rooftop one to it, so bear in mind you'll need to be sitting somewhere near an aerial socket.

Getting started with the EyeTV DTT Deluxe is straightforward - you install the gorgeous EyeTV software that comes with the tuner, update to the latest version if necessary, and then work through a step-by-step setup guide. This will help you install the tuner, search for channels and register for your free one-year subscription to the tvtv EPG service, which will give you full programme listings, provided your Mac's connected to the internet.

With everything installed, EyeTV will open automatically when it detects a tuner. You can then watch, pause, rewind and record live TV. Scheduling recordings is a breeze - have a look.

How to record with EyeTV

01. Find your show

Click the red button to record instantly; it can even go back to the start of the current show. To schedule a recording, press Ctrl+p and select Program Guide. Browse to your show and click the little dot. If you try to record two shows at once, EyeTV will warn you.

02. Schedule it

Click Schedules in the left column to see what shows you've set up to record. To the right of each programme, you can set to export the video for iPod or iPad, or add it to an EyeTV playlist, which work just like your music lists in iTunes, appearing in the left-hand column.

03. Record entire series

So that you never miss an episode, you can schedule a whole series to record. In the Programs window, click the + and create a new Smart Guide. Set the search options to find your series and click Options. Tick the Record All Matches box.

equinux

A cheaper alternative to the Elgato USB tuners is the Equinux TubeStick (£40). This plugs into your Mac and aerial to provide live TV on your computer.

Once its software - The Tube - is installed, it detects the USB tuner and searches for channels. It requires activation, and to use it on a different Mac, you need to deactivate the first before it'll work on the second.

Unlike Elgato's EyeTV, it uses the Freeview EPG, so you'll see the same details as on your television. We're less keen on the EPG interface though, where you're initially shown a list of all the shows on now. To browse an individual station, you find one of its programmes in the list and click the channel name.

The Tube adds a social element to TV viewing, too, by incorporating a chat window, where you can message other equinux users who are watching the same programme. Again, you can pause and rewind live TV, while recording is as simple as clicking the dot next to a programme name. You can search for upcoming shows and select which you'd like to record, or schedule a timed recording.

Your saved programmes appear in a simple Library view, from where you can view them or export for iPod, iPhone, AppleTV or iMovie. The LiveTV iOS app (£2.99) enables you to watch TV on your iPhone, provided The Tube is running on your Mac and both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network - though we found it slightly temperamental when it came to connecting the two. There's also TubeToGo (59p), which enables you to schedule recordings on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

The programmes are saved online, but you'll need to set up some kind of storage first - either FTP, MobileMe or local web sharing. Again, your Mac needs to be on and The Tube must be running.

Slingbox

The Slingbox is a versatile bit of kit that harnesses your existing TV setup and makes it available over the internet, so you can connect to it from just about anywhere you can get online.

Rather than offering the recording and EPG services you get with Elgato, it harnesses what you've got and enables you to control it remotely. So if there's a PVR under your TV, set it from your Mac.

Similarly, if you link a Freeview box to it, you'll be able to use its EPG. It'll even mean you can access your Sky or Virgin Media box from your Mac. The top-end Slingboxes have built-in Freeview tuners, so when you watch TV remotely, you won't affect what someone in the living room is watching.

However, if you watch something from your Sky or Virgin box on your Mac, anyone in the living room will see the same channel as you. The whole thing works in a web browser and there are three Slingboxes to choose from - the SOLO (£120), Pro (£160) and Pro HD (£240), and only the top two have the built-in tuner. For more about the differences, see the Slingbox site.

Sling also sells the SlingLink TURBO (£60), which enables you to locate your Slingbox away from your router.

10 Top Apple TV tips

1. Set up Home Sharing

Although the Apple TV is mainly aimed at letting you rent and play movies that you've bought from the iTunes Store, you can also play any iTunes content that is stored on computers on your home network. This includes TV programmes and movies you've bought.

All you have to do is go to the Advanced menu in iTunes and enter your iTunes account details to set up Home Sharing on that computer. Then you can go to your Apple TV and select Settings > Computers and enter the same details.

2. Watch non-iTunes movies and videos

You might have videos in formats other than the ones the Apple TV can play. If you have them stored in iTunes, you can select them then choose Advanced > Create iPad or Apple TV version to convert them to a playable format.

Alternatively, you can use a program such as Handbrake to convert more or less any video format to Apple TV format much more quickly than you can using iTunes.

3. Add metadata quickly and easily

Your Apple TV will display information about your video content, such as cast and synopsis. You can enter this manually in iTunes, but it's easier to use a program such as MetaX or VideoDrive, which will look up details and enter them into iTunes.

Select batches of videos stored in iTunes and it'll add the info for the files.

4. Watch TV programmes on your Apple TV

The Apple TV doesn't record or receive television signals or catch-up services such as the iPlayer.

However, you can buy episodes of TV shows from the iTunes Store on your Mac, as well as buy one of the many TV tuners from Elgato and Miglia that let you record TV on your Mac, even in HD where available. You can then export your recordings into iTunes in an Apple TV-friendly format.

5. Stream content from your iOS device to an Apple TV using AirPlay

When you're on the same wireless network as an Apple TV, in any AirPlay-compatible app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch such as the iPod or YouTube apps, a new icon will appear right next to the fast-forward button. It looks like a square with a triangle at the bottom. Press this and it will enable you to play your music or videos on the Apple TV. You can also use AirPlay from within iTunes on any Mac.

6. Display video playlists

By default, the Apple TV won't display your computers' playlists anywhere except in Music. However, if you go into Settings > Audio and Video, selecting All in Show Playlists will let you change this so that your movie and TV show playlists - both regular and smart - will show up as well.

You won't be able to change them on the Apple TV, but any changes in iTunes will be reflected on the Apple TV.

7. Display your photos on the Apple TV

Once you've enabled Home Sharing, you can also display all your photos on the Apple TV. Go into iTunes and choose Choose Photos to Share… from the Advanced menu. You'll then be able to choose whether you want to share your iPhoto photos or photos stored in a folder on your hard drive.

It's worth creating albums specifically for the Apple TV to use, so that only the best (or least embarrassing) show up.

8. Use your photos as a screensaver

Once you've chosen which photos you want to share, you can replace the built-in screensaver with one made from your photos. Go to Settings > Screen Saver then click Photos. As well as Flickr and MobileMe galleries, you'll be able to select a computer and pick which photos you want to use for the screensaver. There are also different styles of screensaver to pick from.

9. Easier searching with your YouTube account

Accessing YouTube from the Apple TV is easy. However, the Apple TV remote and onscreen keyboard isn't the best way of searching for videos. You can save yourself a lot of time by using your Mac to find videos then saving them as favourites in your Google or YouTube account.

You'll then be able to access them immediately by logging in using the same account on your Apple TV. You'll also have access to your YouTube subscriptions as well.

10. Fixing problems

Although the Apple TV is very reliable, sometimes problems can occur. Running Software Update from the Settings menu may reveal a fix if the software is out of date and even give you new features.

However, if something more serious is happening, you can bring up a menu that will let you run diagnostics and restore it to its factory settings - hold down the Menu and down buttons on your remote control for a few seconds until it restarts.

Speed Week: Go faster: beyond Thunderbolt and USB 3.0

Gary Marshall — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:45:00 GMT

This article is brought to you in association with LG Optimus 2X

The Thunderbolt connections in new MacBook Pros are impressive, but they could have been even better: Thunderbolt is Intel's Light Peak technology, which was supposed to use fibre-optic wiring. For now, though, it's plain old copper.

In the longer term, Light Peak will move to fibre-optics delivering speeds of up to 100Gbps (it's 10Gbps in its current incarnation), but that won't be for a good few years yet: even Intel reckons it'll be the end of the decade before such speeds are practical. So what will we be using to connect our kit in the next few years?

In the short term, it's a battle between Thunderbolt and USB 3.0, with Intel and Apple in the Thunderbolt corner and everyone else in the USB one.

At 5Gbps USB 3.0 is 10 times faster than its predecessor, and it's backwards compatible - so you can buy USB 3.0 kit now and use it with USB 2.0 connectors, although of course you'll only get 2.0 speeds. We could see the FireWire situation all over again, with Thunderbolt appearing in high-end kit and USB 3.0 in cheaper devices.

Go wireless

In the longer term, the idea of connecting things with cables will start to seem rather silly - or at least, it will if we can sort out the mess of competing standards. Cable-free connections already come in a bewildering array of options, including Wireless USB, WHDI, WirelessHD and WiGig.

Wireless USB uses ultra-wideband (UWB) radio for reasonably fast short-range connections: it can deliver up to 480Mbps over three metres and 110Mbps over 10.

It's not fast enough for long-range HD video streaming, but it's great for games controllers and relatively low-bandwidth connections such as those for printers or digital cameras.

Its key competitor is Bluetooth: 3.0 devices are already shipping, and the 4.0 spec promises lower energy consumption and improved range; like 3.0 the fastest Bluetooth 4.0 connections should achieve around 24Mbps.

That's fine for connecting peripherals, but what about HD video? There are three key forms of super-fast wireless: WHDI, WirelessHD and Wi-Gig.

WHDI is a kind of cross between HDMI and Wi-Fi. Designed specifically for streaming video, it uses the 5GHz frequency band (which is also used by 802.11n networks) and can support data rates of up to 3Gbps.

In theory the range is beyond 100 feet through walls, although as with any wireless tech that's probably optimistic. Supporters include Sony, LG, Hitachi, Samsung and Sharp, but that pales into comparison next to WirelessHD.

WirelessHD is another short-range wireless technology, but this one uses the 60GHz frequency band for HD video. With supporters including pretty much everybody in electronics - Intel, Broadcom, Dell and almost every consumer electronics firm - it's the one to watch, no pun intended.

Connect more

Connecting things to screens is all well and good, but what about connecting other things together? For that we'll probably use WiGig, which the Wi-Fi Alliance is considering for future Wi-Fi certification.

Like WirelessHD it uses the 60GHz frequency band (although it could drop down to use Wi-Fi bands if no WiGig kit is in range), but it's designed for networking rather than video streaming.

With speeds of up to 6Gbps, its short range - a couple of metres - means it's ideal for interconnecting kit without sharing your stuff with the whole street.

And Wi-Fi? That's getting faster, too. The next big standard is 802.11ac, which promises 1Gbps speeds using the same 5GHz frequency band as 802.11n. Certification should begin next year, although as with 802.11n we'll probably see "pre-ac" kit appearing in the shops before the standard is actually ratified.

Fujitsu to bring 1Gbps broadband to 5m UK homes

Patrick Goss — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:54:00 GMT

Fujitsu has announced that its plans to bring fibre optic next-gen internet to 5 million UK homes, with the communications giant working with Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Cisco.

The collaboration will see Fujitsu build what it is calling "ground breaking and innovative alternative to BT Openreach"

Virgin Media and TalkTalk will offer wholesale products via the network, and it will be opened out to other service providers.

Improving lives

Communication Minister Ed Vaizey said: "Superfast broadband is already helping businesses grow and improving the lives of those able to access it. But many rural and hard-to-reach areas are missing out.

"The whole of the UK should be able to share in the benefits of broadband and we are determined to make that happen by the end of the Parliament. That is why the Government is investing over £500m in taking superfast broadband to everyone.

"I am delighted that Fujitsu along with Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Cisco share the Government's vision. The collaboration between these companies was exactly the sort of ambition and innovation the Government wanted to stimulate by removing barriers to broadband rollout.

"Fujitsu and their industry partners are pledging a substantial investment in the UK and it represents a deep commitment to the future success of this country.

"Creating this superfast broadband network will help improve the economic and social prospects of the homes and businesses where high-speed internet access remains just a dream."

FTTH

Fujistus's network will see them running fibre to the home (FTTH) rather than to a local cabinet which means that the network is one gigabit per second symmetric capable from day one, with the potential to go to "10Gbps and beyond."

That's pretty fast.

"The plans rely on the remedy imposed by the regulator Ofcom, on BT Openreach, to provide access to its underground ducts and telegraph poles on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms," added Fujitsu.