Barb's Connected World

The D-Link DSM-210 Internet Frame really is best of breed. Besides displaying images from various places on my network, or from its built in 1 gig memory, it does a really great job of displaying RSS feed snippets from blogs and such. Or weather reports, or images emailed to my online frame account from invited friends. There’s lots of content available from http://dlink.framechannel.com/ that can be displayed on the frame. Including the ability to view shared photo streams from flickr, facebook, webshots, photobucket, and more. MSNBC had a write up of Frame Media, which provides the online service for D-Link and several other companies.

The DSM-210 displays an RSS feed snippet

As much as I liked the Momento frame that I’ve had for a couple of years, it had a few shortcomings. It didn’t support WPA2 (only WPA) and the remote was a little flaky requiring multiple keypresses at times to enter a character at times.  And it did not see my mixed g/n networks (and couldn’t connect to them even if I entered the SSID and credentials manually). There haven’t been any firmware updates, and the Momento frame really isn’t readily available. It is important to note that the Momento I had here was pre-production, from the floor of CES.

The DSM-210, however, implements WPA2, sees all available networks, and the mini remote is extremely responsive. The frame goes into standby mode at night when I turn off the lights in my living room and starts up again in the morning when I enter the room. D-Link tells me that the frame will be available soon online and in the usual big box stores.

HP was kind enough to send me an early near production version of their soon to be released (July 31) MediaSmart Connect Home Theater component. I’ve had a few minutes to take a VERY quick look and the first impression is: It’s great!

Nice looking hardware, piano black finish (production units will have a neat Zen imprint) with a solid heft/feel. Connections for component and HDMI (720p and 1080i supported on both). An HDMI cable is included (nice touch). Audio jacks include RCA stereo (analog) and Optical Digital (SPDIF). No Coax digital, but that suits me just fine. I ranted some about the lack of Optical output on the ”competing” (and I use that term loosely) Linksys DMA-2100.

802.11a/b/g/n (Draft 2.0n) wireless (and 10/100 Ethernet) connect this device to your home network. The device sports USB ports front and rear and includes a HP Pocket Media Drive Bay (the 21st century version of sneaker net storage used to move your digital “stuff” between computers and devices).

If you are looking at size and aesthetics, this image shows the sizes of the x280n, the Linksys DMA-2200 (the 2100 is even smaller and as I blogged, chintzy in feel and cheap looking), the D-Link theater component size DSM-750, and an Xbox 360. For me, it is a draw between the component sized D-Link which, in the real world would fit nicely on the rack that holds my home theater receiver and the HP x280n which would fit nicely and discreetly on top of or under the TV. Top to bottom: HP MediaSmart x280n, Linksys DMA-2200, D-Link DSM-750, Xbox 360.

HP includes a really nice handheld remote. It’s certainly the best of the remotes offered with any of the extenders I’ve seen. It’s backlit (which for me is a must in a darkened room). Setting up the x280n was menu driven and simple. It found several of my 2.4GHz  “N” networks (I’m not certain it is seeing 5GHz N yet, more to come). I associated it, entered the WPA2-PSK passphrase and it was off and running. The first thing it did was check for new firmware. Finding a newer version, it downloaded and applied the newer firmware. After a reboot, it was back up and ready for action.

I elected to set it up as a Media Center Extender first and verify that my OCUR/DCT high def streaming was good to go. No problem there. Since I can do MCX setups in my sleep, and at the speed of light, I was able to quickly get through setup and watch Live and Recorded HD TV.

Exploring the HP MediaSmart interface:

I had a short amount of time to explore HP’s MediaSmart proprietary interface for Media Sharing. I used Windows Media Sharing and UPnP streaming from a server. I have yet to setup HP’s own MediaSmart gateway software, but I’ll get to that. HP has developed a slick and intuitive interface which can be used with Windows XP, Vista, and most likely will be future proof, at least for a while. I like the HP interface and functionality slightly more than D-Link’s MediaLounge interface. Linksys has no such secondary interface. I was easily able to start playing some music and access my photos and play a slide show. This works almost exactly the same way it does on the Media Center Extender interface. All in all, in my first look, a nice, user friendly, solid piece of hardware with great functionality.

 

I’ll be updating this post as time permits as I continue to explore and experiment.

  Over the weekend I received a D-Link DSM-210 ten inch widescreen format digital frame. While there are a ton of frames available, the only ones I’d consider for personal use must include a bulletproof way to stream content from my network, a way to upload photos to frame memory, and some kind of Internet streaming.

The D-Link frame, part of the Medialounge product family does all the above and more.

I’m pretty impressed. Besides handling the wireless streaming (which you’d expect from a wireless picture frame), the DSM-210 is very network savvy. Autosensing my DNS-323 NAS (which sports a UPnPAV media server) the network settings displayed this server as a media source. When I fired up a computer that previously was not used for media sharing, Window Vista detected the DSM-210 and asked if I wanted to set up Windows Media Sharing. Pretty slick.

The frame has 1GB internal storage and comes pre-loaded with some sample pictures. D-Link has a widget that works with Yahoo Widgets and lets you manage the content in the built in memory. Delete the samples and drop your own images onto the widget and they are quickly uploaded. In fact, the widget lets you manage multiple frames.

I’ve only just begun to explore the Online Content features. You can view photo streams from all the usual places (or set up your own from your hard drive or other RSS capable source). Plus there are channels for just about every interest. And yeah, I’ve got my local weather forecast set up.

I can email images to myself (even from a camera phone) and invite friends to email images to me as well at a special address (jpg format). This works pretty much the same as the analogous feature on the Momento frame.

If you want to keep your DSM-210 frame in your bedroom, you don’t need to turn it off at night. The frame autosenses motion or light and somehow activates itself when you turn on a light or walk into a room. I’m still investigating this feature to see just how it works.

The D-Link logo and some blue LEDs fire up for a bit when you first power on the frame but turn off automatically.

Here’s a quick and dirty picture of the frame right after I started a stream from the DNS-323 NAS box.

 

I like this hardware a lot. More to come as I dive deeper into the features.

I’ve recently returned from a week in Seattle and the HP TX2000 behaved like a champion.  It is certainly the right size for economy class air travel. I have a chronically bad back. A heavy notebook in a large size backpack has proven hazardous to my health in terms of pain and suffering. I easily traversed airports and did tons of walking and standing while I was away with the TX2000 (and a Nikon D300 w/lens) packed away in a Kata R101 backpack. (And on the plane, it fits nicely under the seat in front of me where I can be sure no one throws it around.)

Before I left home, I recorded a few TV Shows with an external USB tuner I already owned using Vista’s Windows Media Center. (HP does have a tuner for the TX2000 but I have not had the opportunity to see/try it.) The passenger in the middle row seat on my outbound flight asked some questions as I had the TX2000 in tablet mode and was watching some of this recorded TV via Media Center.  He had earbuds and I let him plug into the spare earphone port. The TV in my hotel room was an old CRT tube type and I just can’t watch those after living with LCD’s and Plasma’s. Watching recorded TV on the TX2000 was a much better experience than watching anything on the hotel television.

One of the first travel incidents that happened to me was that I broke off a prong on the Jawbone BT earplug A/C power plug. It’s a two piece deal, USB plugs into the wall wart. I now very much appreciate the three USB ports on the TX2000 (and I’d definitely been scratching my head wondering how I could use three at once). One port each for my Moto RAZR phone, my IPOD Touch, and my Jawbone BT adapter. Obviously notebook has to be powered on to charge up these items, but I found a routine of waking up, plugging in, showering, etc. reading email and doing morning online stuff before leaving the hotel was enough time to charge everything for the day.

Battery life on the TX2000 was pretty decent. Even with the smaller 6 cell battery installed (to save space and weight), I found that by using Power Saver mode coupled with an electrical outlet halfway through the day for a quick drink of energy that I could pretty much get through a day of presentations and meetings (not constant use). Like other true tablet pc’s, the screen can be a little hard to read in bright sunlit settings. A few times where I was sitting in an enclosed courtyard environment with natural bright sunlight I had to move around a bit and turn up the brightness.

Wireless connectivity “just worked” thanks to the built in Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n wireless radio. No matter what SSID I needed to connect to, there were no hassles. I had a chance to use the wired Ethernet as well on this trip and had no issues. Not that I wouldn’t expect this great performance, but I am sure glad that HP did not use the problematic Intel 4965 wireless chipset (lots of driver issues).

After taking some NEF+JPG images with my Nikon D300, I used a Lexar Professional USB 2.0 high speed Compact Flash Reader to get images into the TX2000. While the TX2000 has a built in media reader, it does not handle the larger format compact flash cards (which is true of all other notebooks I’ve seen). I’m pleased to report that some batch processing with Adobe on this 64 bit Ultimate machine with 4 gigs of RAM is very acceptable (as compared to the TX1000 which was quite slow). It was pretty neat to put the TX2000 in tablet mode and play a slide show of the day’s photos for some friends. Speaking of friends, quite a few of them (30 or so) had some hands on with this TX2000 on this trip. Since I’d been talking about it and blogging about it, there was a lot of interest. Even folks I didn’t know (on the airplane and at the conference) wanted to take a look at the machine. Definitely thumbs up from a very discriminating crowd of geeks. Only a couple of friends that are business tablet users felt that it would not suit their specific needs. Even people I didn’t know wanted to take a look at the TX2000. On my outbound trip, TSA at my local airport at the security checkpoint said, “is this a new laptop” and went off to inspect it. I think they were curious and not alarmed. When they handed it back to me, the comment was, “this looks pretty cool”.

All in all, it was a great trip. The TX2000 was a great machine to take on the road, serving all my needs.

Do I now have the perfect “home, multimedia, on the road and around town” mobile notebook/tablet pc? Last year I had a chance to be one of the first to get a look at HP’s TX1000. I liked it a lot (see reviews) but felt that it could be world class with a few improvements. Several months later, I became involved in “Help HP Design their next notebook” along with several other bloggers. I contributed my own wishlist and submitted the entire list of comments and suggestions from readers. Basically, I want it all. I don’t want an all business notebook that is light on features that I need for my digital photography and multimedia needs, but I do want a notebook that lets me attend to personal business efficiently (Office 2007) and is fun to use.

Almost exactly one year after receiving the TX1000 for review, HP contacted me and asked if I was interested in looking at the HP Pavilion TX2000 Entertainment PC. Of course I said yes. And I won't keep anyone in suspense. I REALLY like this notebook. Below are my first and early impressions in detail.

The TX1000 series was not a true Tablet PC and as I wrote a year ago, handwriting recognition was pretty iffy and slow. The TX2000 series is definitely a “real” tablet, with a good active digitizer. It even understands my hen scratches (a tough thing to do since not only has my handwriting degenerated over the years, but because I type 99% of the time, when I do use a pen or pencil, ten minutes after I’ve written something I might not be able to read it myself!)

HP has listened carefully to end users. (And I don’t know of any other computer manufacturer that has gone to this much trouble to solicit feedback, yet alone incorporate it, in a consumer notebook product.) Circuit City is describing the TX2000 as an HP Pavilion TX2000 12.1" Touchscreen Entertainment Laptop. I'm guessing that the word "touchscreen" has less of a "business only" connotation than "tablet", but it is a true tablet pc.

The nitty gritty: The machine I received was one at the top of the line. According to the website (as of April 11, 2008), models start at $899.99 for a base configuration and with HP’s recommended Config, currently cost $1168.99.

The hardware I received:

Turion 64 X2 TL66 (2.3 GHz 512+512 L2 Cache)

4 GB DDR2 System Memory

Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone

Wireless a/b/g/n (draft) + Bluetooth

250 GB SATA 5400 RPM hard drive

LightScribe 8x DVD+/-RW Double Layer

Wireless Remote Control (for Windows Media Center and Quick Play)

6 cell & 8 cell Lithium-Ion batteries

Tablet Pen Digitizer and Cord

12.1” (1280 x800) WXGA Nvidia Go6150 powered graphics (shared memory)

2 sets earbuds

I’m forever converted to x64 computing, so a machine with 4 Gigs of RAM, Vista Ultimate x64 and a dual core AMD Turion loads an impressive deck. (Actually the top processor offered in this series, the AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology Gold Edition TL-68 (2.4 GHz, 512KB+512KB L2 Cache) is one of the faster of its kind.)

Setting up and firing up the TX2000 for the first time was a breeze. HP includes their standard poster for folks that can’t figure out how to insert the battery and assemble the two pieces of the power cord. After powering it up for the first time, the typical OEM Windows Vista setup screens appeared including license acknowledgement and after Windows setup completed, HP’s own registration application. It's all pretty slick as you can see from the shots below. A short video was next and a few screens asking me if I needed an Internet provider. Since I’m a very happy Comcast broadband user, I was all set.

 

 

HP's default wallpaper is shown below. This same design is imprinted (black on a striking piano black finish) on the top pf the notebook.

I “pointed” the a/b/g/n wireless at one of my 802.11n (draft 2.0) networks and was off and running, actually speeding. Windows Vista downloaded a ton of updates while I looked around and worked on personalizing my drive configuration. The 250GB hard drive was configured as a single volume (Drive C) and one of the first things I did was change the hidden recovery partition drive letter to F and then shrink the C drive, create a D drive and format as NTFS. I like to keep my data (including images, videos and music) on a non system drive. Old habits die hard!

Multimedia Powerhouse

There’s no question that the TX2000 is an Entertainment Notebook PC (and is deserving of that label). The stereo speakers (Altec Lansing) are quite good for a laptop. I’ve certainly seen my share of crappy, tinny laptop speakers driven by cheap chips over the years). There are TWO earphone/earbud out ports. Couple this with tablet functionality and turning the TX2000 into tablet mode, watching a DVD on an airplane with a travel companion is a great experience. Both of you can enjoy the DVD while everyone around you can watch the movie offered by the airline that you’ve already seen twice. I carry some great Shure sound isolating high performance earbuds which provide an incredible experience, but entry level inexpensive earbuds are available as options from HP with the TX2000. It’s not a bad idea to carry a set of these if you want to share with someone not carrying their own earbud gear. HP includes Quick Play button functionality (which launches Vista) to give you one button access to your music and more.

Windows Vista Media Center is a powerhouse on its own and is included in every version of Vista Ultimate or Home Premium. For $100, you can order an optional HP USB Digital/Analog Tuner w/Remote for a premium Live and Recorded TV experience. On top of that, HP has added enough additional entertainment features that I was tempted to look for the kitchen sink

Kitchen sink aside, HP includes a link to SlingMedia’s web site for a 15% discount on a Slingbox (and the Sling Media player is pre-installed). StarZ Vongo is also pre-installed. The basic version of muvee autoProducer is pre-installed (along with the option of activating a 21 day free trial of the fully featured version). Cyberlink full version software is also pre-installed: Power Director 6 (for the Steven Spielberg in you), Power2Go v5 (media burner), Label Print and YouCam (webcam effects). HP Photosmart Essentials is also included.

Electronic Arts Trial Version of Sims Life Stories is also pre-installed. It’s not really my “thing” but HP certainly includes a rounded selection of entertainment vehicles.

HP included a lot of other software (loaded to the gills, actually), including a 60 day trial version of Microsoft Office 2007 Student and Teacher (which I am replacing with a full Office 2007 Ultimate and Expression Web). The S&T version may be just right for the average user, but I’m accustomed to the Ultimate version of Office 2007 and I do author PowerPoint decks. Also preinstalled was a 60 day trial of Norton Internet Security. Norton is one of my least favorite apps, and after 10 minutes, I uninstalled it (and substituted Eset’s NOD32 which I like a lot as it is lightweight but strong). I do understand the need to include a working AV product out of the box.

Much of the included software has easy access shortcuts on the default desktop and/or in the system tray, but some only appears on the Programs menu.

The TX2000 is currently shipping with updated drivers and Vista Service Pack 1 pre-installed. This means that out of the box, the machine doesn’t need to download hundred’s of megabytes of updates and fixes and that the drivers are SP1 compatible. (My review unit needed some updates from the HP Support site, including a BIOS update and some drivers, but HP has one of the best systems I’ve seen and their “Softpaqs” are nearly bulletproof. After installing the HP updates, I made a few passes at Windows Update and downloaded and applied a few rounds of updates before SP1 was offered.) After Vista was done downloading about 121 megs, SP1 installed in about 25 minutes.

The networking options for wireless vary, but the higher end selection of a/b/g/n (draft) 802.11 with Bluetooth certainly meet all my criteria. The hard drive choices are 160, 250, or 320 GB 5400 RPM SATA. For an optical drive, HP included a LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support.

Like the TX1000 series, the TX2000 NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 6150 graphics chip drives the display. Video memory is shared and not dedicated (one of the few things I dislike). You can, however, alter the amount of dedicated memory in the system BIOS settings. The Video rating is what drives down the overall Windows Experience rating. In spite of the rating system (which I don't think really represents any real time normal usage), I'm happy with the performance of this notebook.

The TX2000 has 3 USB ports (but no Firewire-fortunately the ExpressCard 34 firewire cards I bought work just fine so I can hook up my Canon HV20 camcorder and import and edit video). Video out is VGA (I’d prefer HDMI or DVI). A 12.1 inch screen runs a max resolution of 1280 x 800. It weighs about 4.5 pounds and at its thickest is 1.5 inches.

After using the fingerprint reader on the original TX1000, I don’t think I’d consider purchasing any notebook or tablet that didn’t include one. I use the TX2000’s fingerprint reader for convenience. Much easier than typing in long passwords on web sites and having it actually encourages me to use different strong passwords for individual websites. One trick I learned living in a changeable climate where outside is 10 degrees and inside is 70 – my fingers when cold don’t register the same way as they do when at normal room temperatures. So on each hand, I’ve registered two fingers at room temperature and two more when I’ve just come inside from colder weather. And I have a warm and cold thumb as well. This insures quick and positive authentication.

While providing business class tablet pc features, the TX2000 is an entertainment centric pc. As I look around at what is available from manufacturers that include true tablet functionality, a webcam, fingerprint reader, media center and music player functionality, the TX2000 stands alone and in a class by itself. This would actually make a great business machine. While I doubt Enterprise IT types would be interested in mass deployment (sadly), anyone with a small or home based business should take a good hard look at this one. I’ve got a friend in the real estate business that would LOVE the TX2000.

Anyway, I’m about to take the TX2000 on an extended road trip. I’ve loaded up both Adobe’s photo processing software and Nikon Capture NX as I plan to do some digital editing of what I shoot with my D300. I’m hoping that the weather cooperates. The TX2000, my Nikon D300 and various necessary odds and ends all fit nicely in my Kata 101 photo backpack. I’ll be posting a follow up on performance (and more) after my return. In the meantime, I see that Circuit City is starting to receive a pre-configured model, so if you want to check the TX2000 out yourself..

 

I've just setup a production DSM-750 Medialounge Media Center Extender. This new extender streams everything over Wireless 802.11n Draft 2.0 (using a DGL-4500 in 5GHz mode) including High Definition Live and Recorded TV from a Vista Ultimate x64 box with two DCT (OCUR) tuners.

Some unboxing and setup images can be found at one of my websites.

Out of the box, the DSM-750 blows the dinky Linksys DMA 2100 out of the water. Solid construction and a nice looking peripheral that doesn't look like cheap plastic in my living room. The DMA 2100 has no optical SPDIF (RCA flavor digital SPDIF only) and worse, does not see Atheros based 802.11 Draft 2.0 N SSID's and probably some other brands. The DMA 2100 only has two antennae. D-Link has all the ports and three antennae, which really helps with wireless connectivity .

D-Link integrates network setup with Extender setup and it is a real easy task to get up and running. While I admit to having had experience with a beta engineering sample, the engineering sample was wired only without the 802.11n dual band capability. I was really impressed with how well it worked and how integrated it was. D-Link has tons of experience with something like 6-7 previous versions in the Medialounge wireless media player line. This experience shows.

The Linksys takes forever to connect to the host Vista machine while the D-Link connects seamlessly and far more rapidly.

In my opinion, if you have a choice between the Linksys DMA 2100 and the D-Link DSM-750, the D-Link is well worth the wait. Linksys was first to market, but the race is not always to the swiftest.

I've got this great DAP-1555 Draft 802.11n "Xtreme N Duo Mediabridge" that I use to wirelessly enable my Xbox 360. (You can buy these in pairs to add to existing networks. And if you want to use your 360 wirelessly, you'll definitely want "N" speeds.) The device itself supports both the 2.4 and the 5.0 Ghz bands. In my wifi oversaturated neighborhood, the 5 GHz side is truly a neccessity!

My only beef was that the stark white color made the device stick out like a sore thumb. I stumbled on a page on D-Link's web site that showed some skins for the DIR-655 router. Since the form factor for the DAP-1555 is the same, I decided to go for it. I went with a color scheme that sort of matches my Xbox 360.

Microsoft has published my column on Vista computers and devices that all work together transparently on my home network.

The basis for all of this nonsensical conclusion is apparently some unsubstantiated leap between mobile phone technology and equipment and a theorized similarity to WiFi equipment. Say what?

Someone at Panorama is WiFi phobic. My long standing opinion of the BBC as being grounded in meticulous research and analysis has crashed and there are no survivors.

 

 

If you travel with a laptop and connect wirelessly, you need to take extra precautions. Most public wireless providers and hot spots use no security at all. Everything you send and receive is sent in the clear with no encryption. If you are using a VPN connection to your office, you will have the protection of an encrypted tunnel. There are several methods of implementing VPN. For more information, see Charlie Russel’s column Connect to Your Corporate Network from Home with Windows XP. You can also use the information in Charlie’s column to connect while you’re on the road. If you can’t use a VPN tunnel to your office, consider using a Remote Desktop connection to a computer you’ve left running at home. You can use Vista Ultimate or Business (32 or 64 bit), Windows XP Professional, Media Center Edition or Tablet PC Edition as a Remote Desktop host machine but not Vista Home Premium or Basic and Windows XP Home. Vista Home Premium, Vista Basic, and Windows XP Home, however, can be used as the remote client. If you are going to do this, you really want to use a router/gateway (and honestly, you don’t ever want to connect a computer directly to a broadband modem). You’ll need to forward port 3389 to this computer (see the router docs). To make this easy to do, get yourself a free domain on www.dyndns.com and get a router that has easy transparent support for DYNDNS. I recommend the D-Link DIR655 (Circuit City is stocking these as of 5/1/07) or the older D-Link DGL4300. For details on using dyndns, see:

http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/howto.html

and

http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/

Take additional security precautions when using public networks outside your home. Follow these additional steps to make your wireless connection more secure. When connecting to a new public network (hotels, municipal, etc.) be sure to specify Public when prompted.

Configure the Vista or Windows XP SP2 Firewall to be on with no exceptions.

To do this in Vista:

a. Right click the wireless icon in the notification area

b. Select Network and Sharing Center

c. Click Firewall on the lower left

d. Select Change Settings

e. Acknowledge the UAC prompt

f. Select Block all incoming connections

To do this in XP:

a. Right click the wireless icon in the notification area

b. Select Change Windows Firewall Settings

c. Click Don’t allow exceptions and then click OK

Vista users should also turn off all file and print sharing in the Network and Sharing Center window. If you are using Windows XP Home edition, turn off file and print sharing on your laptop when you travel. If you are using any other version of Windows XP, turn off Simple File Sharing.

Don’t visit any website or use any program that lets you send passwords, account numbers or other sensitive information in the clear. Use SSL connections for email. If you don’t know how to configure Outlook Express or other email client for SSL or if your ISP does not support this, it is probably your ISP has a secure SSL based webmail application that you can use. If in doubt and there is a choice for secure or encrypted versus normal or non secure, always select the secure version. SSL sites normally have URL’s that begin with https://

Use online banking with care. Most banks offer SSL online access. Read the fine print carefully.

Only use online merchants who provide a secure SSL site. Internet Explorer and most other browsers will display a padlock icon on the bottom status bar when accessing a SSL secured site.

 

 

One of my few complaints about HP's TX1000 is the 802.11g performance with the embedded Broadcom radio. 802.11a on the same wireless radio is better, but the G side performance was not up to my expectations nor was it as good as other Vista Broadcom chipset/driver combinations.

So, I asked my friends at D-Link for one of their new ExpressCard/34 draft 802.11n cards.

It (DWA-643) arrived this morning. The difference was like night and day. I can copy files over the network at blazingly fast speeds and no dropped connections.

D-Link uses Atheros (as opposed to Broadcom) chips in their draft N gear.

 

If you want to know if there is a signed WHQL'd driver for your wireless NIC, this page has the list you are looking for. Remember that some of the larger vendors like Atheros, Broadcom, Realtek et al produce the wireless radios in your Netgear, D-Link, Linksys etc. wireless card so if your particular model isn't listed, it doesn't mean no support.

Note that some drivers are on Windows Update only. This means that unless you first connect with a hardwired connection, you will never be able to pull down the driver.

On the residential networking side, lots of new devices (and hopefully old devices via firmware upgrades) work transparently with Vista over the network using LLTD and other Windows Rally technologies. I've seen cameras, photo frames and wireless routers so far.

Saw a demo today at a private showing of WCN Simple Config using my favorite router, the D-Link DIR-655 (GigE, Draft N, what could be better?). This Window's logo'd router will be on display at the CES 2007 Partner Pavilion. It supports configuring a new SSID with WPA2 over a wired connection using a vendor supplied 8 digit authorization key. I wrote about this last year. And now the finished consumer routers are available. It's great news for the unexperienced consumer.

(Republished from Vista Community

Column/July 2006 by Reader Request)

Since the launch of Microsoft Windows XP, I've spent a lot of time helping friends and family set up wireless routers. Over the past few years, I've also helped a number of people configure wireless networked devices connected to home theater systems that stream music from a host PC and I’ve helped them add IP based Internet camera to their home networks. When Windows XP first launched, it was not an easy task to setup a home network and perform these tasks. A network setup wizard was provided, but it was basic and didn't handle enough of the work to make home network setup a painless experience.

And not too long ago, the only way to setup a secure wireless network using a wireless router was to log in to a web based administrative page on a router and then navigate an often confusing web interface. Many people didn't even bother to setup wireless security because it was too difficult. Eventually, a number of manufacturers included proprietary, non standardized setup programs and wizards. Two developments over the past several years since the launch of Windows XP have provided some relief. UPnP, which I first wrote about in May 2002, was the first major step in enabling an easier network setup because it provided the basic ability to discover a new device on the network and access its web based administrative page (Presentation URL). The second was Windows Connect Now (WCN), which I first wrote about in June 2005 which provided better end user tools to setup computers and devices. This technology enabled Windows XP users to setup a wireless network using a wizard and a USB flash key. The devices that could be configured in this manner needed an onboard USB port. These two new technologies took time to make their way into retail residential equipment. UPnP is now ubiquitous and USB based WCN has begun to appear, most notably in a group of devices from D-Link systems. This is wonderful technology, but there are still a limited number of wireless routers and peripherals with a USB port.

I've got very good news for anyone who has struggled to setup a secure, simple wireless network that includes computers and devices. Features built into Windows Vista coupled with redesigned and intelligent wizards can make this an easier process.

Note: this column was based on Windows Vista Beta 2. There have been significant changes to Network Center in later builds on the way to RTM.  My webcast on August 24^th was based on newer builds. In this article, I will:

·        Preview Two New Vista Networking Technologies

·        Set up a Network with Simple Config and Windows Connect Now

·        Preview Link Layer Topology Discovery

·        Preview Vista’s Network Center

·        View and Specify File and Print Sharing Options

·        Preview the Network Map

·        Discuss older operating systems and older hardware

Preview Two New Networking Technologies

Windows Vista builds upon UPnP and WCN and adds a group of new technologies, referred to as Windows Rally, which will greatly simplify the setup and maintenance of a secure home network. One of these new technologies, Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) works with both wired and wireless devices to enabled automatic topology discovery. LLTD has optional Quality of Service (QoS) Extensions that applications can use to diagnose problems, especially those involving signal strength on wireless networks or bandwidth issues in home networks. Fortunately, many recent existing devices will be upgradeable via new firmware to support LLTD so you may not need to purchase new routers, Internet Cameras, or other networked devices to take advantage of LLTD features. All computers running any version of Windows Vista also support LLTD. Microsoft is working on back porting LLTD to Windows XP via a Service Pack or QFE update.

Windows Connect Now in Windows Vista now is coupled with a new Wi-Fi Alliance standard called Simple Config (working name, subject to change). This technology lets Vista discover an unconfigured router/access point or a device and setup a wireless network over a wired Ethernet Connection. Simple Config uses a 4 or 8 digit to authenticate and confirm that the user has permission to configure a device.

Microsoft's Networking and Devices team and Buffalo Technology provided me with an off the shelf wireless router running developmental firmware which implements Simple Config and LLTD. D-Link Systems provided me with developmental firmware for their DCS-950 Internet camera that implements LLTD.

Set up a Network with Simple Config and Windows Connect Now

Using the Buffalo Technology hardware provided to me, I was easily able to setup a new wireless router using WCN with “over the wired network” Simple Config. While I was using developmental firmware, it was very clear that this technology is a huge ease of use win for home users.  I’ve authored a mini movie (using Windows Movie Maker in Vista) that shows how easy this is.

 

There are several entry points to invoke the new wizard, but not all of them were completed in the builds I was using when I authored this article. The steps I used to access and use the new wizard (as shown in my demo movie) are:

1.     Click the Start button, then Network

2.     The Network Window will display

3.     Click to select Network Center

4.     In the Network Center task pane, select Set up a connection or network

5.     Scroll to the bottom of the list and select Set up a network

6.     Click next

7.     A window will display with Network Settings detection in progress

8.     A default network name will display. Accept it or type a new name. (This name will appear in wireless network list after setup is complete).

9.     Use the secure default WPA passphrase or type a new one. Or click the advanced network security link for more options

10.  Using advanced network security options, a drop down menu lets you select different security types, such as WPA2-Personal, etc.

11.  Type in the 4 or 8 digit PIN provided by the manufacturer then click next.

12.  Specify File and Printer sharing options, and then click next.

13.  Windows Vista now configures your wireless access point/router.

14.  You can now use WCN and a USB flash key to setup the wireless network you've just configured on other Vista or Windows XP computers.

15.  The network you've just setup is now available in the list of Wireless Networks you can access on the computer used for setup.

Preview Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD)

Another major new networking technology called Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) provides automatic discovery of LLTD compliant devices. LLTD in combination with UPnP can classify the device’s capabilities, show a unique embedded icon, and display it on Windows Vista’s Network Window (see Figure 1) and accurately position the device on the Network Map.  

 

Figure 1: The Network Window shows discovered devices. Right clicking a UPnP enabled device will display a shortcut menu, if available.

D-Link’s DGS-950, with developmental LLTD firmware and UPnP support is identified as belonging to the Media Devices category and at the “mainevent” Network Location in the lower portion of the main Network Window.

Double clicking the device icon will also open the device’s Presentation URL (embedded administrative web page), if one is available using UPnP. Right clicking the device’s icon in the Network Window displays an entry on a shortcut menu to invoke/display that page.  The properties link on the shortcut menu displays a window with a link to the presentation URL, the vendor’s web site and other information about the device, such as its MAC address, serial number, and IP address as shown below in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Device Details for a UPnP/LLTD D-Link DCS-950 Internet Camera display information in a properties window.

Preview Vista’s Network Center

Vista’s Network Center (Figure 3) is a one stop command and visualization center that aggregates almost every wizard and control application related to Networking.  There are several paths to reach the Network Center including selecting Network from the Start button and then Network Center or you can use Start button, Control Panel, Network and Internet, View Network Status and Tasks.  

 

Figure 3: Network Center displays the connection status of your computer graphically. 

A red X would appear on a network segment where connectivity was broken, helping you trouble shoot what’s wrong.  In the image below, my Vista laptop computer is successfully connected through the “mainevent” (wireless) network.  The signal strength is displayed, and additional links are available to view the Status of the connection.

The task pane on the left of the Network Center window links to other network visualization and control features:

1.     View network computers and devices displays the same view as Figure X above.

2.     Connect to.. displays the list of available wireless networks

3.     Diagnose Internet connection invokes Vista’s new Network Diagnostics which in many cases identifies the issue and offers the exact solution needed to restore connectivity

4.     Set up a connection or network displays the different kinds of networks you can setup and connect to, including:

·        Ad hoc

·        Manually connect to a wireless network

·        Set up a virtual private network (VPN) connection

·        Connect to the Internet

·        Set up a dial-up connection

·        Connect to a Workplace

·        Set up a network

Depending on the selection made, a wizard based process guides you through the steps. Earlier in this column, I demonstrated how to set up a new wireless network using WCN Simple Config.

1.     Add a device to the network uses Windows Connect Now technology to discover an unconfigured device connected to your existing network and a similar wizard to the one used to setup a new network.

2.     Reorder wireless networks displays the list of configured wireless networks and allows you to change the order. It also allows you to create and manage wireless network profiles.

3.     Manage network connections displays the network adapters and their current status.

View and Specify File and Print Sharing Options

The state of Discovery and Sharing is shown in Network Center with a link to Network File and Print Sharing (see Figure 4) that lets you customize who has access to shared content on the computer, the Public Folders, attached Printers, and the contents of your Media Library.  

 

Figure 4: Network File and Printer Sharing - many sharing settings can be changed directly from this control panel applet. 

Tip: To share a folder not in the Users folder hierarchy, open Computer from the Start button, navigate to the folder you wish to share, right click this folder and then Share.

Preview the Network Map

A link labeled View Full Map in the Network Center window displays a graphic representation of the computers and devices on your network. The Network Map (Figure 5) relies on LLTD to map the layout of your network.

 

Figure 5: Windows Vista computers and devices with LLTD firmware will be placed on the Network Map where you can graphically view how they are interconnected.

As you can see in the image above, in my Network Map I have three Windows Vista computers, my D-Link DCS-950 camera with LLTD developmental firmware connected through switches and a wireless access point all connected to a residential gateway that connects to the Internet.

On the bottom of the Network Map is a listing of devices that could not be placed on the map. You can see Gifthorse, which is a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 computer and my D-Link DGL-4300 Gamer Lounge router.  These were discovered via UPnP but since they don’t include support for LLTD, they aren’t shown on the main map. The “Gateway” at the top of the map is actually my DGL-4300. I also have a Windows 2003 Server computer (running in workgroup mode) and in Vista Beta 2, it does not appear at all.  (Microsoft is back porting a LLTD responder to Windows XP and when this update is released, Windows XP computers including Pro, Home, Media Center 2005 and Tablet Edition will be properly mapped.)

Older operating systems and other older hardware

As of July 11, 2006, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Millennium.  There will be no further security updates or patches.  If you’re still using any of these older versions of Windows, consider upgrading your operating system if the computer meets minimum Windows XP specs. Or consider replacing the computer with a new Vista ready computer. Prices for reliable computers even at the entry level have never been lower.  

If you’ve been sharing a printer (even an older discontinued printer) attached to an older computer with an older operating system, or even sharing a printer on a newer operating system, there are work arounds and options to use older printers in Windows Vista.  While I have a newer HP Photosmart 8450 Ethernet printer in my third floor home office, I also have an older HP Photosmart 7550 USB printer that I very much wanted to use on another floor with my Acer Ferrari 4000 laptop running Vista x64. But, I had several obstacles to overcome:

1.     This printer was no longer supported by HP and x64 drivers for Windows Vista will not be available.

2.     I did not want to hardwire the printer to a laptop and I wanted the printer to be located in my first floor utility room where my washer and dryer reside.

3.     I don’t have wired Ethernet on any floor except my third floor home office.

As I researched the x64 driver issue on the HP support site, I learned that the x64 driver for the HP DeskJet 990C would be a good match for this now obsolete but still usable printer. My next step was to consider a wireless print server of some kind. I found D-Link’s DPR-1260 4 port wireless print server online.  This is an impressive wireless print server with two USB and two parallel ports. It even supports many multi function print/scanner/copier all-in-one devices. And it supports WPA-Personal for strong wireless security.

After setting up the DPR-1260 itself through the web based administration application, I used the Add Printer wizard in Windows Vista x64 to install the HP Photosmart 7550. Here are the steps:

1.     Start, Printers, Add a Printer

2.     Select network printer

3.     Stop the scan wizard and select printer is not on this list

4.     Select Connect to a printer at an IP address (Advanced)

5.     Enter the IP address you previously assigned to the print server and uncheck auto-select printer driver

6.     Select Standard Network Printer Server (4 ports)

7.     Select the port the cable is connected to (I used USB1 which is marked on the print server hardware)

8.     Select HP as the manufacturer and DeskJet 990C as the model

9.     Accept or change the printer name displayed a