Crave

Give your system an 802.11n shot in the arm for just $13.99.

(Credit: Netgear)

I have an 802.11n router in my house, but not all my PCs and laptops have 802.11n adapters. Most of them run 802.11g, which drags down the overall performance of the network (it's a lowest-common-denominator kind of thing).

Cheap fix: Newegg has the Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N USB 2.0 Adapter WN111 for $13.99 shipped. It's a refurb, but, hey, something like this either works or it doesn't.

To get that discounted price (it's normally $24.99--and new units list for $70!), you need to apply coupon code EMCLSNW25 at checkout. You also need to be a subscriber to Newegg's newsletter.

As you may know, 802.11n Wi-Fi delivers dramatically faster performance and greater range than 802.11g. That's critical if you want to stream music and video (particularly HD video) around the house, and also for stuff like voice-over-IP and online gaming.

It's rare to find a USB adapter for under $20, especially without a rebate involved, so this was a no-brainer for me. I haven't found any substantial reviews of the WN111, but I'm confident it'll do the job.

That said, based on some user comments I've read here and there, I'm going to download the latest drivers straight from Netgear rather than using the software that comes in the box. (Apparently the early drivers had some Vista compatibility issues.)

One other caveat: The 90-day warranty doesn't bother me, but Newegg has a no-refund policy on this product. That means you can return it for a replacement, but you can't get your money back if it doesn't work right or you don't like it. Not a deal-breaker for me, but I thought you should be aware.

(Credit: Cisco)

For a lot of home users, staying protected online is complicated, especially when they have multiple computers and networking devices (and who doesn't, nowadays?). Installing and keeping security software properly updated can be a daunting task.

Cisco now makes it simpler by integrating Internet security inside its Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N routers. This means you won't even have to install a separate online security suite on each computer within the home network anymore.

The company announced Tuesday its collaboration with Trend Micro to introduce the Home Network Defender (HND), a multi-layered software security solution that helps provide network protection home-network devices including PCs, online game consoles, Wi-Fi enabled phones, and personal media players.

Networking is a dark art, and putting the word "home" in front of it makes it no simpler. Debugging a home network is not for the faint of heart--the intelligence of the on-screen wizards peters out after the first few obvious fixes, and soon you're checking help forums, running ipconfig commands, and tweaking DHCP settings.

Their industrial design has gotten a lot better. But would you trust Linksys to build an easy wireless home audio system?

(Credit: Linksys)

So today's news from The New York Times--that networking giant Cisco Systems is getting into the consumer electronics business--filled me with dread.

The idea of piping audio files from your computer to your home stereo or other audio devices is valid: I'm a big fan of the Sonos Multiroom Audio system, and Logitech and Apple have also made a go at it. But all three of these companies specialize in consumer products. They understand--nay, live and breathe--the process of hiding complexity under a clear user interface.

Playing music from multiple sources in a single playlist on a Sonos system is simple. Connecting a Mac or iPhone to an existing home network is almost invisibly simple.

Cisco's purchase of Linksys got the company into the consumer home-networking space. While setting up my Linksys wireless router for the first time was relatively painless, thanks to a downloadable applet, I had to use their free phone support line several times over the next few years to debug mysterious problems that cropped up.

The support itself was great--a real person always picked up immediately, and they were always able to resolve my problem eventually--but the complexity of the underyling technology just couldn't be hidden. Any support call that asks you to log into your router to check your DHCP settings is not simple, even if you are walked through the steps.

Cisco's a solid engineering company. If it manages to hire some great UI designers and brands these products appropriately--coming up with names that are more interesting than these would be a start--it has a fighting chance. If it thinks that enabling multiroom audio is just a few simple tweaks to its existing home networking products, forget about it.

Cisco Systems will partner with one of China's largest appliance makers to develop networking gear for homes, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Cisco and the Haier Group said in a statement that they will share best practices in management, strategic investment and construction in an effort to build home networking systems. Specific details of how the companies will do this weren't provided.

The Haier Group has been expanding into international markets for the past couple of years. And CEO Zhang Ruimin said the company will look to Cisco to help it expand its brand overseas.

"We believe it is necessary to take advantage of Cisco's business practices as a model for efficient international expansion, particularly in areas like customer service that rely heavily on networked information technology," he said in a press release.

Haier's products include refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, televisions, water heaters, personal computers, mobile phones and kitchen appliances, according to the company's Web site.

For Cisco, a relationship with the Haier Group provides ties to a huge manufacturer in one of the largest consumer markets in the world. China has the world's largest TV audience with about 400 million viewers. It's also got the second largest Internet audience, second only behind the United States.

Other large tech companies have also been forming partnerships in China. In June, Microsoft announced a partnership with a Chinese television maker, Changhong Electric. The two companies will develop digital entertainment products.

At long last, it looks like Apple TV is available for purchase. The Apple Web site on Tuesday morning listed the set-top box as available for shipment in three to five business days.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Calls to New York- and San Francisco-area Apple stores confirmed that the box, which is meant to deliver content between a TV and a PC, is so far only available online. A San Francisco Apple store employee said they expect to have Apple TV "any day now."

First announced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in September under the name iTV, CEO Steve Jobs formally unveiled the device as Apple TV at Macworld in January. He announced then that it would be available February. At the end of last month Apple acknowledged that the product would be delayed until mid-March, but did not specify the reason.

What's the opposite of the Slingbox? The new SlingCatcher.

The SlingCatcher is a set-top box that will let users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector. Navigation can be done with either the included remote or through a PC.

SlingCatcher

(Credit: Sling Media)

The device is set to be announced Sunday at CES 2007 by Sling Media, the same people behind the Slingbox, which lets you watch your home TV channels on a laptop or a smart phone. The SlingCatcher retains the Slingbox's familiar trapezoid shape.

With an eye on Apple's upcoming iTV, Sling Media CEO Blake Krikorian said announcing the new device for bringing Web content, such as YouTube videos, to a living room is his company officially "throwing our hat in the ring there."

Krikorian said the SlingCatcher will be available for "less than $200" sometime in the second quarter or as late as this summer.

A digital music application that forces Apple, Sony and Microsoft to play nice? It's a Christmas miracle. Or something.

Recently released SimpleCenter 4.1 from Universal Electronics is a PC-only software application that organizes and plays any music, movie and photo format. It's an equal-opportunity program, able to sync media files with a diverse group of devices--an iPod, PSP, Xbox 360, Nokia N80, N93, USB sticks and other PlaysForSure players.

(Credit: Universal Electronics)

On the plus side, posessors of the Nokia N80 can wirelessly update their media content from their home PC using SimpleCenter, which is cool. However, though SimpleCenter allows iTunes users to browse and play content downloaded from the online store, it can't sync it with the iPod due to the content-protection scheme that Apple uses. However, SimpleCenter can play any movie or song from iTunes on a PC, and any video content can be converted to any necessary file format and uploaded to one of the aforementioned gadgets.

The program is also DLNA 1.5-compliant, which ensures the interoperability of consumer tech devices. That means any other device that is DLNA 1.5-compliant will work with SimpleCenter.