Wireless Gear

How-To Quickly and Easily Use This Low-Fi Method to Boost Your WiFi Signal

The WiFi signal in our bedroom has been terrible ever since we moved into our new home.  Due to where the Verizon FIOS service enters the house, the wireless router is on the opposite side of the house, and  I’ve tried many WiFi extenders to no avail.  Finally, my brother-in-law recommended the Windsurfer parabolic WiFi reflector, and it works beautifully! The instructions included in the website linked above are very simple, and all you need is some printer paper, aluminum foil, scissors or an X-Acto knife, and either some tape or glue.  You download the template from the website linked above,…


What’s Round, Covered In Wool, and Promises Awesome Sound? The Brand New Libratone Loop

I loved the Libratone Zipp I reviewed, and Elana still uses it daily. Now Libratone is introducing the Loop. This $499.95 wireless speaker packs AirPlay, DNLA, and Libratone’s PlayDirect when WiFi isn’t available. Set on the floor, a table, or hung on the wall it promises a great look and sound great. Features: Works wirelessly with iPad, iPhone and Android or Mac/PC, enabling awesome sound through AirPlay or DNLA Can be used without a Wi-Fi network router through Libratone’s patented PlayDirect™ technology Streams wirelessly from Internet radio stations and services such as Pandora and Spotify, as well as integrating with…


SmartWallit Review – Time to Upgrade Your Billfold

SmartWallit is a new gadget that helps you keep track of not only your spending, but also the location of your wallet.  This intelligent accessory has many functions, including a spending log, loss prevention, and a way to find your lost phone or wallet.  You can order the SmartWallit from Amazon for $60 plus shipping. I was very excited to get my hands on this neat little device and stick it in my wallet.  Unfortunately, the SmartWallit was a little bigger than I thought it would be.  Like 90% of the guys I know, I stick my wallet in my…


Cut the Cords and the Noise with Phiaton’s New Chord MS 530 Headphones

Phiaton has been adding depth to their headphone lineup and their latest, the Phiaton Chord MS 530 Headphones, is set to impress. These headphones offer “incredible sound, active noise-cancellation, the flexibility of wireless Bluetooth and an unrivaled design that stands apart from competitors.” With 18-30 hours of talk and listening time these $349 headphones do it all. Check them out.


HP Pocket Playlist Review – Gives You 32GB of Stylish Wireless Storage on the Go!

With each passing year, flash storage is cheaper and more plentiful, but the options for using storage have become fewer. Apple has few options for storage expansion, and fewer Ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones allow expansion. But the HP Pocket Playlist offers 32GB of wireless storage for use even when you are offline, and does it in a stylish $99 package. Description: •Engineered to entertain: Hey, parents! The HP Pocket Playlist puts you in control of managing your mobile entertainment. No matter where you go— car, train, restaurant, mall— your kids sit still, not fight and stay happy watching their own…


TheQ Camera Creates Instantly Shareable Photos

It’s nearly impossible to take a picture any more without immediately thinking, “this needs to go on Facebook (or Tumblr, Twitter), so why not just get a camera that can take a great photo and immediately post it for you to the social network of your choice? Say “Cheese”, and preorder the $199 socially acceptable theQ Camera.   Every aspect of the pocket-sized camera can be controlled, from the social media settings through to the built-in photo filters. In addition to the one-button upload for social sharing, theQ users receive unlimited storage on their theQ LAB personal photo archive page. TheQ camera…


AKG K495 NC On-Ear Noise Canceling Headphones Review – Hear the Quiet, Even When It Is Noisy

The AKG K495 on-ear headphones offer good sound and excellent noise cancellation in a refined package that looks great and is as comfortable as any pair of on-ear headphones I have used. At $349.95 the USB rechargeable headphones are, however, a bit pricey. Then again, quality doesn’t come cheap. Check them out here. I’m on the Amtrak Acela headed from Jersey to DC for a few hours. I like these one day trips, so long as I get to take the train rather than fly. It is easy, rather comfortable and, at least compared to travel by air, quiet. Still,…


Soundfreaq Sound Step Lightning Review – Connect Any Way You Like

The Soundfreaq Sound Step Lighting dock is priced under $140 and lets you connect to iOS Lightning-enabled device, via Bluetooth, USB and much more. It even includes an FM radio, an IR remote and an iOS and Android app are also available. Best of all, the speaker sounds great.  We have seen a huge proliferation in the number of available Bluetooth speakers. Similarly, lightning-enabled docks designed to work specifically with current generation Apple products have been increasing in number. The result is an ever-growing number of choices when looking for a relatively inexpensive way to enjoy your music at home…


B&O Play’s BeoPlay A9 Nordic Sky Edition Speaker Looks Great, Sounds Awesome

B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen just introduced the Nordic Sky edition of its BeoPlay A9. It is the perfect meeting point between art, furniture, and High Fidelity. Designed to be standalone furniture, or art that is hung on the wall, the BeoPlay A9 is also an amazingly powerful piece of audio equipment. The speaker packs impressive technology into a sleek, one of a kind, design. The BeoPlay A9 has a total of five speakers and has an output of 480 watts thanks to a digital Class D amplifier with separate amps for each of the five speakers. At the center…


Learn About Wireless Audio From One of the Experts

Wireless audio has gone from simple convenience to serious audio experience over the last few years thanks to Play-fi, AirPlay and, of course, Bluetooth. Honestly, at this point I wouldn’t even consider an audio system that didn’t offer the ability to cut the cords and go wireless. But while it used to be the case that you had to choose between the convenience of wireless audio and the quality of the music you can enjoy that is far from the case these days. Wireless audio is here to stay and, best of all, it is getting better and better. It…


Muzik Socially Integrated Headphones – Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

“Just because you can include some technological advance in your consumer product, it doesn’t mean you should.” That’s really the thought that came to mind when reading about a pair of new, upcoming headphones. Muzik (while I’m on a rant… I hate it when companies intentionally spell words incorrectly) just announced their first product – a pair of “smart headphones”. As the company release notes the company is, “pioneering a new space called social smartware”. The term describes their goal of connecting consumer electronic devices to content and social media platforms with the goal of making “music instantly discoverable and…


What Is NFC and Why Do You Want It?

Today’s rumor mill has it that the next generation of the iPhone will include NFC (Near Field Communication). This will be yet another example of Apple playing “feature catch up” with other devices. After all, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.1, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active as well as the BlackBerry Z10, the HTC 8X and even the year-old HTC One X I have sitting here all feature NFC. Apple will be late to the game. But the question remains, should Apple even get into the game? What exactly IS NFC and do you want it in your next phone? Let’s…


zBoost DataBlast Review – Improve Data Speeds in the Home or Office

I currently am fortunate to have decent AT&T 4G service despite living in a primarily rural area. My service is not perfect, but I do get average speeds compared to spots just a few miles away. My dad, for example lives about 20 miles away and struggles to get data most of the time. The bad thing about connection problems for country folks is there is no real-time table for new towers and improved coverage. There can also be an issue with certain buildings not getting service in an otherwise good service area. Even though I have good service at…


Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Repeater Review

I’m writing this review from Dan’s lake house in Pennsylvania, where Gearfest 2013 is about to kick off. That bit of geographic detail is important for two reasons. First, when I arrived here yesterday, it was the first time in weeks that I had reliable internet service, as I recounted in this post, I’ve been battling the rural Texas connectivity fight and losing badly. No internet has meant very little posting. More to the point in this review, no internet has meant that I had no way to test out the Amped Wireless repeater I’d been sent to review. After all,…


Rural Internet at Its Best

After three to four months of iffy WiMax Internet service from West Central Net, a local wireless internet provider, we are down to no Internet service most days. WCN has sent multiple service techs out here over the past few months, and even after swapping out our equipment, nothing has helped. The tech that came in on the 20th walked out the door with the internet still down, after saying that he couldn’t do anything for us. This was also after telling Kev that he didn’t even use West Central Net’s service at his home, because he had great DSL…


Sonos Controller Updated to Version 4.1 – Tweaks and Improvements You’ll Appreciate

I love my Sonos system. I love it enough that I have a Sonos component in just about every room of the house. I love it enough that I purchased a PLAYBAR as soon as the product was announced (our review is forthcoming), and I added a Sonos SUB a few days after that. The one Sonos component I never purchased was the Sonos Controller. The reason was simple — by the time I entered into the Sonos ecosystem, their iOS and Android Controller apps were functional enough that I didn’t need a dedicated controller. At this point my Sonos…


Baofeng UV-5RA Review: Can a $50 Ham Radio Be Any Good?

I hope you have been enjoying my series on Amateur Radio.  It’s been one of my favorite hobbies for about 20 years now, and I love sharing my knowledge with our readers. Today I am bringing you another radio review, only the second one ever for Gear Diary. Just like when I reviewed the Icom ID-31A last year, this Baofeng UV-5RA review is coming from real-life experience with the radio.


Kinivo BTX350 Digital Wireless Speaker Review

I’m a big fan of Bluetooth enabled, wireless speakers in this age of cell phones, tablets, and computers.  We’re always on the go, always have our mobile phones with us, and therefore, many of us carry our music collections with us as well.  Even if you don’t carry your MP3 collection on your cell phone, most of our phones can use Pandora, Spotify, or any number of mobile music apps.  The market is ripe for great sounding, decently priced Bluetooth speakers.  Unfortunately, the Kinivo BTX350 does not meet that first criterion.


Linksys Expands its Smart Wi-Fi Router Portfolio with AC 1200 Advanced Multimedia and AC 1600 Video Enthusiast

Linksys recently announced the addition of new models to its Smart Wi-Fi Router portfolio and they promise to be a great way to get, and stay, online. The $169.99 AC 1200 Advanced Multimedia, EA6300, is already available and the $189.99 Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router AC 1600 Video Enthusiast, EA6400, is coming by the end of May. The AC1600 is a dual-band router that allows for five to seven connected devices at a time and offers Wi-Fi speeds up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. The dual-band AC1200 offers up to…


Jabra Revo Wireless Headphones Review

I offered a first look at the Jabra Revo Wireless Headphones last week. We now have a firm price and shipping date- they will be available starting March 25th and will cost $249- so I wanted to offer up a more complete look at these rather pricey headphones. I covered a good bit of the initial ground in my ‘First Look’ post (read it) so I’ll try not to be redundant. As I noted, the headphones are being positioned, in part, as wireless headphones designed for use in the real world. As such Jabra tested them to make sure the…


Globalgig Now Offers Inexpensive International Data in More Countries

When it comes to connectivity I’m spoiled. I spend the vast majority of my time either at home or the office and both are locations have high-speed Internet. And when I am out I usually have decent connectivity and relatively good speed. That means I’m able to get the information I want pretty much where and when I want it. This holds true during my annual week in Aruba, where my first stop each year is at a kiosk when I load my hotspot with 5 GB of data; that means I even have connectivity on the beach. The past…