Lin Haw Blog

Platinum Tools is excited to offer an...

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 11:33:05 -0700

Platinum Tools is excited to offer an opportunity to receive up to $189.00 in FREE Termination Tools and Connectors!

Mark your calendars for Peerless-AV's Sales Training!

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:06:31 -0700

Webinar: How to be Successful When Selling Outdoor Entertainment

Join industry experts, Earl Naegele and Craig Recchia of Peerless-AV^., for a complimentary webinar training on How to be Successful When Selling Outdoor Entertainment. This training will focus on Peerless-AV’s award-winning line of UltraView^TM UHD Outdoor TVs, as well as the Xtreme^TM Outdoor Soundbar and a variety of Outdoor TV Mounts. Learn which features make Peerless-AV’s outdoor TVs and accessories your ideal choice for quality outdoor entertainment solutions.

To register, click on your preferred training time below:

10:00 AM CT Training

2:00 PM CT Training

*Attend this webinar and get a free Peerless-AV Outdoor Tilt TV Wall Mount (EPT650) with any UltraViewTM UHD Outdoor TV purchase. Purchases must be made between April 18, 2019 to May 1, 2019 at a participating UltraView Distributor.

Award-Winning UltraView^TM UHD Outdoor TVs

Ideal for backyard patios, pool decks, outdoor living areas & more!

Check out the product video below for more details!

Questions? Contact Peerless-AV:

630.375.5100 or info@peerless-av.com

Welcome to AV over IP

Fri, 06 Apr 2018 09:38:22 -0700

Video wall management over your network made easy

Audio/visual (AV) over internet protocol (IP) is the routing of high definition video, audio and control signals to various destinations using standard Ethernet network cabling (CAT5e or above). Adoption of this technology is increasing rapidly within the AV and IT industry. With the advancement in AV hardware, sending AV streams over IP switches is now easier than ever.

(A typical AV over IP topography – multiple sources to multiple displays over LAN)

When distributing AV over IP, there are many advantages: switching configurations are not confined to standard port limitations making systems much more scalable and flexible. With IP switches, this allows for longer cabling lengths to be run using standard Cate5e cable — this has potential to provide tremendous cost savings versus traditional AV switchers in larger deployments. Integrating an appropriate AV over IP system into an AV environment will ensure that future scalability and flexibility will be a priority for the end user and the integrator.

(HDBaseT versus AV over IP overview)

Key Advantages with AV Over IP

AV Over IP presents several key advantages compared to non-networked point to-point or point-to-multi-point solutions, including full HD capabilities with near zero latency and the ability to introduce dynamically changing content. Modern AV-over-IP solutions enable easy management of multi-point installations that can be controlled via browser. Some key advantages of implementing an AV Over IP solution includes:

Point-to-Multipoint content distribution
Enhanced resolution and image quality
High Quality, low bandwidth
Reduced implementation costs
Scalability and Flexibility
Long-Term cost effectiveness

For robust AV Over IP, it’s vital to choose a solution that can manage content in multiple formats. Low latency is vital for content that needs to be as close to real-time as possible. The best AV Over IP solutions are easily integrated within existing systems and won’t pull too many IT resources away from other critical projects. Choose the best product that can offer an end-to-end system ensures an integrated solution that offers cost savings while providing the best low-latency AV signal using minimal bandwidth.

(Muxlab HDMI OVER IP EXTENDER WITH POE 500752-RX, 500752-TX)

For a simple configuration you must have a Source, Encoder, LAN Switch, Decoder and display.

The scalability of AV over IP for educational, commercial and industrial applications is where this technology really shines.

For a classroom like this:

(HEC Montreal – Utilizing Muxlab AV over IP products)

Topography would look something like this:

(HEC Montreal AV topography)

For large video applications a controller makes management easy.

(Cage Aux Sports – Montreal, QC)

A Digital Network Controller is a Linux-based PC that allows users to control hub-installed MuxLab products. When installed on a local area network (LAN), the MuxLab Pro Digital Network Controller can scan the LAN for MuxLab products and allows the user to auto discover, configure and control these products through an Ethernet Web interface.

(Muxlab PRODIGITAL NETWORK CONTROLLER 500811)

To integrate the controller into an existing system, simply add the hardware to your network:

MUXLAB Recommends using LUXUL and NETGEAR switches for your configuration.

(LUXUL 26 PORT/24 POE+ GIGABIT MANAGED SWITCH XMS-2624P)

(NETGEAR ProSAFE Layer 2 Managed Gigabit Ethernet Switch M4100-D12G-POE+ (GSM5212P)

LIN HAW DISTRIBUTION IS PROUD TO PROVIDE YOU WITH MUXLAB HD OVER IP SOLUTIONS

Introduction to VOIP

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 09:09:23 -0800

AN OVERVIEW OF VOICE OVER IP SYSTEMS

VOIP IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMONPLACE AS A RELIABLE METHOD FOR BOTH CONSUMER AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION.

Your Account Manager at Lin Haw will be more than happy to assist you with finding the best VOIP solution for your application.

WHEN DECIDING TO MOVE IN THE VOIP DIRECTION, WE CAN LOOK AT A FEW ADVANTAGES OF A VOIP SYSTEM.

Some of them include:

Scalability: It is much easier to grow or downsize as your needs may change over time
The ability to take advantage of newer features: Like video conferencing, apps and widgets.
Can be integrated with other business systems like placing calls through Outlook or other email clients.
Can use existing Ethernet cabling for connections.

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH A VOIP DEPLOYMENT:

You will need specific VOIP hardware, your existing POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) may not be compatible.
You will need sufficient bandwidth and infrastructure to support the additional requirements on your network.

THE BASIC DEVICES NEEDED ARE THE IP PBX AND THE PHONE.

An IP PBX is a private branch exchange (telephone switching system within an enterprise) that switches calls between VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol or IP) users on local lines while allowing all users to share a certain number of external phone lines.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT, SCALABLE, IP PBX VOIP SOLUTIONS TO FIT THE NEEDS OF YOUR BUSINESS.

Please take the following factors into consideration:
The number of Users you will need to provide for.
The number of concurrent calls
Will you need support for a DHCP server?
Will you need to power devices over Ethernet?

NEXT YOU WILL NEED A VOIP PHONE.

A VoIP phone or IP phone uses Voice over IP technologies for placing and transmitting telephone calls over an IP network, such as the Internet, instead of the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN).

WHEN DECIDING ON THE BEST PHONES TO CHOOSE THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER:

Location and user
Bluetooth/USB compatibility
Screen type and size
The operating system
Security

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE

Be sure to compare to find the best VOIP solution for your application.
In some situations it may be an option to retrofit existing equipment for a VOIP system

Network integration between PSTN and POTS has never been so easy. The HT503 is a hybrid analog telephone adapter and VoIP router that enables the user to create an easily integrated hybrid solution with backup lifeline support.

LIN HAW DISTRIBUTION IS PROUD TO PROVIDE YOU WITH GRANDSTREAM VOIP SOLUTIONS

Western Digital Hard Disks: What do all the colours mean?

Mon, 13 Mar 2017 16:50:24 -0700

New HDDs are coming, we now have 6 TB HDDs, and even helium filled 8 TB – HDDs are here to stay – as their Cost per GB are still incomparable to any SSDs regardless of generation or type of NAND Flash used. HDDs are undoubtedly here to stay for many years to come.

Selection

Now with such a wide selection of HDDs, it seems a bit confusing as to what capacity and performance bracket you require to finish the task at hand. Picking the best possible mechanical drive should be a concern for everyone. In the following, we will discuss the differences between WD’s color coded HDDs – mainly the Blue, Black, Red, Purple, and the Gold (unofficial) Data Center Drives. The differences are pretty straightforward to understand.

WD BLUE HDD:

“Solid performance and reliability for everyday computing.” is the name of the game for the WD Blue HDDs. Lin Haw currently does not carry these, and remember that we can always bring them in for you: just call us to ask.

WD BLACK HDD:

If you are more in search of performance than a better price per GB ratio, then the WD Black is the drive for you. The drive starts at 1 TB of capacity, going all the way up to 5 TB and 6 TB models. These drives also feature larger cache compared to the Blues with 64 – 128 MB cache.

The WD Black family features 5 years of warranty.

WD RED & RED PRO:

The WD Red is built specifically for NAS or Network Assisted Storage. This drive is fully compatible with the majority of NAS systems or bay systems out there. Since NAS is also about capacity, the WD Red family features a minimum of 750 GB capacity model, with good increments up to the 8 TB version. Basic and intermediate RAID configuration is also supported, with 24/7 reliability under NAS conditions.

WD PURPLE & PURPLE NV:

The WD Purple family is mean specifically for surveillance applications: it is built to operate around the clock 24/7, and to withstand a harsher physical environment than the other drives.

In the purple HDD family, errors in saving the recording videos are minimized with WD’s AllFrame technology. Both WD Purple and Purple NV feature a 3-year warranty.

WD DATACENTER (RE SE & AE):

The WD Datacenter HDD family cater for enterprise solutions. These drives are available in 3 sub families with the WD Re being the fastest, while the WD Se goes for the middle ground between performance, and cost effectiveness in the series. The WD Ae however, are optimized for cold storage – meaning that those drives are specifically for archiving purposes. While it’s not officially stated by WD, Gold should be the denominating color of these Datacenter drives.

Make no mistake, though, as these drives feature the most sophisticated WD features. For example, the WD Re could handle 550 TB per year of data, with 2 million hours MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures). The drive also features StableTrac™ technology, Multi-axis shock sensor, and Dynamic fly height technology for the read and write head. Basically, these drives feature the most advanced WD technologies to date.

OTHER WD DRIVES:

WD also offers drives specifically for A/V streamers, along with a few SSHDs and the 10, 000 RPM WD VelociRaptors: feel free to contact Lin Haw with enquiries about these. The WD Green family of drives has now been absorbed by the WD Blue family.

In Summary

Blues are for general purpose storage, Blacks are for gaming, content creation, and enthusiasts, Reds are for NAS, Purple is for surveillance, and Gold (unofficial) are for industry movers with data center applications in mind. Check out our current selection of HDD here.

The 7 Types of Wireless Networks You Need to Know

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 15:25:47 -0800

Wireless networks are computer networks that connect devices through electromagnetic waves. There are several different ways of grouping wireless networks.

Wireless networks use radio waves, visible light, microwaves, different codecs, cover more or less area, use different network topology. I am going to use a classification partly based on topology, partly on application, to best address practical questions.

1. Point-to-Point Wireless Networks

Also known as Bridges, point-to-point wireless can connect two remote locations via a typical line-of-sight microwave connection, typically because the customer wants to avoid a leased line connection, or there is no leased line connection available.

These bridges can be dimensioned for a few Mbps to more than a Gbps, and applications range from LAN-to-LAN connections between buildings to service provider backhaul via emergency high-speed network solutions after incidents of any kind.

Typical bandwidths are 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, Millimetre Wave, and Free Space Optics.

2. Point-to-Multipoint Wireless Networks

Wireless point-to-multipoint networks are built to handle many static and or mobile end points while offering high bandwidth speeds to users connecting across the network’s coverage area.

Typical use cases are university campuses, large corporate deployments, city-wide networks, ISP’s hotspots.

Popular frequency bands are the 5GHz band, but 900MHz, 3GHz and 6GHz amongst others, can also be used.

Lin Haw carries Open Mesh and Ubiquiti’s Unifi network solution to cover different aspects of this application.

3. Indoor Wi-Fi Networks

Small-scale point-to-multipoint networks covering the indoor space.

Typical applications are businesses, cafes, shopping malls, industrial applications and home users.

Typical bandwidth is 5GHz and 2.4GHz. There is usually less interference on the 5GHz band, so even though range is usually less on 5GHz, it can be a viable alternative in crowded airspace.

4. Outdoor Wi-Fi Networks

No need to pay expensive leased line charges between buildings, or put up with the slow speeds associated with them. Achieve high-speed connection with minimal operating cost.

Planning an outdoor Wi-Fi network requires skilled planning. Use a good planning tool and plan for the devices that are going to be used on the network (tablets?, phones?, laptops?).

5. Mesh Wireless Networks

Mesh-structured networks are flexible: each access point is equally important. It is easy to add, remove or re-arrange access points. A favorite for situations where flexibility is key and network management needs to be really easy.

Please see our dedicated post about Open Mesh’s solution.

6. 3G Cellular Networks

Built and operated by telecom carriers, these are expensive to build and maintain. Interesting to note is: telecom carriers will increasingly spend money for WiFi and small cell and microcell infrastructure.

7. Cloud Computing Wireless Networks

These networks use the concept of the cloud and apply it to networking. Meaning that instead of building and maintaining and managing your own network, you are outsourcing the network to the cloud.

Cisco Meraki’s solution is a hybrid: cloud-based network management and customer-owned network. There is a cost for outsourcing, though, and in Meraki’s case, high subscription fees for the cloud management.

Your Network

Build the network that fits your or your customer’s requirements. As an example, you could combine Ubiquiti’s outdoor access points with Open Mesh’s radios for indoor coverage.

Lin Haw carries all necessary components: routers, radio access points, PoE (Power over Ethernet) injectors, indoor or outdoor covers for access points, mounting kits.

Shop Wireless network elements here or get in touch to discuss your needs with our expert sales team.

7 Reasons to Consider Spending Money on Better Tools and Testers

Thu, 12 Jan 2017 16:51:13 -0800

Why would you want to spend more on tools?

The simple answer is: because Platinum Tools are worth it. Okay, we do go into a bit more detail when we chat in the store or on the phone with you, and now I’d like to go into a bit more detail in writing: The following are seven reasons to consider investing a bit more in your tools and testers.

1. WYSIWIG - What you see is what you get

You know exactly what you get when you buy Platinum Tools tools and testing equipment, it’s a high-quality brand. We at Lin Haw carry them, because we truly believe they are worth their price.

2. Time Saver

You only have to buy a quality tool once, it will do its job. You save time in your future, no more looking for a replacement tool.

3. You are sure to find that pesky error

When pulling cable and all goes well, that’s fine. It starts to get bothersome and annoying when you test and there is an error. With better, more sensitive testing equipment, you will find the error quicker.

4. Happy Customers

Your cabled installations stand the test of time, and you won’t have to take that dreaded call when your customer complains about this brandnew installation not working.

5. More Money

Building a more reliable site with better tools means you spend less time trouble-shooting. And that, in turn, means you can spend more time with other customers and other projects, making you more money in the bank.

6. Up to Date

Test tools have to be updated regularly to the newest firmware. And buying name brand testers means you will always have up-to-date firmware.

7. Standards are Rising

Today, networks are getting ever more important, and quality of network is so much more important to customers than it used to be only a few years ago. And quality tools and testers make sure your customers get above and beyond reliability.

In Summary: The “Comfort Principle”

Have you heard of the “comfort principle?” It’s simple: spend your money where you spend most of your time. That’s why it’s a good idea to splurge on a nice mattress, good smartphone, or a decent laptop, considering how many hours a day you sleep, spend on the phone, or use that computer.

And, of course, back on topic: it makes sense to spend your money on your tools, because after all, that’s where you spend a decent chunk of your work time.

Check out new products in from Platinum Tools in stock at Lin Haw International:

Storage needs are growing by 60% on a yearly basis!

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 11:58:10 -0700

IBM say that data use is increasing at a rate of 60% each year at the moment. And while that leads to ever bigger data centres being built in the desert and on ships for the corporate world, it certainly also applies on a very personal level to our own music, movie and photo collections, as well as to our small and medium business clients. And while we don’t need to build a data warehouse in our backyard, and most of the small businesses can still make do with an addition to the server room, we have to make sure that what we invest in today is going to be adaptable to future use as well.

We carry easy-to-configure, easy-to-expand storage solutions for your needs, and the following will give an overview of what we believe to be state-of-the-art in terms of storage solutions for small and medium businesses today.

We recently introduced Netgear storage devices of the ReadyNAS line to complement our NAS offering. We have been carrying several QNAP NAS devices for a while now. With this expanded offering comes more choice for you, which is a good thing. It’s also a good moment for us to delve into the complexities of how best to address data storage needs today.

What is NAS

Network-attached storage (NAS) is a server, a computer data storage server, that is connected to a computer network. This server provides access to its data to a heterogeneous group of clients.

A NAS server is specialized for being a storage server either by its software, by its hardware or by its configuration. Sometimes it is purpose-built and sold as a specialized computer appliance – this is the case of the devices by QNAP and Netgear that Lin Haw carries.

NAS systems are several networked appliances containing one or more storage drives, that can be arranged into logical redundant storage containers (or RAID - redundant array of independent disks).

NAS devices have been popular since the mid-90s to share files between multiple computers.

The NAS device will have an IP address, and then will be accessible over the network through that IP address. When you access files on a file server on your windows system, its basically NAS.

How are NAS servers different from “normal servers”?

“Normal servers”, or general-purpose servers, may be slower at providing access to data, and may be harder to manage and configure.

The hard disk drives in a NAS are similar to other drives, but may have different firmware, different vibration tolerance, different power dissipation.

NAS devices might run a stripped-down version of an operating system, as they are intended for a very specific use only.

Distinction: NAS vs. DAS

DAS- direct-attached storage DAS can be just an extension of a server, it is not necessarily part of a network.

When comparing the performance of NAS and DAS, NAS’s performance depends mainly on the speed and congestion of the network.

NAS can be less customizable than a general-purpose server with DAS.

How to choose the right system for your needs?

Consider the level of data security you will need. Both the QNAP and the Netgear devices will allow you to backup data to the cloud via an easy-to-use management interface.

Probably the first question, even before considering security and redundancy, is the size of data storage your business needs. And how you expect those needs to evolve. We have led above with a quote from IBM about data storage needs growing at 60% per year. How is your past experience with data storage needs? And what do you expect your business needs to be in the future?

A 4-bay NAS will allow you to start with just two harddisks and expand to the use of 3 or 4 disks in the future.

Also, as always, it’s a question of budget available.

Which harddisks to get?

In addition to a NAS device, you will need the actual harddisks to store data on. How many and what size you buy depends on your needs. We carry different kinds, and some of the highest end ones we carry are Western Digital Red. These drives even have the term “NAS” in their name: they are good for that application.

Generally speaking, the larger the individual drive, the more gigabytes per dollar you will get.

Data redundancy: What is RAID?

How to set up redundancy in your storage? The RAID level you set up in your NAS determines how data redundancy is being handled in your device. Or, put in simple terms: what happens, when the disk in your NAS fails.

Here are the three common RAID levels:

RAID 0 allows you to have the maximum amount of storage, but you will not have a backup of the data if one of your harddisks fails. For example, if you have two 2 TB drives, the total array size is 4TB and you will have 3.72 TB of usable storage.

RAID 1 allows you to mirror data between two hard drives, so if one harddisk fails, you still have the data secured on the other drive. However, if you have two 2 TB drives, your total array size is only 2 TB, and you will have will have 1.86 TB of usable storage. This way if one hard drive fails, you still have another copy.

RAID 5 stripes both data and parity information on three or more HDDs. It is a very popular RAID level as it has a relatively good performance level and it will work fine even if one hard drive fails in the array. If you have five 2 TB drives, your total array size is 8 TB, and you will have 7.45 TB of usable storage.

In any case, it is recommended that you backup the data in addition to using a redundant NAS device.

In Summary: which storage for you?

The decision of your storage type will depend on many factors like:

the type of data that you want to store
your current (and future) usage pattern
scaling concerns
finally your budget

Normally, for SOHO use, you would start with a 2-bay NAS model. But if you think your media library will grow significantly in the future, you could start off with a 4-bay model so you can grow into it even if you only start off with two drives.

Are You Really Getting the Best Price for Network Cables?

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 11:27:49 -0700

Cables are a big expense in any IT project. That’s why everybody is always trying to find cheaper cables. We’ve looked at the different kinds of AV cables we carry before. Now, let’s examine what makes Cat5E, Cat6 and Cat6A cable what it is – and why you need to look closely at what you are getting for the price.

The secret is out: there are cheaper cables. Yes, you heard me right, even though we at Lin Haw believe in bringing the best prices to you, you can indeed find cheaper networking cables elsewhere.

How Do They Sell Cheaper Cable?

There are basically two ways of making cable cheaper:

Use thinner wire (uses less raw material, therefore makes for cheaper cable)
Use different materials (instead of using copper, use aluminum or steel and plate it with copper so it looks “right”)

Alright, next question: why doesn’t everyone use thinner wire made out of aluminum and saves on the cost of 24AWG copper cable?

Not so fast there. Both ways have real drawbacks, and we don’t recommend using them, and therefore do not sell them.

Drawbacks of 28AWG Patch Cables

Some manufacturers have come out with 28AWG wire network patch cable. They claim that using these patch cables uses space on the racks, and permits better air flow. These claims are true, but are, in our opinion, outweighed by the disadvantages:

Not compliant to the standard: 28-AWG is outside the range specified in ANSI/TIA-568-C.2; that standard says: “Cord cable shall consist of four balanced twisted pairs of 22 AWG to 26 AWG thermoplastic insulated solid or stranded conductors enclosed by a thermoplastic jacket.”
28AWG cables do not support a full, 100-meter channel
For any PoE applications, there is more heat development in the thinner wires (higher resistance), therefore you can’t bundle as many to stay within the recommended maximum 15-degree-Celsius temperature rise.
28AWG cables do not fit traditional RJ45 plugs and cannot be reterminated.

Drawbacks of Using Copper-Clad Aluminum or Steel

While both copper and petroleum prices undergo daily ups and downs like any commodity, the overall trend for both has been upwards for a number of years now. And copper is the material of the conductor, while the jacket is made from petroleum-based materials. It’s a logical step to try to reduce the amount of copper in the cable by using an alternative metal instead of the expensive copper. That’s where copper-clad Aluminum comes in, but copper-clad steel also exists.

Unfortunately, not every seller will tell you that their cable is actually copper-clad aluminum (CCA) or anything other than pure copper. Your best protection from subpar counterfeit cables is to purchase well-known brands of cable and connectivity from reputable manufacturers. CCA have become more and more of a problem in the market over the past years. While the construction of an aluminum core with a copper mantle has its place for some applications, it should not be used for any category cables.

These are the most important drawbacks:

CCA cables are not compliant with UL and TIA standards, both of which required solid or stranded copper conductors.
CCA cables are not as flexible and therefore have more breakage. This is a significant problem, as cables break and fail during termination and plugging/unplugging.
CCA cables have higher dc resistance compared to copper which again, similar to the smaller gauge wires, causes more heat development, and therefore a problem with any PoE applications.

Now, How Can You Identify Inferior Cables?

In the case of thinner gauge wire, this is very clear and very easy: 28AWG cables are sold and marketed as such. Don’t buy them.

In the case of copper-clad aluminum cables, it is a bit more complicated. Of course, as long as the manufacturer tells you, it’s easy: don’t buy it. But unfortuntely, counterfeit category cable are on the market that are not properly identified as CCA. Watch out for

much less expensive cables (there is usually a good reason for a significantly lower price)
noticeably more brittle cables
the silver color at the end of the conductors, also visible by scraping away the thin copper surface on the conductors to reveal the aluminum
Light-weight boxes. 1,000 feet of 4 pari UT CMP or CMR cable should weigh approximately 25-30lbs. Substantially less weight might mean it’s CCA cable.
Check for the UL holographic label required on all boxes or reels. Use the UL Authenticator card (available from the UL website) to confirm that the holographic label is genuine
Check the jacket for the UL mark
Verify the E number, you can do this by using the CCCA’s CableCheck app (available free for iOS and android)
Look at the spec sheet (cut sheet)

If you do find counterfeit cable, you can consider reporting it to the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association.

Conclusion

Yes, there are cheaper networking cables out there. And: we don’t sell them, because they are not up to par. Lin Haw sells copper-only category cables, and we sell them fully compliant to standard. And we always get you the best price we can.

Why you should care? Contractors can be held liable, if it turns out inferior and non-building code compliant cables were used in a project.

What is your experience?

Why Do You Carry So Many Different Cables?

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 11:15:58 -0700

Quite frequently, we get asked: why do you carry so many different kinds of HDMI cables? Or: What’s the difference between the two kinds of audio cables you carry? You asked, we deliver: while you are certainly welcome to continue to discuss with us in the showroom, the following gives you an overview of our AV cable selection.

1. Audio Cables

Our brand of choice is Digiflex, a Canadian manufacturer of quality audio cables. We choose Digiflex because Digiflex cables offer the best in cable and connector quality, harnessing the outstanding quality of design and materials of brands such as Neutrik and Canare in their designs. Be it for stage, studio, theatre, touring or boardroom, these world renowned cables and custom solutions will help you pull off your event or install without a glitch. We carry two kinds of XLR audio cables, the Digiflex brand and the Canare brand.

This is what the manufacturer has to say about them: Digiflex with Neutrik: Professional Touring Series microphone cables have the perfect mix of proven high quality and ruggedness to withstand the rigours of professional touring. A high density pure copper shield and tightly twisted conductors combined with a very flexible jacket ensure these cables will perform flawlessly night after night. Neutrik new generation XX Series connectors with silver contacts provide the ultimate connection.

Canare with Neutrik: Premium Series microphone cables represent the pinnacle in cable design. Densely woven braided shields, tightly twisted conductors using multiple strands of pure copper all contribute to pristine sound quality and noise rejection under the most demanding situations. Neutrik new generation XX Series connectors with black shells and silver contacts provide the ultimate connection. An investment in quality that last for years!

To complete our offering, we also carry the Neutrik ends separately.

To make it short: if you want the best of the best in XLR cables, go with the higher investment of the Canare cables.

2. HDMI Cables

Again, quite a selection there, and for a reason. The right cable for one situation is the wrong cable for another situation. Let us help you choose!

These are the specific needs we have cables for:

All of our HDMI cables are High Speed with Ethernet.

Go-Everywhere Cables The basis of our cable offering for HDMI cables are shielded with Aluminum braids and support 4K x 2K video (3840x2160p at 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz and 4096x2160p at 24Hz), enabling video resolutions far beyond 1080p. They are manufactured by PC Cable World.

Higher Interference: When you need better protection against interference, we recommend you go with a tinned Copper braid shielding as in our Copper-shielded Highspeed HDMI Cables. T

Plenum installations Of course, as soon as you need plenum fire rating, you need specific cables, and we have them. Either as High Speed HDMI or as Active Optical Cables.

Difficult installation, for example a screen close to the wall: ultra-slim cables are your choice here, so no undue stress is exerted on the cable connector.

Long distance: here you want to look into active cables that include an amplification of the signal to go the distance. Read our previous description of Active Optical Cables for more info. These cables are also plenum-rated and therefore ideal for any cable runs under the roof.

Conclusion

It makes sense to invest in quality. Lin Haw guarantees you the right price for your needs. Don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss your specific needs. And remember, it’s a good idea to test the cables before installing them inside a wall. That way, if there are any issues, we can help you resolve them before you spend the time and expense of installing them.

30 Year Celebration

Mon, 27 Jun 2016 13:33:39 -0700

We had so much fun with everyone who came out to our big celebration on Thursday 23rd of June.

30 Fun give-aways found their lucky winners – and one lucky customer got their trip to Burnaby paid for after they got all the quiz questions about Lin Haw right.

Thanks to all the vendors who came and supported us in the showroom as we took a break from food and music to come and talk shop.

Avoid Costly Mistakes When Choosing Security Cameras

Mon, 09 May 2016 11:55:31 -0700

IP cameras are the future. They are also quite expensive, even after several generations of hardware cost reductions. So, for any given CCTV installation, it is still a hard question: what camera technology to choose? What about the problems with IP cameras? Why not just use analog cameras? How to best upgrade a system? Use UTP or Coaxial Cable on a new installation? What distance can you cover?

Hah, have I got your attention yet? Lots of questions for every installation, and every installation will probably have a different answer. In the following, we will cover 5 different cases.

The following will clarify these points and look at things in more detail. – And for further discussion, you can always give us a call or visit us in the showroom.

It all Started With Analog

Before high-density, everything was analog. Cameras were wired with coaxial cables, and images while first recorded on tape are now mostly converted to digital and stored digitally. Resolution was low, and the coax cable could cover up to 300m – or, when using baluns and UTP (Ethernet) cable, up to 500m (1500ft) for video only, or half that for combined video and power conduit.

Analog CCTV cameras represent still the bulk of installed systems. Which leads us nicely to the next case: What do you do with existing systems?

How to Upgrade an Existing CCTV System?

Case # 1: Replace Failed Analog Camera

Alright, now on to the easiest case in this article:

If one camera is failing in an existing analog camera system, replace it with another analog camera.

Alright, that was too easy. Now on to harder questions: What if you want to upgrade an existing analog CCTV system to HD?

The advantages of upgrading to HD are clear: higher resolutions with 720P and 1080P available at 25 or 30 fps. Higher transmission distances.

An easy way to look at this choice is to consider the cable infrastructure: do you want to continue using your installed cable tree of coaxial cable? If the answer is yes, then the best way to do this is to use an HD system that can use the coax cables. Our choice in technology is the HD-TVI system as it is the widest available standard (compared to HD-CVI and HD-SDI).

Case #2: Upgrade a Legacy Analog CCTV System to HD with HD-TVI

In this case, there is a lot of really good news that makes this a very cost-effective way to get higher performance. You can reuse:

Your existing coaxial cable
Or your existing UTP Ethernet cable
Your existing camera power supplies (HD-TVI Cameras also use 12V/24V power supplies)
Maybe: If your existing DVR is what is known as a hybrid, then you can re-use your existing DVR.

And you are going to Replace:

The existing analog cameras with HD-TVI Cameras
The existing DVR, if you bought your DVR before 2014, it is unlikely that you have a hybrid. Hybrid DVRs support more than one video standard. Unfortunately, if you have an existing CCTV DVR that is not a hybrid and you want to upgrade to HD, you have to replace your DVR.

Case #3: Upgrade a Legacy Analog CCTV System to HD with IP Cameras

This is a real jump, meaning that it is going to be costlier, as IP cameras continue to be more expensive than the analog HD cameras used by the HD-TVI system. The good news here is that you can mix and match legacy analog, HD-TVI (HD analog) and IP cameras in one system and upgrade as you go.

Clean Slate: What About a New CCTV System?

In the case of a new CCTV surveillance installation, there is really no good reason to go without HD.

Case #4: Cost-Efficient New Installation with HD-TVI

If you have a major cost constraint (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?), the most cost-efficient installation will be based on HD-TVI cameras. Check out Case#2 above for more details. If needed, you could always mix HD-TVI and IP cameras for an optimum installation.

Case #5: Future-proof, High Value All-IP Installation

Yes, IP cameras are costlier. IP cameras are state-of-the-art. They are going to be current for the next years, and they are easy to install. You can miss Ethernet cables with wireless installations, and you might need midspans for longer cabling distances. Check out our past blog post on using midspans in your installation.

In Summary

Our recommendation:

For an upgrade of an existing installation with Coaxial Cable, go with HD-TVI cameras and conserve your cable tree.
For a new installation, even if it’s a higher cost, we would recommend you go with IP Cameras and Ethernet cable.

Browse our IP Cameras, Analog Cameras, HD-TVI Cameras.

5 Tricks for an Optimal PoE Installation With Midspans

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 09:19:55 -0700

Do you know how to build an optimized PoE solution with midspans?

Power over Ethernet (PoE) transports both data and power to equipment on a single Ethernet cable. PoE is typically used for VoIP, wireless access points, security and surveillance, data capture, data display and LED lighting. Ports deliver up to 15W per port in the (older) IEEE803.2af standard. Or, in the newer standard up to 30W per port, based on PoE+ (803.2at).

POE midspans are devices for injecting Power Over Ethernet (POE) power onto a network data cable. They are located somewhere along the data network cable.

Let’s look at tricks to build an optimal PoE solution using midspans:

1. Use PoE+ with your existing Best-of-Class Switch

You just bought a new switch last year? You would like to use PoE+, but your switch only supports PoE?

Instead of buying a new switch ($$$) and thus disrupting your network possibly for days ($$$$$), simply add a midspan. This is a much more cost-effective way of introducing newer PoE+ capabilities, or higher power into your network. And installing a midspan is minimally disruptive to network functionality. You save money not only on equipment but also on disruption of service.

Midspan technology provides full-power on every port and is a more cost-effective solution.

2. Make your Network Ready for the Future

Midspans deliver the necessary power for the current generation of remote equipment. When you install a standards-compliant PoE midspan, you also ensure that future equipment can be powered by it. Midspans can be upgraded separately from your switches, allowing for more flexibility in the future.

3. Operate Despite Power Outages

Security cameras and other equipment powered by PoE is often critical equipment. You don’t want the equipment to go down because of a power outage. When you use a UPS for the PoE Midspan, your powered device operates during a power failure, with zero interruption of service.

4. Have a Highly Flexible WiFi installation

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend means that the number of smartphones and laptops in an office is growing and changing. WiFi standards evolve to higher data throughput.

Providing enough wireless access points at the right places can be challenging under these conditions.

Take advantage of PoE, and use midspan technology to enable more flexible WiFi access point positioning. Your infrastructure will be scalable and power can be managed network-wide.

5. Deploy PoE on the Ports Where You Need It

By decoupling the power and data infrastructures, midspans optimize network deployment and flexibility. Network powering capabilities can be upgraded independent of data requirements, and vice versa. When it is necessary to replace a switch, this can be done without having to pay for both data and power again.

Organizations can deploy PoE in increments of 1, 4, 6, 12 or 24, when needed. This contrasts with a new switch installation, for which best practices prescribe PoE deployment on as many ports as possible to support future growth.

However if you are using integrated PoE on a 24 port networking blade and many of the ports are supporting non powered devices, it might be more prudent to use a Midspan and only connect powered ports to the devices that need it. This will lower the overall cost of the installation.

Lin Haw carries Microsemi’s PowerDsine PoE Solutions

Microsemi’s engineers are thoughtleaders in PoE: they invented the methods for sending power over Ethernet cables. Their line of industry-leading midspan power injectors are compliant to IEEE802.3af, 802.3at and HDBaseT standards.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions about Microsemi products, we are happy to discuss how to build the best network for your needs.

Shop Microsemi Products Now

7 Things You Didn't Know About HDMI Active Optical Cables (AOC)

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:30:19 -0700

An“Active Optical HDMI Cable” or AOC is an HDMI cable that has an active digital equalizer built into the cable. These devices are placed inside the cable connectors.

Regular passive HDMI cables can’t reach much more than 30 feet or severe quality problems will ensue, most likely a loss of signal. This is why we carry only HDMI cables with extra shielding for these lengths.

For longer distances, you need an active optical cable to use HDMI. Let’s go on to the 7 things you did not know about active optical cables:

1) They Allow Thin TV Mounting

Since flat TVs are all the rage, flatter mounts that sit closer to the wall are also becoming more popular. The trouble is, larger-diameter HDMI cables don’t like to bend. The Active Optical Cables with hybrid fiber and copper conductors are thinner and can be bent more easily to get the screens closer to the wall. This is a huge aesthetic update as well as a decrease in cable-bend-induced cable failures.

2) They Solve the “Intermediate Distance” Problem

When you need a cable between 50 and up to 330 feet for a custom installation, you can use this less expensive active HDMI technology.

For distances beyond 330 feet we recommend going with HDMI extenders. Of course, when your needs are more extended, you can use the Just Add Power system we wrote about in this blog post.

3) They Make Your Installation Future-Proof

An active HDMI cable is more reasonable to upgrade than solutions involving extenders and converters. That makes it easier to upgrade to that next big technology.

We strongly encourage anyone installing cable behind walls, in ceilings to go for the very best HDMI cable possible.

4) They Simplify the Installation Process

Since active HDMI cables are 100% self-contained, there’s no need for external power supplies, boxes or adapters to make them work. You just plug them in and go. In the world of home theater and even custom install, simple is always appreciated.

5) They are Plenum-rated

Our Active OPtical Cables are plenum-rated, so you can run them where you need to run them, without worrying about fire codes.

6) They are Directional

The signal is being actively enhanced, in one specific direction. Both ends are clearly marked.

7) You Should Only Use One Cable Per Link

You should not use more than one cable per link. They work well when used directly between source and display.

Take advantage of our spring time offer on Active Optical Cables Now.

Open Mesh: Our Choice for Mesh Networking

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 10:29:42 -0700

Easy, affordable, scalable cloud-managed WiFi

We have recently introduced Open Mesh to our portfolio. As you know, we only carry what we believe are the best products out there and Open Mesh is best-in-class in its market.

Open Mesh’s solution is based on mesh networking topology, giving you a scalable solution at an ultra-competitive price with very powerful cloud management.

What is Mesh Networking?

A mesh network is a network topology in which each node relays data for the network. All mesh nodes cooperate in the distribution of data in the network. Open Mesh’s access points use this architecture to enable virtually maintenance-free simple to set up wireless networks.

Access points progressively decide the best course back to a wired interface by attempting to make sense of how to route information over a few access points. Wireless mesh was originally designed and thought-out for community-run WiFi: it’s very simple to set up, and needs little centralized coordination.

It’s plug and play that works out of the box: with cloud-based free managing software, and the ability to continue working, if one of the access points goes off line, as well as simply plugging in an additional access point when needed.

Cheap and fast to set-up, as access points do not need to be wired.

Scalable and Modular Solution

Open Mesh access points and enclosures are designed to work seamlessly together. Just choose the access point that is optimized for your wireless demands—range, speed, or lowest cost—then choose the enclosure that best fits your environment. Transform any access point into a traditional ceiling mount, a sleek outdoor unit, an Ethernet wall-mount with pass-through ports, or a concealed wall-plug mesh repeater. Swap, upgrade, move and replace anytime.

Every Open Mesh access point is automatically mesh enabled: That means you can install units like traditional access points, hardwired to the Internet, and add additional units that only require power wherever you need to extend coverage or fill holes. All access points work together to form a self-organizing, self-healing wireless network with seamless roaming between devices. Extend your network to the furthest reaches of your property cable-free. Dead spots don’t stand a chance.

Your logo, not ours. Put your logo on the boxes, access points, and even on the cloud controller page.
Always a perfect fit. Different enclosures available, to put your access points on a wall, a ceiling, a pole, a roof, a tree…
Flexible power options. Open Mesh OM Series access points support 12-24v passive PoE. PoE injectors available, and even a model that works with a PoE switch.
Worldwide active deployments: Open Mesh products are used by millions of users on tens of thousands of cloud-managed networks around the world every day.
2.4Ghz and 5GHz bands available

But, Price?

Oh yes, you’ve heard of this solution in the past, and there are quite a few vendors out there. The popular solution by Meraki (now Cisco Meraki) has unfortunately departed from its original proposition of low-cost entry-level access points and is now at a price point that is too steep for many applications.

The beauty of Open Mesh is that the cloud management solution is completely free and included with every access point. And the access points start at a very low price point.

Powerful Cloud Management

Open Mesh’s cloud controller, CloudTrax, is a free cloud-based network controller that helps you build, manage and monitor your networks from anywhere.

CloudTrax can manage multiple sites or a single network, is powerful and at the same time easy enough to use for someone with little network experience. And the price? It’s free: every piece of Open Mesh hardware includes a perpetual CloudTrax license. Free iOS and Android apps are available, so you can build, manage and monitor your networks on the go. CloudTrax is free to use for as long as you want, with an unlimited number of networks and access points.

Scalable: To add a new access point, simply enter it in CloudTrax and plug it in to power and Internet.
Security: no user traffic over the cloud, and built-in firewall.
Real-time monitoring: bandwidth monitoring, deep packet inspection.
End network abuse: you can set upload and download throttles on each user
Your network. Your brand: With a built-in WYSIWYG splash page editor, you control the user experience.
Up to four unique SSIDs: with endless possibilities for VLAN.
Automated outage alerts: always know what’s going on or turn them off, if you don’t need them.

Where can I use Open Mesh?

Open Mesh works particularly well in hospitality, retail locations, branch offices, small to mid sized offices, schools, multi-family dwellings, … – anywhere you need flexibility and ease of installation.

Here are some real-life examples for the main verticals, each describing the particular benefits of the Open Mesh installation

Hospitality: Westin Grand in Vancouver
Education: Burrton, Kansas, School District
Small Business with Branch Offices: Abstract & Title in seven locations in the Indianapolis area
Food and Beverage: A Group of 12 Wendy’s locations in Idaho
Multi-Family Dwelling: 58-unit apartment complex in Ventura, California, The Empire Palms

How to decide for a given environment?

You want to look in detail at the floorplan, the coverage area including distances, the number of devices to support, wall materials (wood, concrete, metal, etc.), the need for scalability of your network in the future and the accessibility of locations of your access point locations (can they all be wired?).

Where do I start?

If your client with medium to low technical skill wants to modify the network after you have installed it, go with Open Mesh.

If you want maximum flexibility, go with Open Mesh.

If you want out-of-the-box functionality with minimum set-up and management necessary at a great price point, Open Mesh could just be for you.

How about using other products to create low-cost wireless mesh networking?

Open source software, the same that Open Mesh uses, can be used with about any mesh-capable radio to create mesh networking. But honestly, why would you want to do that, if Open Mesh’s radios work out of the box?

Clarification: Does Unifi provide mesh capability?

Short answer: No, it does not.

There might be some confusion on this point. Each wired primary Unifi access point can support four secondary non-wired Unifi access point. This is a one hop repeat, that cuts bandwidth more than in half for the secondary radio. If you need to scale to higher density with more non-wired access point, you are out of luck. So consider the future evolution of your network and the scalability of your system when deciding between a mesh networking set-up and a traditional (non-mesh) network.

Bottom Line

Great price, great flexibility, almost no management or set-up.

Check out the Open Mesh range, and have a look at Datasheets and User Guides.

Five Benefits of an HDMI over IP System and How to Set it up

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 19:35:35 -0800

With the Just Add Power products, you can build a customized audio/video distribution system using the Local Area Network infrastructure. Just Add Power devices conform to all networking protocols and standards for wiring and reliability. With a Just Add Power HDMI over IP setup with a compatible Managed Ethernet switch audio and video is capable of traveling anywhere that data on the Local Area Network can travel.

The five benefits of a Just Add Power HDMI over IP Setup are:

It’s flexible: A matrix with any combination of sources and display combinations can be created to fit needs both in the residential market and commercial applications.
Video Wall included: The video wall application for any size wall from 2x2 up to 16x16 is included in the Just Add Power appliances, both 2G and 3G.
Fast: fastest HDMI video switching technology.
Centralized or Decentralized: it’s your choice. All sources rackmounted, or decentralized sources or a mix, it’s possible.
Long distance: stacking compatible switches with fiber optic cable connections let you go far beyond the traditional 100m (300ft) limitation of passive HDMI cables.

How to Set it up

The Just Add Power system consists of two devices: an encoder and a decoder.

Just Add Power Transmitter – Connected to the source device via HDMI cable. The source device can be a Blu-Ray player, cable box, media server, DirecTV, or other device with an HDMI output. The Transmitter converts the HDMI signal into a network packet that is sent over Cat5e/6/7 cables.
Just Add Power Receiver – Connected to the display device via HDMI cable. The display device can be a TV, monitor, AV receiver, or other device with an HDMI input. The Receiver takes network packets received over Cat5e/6/7 cables and converts them into an HDMI signal.

And the center of the Just Add Power HDMI matrix is a managed gigabit Ethernet switch. We recommend using Luxul switches.

The managed gigabit Ethernet switch is the network-controlled matrix switcher, and lucky: a standard network switch works with the system.
All Transmitters and Receivers connect via Ethernet cable to the managed gigabit Ethernet switch.
The switch is configured to exactly the amount of Transmitters and Receivers needed, and can be changed as the system is scaled to adapt to changing needs.

Your Next Steps:

Get in touch with our sales team

or check out the Just Add Power products and the Luxul switches.

Setting up a cost effective Video Wall

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 09:52:12 -0700

When ATEN showed us their new video matrix, we jumped at the chance to upgrade our existing store front video wall to show it and the many products we distribute.

Some of the key features that impressed us were the seamless switching and scaling built in to the product. No matter if we send a 480p, 720i or 1080p signal into the unit, it will maintain the output panels at the highest resolution they can handle. As a result, switching between inputs doesn’t result in any perceivable drop of content on the displays. This is great when you have to change some of the profiles from your desk via the network.

Configuration via network access! No longer do we have to run to the front showroom when someone needs one of the inputs or outputs changed.

The other great feature of this product is that each screen is independently controlled scaling, so you’re not stuck with the resolution of your oldest device. Send 720 to the projector, but 1080 to all of the rest of your outputs, with the same signal. Great for those older projectors and new boardroom smart tv’s.

Let’s take a quick run through the interface to see how we have it set up:

After login, you get all the information you need on the current state of the matrix, through to sequence and profiles currently available.

As well as you can drill down in to a sequence of options, great for multiple digital signage signals, KPI dashboards, or full motion graphics that need to move between displays etc. One great application is for a network operations center, or operations center needing to keep tabs on many things at the same time, with a rotating view on a larger center wall screen.

Next up we take a look at our 3^rd profile, which takes input 3 and stretches it across all 4 of the screens on our wall, at 1080 on each monitor to allow for the clearest picture. [interface_4.png] [interface_5.png]

And if you need to extend the signal away from the matrix location, take a look at the Aten VE-800 HDMI over dual Cat-5 extenders, as well as our VA-HAS audio dis-embedder to strip the digital audio out of any signal for post processing and amplification on a surround processor or mixer.

Links:

http://www.aten.com/products/Professional-Audio/Video/Video-Matrix-Switches/4-x-4-HDMI-Matrix-Switch-with-Scaler~VM5404H.html

Lin Haw Int., part of the Ronald McDonald House expansion in Vancouver

Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:14:00 -0700

Lin Haw International, in conjunction with our vendor, Tripp Lite Canada, is proud to be a donor to the new Ronald McDonald House BC. Since 1983, Ronald McDonald House of BC has housed and supported thousands of families whose children are receiving treatment at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. In order to provide assistance to more families, Ronald McDonald House BC has expanded from 13 family suites to 73, becoming the second largest Ronald McDonald House in Canada, and one of the ten largest of the more than 350 RMH’s worldwide. Lin Haw, our partner Tripp Lite, and other local sponsors and organizations, have come together to support families and this new facility through the provision of goods, services and direct donations.

Ubiquiti AirMax

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 09:29:00 -0700

AirMax is Ubiquiti’s line of wireless access points ranging from the outdoor modular Rockets to self-contained all-in-one NanoStations. They all have great performance and reliability but the price is nowhere near the other enterprise grade products with performance at this level. In particular point-to-point and point-to-multipoint setups are well-served by the AirMax line.

A Superior Line of Wireless Access Points

Ubiquiti’s Rockets do not come with the antennas required for operation. Instead there are two connectors for attaching to an external antenna. You’ll find that all of Ubiquiti’s antennas that are designed for the Rocket will feature a slot where the Rocket unit can be simply snapped in. The Rockets themselves have great capacity and will easily handle multiple connections as well as point-to-multipoint bridges. With the correct choice of antennas, you’ll get superb performance whether it’s a sector of space or a very long ranged wireless bridge.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have the NanoStations. These are outdoor units with a built-in directional antenna and are great for acting as a wireless station. Set a unit up, point it at the central access point and then you’ll have network access from the cable to the NanoStation. They also do well when acting as an access point for covering a sector with wireless access. Setting one of these units up is fairly simple and only requires a pole mount most of the time.

Performance

Clearly the convenience of these access points would be all moot if they didn’t perform well or require you to reset the units every so often. However, you’ll find that Ubiquiti’s performance exceeds almost anything else in a similar price range. For instance, our in-house tests with a wireless bridge using the entry-level NanoStation Loco M5 showed performance exceeding a high-end unit from a different brand by over two-fold!

Ubiquiti’s AirMax line can be deployed using normal wifi but its true potential comes out when using the AirMax settings. Since standard wifi isn’t really designed for long-ranged bridges, when AirMax is active, the connection is extended beyond standard wifi, improving latency and throughput while offering greater resilience against noise.

Extreme Conditions

Pushing even further are the NanoBridge units. These access points are built specifically for long-ranged (30+km) point-to-point connections and utilize a parabolic dish to give high throughput combined with great noise immunity. It’s an unbeatable combination that competitor solutions would be hard-pressed to match in all aspects.

Networking Essentials

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 10:05:14 -0800

A quick guide to get you going

If you’re looking to configure the various network-enabled devices that are available, you’ll find that it’s considerably quicker and easier if you are familiar with terms like IP Addresses, Subnet Masks and MAC Addresses. With this in mind, We will go over some of the common terms as they are used for network devices as well as how to manually set your IP address in Windows. If you want more details, the past series of IP Camera articles actually go into this more deeply!

Term: IP Address

Every network device requires an Internet Protocol address (IP) in order to communicate on any network you’ll likely encounter (not just the Internet). This address works similar to how a real house address works; it uniquely identifies that particular network device (computer, smartphone, network camera, etc.) on a particular network.

It’s because the IP is meant to uniquely identify a device that there exists the concept of an “IP Conflict”. This is when two devices on the same network have the same IP address. If this occurs, then strange things can happen when trying to access either device. Therefore, be careful to keep track of your used IP’s if you assigning them manually instead of relying on DHCP to assign them (if you’re using both then you need to be doubly careful).

Common IP addresses are in the format xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx where xxx is a number from 0 to 255. These are IPv4 addresses. There are also IPv6 addresses but those are beyond the scope of this article and won’t likely be an issue.

Term: Subnet Mask

To keep it simple, just use 255.255.255.0 every time for this. This is analog to a “postal code” but for small local networks, this default should usually work.

Term: MAC Address

The Media Access Control address (MAC) uniquely identifies each physical network interface. Its format is six 2-digit hexadecimal numbers (e.g., AB:CD:EF:01:45:89). Unlike IP’s you cannot usually freely reconfigure these and you normally don’t have to worry about them either. One common exception is when configuring a wireless bridge using WDS where on many devices you need to enter the MAC of the opposing access point. The MAC address will always be printed on the device near the network port and can usually be found in the web interface as well.

Concept: Subnet Range

On a local network, you’ll find that not all network devices will be able to communicate with each other, even with uniquely assigned IP addresses. This is likely because they’re not on the same Subnet Range. To keep it brief, you need to make sure that the first three numbers in the IP addresses are the same.

Here’s an example: 192.168.0.100 can talk to 192.168.0.101 but not 192.168.1.102

Therefore, if your regular network is in the 192.168.1.xxx range but you have a new device that’s set to 192.168.0.20 by default, then you need to take one computer and temporarily change its IP address before you can connect to it.

For example:

The main network is on the 192.168.1.xxx range and my computer is 192.168.1.150. I have a brand new router than defaults to 192.168.0.1. If I connect this router to the network, my computer will not be able to talk to it. However, if I temporarily change my computer’s IP to 192.168.0.150 then I can now connect to the router and configure it. After I am done, I can change my computer’s IP settings back to the way it was before.

Concept: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

You can certainly assign each individual network device with a specific IP address but it’s far quicker and simpler to use DHCP instead. A DHCP server assigns unique IP addresses from a pool of free addresses whenever a network device connects and asks for an IP address. Usually you’ll find it running on a router but it can also be running on a server machine on the network. Just make sure there aren’t multiple DHCP servers running on the same network at the same time.

DHCP can assign any IP address within its free pool to any computer (although it’ll usually keep a computer with the same IP address for at least a minimum duration) and this can occasionally cause problems (especially if you are also doing manually assigned static IP addresses at the same time). To deal with this, some routers have to ability to do “static DHCP” which is where IP addresses are still assigned automatically, but each particular network device is always assigned a specific reserved IP address. This is determined by the MAC (which is absolutely unique as mentioned).

For example, a computer with the MAC AB:CD:EF:01:45:89 may be set to be always 192.168.1.125

Changing IP Settings in Windows XP

If you’re running Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003, the configuration method should be very similar to Windows XP. These instructions apply equally to WiFi but instead of a “Local Area Connection” they’re called “Wireless Network Connection”.

1. Go to the Control Panel and then Network Connections. There you will find a Local Area Connection (even multiple ones if you have multiple adapters):

2. Right-click the Local Area Connection, click “Properties” and you’ll see something like this:

3. Under “This connection uses the following items:” look for the option “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”, double-click it and you’ll see something like this:

4. Next click “Use the following IP address:” in order to manually enter in an IP (press tab afterwards to auto-fill the Subnet mask):

5. After entering the values, click OK until all the network configuration windows are closed

Changing IP Settings in Windows 7

If you’re running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 or Windows 8, the configuration method should be very similar to Windows 7.

1. Go to the Control Panel and then “View network status and tasks”

2. Next look in the left column and click “Change adapter settings”

3. There you will find a Local Area Connection (even multiple ones if you have multiple adapters)

4. Right-click the Local Area Connection, click “Properties” and you’ll see something like this:

5. Under “This connection uses the following items:” look for the option “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)”, double-click it and you’ll see something like this:

6. Next click “Use the following IP address:” in order to manually enter in an IP (press tab afterwards to auto-fill the Subnet mask):

7. After entering the values, click OK until all the network configuration windows are closed

You’ll notice that in both examples, I did not bother to fill out the gateway or DNS servers. This is because we are only temporarily setting a different IP address in order to configure a new network device. If I wanted to set a permanent static IP for the computer, I would find out what the values are and fill them in as well.

Very often, the gateway IP address will be the main router or a domain server. For the DNS server IP address, it’s also usually the main router or the domain server (although 8.8.8.8 may be used to connect to Google’s DNS server).