Netgear 24TB network storage system for SMBs – Netgear announced the addition of a new, high-density network storage system to its award-winning family of ReadyNAS products for SMBs in Korea market. The ReadyNAS 3200 is a 2U 12-bay unified storage platform that provides up to 24 terabytes in a single system. With support for up to 24 TB of capacity, making it ideal for online server consolidation or backup, the ReadyNAS 3200 solves common SMB storage problems in the most efficient ma
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Tag: NetgearWe have a small business network which we were running using the netgear wnr3500 and having 4 users plugged in permanently via gigabit ethernet. Other laptop’s connect wireless. The internet is done via a separate netgear dm111p modem plugged into the internet port on the wnr3500 router… (Budget: $30-250, Jobs: System Admin., Windows, Wireless) Go to [...]
It’s been a year since Wireless@SG was launched in Singapore, a government-led initiative hoping to bolster the nation’s image as a business centre and IT hub. While state-controlled propaganda (read: local newspapers) regularly exhort the wonders of Wireless@SG, the sad truth on the ground for internet users is that the so-called “island-wide wireless access” — free for consumers for the first 3 years — has been little more than a disappointment.
First, to call it island-wide internet access is a misnomer. In truth, the “free”¬ù wireless internet access is limited to small pockets that are spread across the island. For me, it seems like only chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks and Coffee Bean, trying to appeal to the post-65 laptop-trotting generation, have signed up to provide the Wireless@SG service. Add to that list of locations various shopping malls, resorts and hotels, and there you have it — the almost complete directory of places you can get connected to Wireless@SG. Bah, it looks like the over-zealous promotion of “island-wide wireless access”¬ù has given itself a slap in the face.
To outsiders, particularly foreign investors and businesses, Singapore seems like a great place to do business. “Got ISLAND-WIDE internet access, you know? Can work on your laptop from anywhere in the island, you know?” But for internet users here, the truth paints a less pretty picture.
Trust me, I know. I’m sitting at the McDonald’s outlet at Potong Pasir with my faithful 5-year-old Acer*, and hard as I try, I cannot connect to the internet! Let’s look at the list of available networks. There’s “Cindy”¬ù, “Link2Me”¬ù, “NETGEAR”, “Lum Wai Hong”¬ù, “linksys”¬ù and – gasp! – no “Wireless@SG”¬ù!
Now, that’s strange, isn’t it? It’s supposed to be “island-wide”¬ù, isn’t it? And McDonald’s is one of the Wireless@SG providers, aren’t they? Then where the hell is Wireless@SG? Or is Potong Pasir not considered part of this island because it belongs to Chiam See Tong of the opposition party? Surely not. The government might put the brakes on lift upgrading projects in this constituency, but to impede internet access? That must without doubt be untrue. Then again, I wouldn’t put anything beyond the men in white.
If I were not such a law-abiding citizen, I might actually be tempted to tap into one of the available networks. After all, Cindy and Mr. Lum don’t actually lose anything even if I did, save a few — barely noticeable — bytes per second of connection speed. But since I am the perfect, obedient citizen, I’m not going to. And the fact that mooching is a crime. Of course, the sentencing of that Singaporean moocher (what’s his name again?) was obviously politically- and commercially-motivated. The real reason is not because he “stole”¬ù anything from anyone, but because poor internet service providers lose revenue if more choose to network-pool or tap into others’ networks.
But I digress.
Even in hotspots where wireless networks can be detected, there have been a host of problems. Where several fast-food outlets are in close proximity, each with a transmitter broadcasting their own signal, your computer becomes confused. After all, each of these 3, maybe 4, signals is proclaiming to be “Wireless@SG”¬ù, causing your machine to think of them as similar. However, with 3 different service providers, your computer is prone to leaving one Wireless@SG network and hopping on the next, also named Wireless@SG, especially as signal strengths fluctuate, leading to your web surfing being disrupted at irritating intervals.
I’m considering M1’s Vodafone broadband package, which allows me to plug in the device into my USB port and connect to the internet. The downside is that it’s not free. But then again, after the 3 years is up, Wireless@SG is going to be free either! At less than $30 a month for the basic package, M1 seems to be a sweet deal. Why I’m plugging their services free-of-charge, I have no idea. Haha.
What do you think? Tell me your Wireless@SG experience! And also, please advise if you think I should sign up for the M1 Vodafone package.
* Cough, cough! Methinks I need a new laptop. Anyone wants to sponsor one, pretty please? *wink*
Netgear is a name that synonymous with quality networking devices and peripherals, where the company has recently unveiled new NETGEAR.
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