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John W.

John W.

Joined on 03/15/05

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100 Reviews
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product reviews
  • 212
Most Favorable Review

Pretty decent powerline adapters

Rosewill RPLC-200PKIT Premium 200Mbps Powerline AV+ Pass-Through Adapter (Starter Kit - 2 Units)
Rosewill RPLC-200PKIT Premium 200Mbps Powerline AV+ Pass-Through Adapter (Starter Kit - 2 Units)

Pros: Very easy to install and connect, basically just plug them both in, make two Ethernet connections at each end and you're connected. Achieved decent connection speeds overall (see "Other thoughts" below.) Connection was stable and reliable, no disconnects noted during lengthy gaming and data-transfer sessions. 128-bit encryption prevents eavesdropping by other powerline adapters. Power pass-through allows use of the outlet by other devices, this is a big plus since AC power outlets in the vicinity of PC equipment can become scarce. Includes two Cat 5e cables, everything is included to get connected immediately. Status and activity LEDs are not overly bright. Power-saving mode automatically enables when no data has been detected for a period of time. Units run relatively cool, even after extended usage they were warm but not uncomfortable to hold.

Cons: The units are nearly HUGE in comparison to several other makes/models. They do not blend in at all and are visually quite obvious. The AC power pass-through is a great feature, but the housing is so large it nearly blocks the other AC outlet above it, larger plugs may have a difficult time clearing. The LAN port is only 10/100 Fast Ethernet, so individual connection speeds above 100Mbps are not possible. The 200Mbps rating is the maximum theoretical speed of ALL such devices together on the same power circuit, not each individual pairing. This is the same concept for all powerline adapters, not only this one. Out-of-the box, the default connection between these units is NOT encrypted! You must force encryption by activating it on one device, then connecting the other device(s) to the power circuit within 2 minutes. Users should NOT run these un-encrypted, as any other compatible device on a nearby power circuit could potentially intercept any and all network traffic.

Overall Review: I ran a comparison test between these devices and a 300Mbps WiFi router, using all the same hardware at each end, only the connection differs between the two. The test was conducted in the far-upstairs bedroom of a two-story home, with the WiFi router being located in the basement.: 1.23GB .avi video test file (all speeds are averaged) Rosewill RPLC-200PKIT -------------------------------- DL: 4.55MBps UL: 4.4MBps 300Mbps WiFi -------------------- DL: 2.4MBps UL: 2.25MBps As you can see, the Rosewill powerline adapter did quite well against WiFi when the radio connection was strained by distance and intervening floors. This is where powerline adapters begin to shine, right where WiFi leaves off due to proximity, blockage, interference, etc. If you can run Cat 5e or Cat 6 Ethernet cable, you should do so, always, but in lieu of this, the powerline adapter can be a viable, quick and reasonably-secure connectivity solution as well. Especially if the need is temporary, these devices can be utilized very well. If it were not for their overly large size and lack of default encryption, I would have considered giving them a 5-Egger, which is something I rarely do. For clarity I will state once again: When using this or any other powerline or WiFi connection, be sure the encryption is ENABLED! Also ensure the encryption is 128-bit or higher, anything less is too vulnerable to brute-force cracking these days.

Most Critical Review

Acceptable solution if easy & quick setup is your primary motivation..

Netgear VueZone Home Video Monitoring System  - 1 Camera Kit
Netgear VueZone Home Video Monitoring System - 1 Camera Kit

Pros: Very quick and easy to setup, took less than 30 minutes to place the camera, connect the base unit and access & configure the website account. Quick Install instructions are clear, concise, accurate and very well-illustrated. Attractively designed; the beige, gray and black color-scheme, along with flowing curves, makes the components rather pleasing to view and not so utilitarian. Camera is small enough to be inobtrusive. Rubberized grip-surfaces on the camera make it very easy to handle and position. Normally acceptable video-quality for the intended usage of this system, but only just barely. Remote-monitoring using an iPhone, Android-device or any internet browser is extremely convenient. VueZone monitoring website (or mobile app) is fairly easy to navigate and offers several control options for camera settings. Motion-sensor only activates camera when there is (presumably) activity taking place, preserving battery life. Once activated, the user can be emailed with a still-shot or short video clip of the activity. Magnetic-hemisphere mounting system is very innovative, flexible and quite secure. You can shake the mount pretty vigorously and the camera will not budge loose, no persistent vibrations or slamming doors will shake the camera from the bracket. Camera mounts can be "permanently" attached to smooth surfaces with the included adhesive pads, or you can also temporarily attach them via a keyhole-slot to a screw (or other similary-sized protruberance,) two (2) drywall expansion-plugs and screws are included. Power supply is small and innocuous. Available accessories include a table/ceiling sphere mount, indoor suction-cup window sphere mount and outdoor clamshell weather-resistant housing. Includes all batteries and cables, everything required to setup and begin using right away. 30-days of Premier monitoring-account time is included. Adequately packaged to prevent damage in transit.

Cons: No audio! In fairness, this is only marketed as a video system, but how much more functional would this device be with a simple audio feed along with the live video? Video only monitors a specific area, but with audio you can practically listen to an entire house. Huge oversight, in my opinion. Expensive; at a starting price of $200 (at the time of this review) for the basic package, this is not for the frugally-inclined. Decent video-monitoring is never going to be cheap, but you definitely shell-out for the convenience of this system. After the first 30 days, all but the most basic monitoring of this system (PC-browser only) requires a Premier subscription plan at either $5/mo or $50/year (equating to $4.17/mo.) Larger systems (more than five cameras and/or one base-unit) require an Elite plan at $80/year ($6.67/mo.) While none of these are extraordinarily expensive, the high initial-cost of these units should at least allow viewing via mobile device at no extra charge, which is one of the primary selling-points. Barely-acceptable image quality, especially as light diminishes, definitely takes a lot of shine off the apple. No local monitoring is possible, all feeds upload to the Netgear VueZone website and can only be accessed from there, period. Some clever hacker might possibly find a way to circumvent this, but it would undoubtedly violate some (or many) portions of the User Agreement, endeavor at your own risk (not recommended.) Camera battery-cover release and power switches are overly small and difficult to manipulate. Base-unit seems exceedingly large for this device -- I've seen highly-functional WiFi routers barely bigger than a matchbox -- Netgear should have easily been able to trim the size by 20%-30%. No internal PSU, powered by the ubiquitous "wall-wart," of which the DC power-cord seems a bit on the short side, as well. Cameras have a lower operating-temperature range limit of 32F, which means if you have one of the outdoor housings there's no useage during the winter, unless you live in a warmer climate. Camera motion-sensors will not work through glass, so the window suction mount is not well suited to viewing outside in the automated fashion, only remote activation via browser/webapp will work. Cameras rely on CR123A batteries, life will vary based on useage. Replacement batteries run between (approx.) $1.25/ea in bulk to $6.25/ea in pairs, not including shipping if you can't find them locally at similar prices. Reviews on the Netgear VueZone website seem like "shills" or negative reviews were removed. After scanning Newegg reviews, user opinions seem at a great disparity between the two sites. There is also no obvious way to add reviews of your own. Are these then true reviews, or simply biased promotional material?

Overall Review: When I first discovered this system, I was at first very excited at all the possibilities, but then rather disappointed once reality hit home. My initial thought was "hey, great baby monitor! As soon as baby (or grandbaby, in this case) stirs, I get an email to let me know he/she is awake. Or, I can just click-in and see/hear what baby is doing." Does that make me a lazy grandparent? Once you hit the big five-oh and have to suffer through significant knee-pain every time you traverse up and down steps because you THINK you heard something, we can talk. Until then, rest assured that our grandkids are in good hands. Moving on, once I realized there is no audio feed from this device, its value for the aforementioned task rather plummeted, as sometimes babies just cry and move very little, which will not activate the camera and may not even be apparent in a video-only presentation. Sure, I could incorporate an audio baby-monitor into the mix, but I was hoping for an all-in-one solution here, not a mixed-media substitute. There are also audio/video baby monitors out there, but none (that I've seen yet) which can be viewed on your own mobile device(s.) On the other hand, I can see where this system could be very useful for monitoring a teen or older adult, a quick, temporary setup for a workshop, garage or jobsite, checking on pets or a vacation home, etc. (assuming internet connectivity and power are both present.) Due to the questionable video quality, I wouldn't be highly optimimistic about positively identifying an intruder, either; rather, only knowing an intrusion was occurring or had occurred. Unless a perpetrator stood facing the camera for several seconds, all you're likely to view is a motion-blurred image, but stranger things have happened. At the very least the police could likely identify clothing, general build and possibly gender and race, which could definitely assist an investigation. As long as you understand the limitations, don't mind buying & changing batteries every few months, don't mind the subscription fees and don't have unrealistic expectations, this system could be a viable solution for your video-monitoring needs. If you place a premium on ease of setup and useage, that's a big checkmark in the "Pros" column. I'm also a bit troubled by the "reviews" on the VueZone site, as most buyers have come to trust true reviews as open and unbiased opinions from a broad range of actual users, not hand-picked or fabricated testimonials which tout only the benefits and none of the pitfalls or caveats. This is not a product without benefits, but it is also not a cure-all for every monitoring need. Once you've identified your needs and understand what this system can and cannot deliver, it may still be satisfactory, and you are unlikely to find anything else this easy to implement.

Good Quality DP Cable

Coboc CL-DP-HBR2-15-BK 15ft 28AWG Displayport1.2 High Bit-Rate 2 DisplayPort Male to Male Cable with latching,Gold Plated,Black - 4K x 2K Ready - Eyefinity Support
Coboc CL-DP-HBR2-15-BK 15ft 28AWG Displayport1.2 High Bit-Rate 2 DisplayPort Male to Male Cable with latching,Gold Plated,Black - 4K x 2K Ready - Eyefinity Support

Pros: - Appears to be well-made - Affordably priced - Works for the intended application

Cons: - None so far

Overall Review: There's not a lot you can say about a cable, so long as it's working correctly, which this one continues to do. No regrets in purchasing thus far.

Good Keyboard at a Good Price

Rosewill NEON K85 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Brown Switches
Rosewill NEON K85 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Brown Switches

Pros: - RGB colors which are highly customizable, right down to the individual keycaps - LEDs are bright enough and scalable for preference in darker environments - Cable is long enough for nearly any application - Attached wrist-rest is easily removed, Rosewill even includes the screwdriver! - Keycaps remover is included should you wish to change to custom keycaps (not included) - Mechanical keyset feels precise but doesn't seem to be overly loud

Cons: - All the keys (specifically, the PG UP/PG DN/INS/DEL) would NOT work with my wife's PS/2-ported work PC - NOT an actual Cherry MX Brown keyset, more like "Brown equivalent"

Overall Review: Got this as an upgrade for my wife's work PC (since she works from home 99.5% of the time) as a replacement for her factory-stock membrane junk keyboard. She liked it at first, until we discovered that the keys mentioned in the "Cons" section above did not work on her PC, so we had to return to the mushy membrane keyboard for now. I ended up giving the keyboard to my son for his gaming PC, and he just loves it! It's his first mechanical-type keyboard so he doesn't really have any experience to compare this new keyboard to, but he's very pleased, nonetheless. All the keys function normally on his PC, too.

Works Perfectly

Sony DualShock 4 Wireless Controller for PlayStation 4 - Magma Red
Sony DualShock 4 Wireless Controller for PlayStation 4 - Magma Red

Pros: - Quickly recognized by my PS4 Pro system, no different than the one included - Seems to hold a charge just as long as the original - Functions exactly like the controller that shipped with the PS4 Pro - Snazzy red color makes it easy to distinguish from other controller(s)

Cons: - None that I've identified

Overall Review: A second controller is really a no-brainer these days, for only a little over $50, you can have head-to-head gaming or just an alternate controller to help spread the wear-and-tear around a bit. Aside from the color, I am unable to find any differences between this and the controller that shipped from the factory with the PS4 Pro, perfect!

Excellent Charging Base for My PS4 Pro

83217 NYKO For Playstation 4 PS4 Modular Charge Station (Black), USB powered
83217 NYKO For Playstation 4 PS4 Modular Charge Station (Black), USB powered

Pros: - Works exactly as intended - Simple setup - Low profile - Charges as quickly as a USB cable - Inexpensive - Easily removed or moved - Could be used away from the PS4 using a longer USB cable (not included) - LED indicators verify charge connectivity

Cons: - Not at all heavy, which is a pro and a con, as the unit slides around fairly easily on the PS4 top

Overall Review: This was the first non-factory (i.e., not Sony) accessory purchased for my new PS4 Pro, and I could not be happier with it. The 2 little dongles attach easily just by plugging them in to the microUSB ports of the front of each PS4 controller, and once installed I don't even notice they are present, they do not affect my gameplay in the slightest. If you're weary of having to manually attach your controllers to your PS4 for charging using a USB cable, I highly recommend this device. You simply set your controller on the device so the little microadapters line up with the depressions in the top, and you're done! An LED confirms that you have adequate contact so there's no wondering if any charging is going on. Super!

seller reviews
  • 5

Fine seller

Item arrived on-time and just as described, even better, actually.

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Good seller

Item arrived quickly and just as described.

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Good seller

Item just as described, shipped as indicated, no issues.

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Satisfactory