Tim Higgins, Author at SmallNetBuilder

Linksys USBVPN1 USB VPN and Firewall Adapter reviewed

What's purple and gray, comes in a compact, sexy package, and can take the hassle out of setting up an IPsec tunnel back to your home or office network? Why, Linksys' USB VPN and Firewall Adapter, of course! Read our review and see if it'll do the job for you!

Wireless Reviews

SMC2532W-B 802.11b High Power Wireless PC Card reviewed

Will higher power really solve your wireless networking problems? We set out to answer that question in our review of the SMC2532W-B 2.4GHz 802.11b High Power Wireless PC Card. Read the review and see what we found.

Wireless Reviews

U.S. Robotics 802.11g Wireless Turbo Multi-function Access Point reviewed

The U.S. Robotics USR5450 802.11g Wireless Turbo Multi-function Access Point is the first product to hit the streets powered by Texas Instruments' TNETW1130 chipset. USR says TI's 100Mbps "802.11g+" technology was worth the wait, but you'll need to read our review to see if we agree.

LAN & WAN Reviews

Xincom Twin WAN router reviewed

If you're in the market for a router capable of handling two broadband connections, there's a new option in a relatively small number of possibilities.

LAN & WAN How To

How To: WinXP’s IPsec client really can work!

If you have an inexpensive IPsec VPN endpoint router and want to connect to the LAN behind it while you're on the road, you'll need to use a VPN client. Microsoft has included an IPsec client in Win 2000 and XP, but it is not the most intuitive thing to configure, and many have given up trying in frustration.

LAN & WAN How To

How We Test Hardware Routers

This article describes our original test procedure for Hardware Routers.

Smart Home Reviews

Linksys Wireless-B Media Adapter reviewed

Many consumers are looking for a way to free their growing library of digital pictures and music from their PC prisons. Linksys' WMA11B Wireless-B Media Adapter can provide the bridge to your home's entertainment equipment, but it won't be the answer for everybody. Read our review and see if it's the solution for you!

Wireless How To

How To: LAN access for Wireless Clients without an Access Point

Here's the problem. You're cheap...uh, make that frugal... have one or two wireless laptops that you want to get connected to your LAN, and don't want to buy an access point or wireless router to do it. Can it be done?

Wireless Reviews

Belkin 802.11g Wireless Access Point reviewed

Belkin's F5D7130 802.11g Wireless Access Point is one of the first 802.11g APs to be both 11g spec-compliant and support Wi-Fi Protected Access. We found it to be a good performer, but with some limitations that might cause some prospective purchasers to think twice before buying.

LAN & WAN How To

How To: Setting up File and Printer sharing between two routers

We often hear from people who have two (or more!) routers in their LAN and are trying to get Microsoft File and Printer sharing running among all their computers. This ProblemSolver will explain why this doesn't work by default and provide some suggestions for working around the problem.

LAN & WAN Basics

Building A Home Network From Scratch – The Ins and Outs of Building a Home Network

With interest rates at an all-time low in the U.S., many Americans are now able to build or buy their first home or, if they are already a homeowner, to upgrade to something better. Buying or building a home offers those who are technology-minded the opportunity to consider the integration of home connectivity up-front. Many new, custom-built homes now offer some level of basic home connectivity as an option; but this is a new phenomenon. Considering that the Internet has become a mainstream feature of our collective lifestyle in just a few short years, unless the home you are buying is fairly new it is likely that you are pretty much left to your own devices when it comes to networking.

Wireless Features

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) NeedToKnow – Part II

Part II of our WPA tutorial