TP-LINK TL-WR702N nano router

The TL-WR702N is an ultra-compact router that’s similar to the TP-Link MR3020 3G router but it does not have a USB port for the attachment of a 3G/4G dongle. Its features are:

• 150Mbps wireless data rates ideal for video streaming, online gaming and internet calling
• Tiny – Ideal for home and travel use
• Supports AP (default), Client, Router, Repeater and Bridge modes
• Powered through a micro USB port by an external power adapter or USB connection to a computer

Its compact size makes it perfect for travelling, and you can even power it from a spare USB port on your computer or laptop. It utilises very little power, so you’re unlikely to drain your laptop’s battery.

Interesting this is. I had a friend who called me up just the other day to ask if there was a solution to her travel woes. Looks like the solution is right here!

Linksys WRT54G router

I have had this Linksys router for some time now. At one time, I had two homes. One was my mother’s place and one was my own home. My own home had a Linksys WRT54GC router, which performed admirably, from December 2007 till this day. This Linksys WRT54G router was at my mother’s place, replacing an old SMC wireless router that bit the dust after giving me many years of service. That SMC wireless router was one of the best I ever had and it was a shame that it bit the dust. I wanted to get a replacement SMC router but the newer ones did not appeal to me at all so I got this Linksys WRT54G router and I still use it to this day. Great router at a great price, except for the fact hat I have to reboot it every now and again. It has nothing to do with the router in case that is what you are thinking. It has to do with my telco StarHub which has one of the shittiest connections in Singapore. But then again, as I said, this is Singapore and all our telcos are shit. But I digress. get this router and you will never need to buy another router again. Linksys build great products. They may be owned by Cisco now but I still think these routers are great. They even provide you with a 4-port switch at the rear of this router!

********** EDITOR’S NOTE 19th May 2013 **********

I just upgraded the firmware of the router today. Its sad. The router kept hanging and needed a reboot frequently. It has something to do with my internet provider Starhub. They keep changing their WAN address and it causes havoc with the router. So I thought, just to make sure it is not my router that is causing the issues, I decided to upgrade the firmware. The last firmware provided by Cisco Linksys was one from 2009 so I am using tat. So far, so good, I will have to see how it goes with this. Hopefully, it should get rid of all the bugs causing it to hang

Shure SVX288/PG58

I was using this Shure SVX288 wireless microphone system at an event a few days ago and I must say that I was very impressed with its performance. very clear and crisp vocals and excellent from a distance of almost 30 meters. Unlike the single Shure wireless system I covered some time ago, this is a bigger unit with two microphones instead of one. I already have two AKG WMS 40 mics and they operate on one battery instead of two like these Shure wireless microphone systems. The good thing about these Shure wireless microphone systems is that they have XLR sockets on their receivers, unlike the 1/4″ TRS phone jacks on the AKGs. Here is a close-up of the rear of the unit:

As you can see, there is an XLR jack for balanced and a 1/4 phone jack for unbalanced. Looks pretty good. I might get it. Maybe in the future but for now, the AKG will have to do! They have served me well and I am very happy with them

Shure SLX24 & SM58 wireless microphone system

I used this microphone the other day at an event on New Year’s Eve. I was quite amazed at the sound of it and as you know, when you pay for Shure quality, you get awesome quality. I should know because I have always trusted Shure microphones, especially their legendary SM58 microphones. I liked this but the only bugbear about it was the fact that the transmitter in the wireless microphone used two AA batteries and they did not last very long. If I do get something like this, I may have to go the rechargeable route or spend a fortune on batteries. I had batteries running out on me twice in the night and it sure as hell was not funny. My AKG WMS 40 Mini can go for hours on a single alkaline AA battery, and it is cheaper too! In any case, here are the specs of this wireless microphone and receiver:

Transmitter:

• Frequency response tailored for vocals, with brightened midrange and bass Uniform cardioid pickup pattern isolates the main sound source and minimizes background noise
• Pneumatic shock-mount system cuts down handling noise
• Effective, built-in spherical wind and pop filter
• Supplied with break-resistant stand adapter which rotates 180 degrees
• Legendary Shure quality, ruggedness and reliability
• Cardioid (unidirectional) dynamic
• Frequency response: 50 to 15,000 Hz
• Automatic Transmitter Setup
• Backlit LCD with timeout feature

As for the receiver:

• Automatic Frequency Selection
• Automatic Transmitter Setup
• 960 Selectable frequencies across 24 MHz bandwidth
• Detachable 1/4 wave antennas
• Microprocessor-controlled diversity
• RF presence LED
• 5-segment audio meter
• Multi-function, backlit LCD
• Low battery indicator
• Frequency and power lockout
• Rugged metal chassis
• Volume control on rear of unit
• 1/2 rack design
• Furnished rack hardware
• Non-slip bumpers for use out of rack
• XLR and 1/4″ outputs

I will say one thing and that is the receiver gives me the option of using either an unbalanced 1/4″ phone jack or a balanced XLR output. My AKG only has a balanced 1/4″ TRS phone jack as the output but it works out very well and I have no complaints at all. Oh well. Maybe in the future, when my AKGs die out on me, I may make the move for this.

Electro-Voice KWMS288 wireless microphone

I came upon this fairly recently and I am pretty surprised about this because when I did a lookup on the Internet about this particular model from Electro-Voice, I found nothing! So I suppose that this is like the EV Klub series that I came upon some time ago that was equally mysterious. From what I can see in the picture, it is a dual wireless microphone receiver. I suppose that it is pretty inexpensive but this is the thing: I do not know if it is really made by Electro-Voice or if it is a rip-off. It is very hard to tell nowadays as the copies that can be found nowadays are pretty good. But interesting it is indeed.

AKG WMS 40 Mini wireless microphone

I bought my second AKG WMS 40 Mini wireless microphone yesterday. The reason I bought it is because there are events where the customers say that they want two wireless microphones instead of just one. Also, if any of my wireless mics are giving issues, I would have a spare handy. In any case, the shop where I bought the first one from was having a sale. I bought the second one for about $35 cheaper than the first one. I have used this AKG microphone for quite a few times and I am very happy with the sound, quality and portability of this very excellent wireless microphone.

Settng a network up in the office

It is very simple to do actually…setting a network up that is. All you need is an internet connection from your provider and hooking it up to your router. After that, hook it up to a switch and distribute it to all the computers in the office via a switch or if you want, wireless. I recommend switches with cables because it is more secure. Anyone, if they have half-a-mind, can sniff out your wireless password and get into your network and if they are hackers, they can steal your information and do other terrible things besides. This picture was taken at a customer’s place, in the office where they work. It is a very simple setup and they are very pleased with their connection because it is fast. the wireless router there is for those who go to a meeting room and there are no LAN points in the meeting room. The router is set up as a wireless access point with WPA encryption. I might do something like this to my office when it s fully set up…

Shure SVX24 wireless microphone

I had the chance to use this last week at a friend’s wedding and I was surprised as the receiver had two short antenna instead of the usual telescopic ones f the past. A true diversity receiver, it sounded very clear everywhere and the Shure PG-58 capsule always provide the great Shure sound. The thing is, given the proliferation of stuff on the market nowadays, we hardly hear about the good stuff and this Shure slipped right under my nose. At about $400, this is a good system to get and pretty inexpensive too!

I notice that this is not made for the US market but rather for the Asian market as I could not find it listed on the main Shure site. No matter. Great sound will always prevail with a Shure microphone, a brand I have been using for more than 20 years.

SMC 2870W wireless bridge

I was using this SMC wireless bridge for many years. It has helped me in many situations. Once, it was used as a wireless extender for my Fujitsu laptop that did not have embedded wireless. At one time in my workplace, it was used as a Wireless Access Point to test the network. It was truly worth the price paid for it. And you know what? SMC really makes products that last because this thing is still functioning! They certainly do not make them like they used to!

TP-LINK TL-WN321G wireless dongle

I bought this for my house personal computer because sometimes, I would like to have the flexibility of wireless. This was the cheapest one that I could find and I must admit, it works pretty darn good! Only cost me about $16. I bought one for my wife as well because her old computer does not have its wireless capability any more as the internal wireless module is shot. Works a treat as well!

• USB 2.0 connector
• Wireless speed up to 54Mbps, ideal for basic Internet surfing
• Supports WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryptions
• OS: Windows 7 32/64bit, Vista 32/64bit, XP 32/64b

I have tested this dongle all through the house and it picks up my router’s reception very well. I have two routers that I use: one is a Linksys WRT54GC and a D-Link HSDPA router. This TP-Link dongle picks both of them up with no issues at all. A good, solid buy and well recommended!