Wireless Router N buying guide

WNDR3700 n netgear router dealIf you are looking to upgrade you existing wireless g router to a wirless n router then you came to the right place. I have researched a lot and finally I came up with following features a new wireless n router should have:

  1. Dual Band: Wireless N router must support dual band. Dual band supports 2.4Ghz and the newer, less busy 5Ghz frequencies.
  2. Gigabit switch: It must have gigabit switch for wired networking.
  3. A USB port to connect my hard drive over the network for sharing and backup.
  4. WPA2 encryption, denial-of-service (DoS) and stateful packet inspetion (SPI) features in Firewall.

After researching I found following three routers in the order which fits above criteria and I liked them:

  1. Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700 Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router
    • Dual-band Wireless-N router provides outstanding speed and performance for serious gamers, enthusiasts, and small businesses
    • Simultaneous operation on 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz frequencies for combined 600 Mbps speed
    • Powerful 680 MHz 32-bit processor
    • Four Gigabit Ethernet ports; USB 2.0 port for adding external storage
    • Device measures 8.8 x 1.2 x 6.0 inches (WxHxD)

    Product Description

    The NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router delivers the ultimate in wireless performance for home and small business networking. With twice the available bandwidth, separate wireless-N access points for media and data, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports, you enjoy more reliable connections, faster wireless, and maximum wired speeds- ideal for connecting multiple computers running multiple applications. The Dual Band Gigabit Router manages network traffic too, so there’s less lag in streaming, VoIP, and other critical tasks. Centralizing an external storage device and file sharing is easy. Just connect your USB storage device to the router, and every computer on your network can easily exchange media, documents, music, and more.

  2. Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
    • Internet-sharing Router and 4-port Gigabit Switch, with a built-in, dual-band, speed and range enhanced Wireless Access Point
    • Two simultaneous, separate, radio bands double your available bandwidth
    • MIMO technology uses multiple radios per band to create robust signals for maximum range and speed, with reduced dead spots
    • Connect a hard drive or flash-based USB storage device to allow access to your music, video, or data files from within your network

    Product Description

    Linksys Ultra RangePlus, Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router The Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router is really four devices in one box. First, there’s the dual-band Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect to the network without wires. There’s also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100/1000 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together at up to gigabit speeds. The Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection. We’ve also included a Storage Link that lets you easily add gigabytes of storage space onto your network using readily available USB 2.0 hard drives — or plug in a USB flash disk for a convenient way to access your portable data files. The built-in Media Server streams music, video, and photos from the attached storage device to any UPnP compatible media adapter. And you can get to your files from anywhere in the world through the Internet. The Access Point built into the Router uses a dual-band version of the very latest wireless networking technology, Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios for each band, Wireless-N’s “Multiple In, Multiple Out” (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce “dead spots” in the wireless coverage area. The robust signals travel farther, maintaining wireless connections much farther than standard Wireless-G.

  3. D-Link DIR-855 Xtreme N Duo Dual Band Draft 802.11n Media Router
    • With some routers, all wired and wireless traffic, including Voice over IP (VoIP), Video Streaming, Online Gaming, and Web browsing
    • The DIR-855 utilizes MediaBand (5GHz), which is the best technology available for wirelessly streaming multiple HD videos across your network
    • Delivering best-in-class performance, network security, and coverage, the Xtreme N Duo Media Router (DIR-855)
    • Create a dualband wireless network to share high-speed Internet access with computers, game consoles, or media players
    • Intelligent QoS technology prioritizes Internet traffic as well as wired and wireless network traffic

All the three routers support the features which I want but I liked WNDR3700 most. The USB port on WNDR3700 supports DLNA so I don’t need a pc to stream content on my PS3 Slim. Also Dlink DIR-855 is super expensive so don’t buy that unless you find super cheap deal.

Best Xbox 360 Elite deal – $250

xbox 360 elite deal

  • Includes LEGO Batman: The Videogame and PURE
  • 120GB hard drive
  • Sleek black console with matching wireless controller and headset
  • HD ready – with an HDMI port (HDMI cable sold separately)
  • Ethernet cable

Product Description

Introducing Xbox 360 Elite, the premier Xbox 360 console package that includes a massive 120GB hard drive, a HDMI port, and HDMI cable, all wrapped up with a premium black finish. Xbox 360 Elite also includes a black wireless controller and black Xbox LIVE headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a whole library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows, movies, music, and all the other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

How to get this offer:

  1. Click here to get the XBOX 360 deal from amazon.com – $50 Amazon.com Gift Card* = $250

* $50 Amazon.com Gift Card with Xbox 360 Elite Winter Bundle Purchase
For a limited time, you’ll get a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card, when you purchase the Xbox 360 Elite Winter Bundle. Offer valid December 12, 2009, – December 18, 2009, 11:59 PM Pacific time, when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Limit one per household. To qualify, check out with both of the items in your cart. The price of the gift card will be discounted during check out.

Xbox 360 Vs PS3 Slim Comparison

Xbox 360 Vs PS3 Slim

Xbox 360 Vs PlayStation 3 / PS3 Comparison

I owned both Xbox 360 and PS3 Slim for some period and after using PS3 Slim I liked it so much that I sold my Xbox 360 on ebay. I am not a gamer and I needed a htpc which can stream photo, video and music from my PC and play Blu-ray. Following are top 10 lists / comparision between Xbox 360 and PS3 Slim:

  1. PS3 Slim has a Blu-ray and DVD player built in while Xbox 360 has only DVD player.
  2. While both PS3 Slim and Xbox 360 can stream photo, video and music, PS3 Slim was also able to stream my Casio Exilim recorded video which was in .mov format natively. Also it can play ripped DVDs .vob files while Xbox 360 can’t play.
  3. PS3 Slim and Xbox 360 both supports Netflix streaming but you have to have and pay for Xbox live gold membership if you want to stream through Xbox 360 while PS3 Slim it’s free.
  4. PS3 Slim and Xbox 360 Elite version has 120 GB hard drive but Xbox 360 hard drive was useless for me. Xbox 360 hard drive can be used only for downloadable contents and copying contents from music CD only while PS3 Slim you can copy on in built hard drive any supported content from network and fat formatted harddrive.
  5. PS3 Slim has built in Internet browser and supports youtube while Xbox 360 don’t have these feature.
  6. PS3 Slim has gigabit lan port and built in Wi-Fi while Xbox 360 has only 100 mbs lan port and you have pay for Wi-Fi adapter.
  7. PS3 Slim is very power efficent uses only 80 watts for playing Blu-ray and has latest 45nm chip while Xbox 360 uses 121 watts just for playing DVD.
  8. Total cost of Xbox 360 is much higher if you consider wi-fi adapter, buying additional Blu-ray player. Risk of failure is also very high compare to PS3 Slim.
  9. Xbox 360 has HDMI 1.2 output while PS3 Slim has HDMI 1.3 output which supports Dolby TrueHD audio.
  10. Last but not least PS3 Slim is small and there is no bulky power adapter while Xbox 360 itself is bigger and on top it’s power adapter is super bulky.

Additionaly with PS3 Media Server it can do mkv without transcoding.

Update: PS3 Slim also can play video sequentially if you need to and it was good option for me to play all short video in once which I took from my digital camera. Xbox 360 you can play one video at time only.

So why do you need Xbox 360?

  1. Xbox 360 user interface is better than PS3 Slim.
  2. If you like Xbox 360 exclusive games but again I am not gamer so I don’t care.
  3. Xbox 360 has much better online game play than PS3 Slim but you have to have Xbox live gold membership and pay for it.

Best DIRECTV Deal

DIRECTV Deal

If you follow my blog then you probably know that I am DISH Network fan. I like DISH Network because it’s not about television anymore but it’s about the DVR. DISH Network has best ViP 722k HD DVR no doubt it but second best is DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR. In fact DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR is coming very close to DISH Network DVR and in some cases it’s leaving behind the DISH Network with features like DIRECTV2PCTM and Media Share.

With DIRECTV2PCTM you can watch TV on you PC

With the Media Share feature on Plus® HD DVR receiver and a PC, you can unleash pictures, tunes and videos from your computer and access them on your TV. It gives you an exciting new way to share them with your friends and family.

DIRECTV has also more common watchable HD channel than DISH Network.

So if you would like more HD channels and Sports programming than DISH Network then DIRECTV is the way to go.

DIRECTV is bit expensive than DISH Network but right now they have excellent offer right.

  • Save $26 every month till 2011
  • $100 Visa Card if sign up before 12/31/2009
  • FREE professional installation
  • FREE HD DVR Receiver
  • FREE Local Channel
  • FREE Starz and Showtime for 3 months
How to get this offer:

  1. Click here to get this best deal from directv.com

Best Deal on McAfee 2010 Total Protection – FREE !

best deal McAfee 2010 Total Protection

McAfee 2010 Total Protection

  • McAfee Total Protection 2010 provides award-winning PC and online security for total peace of mind
  • Detects, blocks, and removes viruses, spyware, and adware
  • Identity protection helps you to shop, bank, and trade online safely
  • Parental controls allow your children to go online safely
  • Advanced home network protection with network monitoring

Product Description

McAfee Total Protection suite offers you and your family the ultimate PC and online security with accelerated performance. It’s now available with revolutionary Active Protection technology, enabling the fastest updates and highest levels of detection against malicious threats. It provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-phishing, and firewall, in addition to parental controls and identity protection. Also included are a powerful website safety advisor and bonus McAfee Anti-Theft File Protection software.

Amazon.com Product Description

McAfee Total Protection suite offers you and your family the ultimate PC and online security with accelerated performance. It’s now available with revolutionary Active Protection technology, enabling the fastest updates and highest levels of detection against malicious threats. It provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-phishing, two-way firewall in addition to parental controls, identity protection, and a powerful website safety advisor.

Faster performance
Now with quicker startup, shutdown, and scan times, and it runs silently in the background without slowing down your PC, so you can play games, watch videos, and use applications uninterrupted.

Enterprise-class anti-spam
Upgraded with powerful industry grade spam protection that helps keep your inbox free from unwanted, fraudulent, offensive, and phishing emails.

Power optimization
Extends the battery lifetime of notebook PCs by deferring scheduled scans until the computer is plugged in and can be set up to shut down automatically after running a scan to help save energy.

Network monitoring
Alerts you when intruders connect to your home network.

Age-appropriate searching
Automatically sets the proper content filtering levels of popular search engines.

Parental controls support for Google Chrome
Lets your children choose Google’s latest web browser and still be protected.

The McAfee Advantage

McAfee security products use award-winning technology, are easy to install, and come with unlimited email and instant message chat assistance. With continuous and automatic updates, McAfee helps ensure that you are running the most current security to combat the ever-evolving Internet threats for the duration of your subscription.

McAfee SecurityCenter
Provides an easy-to-read security status screen and puts you in control with fully customizable options.

McAfee SystemGuards
Warns you when your computer shows specific behavior that may signal virus, spyware, or hacker activity.

Stealth Mode
Makes your computer invisible to hackers.

Shredder
Allows you to effectively remove any and all traces of confidential files from your computer.

Parental Controls
Allows your children to go online safely.

Data Backup
Automatically saves copies of your most valuable files on a CD/ DVD, USB, external, or network drive.

Protection Without Interference
You can watch movies or play games uninterrupted as McAfee security intelligently defers tasks, updates, and alerts when you’re in full-screen mode.

How to get this offer:

  1. Click here to get the McAfee 2010 Total Protection deal from amazon.com
  2. List Price $70 – $70 Rebate = FREE!!!!!!!

Best Blu-ray player deal | PS3 slim with Netflix

best ps3 slim deal

Why do I like PS3 over other Blu-ray player?

  • First its super fine gaming machine so even though you don’t play games now you can always play games in future.
  • PS3 slim is future proof. While other new Blu-ray players may get some firmware upgrade in near future only Sony PS3 Slim support you can trust on for long time.
  • The PlayStation 3 is capable of photo, audio, and video playback in a variety of formats. It also includes various photo slideshow options and several music visualizations. Hopefully with future upgrade should be able to handle mkv and other new formats too.
  • Netflix, YouTube supports. Not many Blu-ray players has these feature.
  • Stream Media to PS3 from home computer. Again not many Blu-ray players support it, and if they do they are very close to PS3 slim price range.
  • PS3 Slim has an Internet Browser for other online contents. I don’t know of any Blu-ray player has that feature.
  • PS3 Slim has 2 USB ports for external hard drive. Can play ripped DVD though no subtitle support. Also you can copy variety for media on local 120 GB hard drive. I don’t know any Blu-ray player has 120 GB.
  • PS3 Slim has gigabit ethernet port besides wifi. Fast streaming from local media.
  • With free open source PS3 Media Server PS3 slim becomes super powerful home entertainment device. You can stream mkv, DVD, avi any kinds of media files from your home computer with DTS and subtitles support.

Best Deal on Gateway EC1805u 11.6-Inch Laptop (Red) only $359.99

link to deal

  • 1.4GHz Intel Core2 Solo SU3500 Processor
  • 2048MB DDR2 667MHz Memory
  • 250GB SATA Hard Drive
  • 11.6″ HD Widescreen LED-backlit Display, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
  • Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, Up to 7 Hours of Battery Life

Product Description

Gateway EC1805u Notebook comes with these specs: Intel Centrino Mobile Processor Technology- Intel Core2 Solo Processor SU3500, Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 11.6″ HD Widescreen LED-backlit Display, Mobile Intel GS45 Express Chipset, 2048MB DDR2 667MHz Memory, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, 250GB SATA Hard Drive, Integrated Webcam, Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, Dolby Sound Room Audio Enhancement, Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N, 3 – USB 2.0 Ports, 1 – HDMI Port, Multi-gesture Touchpad, 6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh), up to 7-hours of battery life, 3.08 lbs. | 1.4 kg (system unit only), AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord, Wireless Setup Card, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, Norton Internet Security 2009 Trial (60-day insert)

It’s a faster processor then netbook ATOM processor. I think it’s very good deal for small laptop and better processor with wireless n.

How to get this offer:

  1. Click here to get the Gateway EC1805u 11.6-Inch Laptop deal from amazon.com
  2. List Price $359.99 – $90 Instant Savings= $359.99 FINAL PRICE

Best Deal | Archos 5 250 GB Internet Media Tablet only $199.99

link to deal

  • NOTE: For best experience, fully charge your device before turning it on (about 8 hours)
  • 250 GB capacity for up to 300 movies, 2.5 million photos, or 145,000 songs
  • Up to 22 hours music and 7 hours video playback time on a single charge
  • 4.8-inch TFT LCD touchscreen; 800 x 480 pixel resolution; 16 million colors
  • Video support: MPEG-4, WMV, and M-JPEG; Audio support: MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV; plug-ins available for further video and audio format support

Amazon.com Product Description — Posted August 19, 2008

Archos, award-winning for its constant technology innovation and leadership in portable media players now introduces a new concept: the Internet Media Tablet (IMT). The Archos 5 is the flagship product of this new line, bringing you a new way to enjoy the Internet, your media, and TV–all in a handheld device. The Archos 5 250 GB IMT is a high-end portable device with an ultra-thin design, a black stainless steel body, a high-resolution 5-inch touchscreen, and the horsepower of a laptop.
What’s in the Box
Archos 5 250 GB Internet Media Tablet, headphones, Archos USB cable, DVR Station adapter (DVR Station is sold separately), screen cleaning cloth, quick start guide, legal and safety notice.

How to get this offer:

  1. Click here to get the Archos 5 250 GB deal from amazon.com
  2. List Price $449.99 – $250 Instant Savings= $199.99 FINAL PRICE

Best deal on Toshiba – Satellite Laptop with Intel® CoreTM2 Duo Processor – Midnight Breeze – $399.99

best toshiba satellite laptop deal

Toshiba Laptop | S505-S5984 | Product Features

  • Intel® CoreTM2 Duo mobile processor T6500
    Features 2 processing cores, 800MHz frontside bus, 2MB L2 cache and 2.1GHz processor speed per core.
  • 2 high-performance processing cores
    To run multiple demanding applications simultaneously without hesitation.
  • 3GB DDR3 memory
    For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.
  • Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
    Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media; also supports DVD-RAM.
  • 16″ TFT-LCD widescreen display
    With TruBrite technology and 1366 x 768 resolution showcases movies and games in stunning clarity.
  • 250GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
    Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.
  • Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
    With dynamically allocated shared graphics memory. Built-in stereo speakers.
  • Media control buttons
    Include CD/DVD controls and mute.
  • Built-in webcam with microphone
    Makes it easy to video chat with family and friends.
  • Multiformat media reader
    Supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, miniSD, microSD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and MultiMediaCard formats.
  • 2 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
    For fast digital video, audio and data transfer. 1 eSATA/USB combo port.
  • Realtek wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
    To wirelessly connect to the Internet.
  • Built-in 10/100 Ethernet LAN
    With RJ-45 connector for quick and easy wired Web connection.
  • Weighs 6 lbs. and measures 1.6″ thin
    For portable power.
  • Good battery life
    Of up to 3 hours and 20 minutes.
  • Fusion Finish in Midnight Breeze
    For a stylish look.
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition operating system preinstalled
    Provides a stable platform for word processing, Web navigation, gaming, media storage and more.
  • Software package included
    With Microsoft Works 9, Adobe Acrobat Reader and more. 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Edition also
  • Other Toshiba Laptop Deals :

    http://www.toshibadirect.com

    This is a nice deal for the toshiba laptop.

    How to get this offer:

    1. Click here to get the toshiba laptop deal from bestbuy.com

    Best Deal on Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic -$129.99

    Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT

    • 4.3-inch widescreen touch display lets you view map detail, driving directions, photos, and more in bright, brilliant color
    • Preloaded with detailed 2D and 3D City Navigator NT street maps, with over 6 million points of interest
    • Voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names and HotFix satellite prediction
    • Features Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker for hands-free calling
    • NOTE: Model number on the box is 285WT because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 285W as the “T” in 285WT refers to the additional component

    Amazon.com Product Description

    Get MSN Direct and a big screen for a small price with nüvi 285WT. This widescreen navigator takes you there with preloaded maps and turn-by-turn directions that call out streets by name. It delivers real-time local weather, traffic, movie times, stock information, gas prices, news and local events as you navigate. Like the rest of the nüvi 205-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use.

    How to get this offer:

    1. Click here to get the deal from amazon.com
    2. List Price $249.99 – $120= $129.99