3. Easier Home Networking from D-Link and Linksys

Connecting devices like the Slingbox and SlingCatcher is usually easier than connecting and managing standard home network devices like NAS boxes and wireless security cameras, because the Sling software automatically detects available devices on the network. Logitech gets around this with its new Wilife home security system by using HomePlug-connected cameras, some hidden inside clocks for security.

Linksys has a new version of its EasyLink Assistant that uses UPNP to automatically detect devices on your network and show them on a map; you can see the details, give them memorable names and click to launch the administrative interface directly, rather than remembering what IP address to type into your Web browser. You can mark devices you don’t recognize as intruders, and allow connections for devices that a friend has brought to your house. EasyLink will also help you add new devices to your network, walking you through plugging everything in with animated diagrams, and explaining concepts like the SSID network name and security options in plain English. It also has an integrated bandwidth and speed test; Linksys VP Patrick Lelorieux predicts that “ISPs will not like this feature”.

D-Link is making network setup even easier with the products it plans for its new D-Life range (which it considers so significant that they’ve been codenamed D-Link 2.0 internally). Instead of plugging in and running the usual setup software, you create a free account on the dlife.com site, type in the serial number of the new network device you want to use, and the site will configure the device for you automatically. D-Link showed this working with a VOIP phone, a security camera, a network phone recorder, a picture frame and a NAS box. The site assigns IP numbers to avoid conflicts, works even if you don’t have a D-Link router, and can configure devices like the picture frame to work whether you’re at home or you take the device to work with you, where you can also use it as the screen for the security camera.