By Andrew Liszewski
We’ve written about devolo dLAN products before because quite frankly the company makes some interesting network accessories. You see instead of rewiring your house with network cable the dLAN system allow you to use your existing electrical wiring for transmitting data. One of their latest products now uses that dLAN technology to extend your network even further via wifi.
The wireless starter kit includes the standard dLAN ethernet adapter which connects to your computer and then plugs into a nearby power socket. The kit also includes the dLAN wireless extender which can be plugged into a power socket in any room of your house creating a wifi hotspot and extending an existing one. The company claims the dLAN system allows for up to 85 Mbit/s transfer rate via the power circuit and up to 54 Mbit/s via the wireless LAN so while it’s not the fastest network solution out there it is the easiest as far as I’m concerned and more than adequate for sharing an internet connection.
The dLAN Wireless Extender Starter Kit is available for about $275 while additional dLAN Wireless Extenders run about $200 each.
[ devolo dLAN Wireless Extender Starter Kit ] VIA [ Tech Digest ]
By Evan Ackerman
Ever wish that your wireless network could follow you wherever you went? Yeah, so does the US Army. DARPA’s LANdroid is a palm-sized, totally autonomous network router on cute little tank treads. It’s designed to be used in urban environments which have all sorts of inconveniently placed buildings that block more conventional wireless access points. These little guys are actually designed to be disposable; the idea is that they get dropped by advancing troops, whereupon they wander around at about half a meter per second until they find the most effective place to act as a network node. The bots work together to cover “shadowed” and indoor areas, and if one of them gets blown up, the rest will move themselves to keep the network operational.
The details are trickier than it might seem… For example, the bots will be powered by disposable batteries, so power management will definitely be an issue, especially in a package that can’t be heavier than 1 kilo or larger in volume than 1 liter. The final product should only cost $100 per bot at small production volumes (i.e. 1000 units). This concept is a public solicitation by DARPA, which means that they don’t have one of these yet, but they really want one (and so do I). If you think you can put one together, proposals are due to DARPA by August 16.
[ DARPA LANdroid Proposal (*.pdf) ] VIA [ The Register ]
By Evan Ackerman
There are lots of “won’t-it-be-cool-when” wireless power technologies that we talk about every once in a while, but finally, wireless induction charging is a reality, and it’ll be on the market as of July 7. The WildCharge wireless charging mat gets plugged into an outlet, and any electronic device placed on it gets juiced up through the magic of electromagnetic induction. Yeah, electric toothbrushes have been doing this for some time, but it looks like it’s about to make the long overdue jump into mainstream gadgetry. The obvious downside at this point is that you have to get an adapter for each of your devices to allow them to take advantage of the induction field, unless you already have something that’s WildCharge enabled (::sound of crickets chirping::).
The pad itself is a svelte sub-0.1″ thin, and will charge as many gadgets as you can stuff onto it. There are a few missing specs, such as exactly how much power this thing can pump out… I somehow doubt that it’ll be able to power my laptop, but boy would it be cool if it could. The cost hasn’t been released, but it should be available “at a cost competitive with standard aftermarket cellular phone or laptop computer chargers.”
[ WildCharge ] VIA [ SlipperyBrick ]
By Andrew Liszewski
If you have a backyard swimming pool and for some reason haven’t switched it over to a saltwater system yet you know that checking the pH and chlorine levels is an important habit to get into. But you can make your life much easier with this wireless chemical monitoring system that does away with those messy manual test kits.
The system uses a sensor pod that floats freely in your pool and takes constant measurements of the water at a depth of 18 inches as recommended by the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals. The pod then communicates with a wireless controller that can function up to 150 feet away meaning you don’t even have to leave the house to monitor your pool. The pH readings taken from the sensor are calculated against the total pool volume and the system will let you know when to add chemicals to bring the pH level to a balanced 7.2 reading. The control center with its LCD display runs on AC power which means you can only use it with an outlet nearby but the sensor pod is powered by a single D size battery which is claimed to last about a year before needing replacing.
The Wireless Pool Monitoring System is available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $399.95.
[ Wireless Pool Chemical Monitoring System ]
By Evan Ackerman
We’ve covered solar powered WiFi in other forms, but so far, none as cheap and easy as this. The Meraki outdoor WiFi repeater is designed to work with their $50 indoor repeater that we covered in May, and is able to broadcast a signal “up to 700 feet away,” although half that might be a bit more realistic if you’ve had any experience with wireless routers. The repeater is, of course, designed to withstand the fury of the elements, and comes with a special “outdoor” Ethernet cable. By itself it’s only about $100, but for an unreleased (but supposedly low) price you can add a solar panel and battery pack; there’s some included software designed to manage the repeater’s power so that it’ll have enough reserves to work at night and when it’s cloudy. Part of the attraction of the whole package is also Meraki’s software, which lets you regulate the public aspects of your network, and if you choose, start charging your neighbors when they mooch off your bandwidth.
The kit should be shipping later this summer.
[ Meraki Solar Powered Outdoor WiFi ] VIA [ Engadget ]
By David Ponce
Managing and coaching a soccer team just got a techno twist. Real Track Futbol is a turnkey solution for tracking your players on the field using GPS, as well as getting real-time readings on their physical condition. Their positions and velocities relative to one another are transmitted to a base station, their absolute paths taken on the field are recorded and the coach is able to then manage his team. It’s kind of like playing a soccer game, except the people are real: when players show signs of exhaustion, replace them. When they screw a play up, you have proof on record, so you can chew them up in the locker room.
Of course, the system could be used with pretty much any team sport, but Real Track Futbol was designed in Spain, with soccer in mind. Sure, the software was developed around the specific complexities of that particular sport, but how hard could it be to port this to good ole American Football?
Pricing and availability are not immediately clear, but their website has an English section, so browse away.
[ Real Track Futbol ] VIA [ Xataka ]
By Andrew Liszewski
With more and more cellphones gaining WiFi connectivity the era of carrying around a device just to sniff out WiFi networks is soon coming to an end. But until that time WiFi detectors will keep being released and like any electronics they’ve improved over time. The DigiWiFi includes a backlit LCD screen that provides detailed information on available WiFi networks including signal strength, SSID, encryption status (WEP and WPA) and what channel is being used (1-14).
It also includes 3 simple buttons for starting a scan or scrolling through multiple WiFi signals if available and it supports both 802.11b and 802.11g networks. It’s also promoted as being pocket-sized which is technically correct as you can see in the photo but I think it’s still a bit large given the device’s limited functionality. At least slap a key ring or something on there.
You can find the DigiWiFi at ThinkGeek for $69.99.
[ DigiWiFi ] VIA [ Tech Digest ]
By Andrew Liszewski
I guess ‘cheap’ is a relative term but at $49 each these mini WiFi repeaters from Meraki are an extremely cost-effective way to expand the size of your wireless network. Each repeater is only about 4.5 by 2.5 inches in size and includes suction cups and adhesive pads for mounting (or hiding) anywhere in your home or office. But they do need a power adapter which probably limits where they can be placed.
The Mini currently supports 802.11 B & G wireless protocols and each one also includes a 10/100 auto-crossover ethernet port for connecting non-WiFi compatible hardware. (Like a network printer for example.) Another feature I particularly like is the included Dashboard online software. Not only does it allow you to manage your mesh network but you can also setup billing for other users and even plot out the location of your repeaters on Google Maps.
The Mini’s are currently available on the Meraki website for $49 each. They’re also available in sets of 3, 20 or 100 but it doesn’t look like there’s a discount for buying in bulk.
[ Meraki Mini ] VIA [ Popular Science ]
By David Ponce
There was something elegant about the recently announced Xbox 360 qwerty thumbboard. Not so with the PS3 Wireless ThumbPadâ„¢ from Madcatz. Dude, they put the friggin’ thing on top! This is presumably because it needs line of sight with the included dongle (we’re getting this from the dandy picture you see above), but how hard could it have been to make this work on RF?
Sure, it’s only $30, and you’ll be able to chat with your friends. But whatever, we’d pay $30 just to not have that monstrosity in the room with us. But, well, to each his own, right? Seems to be available now.
[ PS3 Wireless ThumbPad ] VIA [ Xataka ]
By David Ponce
The SIGNAL Cellphone Holder is a simple device: you place your mobile in it, and when a call comes through, it blinks. Yeah, that’s it. But the point of it is that if you’re in a quiet setting, like an office, you can still know when calls come through. Just put your phone on silent and place it in there and the larger blinking holder will be easier to see than the smallish blinking a cellphone does when it rings on silent. Of course you could always put the phone on “vibrate”, but that’s not an option sometimes. Say, if you’re a lady with no pockets. Or a dude with overly tight pants…
The holder works much in the same way that blinking cellphone charms work: it picks up on the cellular radio waves. And no, it doesn’t even charge the phone, though that could make for an interesting DIY project.
It’s $21, but is out of stock at the moment.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ Pryl Feber ]
Related Tags: 
Permalink
