Belkin

The latest 802.11ac standard is the latest and arguably the most anticipated Wi-Fi standard, thanks to its much faster speeds. Since it was first showcased more than a year ago, there's been an influx of new routers that support the new Wi-Fi standard.

There's a different side to this development, however: we can't enjoy the new 802.11ac standard the way we do 802.11n just yet. That's because as Wi-Fi standards go, in order to have 802.11ac Wi-Fi connections, in addition to a supported router, you'll also need hardware clients, such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones, that support this standard, and currently there are very few clients that have built-in 802.11ac support. However, Windows computer owners can quickly add 802.11ac to their systems via a USB adapter, such as the TEW-805UB from Trendnet. Mac users can rest assured that 802.11ac will soon be supported.… Read more

A while back, when I first heard about broadcasters' plans to build their own network to deliver local and live TV to smartphones, I have to admit I chuckled a little.

The idea that broadcasters, with little to no experience in the wireless world, could accomplish such a feat seemed ludicrous. Equally laughable was the idea that people would tune into Judge Judy on their phones. With so many other stories floating around (at the time, the big question was: when will the iPhone come to Verizon?) it was easy to ignore the seemingly half-baked project.

But more than two … Read more

I'm not sure I like the name, but Belkin has made a surprise entry into the place-shifting arena with @TV Plus, a $149.99 set-top box that allows your to stream video from your home TV to your tablet, smartphone, or laptop over Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G cellular connection.

Belkin makes no bones about it: this is a direct competitor to Slingbox, which was acquired by EchoStar a few years ago and has languished a bit while maintaining the dominant position in the niche place-shifting market.

Like the Slingbox, @TV Plus works with both standard and high-definition programming … Read more

Generally, Mac users have been missing out on USB 3.0, instead, they have had Thunderbolt from the beginning of the new standard. Now that's about to change, thanks to Belkin.

The company announced yesterday a new docking device called Thunderbolt Express Dock, model F4U055, which allows for adding three USB 3.0 ports to a Mac via the computer's Thunderbolt port. In addition, it also offers one port of the following connection types: FireWire 800, Gigabit Eithernet, and eSATA, as well as one audio in and one audio out. Similar to most Thunderbolt devices, the dock comes … Read more

After the excellent N+ router that came out a few years ago, Belkin has been on a streak of rather mediocre routers, such as the Play or Play Max. But the Advance N900 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ router is a bit different.

This is the latest router from the company and also its first one that supports the 3 by 3 450Mbps standard on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz simultaneously. This is the reason for the N900 designation, which shows that the router supports the 802.11n specification and provides up to 900Mbps.

In my testing, the N900 DB lived … Read more

Do you like wires? Neither do we. And thankfully, you don't really need them anymore when you're using a smartphone.

No matter your preference -- iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry -- any decent modern smartphone is equipped with wireless Bluetooth capability. In addition to hands-free calling with headsets and stereo headphones, phones can also be used as wireless music sources for an increasingly large array of Bluetooth speakers -- perfect for listening to MP3s on the phone, or Web-based audio services like Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Cloud Player, iTunes Match, or anything else.

As someone who uses Bluetooth gadgets daily, I'd frankly feel lost without my handy assortment of hands-free mobile toys. And I've collected a list of some of CNET's favorites. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--For those looking to get more ports out of their Thunderbolt-equipped notebooks, Belkin's got a box on the way to make that happen.

At CES here, the company gave its Thunderbolt Express Dock product a price and a release date.

For $299, those with a Mac or PC featuring a single Thunderbolt port can add a handful of other ports, all of which get piped through the speedy I/O. That includes three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, a 3.5mm audio plug, gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI.

The new hardware, which hits stores in September, made its debut at last year's Intel Developer Forum with the promise of being available this spring.

A number of Thunderbolt peripherals that have hit the market so far have included a spare Thunderbolt port for daisy-chaining. There have also been products that expand the types of ports like Apple's Thunderbolt Display, which like Belkin's upcoming offering, adds extra USB, Ethernet, and Firewire ports.

Head past the break to see the other side of the dock.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--There's now another true 450Mbps dual-band router on the block.

Belkin announced today at CES 2012 the Advance N900 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router, model F9K1104. This is the company's top-tier wireless router, similar to the already released Linksys E4200 v2 from Cisco or the WNDR4500 of Netgear.

The router offers the new 450Mbps wireless data rate on both the 2.4Ghz and 5Gh bands. Belkin says it also support its exclusive MultiBeam Technology designed to deliver "a high-powered signal that allows for higher and more-consistent network speeds and minimizes the number of wireless dead spots.&… Read more

As much as 10 percent of your electricity bill is simply being sucked away for no useful purpose. Blame standby, or vampire, power.

Belkin this month released perhaps the simplest way to cut that standby power with its Conserve Power Switch. The small gadget is just a switch in a handy format that cuts the flow of power to anything that plugs into it.

There's not much to this device, but that's its appeal. The Power Switch, which costs $6.99, plugs into a regular outlet and you plug a device into that. When you want to use … Read more