What works, what doesn't.....

At any given point in time, something in my life is not functioning as designed.

It could be something with my electronics, my car, my body, etc. Fortunately not the latter these days.

Usually, a software upgrade will fix (again, except for the latter). Items 3. and 4. from my Oct. 20 post did just that - a software upgrade fixed the problem.

But right now, another software upgrade has killed the PS3. Which means no DVDs or games (the latter has had a profound positive effect on junior's grades). The latest software upgrade "bricked" it (I am fascinated the clever jargon that's created these days).

And something called a tuning adapter has caused issues with the TiVo. Nothing major, but an annoyance nonetheless.

Hopefully the good folks at Cablevision can push a software upgrade to fix this.

Powerline Networking - A Real Alternative to Wireless

Unless your home was built in the last five years, and/or you spent to have CAT5/6 wiring in every room, you probably know about wireless networking. I think I mentioned that we have 8 wireless devices in the house. Some of them are pretty well landlocked. Linksys, D-Link, Netgear all make various forms of wireless routers and adapters. Sorry, but at one time or another, they all suck. At one time or another, a device, whether it be a laptop, PS3, the kids PC in the basement, the TiVo, will not be able to connect. At my house. At my neighbors' houses. Especially at the houses of the senior execs I work with. And only on Saturday mornings.

After years of suffering with this, I read a recent article about powerline networking, which uses home electrical wiring to carry the internet/network traffic. The recent 2.0 standard is supposedly faster, and more secure. Simply, you run a network cable from your cable modem or router to one of these boxes (about the size of a pack of Marlboros), and plug it into the wall. Take the other box(es) and plug them into the wall by the remote equipment and run another network cable from this box into the laptop, XBox, etc.

I tried a unit from Belkin (click here for more info), and it put the wireless to shame. Rock solid connection, and speed was 2-3 times faster than wireless. It's really great for the high bandwidth applications like video, and game consoles - and when both are near each other, this model is extremely useful with three inputs.