|
Netblaster II NCP600 802.11b
hub
Review Type: Hands On
Reviewer: Chris
Kaminski
Date: Jun 21, 2001
The NetBlaster II Hub is a wireless Ethernet to wired Ethernet bridge
with 40/64bit WEP (encryption). As such, it allows two-way communication between your
wired Ethernet computers (and devices) and your wireless Ethernet computers. The Netblaster II is packaged in a striking case. It has a
futuristic brushed aluminum finish and more than enough physical weight to make
sure it does not get bumped off of your desk. The two built
antennas can provide seamless coverage if they are placed at a 90
degree angle from each other (unlike in the picture above).
Installation 
Installation is a snap. Plug the included (generous) 25ft Ethernet
cable into your wired Ethernet LAN, turn it on and it works! There
is honestly nothing else to do! In a world of cryptic wireless
configurations the Netblaster II hub was honestly ‘plug and play’.
Other 802.11b cards?
I had no problems getting other
802.11b cards working with the Netblaster II. The default station ID, or
ESSID is the MAC address of the unit. The MAC address is located
on a sticker on the bottom of the NetBlaster II. The station
ID should be 12 characters, all caps and no spaces.
Advanced Configuration
The wireless hub works fine
right out of the box but if you want to enable WEP or change the station
ID you need to use the hub configuration utility. Unfortunately, the
utility must be run on a computer with a Sohoware brand
Netblaster II adapter (PCI or PCCard). The utility can NOT be run
with any other brand wireless adapters or over wired Ethernet. This means that
if you purchase a Sohoware wireless hub, you MUST purchase at least
one Sohoware brand adapter to run the hub configuration software.
Encryption
Sohoware makes it very clear
that WEP will slow things down (by about 50%). This is true for almost all
of the Wireless Ethernet products that I look at. In addition to
40/64bit WEP, Sohoware includes a special ‘quick encryption’ method that allows you
to enable encryption without the speed decrease that WEP brings. Of course, since
this is a Sohoware sourced encryption method, it works only with other
Netblaster II products – still it is nice to have.
When I changed the
encryption method of the hub, something surprising happened. Instead of loosing my
connection, the software was smart enough to reconfigure the adapters encryption key! I
am used to having to do everything manually, but the Netblaster II
hub just ‘works’ -- exactly the way it SHOULD work.
| 
Sohoware Netblaster II PCI
Menu:
