When I moved to Hong Kong to do some consulting work last year, I was slightly hesitant for many reasons. One of the lesser reasons was related to the state of their broadband network. I mean a tech blogger needs his speedy blogging connection right? After many years being with Australia’s premium network, Telstra, and having been given their latest Telstra Bigpond Ultimate USB Modem to review which hit 17Mbps, you can see why I feared going back to 1990 data connection speeds. Today I’m going to show you how Hong Kong more than meets my requirements with 1010′s newly launched 4G LTE D-C Mobile Data Network.

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Yes it’s true. There is technology out there that will allow you to keep an eye on your house via your iPhone or Blackberry. How does one do this? With the Compro IP530 / IP530W (W is wireless enabled) Network Camera. This situation is ideal when you’ve got a babysitter taking care of the kids or if you’re on holiday and want to make sure that there aren’t any uninvited visitors at your place. It’s amazing what we can do with technology these days!

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As some of you are aware, I’m back from Hong Kong after spending three months working on a web project for one of the world’s leading airlines based there. And now, I have time to review gadgets! One of the first ones that I have been eagerly anticipating to play with was the Telstra Bigpond Ultimate USB Modem. We talked about the BigPond Ultimate USB Modem release in August this year and since then it’s been getting rave reviews from those fortunate enough to get their digits on this device.
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Telstra have just announced the release of their blazing fast Telstra Ultimate USB Modem. While I’m not usually very picky with product names, I couldn’t help thinking how long this NextG modem will remain as the ‘ultimate‘ given the pace of technology these days.

Back to the main point…

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This afternoon a co-worker saw my Telstra NextG 21Mbps USB Stick pertruding out of my Dell XPS Laptop. Keen to see how close it got to the maximum theoretical download speed so blatantly displayed on the device, he asked me to jump onto Speedtest.net.

What is Speedtest.net?

For those who haven’t tried Speedtest.net before, it’s a handy little website that measures download speed, upload speed and latency – perfect for testing your internet connection.

Here’s the result of the test:

Despite just reaching over half the advertised theoretical max, a download speed of 10.89 Mb/s is actually very fast, especially comparing to the results of other carriers. I know with Vodafone’s offering I was only able to achieve maximums of around 2Mb/s.

Telstra Not Cheap But Damn Fast

Now before you zoom off to get a Telstra NextG stick I would recommend that you first check out their plans here. Compared to the other carriers in Australia, they’re the most expensive, but you get what you pay for i.e. better coverage and speed. I’m currently on the Telstra BigPond Liberty® 5GB for $89.95 per month.  If you thought this is expensive, 2 years ago I was paying the same price for only 1GB of data per month!

My only other major gripe with the Telstra connection (price being the biggest by far) is how fast it gets hot and as a result may disconnect. If they find a way to keep this thing cool, I’m confident that connections would be far more persistent and stable.

So, which carrier are you using? How fast can you get using Speedtest.net?

I’m keen to know who’s got the fastest Wireless Broadband connection

Whether it be for security purposes, baby-monitoring or even recording your next YouTube video, the new IP50 & IP50W Compro VideoMate Indoor Fixed Network Cameras may just be what you are looking for. As you can probably guess by its name the IP50W features wireless technology that provides you with more flexible mounting options. Both cameras capture decent video with capability to record up to 30 frames per second at 640 x 480 resolution. I’ve added the full press release for you below to get all the juicy details.

Hoping that Compro will send me one to review in the next couple of weeks Hi Sharon!

Press Release for Compro VideoMate Indoor Fixed Camera (IP50W & IP50)

Oct. 2009 - Compro Technology, a leading manufacture of PC-TV and digital audio/video products, extends its product line to the network video security area with the introduction of the Network Camera – VideoMate IP50/IP50W series.

Whether it is for the home or office, the IP50 series provides the ideal cost-effective & easy-to-install solution, iWizard installer. The latest iWizard installer provides step-by-step introduction to set up all your indoor fixed camera requirements. Compro creates the own iDDNS server and service for using the dynamic IP users, and register as iDDNS.org., users don’t have register the iDDNS service from DynDNS. The real-time MPEG-4 video compression format has a compact recording file size, which provides a higher level of video capture and performance, along with lower storage costs. The VideoMate IP50 series is equipped with a built-in speaker, microphone, smart motion detection, and digital I/O for external sensor and alarm (2 In/1 Out). A wireless version of this product will also be available.

With the bundled ComproView IP video management software users can manage up to 32 network cameras, at the same time! The numerous built-in intelligent detection tools are capable of handling multiple individual channel customizations and event triggered alarm functions. In addition, ComproView’s information management and data search capabilities are both efficient and effective, with a comprehensive backup system built into the software. On the Mobile end, VideoMate IP50/IP50W series offers PC/NB/Cellphone/PDA/NetTop/MID Web browser support via MJPEG mode (video only) on wide range  of PC, NB, Mobil Phone, PDA, Nettop, MID devices to view the IP camera video to provide real-time viewing of the scene.

Key features

• 1/4″ CMOS progressive scan VGA sensor
• Supports real-time MPEG-4 and MJPEG compression (Dual Codec)
• Supports simultaneous dual streams
• Image frame rate is up to 30 frames per second at 640×480 resolution
• Smart motion detection
• Two way audio with built-in MIC and speaker
• Compro exclusive iDDNS service for dynamic IP and desktop shortcut create.
• Support UPnP (universal plug and play)
• Support 10/100 802.3/Ethernet
• Built-in 802.11b/g WLAN (IP50W only)
• Digital I/O for External Sensor and Alarm(2 In/1 Out)
• Installer provides the easy-to-use and step-by-step iWizard installer to quick link and setup the IP camera.
• Remote monitoring through internet via PC/NB/Cellphone/PDA/NetTop/MID Web browser support via MJPEG mode (video only) on wide range  of PC, NB, Mobil Phone, PDA, Nettop, MID devices to view the IP camera video anytime, anywhere, anyplace.
• Bundled with powerful 32-channel surveillance software — VideoMate ComproView

Read more at the Compro Website.

Things are getting out of control. I’m finding that I’m getting closer and closer to reaching data capacity on my laptop with all the digital photos and videos that I have been taking lately. It doesn’t help that I’m using a 21 MegaPixel camera that records HD Video – files can be huge! So in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been scouring newsagent PC sections and the web for the best possible network data storage solution.

Network Access Storage (NAS) Requirements

Here are some my requirements for a NAS device:

• Fast data upload and download
• Compatible with PC and MAC (I’m aiming to replace my Windows Laptop with a MacBook Pro soon)
• Able to share data with other computers on home network
• Wireless connectivity
• User friendly interface
• Able to remotely access data remotely
• Dual drive bay
• Automated backup ability

Today I received an email from NETGEAR‘s promotional team with a couple of new products and one of these was the new Netgear Stora. It seems to meet all the above requirements so I’ll definitely check it out in more details in the next couple of days. Here’s some more information on the NETGEAR Stora below:

NETGEAR Stora – 1TB Home Media Network Storage (MS2110)

A home media hub with remote access, even from a phone!

• Centralize all your digital media (videos, music, photos) in a single, safe location
• One 1TB drive included
• Works with PCs, Macs and web-enabled phones
• Two hot-swap drive bays
• Mirroring option (add a second drive and automatically duplicate the first)
• Integrates with online services like Facebook, iTunes®, Flickr™

NETGEAR Stora puts music, photos, videos and other important data at the heart of your home network.

NETGEAR Stora Demonstration Video

SAN JOSE, Calif. — September 21, 2009 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, and network storage leader in the business and prosumer market with its ReadyNAS® line, today announced NETGEAR Stora, a new, easy-to-use network attached storage (NAS) device for home media. Stora enables consumers to easily centralize photos, music, movies and files and use them on nearly any network device. With a smooth user interface designed for non-technical users, Stora lets consumers easily share their photos and videos with friends without the time-consuming process of uploading them to Internet sites or transferring them over email. Through an intuitive and graphical user interface on www.MyStora.com, users and their designated friends and relatives can remotely access their media files from any Internet-connected device, such as laptops, PCs and smartphones.

“We strongly feel that Stora exemplifies the next-generation of consumer storage devices,” said Drew Meyer, director of marketing for NETGEAR’s Network Storage Business Unit. “NETGEAR has already made its mark in the business and prosumer market with our ReadyNAS line, but Stora is most definitely a platform for everyone. Stora gives users the features they need today with a consumer-friendly user interface and price point, making their media available to them and their designated friends and families anytime, anywhere—even on mobile smartphones. It truly sets a new bar for the consumer network storage market.”

Store: Compatible with Mac, PC and Linux systems, NETGEAR’s Stora puts music, movies, photos, and files at the heart of the home network, centralized in a single, safe location.

Share: With remote access via www.MyStora.com, Stora enables cross-platform file sharing, music listening, movie watching and photo sharing from any Internet-connected device. In addition to sharing files over the web, users can also share photos, videos and files between home computers and home media players. Stora can centralize music collections and play music through iTunes®. It can also automatically integrate content with remote photo frames and social networking sites such as Facebook. Stora can also serve content to other networked devices such as Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled photo frames, XBox 360® and PlayStation® 3 game consoles, and iPhone® and Blackberry® mobile phones.

Protect: With two standard drive bays that automatically mirror data, Stora offers plug-and-play protection that safeguards valuable data. Users can simply add a second drive, on the fly, without any tools. Stora also comes with automatic backup utilities for PCs and Macs, so individual system content is backed up regularly.

“Today’s consumers face a conundrum when trying to manage newly acquired or created digital content among various computing devices inside and outside the home,” said David Reinsel, group vice president of IDC’s storage and semiconductor research groups. “Historically, personal storage devices have proven competent at providing reliable storage capacity and data protection within the home, but not always accessible from outside the home or across multiple devices. With this new product, NETGEAR looks to solve these common problems for consumers.”

NETGEAR Stora (MS2110) comes with a 1 TB disk and one extra drive bay that can be used to insert an optional disk for mirroring. The product is immediately available through selected North American retail and e-commerce stores. Stora will be available from leading European and Asia Pacific retail locations in approximately two weeks. Stora is backed by a three-year warranty and 24/7 technical support and the Stora (MS2110) model has an MSRP in the U.S. of $229. An optional yearly premium service that supports additional remote access and third-party service integration such as Flickr, Picasa, YouTube and mobile phones, is available for $19.99 after an initial 30-day trial period.

Product details, instructional videos and other information are at http://www.netgear.com/stora.
Product photos can be downloaded from: http://www.netgear.com/Products/Storage/Stora/MS2110.aspx.

Looking for a prepaid broadband service in Australia that requires no complicated setup or messy wires? Check out the Unwired Prepaid Modem package!

The Unwired Pre-paid broadband service has been created to give you the ultimate control over your internet spending – There are no bills and no contracts. You choose when and how much you pay!

Features of the Unwired Prepaid Modem package:

• The Unwired Pre-paid Starter Kit includes an Ethernet Modem and a
  seven-day 400MB broadband voucher to get user up and running
• This Pre-paid service operates just like a Pre-paid mobile phone with
  recharge vouchers
• Vouchers may be bought online using a credit card or purchased directly
  from a list of handy retail stores including 7 Eleven, Mobil,
  Video Ezy and Newslink
• There are a large range of flexible vouchers available so user can tailor
  their internet access to suit their own needs
• Great broadband speeds of up to 1024/256k
• A free Unwired uMail mailbox with free anti-virus and anti-spam
• No cancellation or reconnection fees, even if you change your address
• Technical support if you need it
• A simple and easy method of buying vouchers online or from a range of selected stores

For availability of Unwired in your area check out:
http://www.unwired.com.au/availability/index.php

Unwired PrePaid Wireless Broadband Modem Page

Imagine being able to share photos with Grandma real-time as she reclines by the fireplace in her rocking chair with good ol’ tabby cat keeping her lap warm?

As long as she’s connected to the web and wireless router (go tech-savvy Nannas!) and a Kodak EasyShare W820 8-Inch Wireless Digital Photo Frame, she’ll be able to do this and much more!

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Upcoming from D-Link is the D-Link DAP2590 AirPremier N Dual Band PoE Access Point (what a mouthful!) It is designed specifically for business-class environments such as large corporations requiring more secure and manageable dual band wireless LAN options for network administrators.

Although no pricing is currently available, you can expect to this to be pricier than most consumer wireless access points available on the market.

Features of the D-Link DAP-2590 AirPremier Access Point:

• User-Selectable 2.4GHz or 5GHz Dual Band Draft 802.11n Wireless Connectivity for Business-Class Environments
• Operable as Wireless Client, Access Point, Wireless Bridge (WDS), or WDS with AP
• Supports Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) QoS Features for Enhanced Performance
• Supports WPA/WPA2-Personal and WPA/WPA2-Enterprise Security Features
• Ideal for Indoor Deployments*
• Plenum-Rated Chassis Designed to Adhere to Building Regulations
• Advanced Management Options Including AP Manager II, SNMPv3, Secure Telnet, Secure Shell (SSH) and Secure HTTP (HTTPS)

Via D-Link Australia