Linksys WRE54G Wireless-G Repeater Our Rating:

Want better wireless signal in your house? This is exactly what you need. This device homes in on your wireless signal from your router, and then boosts it, extending the range of your wireless network.

The product itself is a small box that can either be mounted right on the outlet, or used with a provided cord and mounted on the wall, or simply set on a surface. Once mounted, all you have to do is aim the antenna straight up. Then you just hold down the auto-configure button, and it will configure itself to repeat the strongest wireless signal it can find that is not secured. If your network is secure, you must connect it to your network or use the software on the provided CD.

This is where we dock a star from the rating. The software didn’t work right at all for us. It is supposed to give you the ability to further configure your product, and to confirm that it is connected to the correct network. It also is needed to connect to a non-secure network. However, every access point scan we did failed, yet we could auto-configure to multiple networks. This was tested on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Furthermore, the software is not Mac compatible.

Once connected to your wireless network, this product significantly increases your signal strength. It increased our signal by over 300%, and we can get an almost perfect signal from one end of our house to the other – before this, we could not get signal at all in the basement, or in many areas of the house. In addition, the internet speed is retained great throughout the house. We recommend getting one of these if your wireless network range needs a boost, or you just want a more reliable wireless signal.

Western Digital My Book Our Rating:

The Western Digital My Book we tested was the 320 GB Essential Edition. It has a very sleek look, pitch black and glossy, and the blue indicator light fits perfectly. This thing is like a mirror! With an affordable price, small size, and great looks, it is a very nice product.

Right when you plug this into your computer, it’s ready to go. There is virtually no setting up, and if you wish to install the included software, it is a breeze. You will also notice that it is only powered on when plugged into your computer, making it very energy efficient. The transfer rate is also fast – and with it’s USB 2.0 interface, it is compatible and easy to use on a Mac or a PC.

The My Book not only looks and works great, but it sounds great. It makes almost no noise. You can’t even tell it’s on most of the time, and you can barely hear it when you are managing files.

As a wrap up, this external hard drive is great. It looks very nice, works well, is compatable, and is not distracting.