Planet PoE Injector Hubs

July 19th, 2011

Planet’s Aussie importer recently introduced a new line of products called “injector hubs” which I thought warranted a little futher explanation. These at first glance appear to be similar to a PoE switch with only half the number of ports capable of  PoE but they’re actually quite a bit different. They’re better thought of as a stack of PoE injectors built into one unit, and they’re hubs, not switches, which would quite often be used in conjunction with a switch per the diagram below. The other aspect is half the ports are inputs while the other half are outputs. eg in the case of the 48 port HPOE-2400G, 24 ports are inputs and 24 are outputs with PoE.

There’s 4 port, 12 port and 24 port versions available. Check them out at the online shop here.

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95Mbps download on a FritzBox

June 28th, 2011

Raaj Menon, CEO of PCRange who import the Fritz and Billion amongst other products, recently got hooked up to the NBN and achieved an amazing 95Mbps downstream and 35Mbps Upstream using a Fritz AVM7390.

See the Channel 7 Adelaide news report here.
See Raaj’s personal blog about his experience here.

Click here to check out both of the Fritz routers.

Posted in marketing, technologies | No Comments »

Fritz 3G Modem Compatibility List

June 15th, 2011

We’re still waiting on an official compatibility list from Fritz but they can confirm so far that the following modems will work -

  • Huawei E160/E/G
  • Huawei E169/G
  • Huawei E170
  • Huawei E172
  • Huawei E173
  • Huawei E176
  • Huawei E180
  • Huawei E220
  • Huawei E1762
  • Huawei K3520
  • Huawei K3565
  • Huawei K3715
  • Sierra 885 Compass
  • ZTE MF622

Click here to check the Fritz forums for any updates. In the meantime my advice is if you don’t see it in the list above or on the forums and/or can’t get positive confirmation from someone else who has tried it already then assume it won’t work.

Click here to check out the Fritz range.

Also available at the online shop are discounts on the Fritz AVMMT-F cordless phones and the AVMWLAN dual band wireless adapters if purchased with a Fritz router, as well as discounts on the routers with a signup with Exetel or TPG.
Click here to check out all of the options.

Posted in 3G Wireless | No Comments »

VoIP Router Comparison

May 30th, 2011

I get a lot of enquiries asking whether one product or brand is better than another and/or which one is the best. The problem is there isn’t a simple answer I can give in most cases because it all comes down to the features needed (or wanted) and how much you’d like to spend. A cheaper product may be everything one person will ever need or want and perform flawlessly for many years, while a more discerning buyer might need something more powerful and complex to adequately look after their needs. Other people might not have considered certain features but once made aware of them they decide that the extra dollars are worth spending.

One of the hottest categories at the moment are Routers with VoIP and/or 11n wireless and/or with 3G dongle support (or all of the above) so I put together a chart in XLS format (downloadable here) comparing the more popular products at the moment and the features I think differentiate them the best. The product names can be clicked to go through to my reviews for more information and to check the latest price.

There are a few notable exceptions from this list which I left out because I think the technology is starting to date (like 11g wireless products like the Billion 7401VGPR3, 7404VGPX/7404VGOX) or they’re getting up into a higher end category, but if you’re in the market for something cheaper or dearer than the ones on my list then these are definitely still worth a look.

Posted in 3G Wireless, tips | No Comments »

Routers that support a block of public IP addresses

March 7th, 2011

I occasionally get requests from people wanting a router that can deal with blocks of public IP addresses, also known as IP Aliasing (information I don’t have in the Find-A-Router tool).
This old Snapgear Knowledge Base Article explains the pros and cons of the various ways routers can be configured for this situation. See also this FAQ in the Draytek Knowledge Base on the topic.

Draytek report that the Vigor3300/3300V will support up to 32 public IP addresses per WAN interface. All other models will support 8.

Billion state that the 74xx, 78xx and BiGuard can support IP Aliases. All of them can support up to 10 IP Aliases.

Netgear report that all of their higher end routers like the FVS336G, SRXN3205 & SRX5308 have this feature. There is no limit to the number of IP addresses because it’s based on port forwarding. However they can forward to a public IP address instead of the WAN IP address.

D-Link tell me the DSR-500N or DSR-1000N and their DFL series Firewalls all support it.

Cyberoam report that all of their models support it with no limit on addresses.

Cisco told me to call their pre-sales hotline. 

Linksys report that nothing in their consumer range had this capability.

SMC state that all of their routers can support at least two public IP address but can’t qualify beyond that.

EnGenius tell me their routers don’t support it.

Posted in technologies, tips | No Comments »

Cyberoam Supported 3G/GSM/CDMA USB Devices

March 2nd, 2011

Cyberoam currently list the following 3G/GSM/CDMA USB devices as supported on their products.

Click here to check out the Cyberoam range at the OzCableguy shop. Or, to find all available options for any particular model just type the model No into the search box at the top left hand side.

Alcatel One Touch X020
Alcatel One Touch X030
Alcatel X200/X060S
A-Link
A-Link 3GU
A-Link DLINK_PRODUCT_DWM_652_U5
AnyDATA ADU-500A, ADU-510A, ADU-510L, ADU-520A
AT&T USBConnect Quicksilver
AVM Fritz!Wlan USB Stick N
BandLuxe C120
C-motech CGU-628
C-motech CHU-629S
C-motech D-50
Cricket A600
Dell Wireless 5500 Mobile Broadband HSDPA Mini-Card
Dell Wireless 5505 Mobile Broadband HSDPA Mini-Card
Dell Wireless 5510 Mobile Broadband HSDPA ExpressCard
Dell Wireless 5520 Voda I Mobile Broadband (3G HSDPA) Minicard
Dell Wireless 5700 Mobile Broadband CDMA/EVDO ExpressCard
Dell Wireless 5700 Mobile Broadband CDMA/EVDO Mini-Card
Dell Wireless 5700 Mobile Broadband CDMA/EVDO Mini-Card
Dell Wireless 5720
Dell Wireless 5730 Mobile Broadband EVDO/HSPA Mini-Card
Dell Wireless HSDPA 5520
D-Link DWM-162-U5
EpiValley SEC-7089
Huawei E1550
Huawei E1612
Huawei E169
Huawei E1690
Huawei E1692
Huawei E1750
Huawei E1762
Huawei E1762
Huawei E180
Huawei E1820
Huawei E220
Huawei E230
Huawei E270
Huawei E270+
Huawei E630
Huawei E870
Huawei K3765
Huawei K4505
HuaXing E600
Hummer DTM5731
Hyundai Mobile MB-810
LG LDU-1900D EV-DO (Rev. A)
MobiData MBD-200HU
MobiData MBD-200HU
Motorola 802.11 bg WLAN (TER/GUSB3-E)
MyWave SW006 Sport Phone/Modem Combination
Nokia CS-15
Novatel E725/E726
Novatel ES620/ES720/U720/USB720
Novatel EU730 and Vodafone EU740
Novatel EU850D/EU860D/EU870D
Novatel EV620/ES620 CDMA/EV-DO
Novatel EVDO Embedded product
Novatel EVDO product
Novatel HSPA Embedded product
Novatel HSPA product
Novatel MC727/U727/USB727
Novatel MC727/U727/USB727
Novatel MC727/U727/USB727
Novatel MC760 3G
Novatel MC760/U760/USB760
Novatel MC930D/MC950D
Novatel MC990D
Novatel Merlin ES620 SM Bus
Novatel Merlin EX720/V740/X720
Novatel Merlin V620/S620
Novatel Merlin V640/XV620
Novatel Merlin V720/S720/PC720
Novatel Merlin XU870 HSDPA/3G
Novatel non-Vodafone EU740
Novatel Ovation MC760
Novatel U727 USB modem
Novatel U730/U740 (VF version)
Novatel U740
Novatel U760 USB modem
Novatel U870
Novatel Wireless Merlin XU950D
Novatel Wireless Ovation 930D
Novatel Wireless Ovation MC950D HSUPA
Novatel X950D
ONDA MT503HS
ONDA MT505UP
Option GlobeSurfer Icon
Option GlobeSurfer Icon 7.2
Option GlobeSurfer Icon 7.2
Option GlobeTrotter EXPRESS 7.2
Option GlobeTrotter GT MAX “7.2 Ready”
Option GlobeTrotter GT MAX 3.6
Option GlobeTrotter HSUPA Modem
Option iCON 210
Option iCON 225 HSDPA
Option iCON 401
Philips TalkTalk
PROLiNK PHS100
QUALCOMM Onda H600/ZTE MF330
QUALCOMM ZTE AC8700
Sagem F@ST 9520-35-GLR
Samsung SGH-Z810 USB
Samsung U209
Sierra Wireless AirCard 880U
Sierra Wireless AirCard 881U
Sierra Wireless Compass 597
Siptune LM-75
Solomon S3Gm-660
Sony Ericsson MD400
ST Mobile Connect HSUPA USB Modem
Toshiba 3G HSDPA
Toshiba G450
UTStarcom UM175
Vertex Wireless 100 Series
Vodafone K3760
Vodafone MD950 (Wisue Technology)
ZTE 6535-Z
ZTE AC2710 (EVDO)
ZTE AC2726
ZTE AC8710
ZTE K3520-Z
ZTE K3565
ZTE MF110
ZTE MF620
ZTE MF622
ZTE MF626
ZTE MF628
ZTE MF628+
ZTE MF633
ZTE MF636
ZTE MF637
ZTE MF638
Zydas ZD1211RW WLAN USB, Sphairon HomeLink 1202 (Variant 1 & 2)

Posted in 3G Wireless | 1 Comment »

Fritz!Box

December 8th, 2010

Billion & Aximcom importer PCRange is about to launch a new product onto the market called the Fritz!Box. There’s 2 models so far which incorporate a bunch of features including an ADSL modem, optional ethernet WAN port, 3G support, 11n wireless, VoIP and a built-in DECT (cordless phone) base station similar to Iinet’s Bob.

The 7270 model has an RRP of $369.00 while the more upmarket 7390 model has an RRP of $469.00, although real market prices are likely to be substantially cheaper.

At this stage the telephone handsets are an extra with an RRP of $129.00 each but there may possibly be some bundle deals by the time they hit the market around February March 2011.

Here’s a comparison of the 2 models’ features with Bob:

Feature Fritz!Box 7270 Fritz!Box 7390 Belkin Bob
Warranty 5 Years 5 Years 2 Years
Dect handsets supported 6 6 5
VOIP Accounts Supported 20 20 2 (1 provider)
USB Ports 1 2 (Both support full use) 2 (1 for charging only)
LAN Ports 4 4 4
FXS Ports 2 2 1
Dual Stack IPv6 Yes Yes No
VDSL (100Mbs) No Yes (no longer officially supported) No
Built-in NAS Yes Yes No
Graphical display of connection data Yes Yes No
Router Firmware directly Upgradeable Yes Yes No
Handset Firmware Directly Upgradeable Yes Yes No
Graphical Display of power/temp/available RAM Yes Yes No
Dual band Wireless N (2.4GHz/5GHz) Sort of*
(See note below)		 Yes No
Graphical display of WLAN information, including any interference. Yes Yes No
iPhone/Android Apps – allows phones to act as additional handsets via WLAN – up to 10 supported. Yes Yes No
Codecs Supported G729, G722, G726, G711a, G711u G729, G722, G726, G711a, G711u G711a, G711u
VDSL (100Mbs) No Yes No
Multiple Phone books Yes Yes No
Multiple Answering Machines Yes Yes No
Messages emailed as wave attachment Yes Yes No
Fax Reception with Fax to Email Yes Yes No
Push Service – Activity reports emailed Yes Yes No
3G Support Yes Yes Future upgrade
VPN Yes Yes Yes
Call Through Yes Yes No
Internet Radio played on Handsets Yes Yes No
Emails displayed on Handsets Yes Yes No
RSS Feeds displayed on Handsets Yes Yes No
Podcasts displayed on Handsets Yes Yes No
Night Service Yes Yes No
Do Not Disturb Yes Yes No
IE Add-on Yes Yes No
Info Display – Configurable Yes Yes No
HD Audio Yes Yes No
Graphic Equalizer Yes Yes No
Photo’s can be assigned to address book & Fritz handsets Yes Yes No
Calls dial directly from phonebook on both router & handsets Yes Yes No
Contextual Contents page Yes Yes No
Direct access to user Guide & help files Yes Yes No
DECT Monitor – graphically displays DECT information Yes Yes No
Vanity – Simplified phone book search Yes Yes No
Stick & Surf – wireless security settings auto configured with USB Wireless dongle. Yes Yes No

Please give me a buzz at sales@ozcableguy.com if you’re keen on getting your hands on one of these so I can get an idea of how many I might need to order in.

Now online and taking backorders here.

* Note: Thanks to AustCC for letting me know the 7270 does not have true dual band wifi, only switchable. More info at http://whrl.pl/RczAWF

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

Disadvantages and Advantages of Networks

November 18th, 2010

http://verydemotivational.memebase.com/2010/10/22/around-the-interwebs-25/

Posted in humour | No Comments »

How to block Facebook (as an example) using Draytek’s CSM

November 3rd, 2010

See also this PDF.

Also available is Draytek’s GlobalView subscription service to make things easier. Click here for prices and details at the online shop.

Posted in tips | No Comments »

Powerline/Homeplug restrictions

October 27th, 2010

Powerline products, also known as homeplug, are a great way to get an ethernet (data) signal from one room to another when ever using a standard ethernet cable isn’t feasible and wireless is out of the question. One problem that can come up with them though is that all of the powerline adapters must be on the same electrical circuit or they won’t work.

So, how do you find out if your house has more than one electrical circuit and if the power points you’d like to use are all on the same one?

Check your circuit breaker cabinet (where the electricity meters are).

Here we can see three circuit breakers marked “Power”, so we have three power circuits in the house.

So how can you find out which power points are on which circuit?

Trial & error. Flip each one off in turn and then run around inside to see which ones have stopped working. If you find your upstairs and downstairs powerpoints are on two different circuits and that’s where you needed your Powerline adapters to work, then you’re out of luck and will need to call your friendly neighbourhood cabler to run an ethernet cable for you or check out wireless solutions.

To browse Powerline products available at my online shop click here.

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

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