Monday, April 16th 2007

Belkin 802.11N hub has USB connections; Acts like dedicated network server.

We've all heard things about 802.11N. However, after years of rumors, the specifications are going to be finalized this summer. And so, with the finalization of the 802.11N specifications, we will start to see routers with previously unheard-of ranges/speeds. And thanks to manufacturers like Belkin, we will also see routers with previously unheard-of features. Anyone who has more than one computer and a USB device that needs to be accessed on both computers knows how painful it is to set up, if it's set up at all. Belkin looks to fix this with a $130 router running Linux. Assuming all router clients are running the client software, if a user plugs a USB device into the router, the device is suddenly accessible to all users on the network, as long as the users accessing the device have the proper drivers installed. This makes digital camera/MP3 player/PDA device synchronizations much easier on network users.
Source: Reg Hardware
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10 Comments on Belkin 802.11N hub has USB connections; Acts like dedicated network server.

#1
kwchang007
cool, no more having to turn on the other comp for pics. that and syncing your camera? that's cool
Posted on Reply
#2
kureng
great new features! never thought of dis thing on a router...
Posted on Reply
#3
kakazza
Maybe it's the first 802.11n router which can do that, but the features itself aren't new. There are quite a few 802.11g routers which have USB and/or Parallel ports.
Usually used for printers, most of them can make USB Storage available on the network too.

See ASUS WL-500 series.
Posted on Reply
#4
Wile E
Power User
kakazzaMaybe it's the first 802.11n router which can do that, but the features itself aren't new. There are quite a few 802.11g routers which have USB and/or Parallel ports.
Usually used for printers, most of them can make USB Storage available on the network too.

See ASUS WL-500 series.
Yeah, and many of them will do it without special drivers.
Posted on Reply
#5
kakazza
Wile EYeah, and many of them will do it without special drivers.
Sarcasm?
Posted on Reply
#6
Wile E
Power User
kakazzaSarcasm?
No. Serious statement. Many of them act as a Samba server.
Posted on Reply
#7
mdm-adph
kakazzaSarcasm?
Considering most of my home computers run Linux, I'd be royally pissed if these "drivers" are only available for Windows.
Posted on Reply
#8
freaksavior
To infinity ... and beyond!
too bad it's not 10/100/1000
Posted on Reply
#9
WarEagleAU
Bird of Prey
Awesome. Im glad they come up with this. Belkin makes great products and they make them affordable and just as good as the big guys (netgear, linksys, dlink, buffalo, etc).
Posted on Reply
#10
schriss
Asus WL-500W runs linux, you can see in it's logs that it starts Samba daemon, FTP daemon and other stuff. Router is visible in Network, no drivers needed. USB devices are also accessible via FTP locally and from internet. Router web admin allows you to create and protect directories. It also acts as Media server, Windows Media Player recognizes it. And it also has true Firewall with configurable filters. Oh yes, it also has FTP/www file Download manager and torrent built-in.
But that Asus has problems, be cautious before buying, read forums first, etc..

Anyway, such features is a step in the right direction.
Posted on Reply
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