10 great WiFi gadgets for work and play
You've done the hard work of optimizing your Wi-Fi network, and it reliably beams high-speed data to every nook and cranny of your home or office. Now, it's time to take it to the next level by connecting more than just computers.
There's a whole world of gadgets out there that can help you get work done and entertain you -- all without wires. From wireless print servers and security cameras to Internet radios and VoIP phones, the variety of Wi-Fi appliances available is astounding. There's even a Whirlpool refrigerator equipped with interchangeable wireless modules to serve up recipes, digital photos and Web sites. (Personally, I can't imagine stopping to check the weather when what I really want is a cold beer.)
But let's stick with more practical devices. Any of the 10 Wi-Fi gadgets in our list can liberate you from the tyranny of cables by wirelessly printing, phoning, moving photos, playing music and more.
It's easy to get started, but a word of warning: Time and again, the hardest part of setting up these wireless wonders was entering the Wi-Fi network's encryption codes with clunky on-screen keypads rather than a standard keyboard. Still, it's the best way to cut the cord and stay connected.
Wireless printing: Two-way data street
Linksys WPSM54G print server
One of the best things a wireless network can do is print without cables. It may seem like magic, but the latest print servers, like Linksys' WPSM54G (US$90), can also send scans from any recent multifunction printer (MFP) to a computer. It all works well, but my advice is not to be in a hurry.
After plugging the WPSM54G into my Canon Pixma MP780 MFP, it took 5 minutes to load the software, enter the security codes via my PC's keyboard and configure the print server. Capable of linking to 802.11b/g/n networks, the server is small (about 5 by 1 by 4 inches) and works with Windows 2000/XP/Vista systems, but not Macs or Linux machines. It has a range of 95 feet and demands to be the system's default printer.
Unfortunately, speed is not of the essence with the Linksys print server. It printed a two-page color Adobe Acrobat document in one minute 51 seconds and scanned an 8-by-11-in. color magazine cover in 6 minutes 30 seconds, or about half as fast as with a USB cable.
Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet J4680 multifunction printer
I also tested HP's OfficeJet J4680 ($130), an MFP with a built-in wireless print server that works with both Windows and Mac computers. The device has a range of 90 feet. After an agonizingly slow 30-minute software installation, it took me another couple of minutes to correctly enter the network's encryption code with the printer's clunky phone-like keypad. The device works with 802.11b/g networks only.
Once set up, however, the OfficeJet zoomed along. In contrast to the Linksys print server, the OfficeJet J4680 printed
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