Home Media Networking: An Overview

Setting up a home media network may seem like a daunting task at first glance, but it's not as complicated as you might think. So, if this is something you've been interested in exploring you've come to the right place. Over the next few weeks we'll examine the hardware and software options that are available for this type of solution. In addition, each article will walk you through the process of setting up the respective component. So lets get started! Here are the major topics we'll address:

Network Setup and Configuration Series

The first step in the process is to lay the foundation for your media network. Before we can start talking about media and the related hardware/software options, we need to get the actual network in place. So, this series will cover what you need to know in terms of wired/wireless networking basics.

Media Storage and Distribution Series

If you already have a network set up in your home that will suffice you can start here and refer to the first series if you run into bandwidth issues later on. This set of articles will address the online and local storage options for your media, as well as how you will 'serve' the files to your entertainment center. Some of what will be discussed here includes setting up a traditional server configuration and basic network attached storage to using providers like Amazon Music.

Home Playback Series

So, you made it through the previous two series and you're ready to start enjoying your media. Well we're almost there, but there's another step. The Home Playback series discusses how your media center and the various other devices in your home are going to receive all those files. It'll cover building a custom home theatre PC, how to make use of an existing video game console, and some media players specifically designed for this purpose.

Mobile Playback Series

If you're anything like me you are going to want to enjoy your media while you're out and about. This topic is a natural extension of the discussion on how to build a media network for you home since you'll have the ability to serve your files locally and remotely with the solutions we cover in the Media Storage and Distribution series. So, the Mobile Playback series will look at the Google, Apple, and Microsoft offerings that will turn you into a true mobile warrior.

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Boost Your Home Network: A Few Options

It's not uncommon to find yourself in the situation where your wi-fi router isn't getting the job done for your home.  Poor connectivity can be due to a number of issues from the use of electric appliances to the construction of your home.  It may also be the case that you need an extended range solution for a wired device.  Fortunately there are solutions that can solve these issues, and we'll discuss a few of them here.

Wi-fi Range Extender

The image above shows the Netgear Universal Wi-fi Range Extender.  This is a relatively simple solution, as you plug it into the wall and forget about it.  It's compatible with b/g/n networks and supports WPA/WPA2/WEP encryption.  One interesting feature is that it has an LED indicator that will let you know the best location for the device in your home.  It can also act as a wireless bridge for a single device (more on wireless bridges in a moment.

Powerline Adapters

Another possibility is the Netgear Powerline AV+ 200 Adapter if the Universal Wi-fi Range Extender isn't an option.  One scenario where this would be more ideal is if you have a relatively large home, you need internet access on either side, and you don't want to daisy-chain Wi-fi extenders across the house.  The powerline adapter essentially turns your home electrical system into a wired network.  This is an elegant solution in that you can gain access anywhere in the house that you have an outlet.  One possibility with this device, as well as the wi-fi ranger extender, is that you can connect it to another router and enable multiple Ethernet-only devices to connect to the network.

Home-brewed Wireless Bridge

The final solution for improving access to your network is home-brewed using a Linksys wi-fi router and DD-WRT firmware.  Setting something like this up is beyond the scope of this article, but stay tuned for an in-depth tutorial later.  This is a great, and cheap, option of you have an extra Linksys router laying around since the only other thing you need is a free download of the DD-WRT firmware.  Once you have the firmware it's just a matter of updating the router with it and specifying the various options in the control panel. Again, this is a bit more technically challenging than the other two options, but it allows you to to create a 'bridge' for multiple Ethernet devices wirelessly, thus combining some of the strongest features of the first two options.


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MIT Researchers To Revolutionize Battery Tech

MIT researchers are developing a radically new battery technology that may have significant implications for automotive manufacturers to power utilities.   The new tech incorporates an architecture known as a semi-solid flow cell, and is comprised of two separate physical structures for storage and for discharge.  The structure creates an efficiency in the way they are designed and ultimately manufactured.  While the flow-type architecture has been around for a while, the 'fuel' hasn't allowed for the batteries to be small enough or efficient in the storage and discharge of the energy.  The semi-solid material, affectionately known as 'Cambridge crude', addresses these issues as well as the potential cost of production.

Why is this so significant?  Well, the possibility is there for this material to exist as a kind of fuel replacement for gasoline.  Imagine pulling into a refuelling station and instead of filling your gas tank, you refill your battery. Because the material is already charged, you can be on your way in a matter of minutes.  Then, once you're done driving for the day you can simply plug the vehicle into an outlet and recharge the fuel yourself overnight.  Fascinating stuff.


SOURCE: MIT News

TAGS: batteries, battery, chemical engineering, chemicalengineering, discharge, electric car, electric vehicle, electriccar, electricity, electricvehicle, electrode, electrodes, energy, energy storage, energystorage, ev, gas, lithium batteries, lithium battery, lithium ion, lithiumbatteries, lithiumbattery, lithiumion, massachusetts institute of technology, massachusettsinstituteoftechnology, mit, oil, petrol, petroleum, power

How To Control Your PC Remotely

Remote access to your computer can prove useful in a number of situations and is relatively easy to set up.  There are many solutions that provide this capability, and we're going to discuss a few of them here.  First, lets go over some situations where you would want this set up on your PC:

1. Lets say you have a home theatre PC set up and you want to be able to control media, programs, and browse the web easily.  Well, there are a number of applications for your phone that you can set up to control media or even the cursor, you can use a wireless keyboard and mouse, or you can use remote desktop on your phone or tablet as a 'remote' of sorts.
2. You leave a file on your PC that you desperately need once you've left the house.  In this scenario you can set up an FTP server as an alternative, but remote desktop can be used by logging into the PC and simply emailing yourself the file.
3. A relative needs some basic technical support.  Here you can walk them through the install process and remote in to diagnose and fix the problem.

From here on out we're going to refer to remotely controlling a desktop as virtual network computing, or VNC.  The applications that you can use for this vary slightly, but setup and use is generally the same.  You have some kind of 'server' program that you install on the PC you want to control, and a client on the device/PC you want to use to control the former.

VNC Applications

1. LogMeIn - This is a web-based solution where you access the home PC via a web browser.  So, the only software to install is on the home PC.  One caveat, if you wish to use a mobile device like a phone or tablet, you will need to purchase LogMeIn Ignition to gain access.
2. Teamviewer - This VNC option is basically the same as LogMeIn, except that their mobile software is free.
3. TightVNC - This is another free solution, but may require some additional setup.  With this application you will have to direct the traffic to the PC on the router by specifying the IP address and open port 5900.  You will also have to open port 5900 on the PC's firewall.  The final thing to remember is that when you're trying to remote in you'll need to know the IP address of your modem (or you can set up forwarding with DynDNS).
4. Splashtop - This VNC option appears to only be for mobile devices.  It doesn't look like there is a web interface for the PC or any sort of client like TightVNC.

For beginners the best solution is going to be LogMeIn or Teamviewer.