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USB WiFi Smart Adapter – But Why?

Given USB is everywhere, this guy gives you the ability to control the on and off power of a USB powered device.

I think for most people, there is no real difference between a WiFi outlet and the WiFi USB adapter. The only difference would be if you want to control the power of a USB gadget which is being powered from your computer. If it’s anything else, as for the power source, it will be a wall outlet.

Can you plug in your Alexa via USB? No. Can you plug in your Google Home via USB? No. Can you plug in your lamps in our family room or living room via USB? No. Can you plug in your bluetooth speaker to charge vai USB? Yes, but who cares about controlling the power of that? Can you plug in your phone via USB to charge it? Yes, but who cares, you want that thing to charge to it’s full capacity anyway. Oh wait, unless you are a super nerd, like these guys (read the comments section).

For the $6.50 that Sonoff is planning to charge you, I would put my money towards a more usable product, like the Smart Life WiFi outlets.

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USB Wall Charger With Hidden Surveillance Camera

With USB gadgets like this, it’s hare to imagine companies like ADT stay in business for residential customers. This working USB charger includes a miniature camera which acts like a surveillance camera. You can plug any USB gadget into it for charging, all the while record or stream video for what is going on within it’s view.

Use your Android or iPhone you may stream directly to your connected app or stream to a group of people you’ve authorized within the app. The spy camera records 1080p HD footage and will also record that video to the 32GB microSD card (included). Bonus: You can set the surveillance camera to record only when it detects motion.

The camera view is anything directly in front of the plug, so no ability to turn the camera itself, but that is a simple enough problem to solve, just use an outlet that is in-line with the viewing area you want to record.

Here are some noteworthy bullet points about what you will get for the low price of $29USD:

  • Motion Detection – Can be set to initiate recording only when motion is detected and then send a notification directly to your phone.
  • Loop Recording – Can be set to automatically record over old footage, allowing for uninterrupted video recording.
  • Night Mode – Can be set for recording in dim and low light environments.
  • Multi-Use – Allows for multiple users to connect to the same device (Supports up to 8 users)
  • Multi-View – Allows for multiple cameras to be connected to the same APP / Software. (Supports up to 8 cameras)

The Evela spy camera comes with

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Solar Rechargeable Wireless Optical Mouse

The four adjective computer USB mouse does exactly as what the name describes.  I’m also a big fan to see computer products taking the step towards solar power rather then other means.  Why not, the sun is always out [oh wait, I’m in SoCal] Sure the hand will cover the solar panel, but there is plenty of time you’re hand is not covering the solar cells for recharging. Recharging takes place to the single AAA battery inside the unit.  If the power does drain too much, you can swap the battery for a non-chargeable one. 2.4Ghz wireless spec gets you the communication you need with out the interference you might expect. Personally, I’d rather see Bluetooth as this little guy takes up a USB port for the wireless dongle on the host side. The Solar rechargeable wireless optical USB mouse is compatible with Windows back to XP, Linux and Mac operating systems, so ya, standard stuff. Continue Reading

USB Shaped Set-Top-Box by Roku

Roku has a USB looking set-top-box which runs streaming video off the Mobile High Definition Link [MHL] interface standard. It’s a sweet package all bundled up for portability.  As you can see the HDMI connector of the USB device, you click it once to a MHL supported TV and using the TV’s own remote you can steam video without the need of a bulky set-top-box. Televisions that support MHL will be able to integrate Roku’s streaming TV platform simply by plugging in the stick. With the stick docked, it will be just like having the Roku set-top box: it adds the Roku interface (and the 400+ channels it offers), Wi-Fi connectivity, and local storage to the TV it is used on. MHL standard is quickly becoming adopted by the major players like Continue Reading

Wireless USB 3.0 Monitor Is Really Proximity Monitor

Samsung has a new Central Station WLED monitor system in 23 inch or 27 inch format.  The wireless solution is very unique in that it automatically detects your devices with in the 1 meter range.  So as you approach with your laptop, the monitor will automatically sync up with your PC. In additional the Samsung WLED includes USB ports on the monitor so as your PC approaches, those peripherals hanging off the side will also become usable with your laptop.  I should actually re-edit this post and mention netbook as those screens are way too small and something like this would be ideal. Samsung didn’t get a change to post lag-time between user input on the PC and the reaction of the monitor for said input, but I’d venture to say it’s minimal – Samsung doesn’t cheat corners. Continue Reading

Windows Phone 7 Offers USB Tethering

There was a tweet about Windows Phone 7 offering USB tethering.  It first started with a claim the feature will be available, and it would be available withour the courier adding additional charges.  Unfortunately, that claim has been retracted.  However, there is still hope for USB tethering.

I think in all likelyhood, Windows Phone 7 will offer USB tethering so you can get to the internet through your phone, but it’ll be with a data plan surcharge.That’s OK by me for the moment because sometimes it’s critical to get your data while on-site or at a remote location where there just isn’t an option.  In addition, this would give WP7 a nice edge on Apple products who don’t let you tether. What do you think? Continue Reading

Wireless USB Dock Station For Laptops

Warpia is a wireless docking station for your laptop to easily connect your keyboard, mouse, monitor and just about anything else without using cables.  Using just a wireless USB dongle to your laptop it will then connect with the base dock station where you’ve connected the keyboard & mouse dongle, the monitor, hard drive and other peripherals.

wireless USB dock station

The wireless connection of the Warpia supports resolution up to 1400 x 1050, 32-bit True Color Depth.  The dock station includes the following ports to support your peripherals – DVI connection, two USB ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Warpia wireless usb

The wireless USB dock station does support Mac and Windows operating systems and after a quick scan of some blogs/forums we cannot conclude if the Warpia supports Linux. We found the Warpia as low as $140 here. Continue Reading

How To: USB WiFi Signal Extender

Several years ago, I reported on a USB wifi extender in parabolic form.  Now, we’ve got a slimmed down version using an empty food can and your USB wifi dongle. It’s not the prettiest thing, but it works and will boost your signal strength enough to grab the channel from your neighbor who’s barely showing up in your wireless network.

USB wifi extender

Plus this hack gives you adjustable control both up and down, and left and right. The concept here is getting the can to increase your signal.  In addition, mounting the can and USB wifi dongle to a portable camera stand.  This will give you the stability you need to keep the signal strength strong while in use.  It will also allow you to keep the position for use from day to day. Continue Reading

Wireless USB Media Stick

wireless usb media

It’s very common these days to see a media player with a USB port.  Whether it be a Blu-ray player or a set-top box, chances are, a USB port is somewhere in the front or back. At first glance you say to yourself, “sweet, a USB port so I can play content off my flash drive” but then you think a bit more and wonder if you can hang a wireless dongle off the media player and stream content to your media box from a source computer? stream via USBWell, Home Server Technologies Inc is one step ahead of you.  Their new Wireless Media Stick will do exactly that; stream digital content to your media player. Whether it’s a laptop, TV, DVD player, Stereo or game console the Wireless Media Stick can stream the content and your media player will play it.  There is no limit to the type of format, music, audio or video. Currently the USB Wireless Media Stick will only stream saved content from the source computer, but future updates will include the ability to stream internet content to your wireless setup, so now you’ll have the best of both worlds. The Wireless USB Media Stick is $99 USD. Continue Reading

Cisco Simplifies Home Wireless Setup With USB Stick

Cisco is basing their new Wireless Valet product off a study that finds only about one third of US households are set up for wireless Internet—and that low rate of adoption is due in part to the complexities of setting up wireless networks. Cicsco is the leader in backbone routers, switches and networking gear, but have always been business enterprise focused.  Today that all changes with the Valet.

Cisco Valet Wireless Router

The Valet is Cisco’s answer to getting a simple wireless network connected for the non-tech people…and honestly, I think they are on to something.  Here is how it works. Simply power up the Valet and connect it to your cable connection in your house.  Then take the Cisco Valet USB key and plug that into each computer you want on the network.  Answer three simple questions, Cisco does the rest.

Cisco Valet USB dongle

That’s it.
Cisco says the Valets are so easy to set up that all users have to do is pop the included USB Setup Key in their PC or Mac, and the Valet software does the rest. Cisco says its Valet system takes the 20 or 30 steps normally involved in setting up a wireless network down to just three steps, and users can then move the USB Setup Key to additional home computers to painlessly get them up and running on wireless. Included Cisco Connect software then makes it straightforward to add more devices to the network (think iPhones, game consoles, etc.), set up a separate network for guests, establish parental controls, and customize security settings.
Cisco is offering two models of Valet routers. The Valet and Valet Plus. The Valet offers 802.11n Wi-Fi networking and four 100 Mbps Ethernet ports for connecting to a wired network.  The Valet Plus steps up to four gigabit Ethernet ports. The Valet is priced at Continue Reading

D-Link RangeBooster for G Network Only $9 Bucks

GetUSB Dealz just spotted a D-Link RangeBooster for your laptop or PC for only $9.  Sure you can take a piece of tinfoil and make a paraball and reflect your signal off the router, but where is the fun in that?  Besides, it looks cheap. So here is the dealz…the D-Link RangeBooster has a list price of $48.  There is a $41 discount and Buy.com is throwing in free ground shipping.  Net cost, only $9 USD.

D-Link rangebooster

Here is the company line: ENHANCED WIRELESS PERFORMANCE Connect to a fast and secure wireless network by adding the D-Link RangeBooster G™ USB Adapter (WUA-2340) to your desktop or notebook PC. Access your network’s high-speed Internet connection while also getting secure access to shared files, music, and photos from other computers in your network. RANGEBOOSTER G™ TECHNOLOGY Built with RangeBooster G Technology, this Wireless USB Adapter delivers faster wireless signal rates and better reception than most other 802.11g devices. Having a faster connection gives you more time to enjoy listening to music and watching videos rather than spending time waiting for files to finish transferring. With better wireless reception, you can connect to the network from farther distances. TOTAL NETWORK SECURITY This USB Adapter offers total network protection by supporting WEP and WPA encryption. These features safeguard your data and privacy by giving you access to a secure wireless network. EASY TO INSTALL AND USE Set up the Wireless USB Adapter in minutes with D-Link’s Quick Setup Wizard. In addition, D-Link’s new utility detects available wireless networks so you can quickly connect to the network. It also keeps track of the networks used most often so that you can easily rejoin them. This Wireless USB Adapter is backward compatible with 802.11b standard, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of wireless routers and networks. Continue Reading

MacBook Wireless USB Solution For VGA & DVI

MacBook laptops don’t come with VGA out or DVI out connectors for extending one’s video screens to more then the MacBook itself.  Today Wisair announced a solution for just that with their Wireless USB DisplayDock Set.

macbook wireless monitor

Wisair’s DisplayDock solution allows Mac users to connect to a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers, via a single wireless link with a single adapter that connects to a USB port on the MacBook.  Since we haven’t seen a big offering to help out MacBook users we expect this to be a big hit with the MacFanBoys. Wisair will be OEMing the solutions via three vendors [Atlona, Source R&D, Cables Unlimited and Olidata in the UK. Some major points to consider:
  • Point to point plug and play USB wireless
  • Universal solution for MacBooks
  • Distance up to 30 feet
  • Doesn’t load over WiFi so your internet USB gadget surfing remains fast
  • Wireless video supports up to 1440 x 1050 screen resolution
  • Mac Leopard (10.5) and Snow Leopard (10.6) OS support.
No price yet was announced from the Press Release or OEM sites.  Product will be available the first of March. Continue Reading

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