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Why it’s a best pick: Medialink – Wireless N Router – 802.11n – 150 Mbps

I have to admit I was nervous about buying something that doesn’t have a huge name behind it. I’ve dealt with plenty of routers in my time and some of them are so confusing to configure, and caused so many headaches. When I opened the box I was greeted by a small, light-weight, sleek looking box…I have to say that I was really excited about the internal antenna, those old parallel antenna were the worst thing to look at. Being the typical computer guy I am I didn’t really read through the directions, I just grabbed it and plugged it in. I reset the modem, then reset the router (by power cycling, not the reset button on the back) and…….it worked. I logged into the web interface and set up the Wifi security, grabbed my laptop to connect to it and…..it worked.

The Wireless N Router – 802.11n is a thing of beauty for someone that has been stuck with G for so long, it’s fast and has great coverage, I was able to get a stronger signal outside than before.

The web interface is very nicely laid out and there are a ton of features

Pros:
Quick setup
very nice looking
lights are not too bright, even though there are a lot of them
internal antenna
affordable

Cons:
no Gig ports
included cat5 cable could be a little longer.

things to note:
I didn’t use the included setup disc
I have cable internet and use an older Linksys cable modem.

Where to Buy

Why it’s a best pick: Casio EX-Z550

Casio EX-Z550 camera was priced right and after having used two previous Casio point and shoots, I was expecting a lot and this camera delivered. At first I noticed that it seems to be made just a little cheaper than the 10.1 MP I had..but after an extensive vacation try out, it handled well and was very durable. Casio EX-Z550 camera’s ‘best shot’ feature seems to be improved from prior models and it has a ‘premium’ setting as well that captures the shot at it’s best. Ease of use and familiarity with past Casio models made it a breeze to operate, onscreen menus are easily read and understood. It takes very nice videos as well with good sound. The 14 MP make for an outstanding picture quality, which is easily enlarged and still exceptional. I don’t think you can go wrong with this model for the price. I will add more to this review as I learn all the functions.

Casio EX-Z550 is loaded with features for the price. Purchased it for a cruise and used it for over 500 pictures, and only had one or two that were not perfect, and that was my fault. I would reccomend this for the casual picture taker that likes to have many features and tinker with the results.

Where to Buy

Why it’s a best pick : Foscam FI8908W Wireless IP Camera

I was looking to get a network cam to monitor the home. I bumped into this cam as a result of reviews. My expectations were set to low and was hoping that it would meet the minimum requirements. I used to have an x10 camera set from a very long time ago.

Here are my list of pros and cons:

Pros:

1. product seems well built enough
2. stand and the ability of the cam to be mounted in diff configs was great
3. low light performance surprised me – images were clear
4. Setup is not as easy as users would like and requires some basic understanding of your network infra. But again not complex.
5. Was also presently surprised that I could actually transmit audio as well as receive audio from remote through the cam.
6. Images for me were pretty clear (640×480) and i was quite surprised since i was expecting worse.
7. Pan and Tilt (flip, mirror) are all great with the cam.

Cons:

1. Of course with products like this – the user manual left me wanting. Not really detailed but enough to get the job done.
2. you can log into the device but am worried that there is no HTTPS option
3. Web interface is clunky – the activeX control for IE makes my browser crash
4. Firefox options gives less control of the cam
5. Setup software isnt that great as well

Foscam FI8908W Wireless IP Camera a great performing product for the price (Got mine for $86). If you compare to other cams this is a much better deal.

To top it all off: as others have said. The $5 iphone app is THE perfect companion for the Cam. It almost makes you wish that was what you see in the IE browser for control.

Where to Buy

The Good: The Logitech Squeezebox Duet Network Music System lets you wirelessly stream music from you computer or the internet to your stereo or standalone speakers to any room in your house that can access your wireless network. The iPod-esque controller also allows you control from any room that has a signal from your network giving you extreme flexibility. This device brings together the best of both worlds between mass storage of mp3 format music and quality sound of a dedicated stereo system. In addition it also brings internet radio stations and music subscription services to your home stereo to boot.
The Bad: Setup may intimidate wireless networking novices. A couple of other aspects of the setup process could be a little more user friendly as well.
Overall: This is a digital music lover’s dream come true. What follows is my experience from out of the box to day to day usage.
SETUP: I had my system up and running in less than 30 minutes, and this is a pretty small investment for what you get in return. The Quick Start Guide included in the package is all you need. For the physical components, it is a breeze. Install the battery into the control, snap on the connectors for the power outlets of the controller and receiver, plug them both into an outlet, and connect the receiver to the AUX jack on your stereo or standalone speakers.
At this point, you will need to sign on to the Squeeze Network web site and create your account. They use a pretty standard registration process, and you will receive an e-mail to activate your account. Once activated, you need to download and install the Squeeze Server software. I did find it challenging to find the actual link for the download. As I mentioned in my Harmony One review, Logitech could benefit from paying more attention to the usability of their software. While this is fairly minor in the grand scheme of the product, some people will be frustrated by it.

The slowest step is downloading the Squeeze Server software that runs on your PC; however, I prefer this to having a CD-ROM that I’ll never use again. While CDs are not expensive, it does save the manufacturer a little as well. Once downloaded, the installation process is very easy.
Once this is in place, you are ready to configure the controller and receiver. Once you install the battery into the controller, you are prompted to begin the configuration process. The on screen instructions are pretty straightforward. The one thing that I found annoying was around entering my wireless network information. I do not broadcast my SSID, and I use 128-bit WEP encryption. I had to use the wheel to key in my SSID by hand followed by the 26 hexadecimal key. I can understand why Logitech made this trade off because you only have to enter this information once, and alternatives would require more complicated hardware either to allow a more tactile entry on the controller or USB connectivity to your PC where you could make use of a full keyboard. Neither of these complications is really worth the cost so grit your teeth and be thanking that you only have to do it once.

A final note on setup. If you are able to connect a laptop to your wireless network, you have all the technical knowledge you need. However, if you needed the “Geek Squad” or someone else to set this up for you, you should expect to need the same level of assistance to get this device up and running.
USAGE: The Squeezebox is a great “glue” device in that it brings the best of both worlds together from digital music on my PC and my stereo. I get about half of my music electronically this days, and I really only listened to it on my computer or my mp3 player. With the Squeezebox, my complete music collection is again available to my stereo even though my computer is on a different floor of the house! I also love the fact that I have access to all of the CDs that I have ripped to mp3s through my stereo without having to change discs. I also have access to my playlists that jump from one CD to the next at will. In addition, my stereo has a poor antenna. Thanks to the Squeezebox; however, I can get crystal clear reception of any radio station that streams music over the internet. So, not only do I have access to the majority of my local radio stations, I have a wealth of additional choices for national radio stations that stream. And if that’s not enough, you can also access your digital subscription music services such as Rhapsody. Simply store your login information in your Squeeze Network account, and you’ll be able to stream any music through your stereo that you would using Rhapsody on your PC. There are other services as well. Of course iTunes is not included, but this isn’t an Apple product so shouldn’t come as a shock.
I found it easy to control all of these features from the iPod like controller. A clearly marked “home” button takes you to the main menu at any point. It was a minor adjustment to get used to the wheel feature. I have owned Sandisk mp3 players which do not use a wheel but rather a directional pad. This is a minor point. What really matters is the easy of use of the menus. The wheel drives the controller’s 2.4 inch display which allows you straightforward access to your music library on your computer as well as the plethora of internet radio stations. After scrolling to your selection, the center button is used for selection. Other buttons are dedicated to volume up and down, pause, previous track, and next track buttons. All operate as expected.

Finally, I recently had a power outage that seemed to get things out of sync between the controller and the receiver. I tried a couple of things to sort it out, but at the end of the day, the controller is a computer. So I did the equivalent of rebooting (much like you have to do with cell phones at times), and I removed the battery for about a minute – the amount of time was purely a guess. After replacing the battery, the controller booted up and everything was back to normal again.
CONCLUSION: As I said at the beginning, this is a music lover’s dream. In a way, it made my home stereo relevant again. At the end of the day, you have easy setup and great, easy to use features. For me it is a no brainer five star item.

Another feature accessible from the controller’s main menu is a series of settings that you can change. Here you find ways to change your wallpaper, date and time format, clock settings, etc. Further, you have control over screensavers, and display dimming timers, etc.
The display itself is sharp and of the same quality of the Logitech Harmony One’s display. If your collection has the album art stored with the music, you will see the album cover for the song that you are playing. This works very much the same as Windows Media Mobile does on a PDA. During radio station play it simply shows an icon of a broadcasting radio tower with the station info.

Logitech Squeezebox Duet Wi-Fi Internet Radio For Sale