SmallNetBuilder - LAN & WAN Articles

An Old Standby Reborn: NETGEAR FVS318G Reviewed

Doug Reid — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:55:25 -0400

NETGEAR breathes new life into its go-to IPsec router.

New To The Charts: NETGEAR FVS318G ProSafe 8-port Gigabit VPN Firewall

Tim Higgins — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:15:02 -0400

The NETGEAR FVS318G ProSafe 8-port Gigabit VPN Firewall has been added to the Router Charts.

NETGEAR Intros Gigabit VPN Router

Tim Higgins — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:40:42 -0400

NETGEAR today announced a new version of its mainstay small-business VPN router, now with Gigabit Ethernet LAN and WAN ports.

NETGEAR Shipping "Home Theater" Powerline Kit

Tim Higgins — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:34:20 -0400

NETGEAR today announced the availability of a powerline networking kit that was previewed at this January's Consumer Electronics Show.

A Work In Progress: Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD Starter Kit Reviewed

Tim Higgins — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:15:04 -0400

Belkin's new Gigabit powerline kit produces significantly higher throughput than the HomePlug AV-based NETGEAR XAVB1004 kit we tested it against. But that doesn't mean that Belkin was the overall winner.

NETGEAR Expands Stackable SMB Smart Switch Line

Tim Higgins — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:59:14 -0400

NETGEAR today added stackable 24 and 48 port Gigabit Smart switches with PoE support to its ProSafe line.

Belkin Announces First "Gigabit" Powerline Adapter

Tim Higgins — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:39:25 -0400

Belkin today announced a powerline adapter based on new technology that claims to achieve a maximum raw data rate of 1000 Mbps.

Ubicom Announces OpenWRT Compliant Router Platform

Tim Higgins — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:53:05 -0400

Networking and multimedia processor maker Ubicom announced today the availability of a Linux-based OpenWRT compliant router platform.

More MoCA: D-Link DXN-221 & Actiontec ECB2200 Reviewed

Tim Higgins — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:22:14 -0400

Two other sources for MoCA adapters come on line to give NETGEAR's MCAB1001 some competition.

Cisco Updates Network Magic

Tim Higgins — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:04:03 -0400

Cisco today announced updated versions of its Network Magic network management software. The company also said that Network Magic Basic will now be included with all Linksys by Cisco wireless routers as the default network management tool.

D-Link Decides to Ship MoCA Kit

Tim Higgins — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:49:22 -0400

D-Link announced today that it has started shipping its MoCA-compliant DXN-221 HD MediaBridge Starter Kit. This is a reversal of an earlier decision to provide the kit only to service providers.

D-Link Adds UPA PowerLine Adapter Kit

Tim Higgins — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:38:02 -0400

D-Link today introduced the DHP-303 PowerLine HD Network Starter Kit. The kit has two UPA-based adapters spec'd at up to 200 Mbps maximum raw throughput. Setup is quick and easy by pushing a button on each adapter to set up a 3DES-encrypted connection. Other features include automatic QoS and a power-saving mode that powers down each adapter when it is not in use. The DHP-303 (http://dlink.com/products/?pid=713) is available immediately at $139.99 MSRP for the kit with two adapters.

D-Link Guarantees xStack Switches For Life

Tim Higgins — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:44:44 -0400

D-Link today announced it is now offering a full lifetime hardware warranty on its xStack line of business network switches. The warranty (http://www.dlink.com/lifetime-warranty/) includes the power supply and fan and is transferable to any product owner.

NETGEAR intros new switches, ReadyNAS cloud backup

Tim Higgins — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:21:37 -0500

NETGEAR today announced an online backup option for its ReadyNAS storage line and new stackable SMB and "green" switches at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany.

Ethernet from your TV Outlet: NETGEAR MoCA Coax-Ethernet Adapter Kit Reviewed

Tim Higgins — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:01:11 -0500

We finally put MoCA's Ethernet-over-coax technology to the test. And find that, yes, it can nicely handle HD streams.

D-Link announces new "green" consumer switches

Tim Higgins — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:05:12 -0500

D-Link released a new version of its DGS-2205 5-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch, which it says provides up to 73% reduced power consumption without sacrificing network performance.

HomePlug Technology Finally Makes It Into IEEE P1901 Standard Baseline

Tim Higgins — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:44:25 -0500

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance today announced that the IEEE P1901 Working Group approved proposals including key HomePlug technology as the baseline for an IEEE powerline communications standard last Thursday at the P1901 Working Group meeting in Kyoto, Japan.

NETGEAR, Entropic announce MoCA to Ethernet bridge for consumer purchase

Tim Higgins — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:34:04 -0500

Entropic Communications and NETGEAR today announced what they say is the "industry’s first" home networking MoCA-certified, Ethernet-to-coax bridge kit.

Netgear GS724TR 24 Port Gigabit Smart Switch with Static Routing Reviewed

Doug Reid — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:41:30 -0500

Netgear's GS724TR stretches the definition of "smart" switch with the addition of inter-VLAN routing.

ADTRAN Adds 3G Wireless WAN Module

Tim Higgins — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:33:54 -0500

ADTRAN today announced the addition of broadband 3G wireless capability to its NetVanta 3305 modular router.

Peplink adds low, high-end multi-WAN routers

Tim Higgins — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:32:18 -0400

Peplink today announced its new Balance 20L and Balance 390 Internet multi-WAN routers.

Cisco updates Linksys Powerline adapter lineup

Tim Higgins — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:29:40 -0400

Cisco today announced a refresh of its Linksys powerline adapter line. The new line of "Linksys by Cisco" Powerline products include adapters based on both HomePlug 1.0 plus Turbo and HomePlug AV standards.

Taming Your Network's Bandwidth Hogs - Part 2

Tim Higgins — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:02:51 -0400

In our final Part 2, we look at two off-the-shelf ways to control up and downstream bandwidth.

Untangle announces free app to turn XP machine into network security gateway

Tim Higgins — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:16:28 -0400

Open Source network security company Untangle today announced a free Windows XP application that can provide gateway security services for all computers on a LAN.

How To Set Up Server NIC Teaming

Doug Reid — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:21:39 -0400

NIC Teaming can increase server reliability and bandwidth.

Taming Your Network's Bandwidth Hogs - Part 1

Tim Higgins — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:05:01 -0400

Most consumer routers are no help in controlling bandwidth black holes. But in the first part of our series, we look at a router distro that can provide some easy relief.

How To Set Up Switch Link Aggregation

Doug Reid — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:54:34 -0400

Link aggregation is easy to set up and is a quick fix for bandwidth bottlenecks.

Cisco takes over Linksys Small-Biz biz

Tim Higgins — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:36:10 -0400

Cisco today said that is moving all Linksys small business programs and products under its Channel Partner umbrella.

A Powerful Open Source UTM: Untangle Gateway Reviewed

YeOldeStonecat — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:29:41 -0400

It's hard to believe that you can get such a full-featured firewall/UTM for free.

Cisco to buy Pure Networks

Tim Higgins — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:15:34 -0400

Cisco today said it is buying privately held Pure Networks, maker of Network Magic.

ADTRAN NetVanta 3120 Reviewed: Capable Center for a Small Biz Network

Doug Reid — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:53:52 -0400

ADTRAN's entry-level small business router has a feature set that will bring a smile to the face of experienced network admins.

New to the Charts: Adtran NetVanta 3120 Router

Tim Higgins — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:00:00 -0400

The Adtran NetVanta 3120 Router has been added to the Router Charts (/router-charts/). The 3120 is Adtran's entry-level "Service Access" router.

Slideshow: Adtran NetVanta 3120

Tim Higgins — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:10:00 -0400

Adtran has packed many features into its entry-level small business router. Updated 7/9/2008: Read the full review (/content/view/30508/51/).

SolarWinds Wants to Wake up your LAN

Doug Reid — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:15:05 -0400

A free tool from SolarWinds makes it easy to remotely power on your PC.

Ubicom adds more powerful network processor line

Tim Higgins — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:36:44 -0400

Ubicom has introduced a new family of more powerful StreamEngine processors for home networking and connected media devices.

SMC adds small-biz VPN router

Tim Higgins — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:28:18 -0400

SMC Networks yesterday announced its SMCBR21VPN Barricade VPN Router aimed at telecommuting and branch office applications.

D-Link announces MoCA Coax Ethernet Networking kit

Tim Higgins — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:42:48 -0400

D-Link today announced a MoCA-based Coax Ethernet Adapter and kit. The DXN-221 Coax Ethernet Adapter Kit allows the use of existing television coaxial cable to extend an Ethernet connection without the need to install CAT 5/6 cable. The adapters are Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) certified and will coexist with cable television signals on the same coax.

Linksys' Naughty LELA

Tim Higgins — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:35:35 -0400

Linksys really wants its new network setup tool to be welcomed into your home. But first, it needs to learn some manners.

IOGEAR adds USB device server

Tim Higgins — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:12:10 -0400

IOGEAR today announced the release of its USB Net ShareStation, which enables network sharing of USB devices, including speakers and webcams.

IPv6 Basics

Doug Reid — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:42:40 -0400

Internet Protocol version 6, known as IPv6, is an upgrade to the world's most common network addressing scheme, Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). The purpose of this post is to provide you with some background information on IPv6 and some simple things that you can do to get acquainted with it.

Can DD-WRT or Tomato Fix Bad Routing?

Tim Higgins — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:37:58 -0400

Alternative firmwares can provide lots more features. But neither of the two most popular loads is a clear winner when it comes to improving routing performance.

CopperGate Buys Conexant's HomePlug AV Biz

Tim Higgins — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:25:31 -0400

CopperGate Communications today announced the purchase of the HomePlug AV business from Conexant Systems. CopperGate said it is now the first semiconductor company with home networking technologies supporting all three wire types – coax, phone and power.

Measuring Network Performance Jperf and TCP, Part 2

Doug Reid — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:03 -0400

Having introduced Iperf (/content/view/30388/235/) and Jperf (/content/view/30408/235/), as well as covering details on TCP throughput tests by adjusting Window Size values, it's time to complete this series with comments on adjusting MSS and Buffer Length values. I'm also going to touch on using the results of Jperf testing to make changes to a PC to improve network performance.

Measuring Network Performance - Jperf

Doug Reid — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Free and openly available, Iperf is a command line tool useful for measuring network performance. In my last post (/content/view/30388/235/), I introduced some basic command line instructions to run Iperf between two endpoints and showed how the tool can be used to generate and measure both TCP and UDP performance. This time, I'll discuss Iperf's graphical cousin: Jperf.

How Much Can D-Link's "Green Ethernet" Switch Save You?

Tim Higgins — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:25:00 -0400

You can do lots of things to save energy. But buying D-Link's small "green" gigabit switch isn't one of them.

D-Link Adds Smart Switches to "Green Ethernet" Line

Tim Higgins — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:19:48 -0400

D-Link today announced the expansion of its "Green Ethernet" switch product line to include three of its "Web Smart" series products.

HomePNA still alive and kickin'

Tim Higgins — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:42:57 -0400

The HomePNA Alliance wants us to know that it is still in the fight as an alternative (to Ethernet) networking technology. It today announced HomePNA 3.1 certification of nine new products and the first 320 Mbps chipset reference design from CopperGate. The newly-certified products include VDSL2 and ADSL2+ residential gateways, Ethernet to coax bridges and a set top box. Companies included 2Wire, D-Link, SMC, SendTek and Scientific Atlanta.

Measuring Network Performance - Iperf

Doug Reid — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:39:56 -0400

One of the cool things about networks is there are many free tools to work with if you know where to look and how to use them. I've looked at a couple free network tools on this blog so far, including Wireshark and NetMeter. This time, I'm going to take a look at another network tool known as Iperf (http://dast.nlanr.net/Projects/Iperf/), a network performance tool used for measuring the bandwidth and the performance of TCP and UDP data flows between two endpoints.

PePLink Balance 30 Review

Doug Reid — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:38:08 -0400

The PePLink Balance 30 is a capable triple-WAN router, but commands too high a price premium.

Measuring Network Performance - NetMeter

Doug Reid — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:47:01 -0400

With all the component and configuration options for constructing and managing a small network, it is important to numerically evaluate network performance. Performance measurements provide facts and statistics about the amount of data on your network and identify opportunities for improvement. Without measuring performance, the only indications of functionality are simple up and down states, as well as subjective statements based on user experience. To manage any network over a period of time, it is useful to measure normal activity, as well as high and low traffic activity. Good network management involves metric based information on the volumes of traffic and various component performance levels. This is often referred to as "baselining" your network and establishing network benchmarks.