SingleClick and Pure Networks vie to handle configuration and troubleshooting.
At last, home network management tools to the rescue! Two start-ups - Pure Networks and SingleClick Systems - each has just shipped software that eases network configuration and management, and handles basic troubleshooting. Think of them as mini network operating systems that sit on top of Windows. (Neither works with Apple or Linux systems.)
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Coming off a beta trial with more than 6,000 users, the Seattle company Pure Networks has released Network Magic 1.0 . The software - which you install on each PC - provides a dynamic map of all the devices on the home network. It monitors connectivity and fixes problems behind the scenes. File and printer sharing is automatic, too; simply select resources to share on one PC to make them available to the other PCs.
Corporate laptops are hidden from other PCs on the network, and when the laptop user shares files with other users on the home network, those file shares are locked down when the laptop is removed and plugged back in to the corporate LAN. The product alerts you when an unauthorized person accesses your wireless network, and an upcoming remote-access feature lets users access designated folders from a Web browser.
Network Magic costs $50 for up to five PCs and any number of devices. The product is free to AOL users and integrated into some D-Link Systems routers. Expect Network Magic to make its way into other manufacturers' gear.
After a beta test with about 2,000 users, SingleClick of Toms River, N.J., is releasing HomeNet Manager 2.0 (which costs about $36 for two to nine PCs). HomeNet Manager offers a similar home network map that shows actual rooms, performs the same troubleshooting tasks and simplifies file and print sharing. The product is stand-alone - no bundling deals with hardware vendors or service providers. SingleClick also offers remote file-sharing services for sharing photos, music and other data across the Web. The basic peer-to-peer service, which requires you to keep your systems running and HomeNet Manager active, costs $4.95 per month. The hosted service costs $9.95 per month.
PC SOS? Call PlumChoice
Good home network tech support to ease your burden.
When you can't save the day, point your users to PlumChoice for PC emergencies. The Bedford, Mass., start-up provides online technical support and disaster recovery using a combination of phone support and PC remote control (based on Citrix GoTo Assist) to fix PC problems while your users follow along. The service costs $23 for 15 minutes; $80 per hour; and $225 for three hours. PlumChoice also offers onsite support for $119 per hour and drop-off service in its Bedford and Rumford, R.I., locations for $90 per hour.
PlumChoice fixes point problems and makes recommendations. "If a customer calls with a 4-year-old PC, we'll help him buy a new one rather than spend four hours on the phone," says PlumChoice CEO Ted Werth. "If his system is riddled with spyware, we'll recommend Firefox or a spyware application. We'll then download and configure it for him on the spot," Werth says. "We're trying to help people cut down the number of times they call us, even if it means we lose money."
PlumChoice's 30 technical support representatives work remotely all over the country. Most people call PlumChoice with a specific problem. Others have a laundry list of items that need fixing. Werth says security problems account for 60% to 70% of PlumChoice's business, with 40% related to spyware. Only 5% to 10% of calls are to help with a home network, and 15% to help with a virus.
Why they call it war driving
Go-to guy Scott Paddock has seen the future, and it's going to raise your insurance premiums. Driving to his day job as an IT consultant at the Daniels Fund in Denver, Paddock comes upon a commuter bus on Route I-25N with a big sign on the back at eye level advertising "high-back cushion seats, luggage racks and free wireless Internet service." As Paddock tails the bus, temptation sets in, and he considers popping open his laptop to check his e-mail. But before he can get it, one-handed, out of the bag, Paddock has to slam on his breaks to avoid a car to his left swerving into his lane - driven by a guy with his laptop open trying to surf the bus.
| SECURITY BRIEFS |
 Mount Laurel, N.J., start-up Electronic Lifestyle Integration has shipped the first home network broadband security device
to include managed services. The box, which costs $199, includes a built-in DSL router, four-port switch, 802.11g, USB port, USB printer port, VoIP port,
phone jack, firewall and VPN. Plus, you get anti-virus, content filtering, anti-spam protection, monitoring and hardware replacement
for $10 per month. Set it and forget it. Mountain View, Calif., start-up GreenBorder introduced security software that isolates users’ Internet activities from the desktop, then flushes all code, files and cookies when the user turns off the PC. The company says the technology lets you safely access any Web site, click any link, read any e-mail; and run applets or plug-ins without worry. Available now, GreenBorder will offer a free consumer version (that runs on XP Pro), and small-office and enterprise versions that include a server component that starts at $24.95. A Windows XP Home edition is in the works For details click here. Send your users here for a short primer on wireless home network security
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APC recently released new UPSs for home entertainment equipment. The PAC A/V H10 and H15 provide power conditioning, surge protection, noise filtering and voltage regulation to optimize
a system’s sound and video performance. Each features 12 surge-protected and filtered outlets, six of which include EMI/RFI
noise filtering for digital devices such as HDTV monitors, digital video recorders, satellite dishes and DVD players. They
also offer two analog, two video and two high-current (amplifier, subwoofer) filtered outlets. The H10 and H15 cost $300 and
$400, respectively. For details Broadband boost
To gear up for a new suite of online service offerings this year, Comcast has upgraded its 3M bit/sec downstream/256K bit/sec upstream service to 4M bit/sec/384K bit/sec. It's upgraded the 4M bit/sec downstream/384K bit/sec upstream to a whopping 6M bit/sec/768K bit/sec. New Comcast services will include video e-mail, an application that lets you create slideshows with digital photos, a fantasy football game and more than 100 games on demand.
