Zardon

With a new installation system that automates virtually all processes, and even offers on-screen pictures and color-coded ports and cables for easy setup of shared high-speed DSL or Cable Internet access
If technical terms like PPPoE and DHCP stop you in your tracks and you get hives if you’re asked for a Windows CD or Ethernet adapter driver disk, Actiontec Electronics has a better way for you to set up a wired or wireless network in your home or small office. Actiontec is preparing to ship four different home networking kits with a new installation system that automates virtually all processes, and even offers on-screen pictures and color-coded ports and cables for easy setup of shared high-speed DSL or Cable Internet access.
Result: home networking that’s easy enough for even the most die-hard technophobe. In just a few minutes, family members and colleagues can start accessing the Internet simultaneously from anywhere in the house or yard without having to call the local computer geek or Technical Support for help. No other system is as simple to use.

“I bought a competitive product that was so difficult to install that the salesman warned me that most customers returned it, and I wound up spending two hours trying to set it up with no success even though I have some technical background,” said Peggy Hoffman, a California-based IT project manager. “Actiontec’s prompts, color-coding and pictorial guide are so simple that the hardest thing I had to do was to put a CD in the CD-ROM drive. The difference was amazing.”

Actiontec’s new installation system for establishing high-speed Internet sharing includes a series of color-coded ports and cables that eliminates confusion, plus an Actiontec Installation Buddy™ that guides users through the installation process with pictures. This on-screen aid searches the user’s computer to determine whether the network connection should be established via USB or Ethernet port, then sends the user down a color-coded path with photos and instructions customized for that installation. As a result, users will be able to get their first computer connected to the Internet and to the Actiontec Router or Gateway in a matter of minutes.
This new system further simplifies network installation with the Connection 1-2-3™ wizard. Connection 1-2-3™ automates the process of adding new computers to the network, including verifying the network settings and TCP/IP readiness of each new computer and correcting problems if necessary. Users no longer need to navigate through numerous screens to follow an antiquated process of setting up the TCP/IP, for example, because the system handles this and other functions automatically.

“Complicated setup and configuration are by far the biggest barriers to widespread adoption of home networking today, and our new installation system is designed specifically to remove those barriers,” said Chuang Li, vice president of engineering at Actiontec Electronics. “We have automated a very technical process and reduced it to little more than asking consumers to connect a series of color-coordinated cables. With our system, a home network practically installs itself.”
“This new installation system, designed for our Router and Gateway products, is just one example of Actiontec’s commitment to making Broadband technology easy,” stated Dean Chang, president and CEO of Actiontec Electronics. “We have already developed an easy to use DSL modem and will continue to lead our industry by developing the easiest to use products on the market.”

· Actiontec Wireless Cable/DSL Router (MSRP $199.99), a kit for building wired or wireless home or small
office networks that comes with an 802.11b-compliant wireless Access Point for wireless networking.

· Actiontec Wireless-Ready Cable/DSL Router (MSRP $99.99), a networking solution that allows users to
connect wired computers and provides an upgrade path for wireless networking with the addition of an 802.11b
compliant PC Card.

· Actiontec Dual-Mode Wireless-Ready Cable/DSL Router (MRSP $99.99), a new product that upgrades
any Ethernet Cable or DSL Modem, or any Actiontec USB Home DSL Modem, for networking.

· Actiontec Wireless-Ready DSL Gateway, a networking router with a built-in ADSL modem that is sold
through Internet Service Providers and phone companies to provide their customers with a simple broadband home
network.

All four products permit users to incorporate desktop and mobile computers on one network; access the Internet at speeds of up to 100 Mbps or wirelessly at 11 Mbps; and connect to the home network either wirelessly or through a USB or Ethernet port. All products also include a built-in firewall and an open PC Card slot that will support future cards permitting applications such as wireless printer sharing and Internet-based voice phone calls via VoIP. Integrated antennas provide wireless connectivity up to 300 feet indoors and 1,500 feet outdoors. For more details on these products, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.actiontec.com.">http://www.actiontec.com.</a>

Shaith

With a 4-port switch and full wireless capability, you'd be hard pressed to choose against the Linksys BEFW11S4 EtherFast Wireless AP. Linksys has been doing it longer, has better support (both company and user community), and at $149.99, it's cheaper than the $199.99 Actiontec price tag.

Then there's the Dlink Airplus, with twice the speed of the standard 802.11 WAP at 22 mbps. Very competitive pricing, as it's also $149.99, and it includes firewall, 4-port switch, and supports up to 256 bit encryption on the fly. It also handles PPTP VPN and IPsec sessions, which would allow you to access your machine securely from remote, or access your company's network to finish that last-minute project from home instead of at the office.

If speed is your concern, and you're worried about people listening in, or worried about interference from other appliances (2.4 GHz is unlicensed - phones, TV relays, all kinds of things operate in that band and can run over one another fairly easily) you might consider the traditional method. Cat5 cable is cheap, and network cards can be purchased for about $25 apiece at WalMart. It doesn't take an expert to run, either. Gravity, a metal fan chain, and a magnet, and you're off to the races. The drawback, of course, is having a fixed location for your equipment, certainly not ideal with laptop users.

For the complete novice, Earthlink offers Home Networking services which include network gateway, the connection, and they'll even tell you what additional hardware you're going to need. And then they'll walk you through the installation. Price depends on wired or wireless model, with the wired model taking advantage of the house telephone wiring to provide the network cabling you need.