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Shawn H.

Shawn H.

Joined on 08/20/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 49
Most Favorable Review

VERY GOOD IF...

TP-LINK TL-WDR4300 Dual Band Wireless N750 Router, Gigabit, 2.4GHz 300Mbps+5GHz 450Mbps, 2 USB port, IP QoS, Wireless On/Off Switch
TP-LINK TL-WDR4300 Dual Band Wireless N750 Router, Gigabit, 2.4GHz 300Mbps+5GHz 450Mbps, 2 USB port, IP QoS, Wireless On/Off Switch

Pros: DD-WRT (April 1, 2013 release) was able to be flashed right through the web UI. This makes the router much more usable. I was able to set up OpenVPN in DD-WRT. At first, OpenVPN was unstable. Added "mssfix 1200" to the additional-config section of the OpenVPN tab and it's now stable. Also was able to set up ad site blocking and dynamic DNS through DD-WRT. If you want to use DD-WRT, this does a great job with that alternate firmware. As far as range, the 2.4g signal reaches better than the 5g signal. There appeared to be some improvement switching to DD-WRT from stock firmware.

Cons: The included firmware is basic but should be relatively easy for the average home user. The device itself is very light and quite large. Look at the dimensions. It's not that big a deal, but I was a surprised at how big it is. On the plus side, my previous router (a Rosewill) would tip when cords were plugged in. This one does not. So it's also a pro. Be aware if you flash DD-WRT, there is currently no easy way to go back to stock firmware.

Overall Review: There are several versions of this router. The newest is V1.3. NewEgg shipped V1.2. Starting with V1.2, the chipset changed. So it does have the latest chipset. The lights are pretty bright.

Most Critical Review

Not to Casio Specs

NP-20A 800mAh 3.7V Li-Ion Battery Replaces Casio NP-20/NP20DBA
NP-20A 800mAh 3.7V Li-Ion Battery Replaces Casio NP-20/NP20DBA

Pros: I previously gave this a high rating. I have to modify that. It's a battery. That's the pro.

Cons: The plastic shrinkwrap sleeve around the battery rips/tears and comes loose when inserting and removing from the camera. Over time, it'll get so bad that the battery can't be used anymore even though it still would have life left in it. It's extremely cheaply made. Even worse than that is the fact that this battery is a few milimeters shorter than a real Casio battery. It will NOT recharge correctly in the charger. I have to insert a toothpick in with it to get it tight enough for the charger to turn on. However, when in in the Exilim camera. it seems to be ok and is tight enough to provide power. I tried the battery in 2 separate Casio charges and both of them refuse to charge it unless rigging it up with the toothpick.

Overall Review: Definitely would not recommend this product if using an external charger. If your camera has a USB charger that doesn't require the battery to be removed (the charging is done while it's in the camera), then it may be fine. This would also reduce the tearing of the battery sleeve that occurs when removing the battery multiple times. I bought 2 of these for 2 cameras. That was a mistake. Very disappointed that NewEgg would sell something this poorly manufactured. That's not my normal experience with their stuff. Pay a little more and get a real Casio battery.

12/21/2006

Works with 6TB

Rosewill RX-358 U3C BLK External 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure to USB 3.0/eSATA, Aluminum & Plastic, Built-in Cooling Fan and Fan Switch, Support 3.5" SATA III/II/I Hard Drive up to 8TB and UASP Function
Rosewill RX-358 U3C BLK External 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure to USB 3.0/eSATA, Aluminum & Plastic, Built-in Cooling Fan and Fan Switch, Support 3.5" SATA III/II/I Hard Drive up to 8TB and UASP Function

Pros: I bought 2 of these when they were a higher price. I've been running 1 of them on an HTPC for well over a year with a 3TB Seagate. Swapped the Seagate with a brand new 6TB HGST drive from Newegg and it works perfectly with it.

Cons: The Seagate died in about a year. The fan in this unit is pretty weak, but does pull some air across. I used the drive very lightly as it was just archiving media. I don't know if it's because Seagate is a bad drive since it has documented high failure rates or the fan on the unit wasn't good enough. Another glitch is the wires on the side. Be careful putting your screws in. I didn't notice the thin wire was in the way, and ran a through screw it, exposing the bare metal inside the wire. I wrapped it in electrical tape as it was just for the light on front, and it seems to work fine. But it should've been secured better.

Overall Review: I like these so much, I'm getting more. If you don't need lightning or firewire, this is about the best you're going to get for the money. You will need to add rubber "feet" from your favorite supercenter if you want to stack these units as the fan would be blocked.

How can this be free

Obihai OBi200 VoIP Telephone Adapter with Google Voice & SIP
Obihai OBi200 VoIP Telephone Adapter with Google Voice & SIP

Pros: Relatively easy setup. Can support the entire house. Works with multiple Google Voice #'s and other providers. 911 is available, for an additional fee.

Cons: I find it questionable how the company can provide free phone service with no monthly fee. It requires the Obihai portal to configure and maintain the device. It doesn't work stand-alone. So if Obihai goes out of business, the device will likely be non-functional.

Overall Review: I was previously using MagicJack, which quit recognizing touch tones. This device is superior. It supports multiple Google Voice #'s and other SIP providers. My home has structured wiring. I simply put it near the network equipment, then ran a phone line between the Obihai and the incoming phone service jack for the home wiring. Now every phone jack has a dial tone. I doubt this is the recommended setup. But it works in my case.

Updating Review

HP ENVY TouchSmart 17.3" 2.40GHz 8GB Memory DDR3L Windows 8.1 64-bit
HP ENVY TouchSmart 17.3" 2.40GHz 8GB Memory DDR3L Windows 8.1 64-bit

Pros: I wrote the previous 3 star review a bit too fast. All of the pros and cons from the last review still apply. However, after using it for a month, I'm pretty pleased. Processor speed is spectacular. I was also able to order a drive kit (overpriced as it's available only one place), and install a 2TB drive by disassembling a Seagate 2TB slim drive. The 9.5mm slim 2TB worked fine in this laptop. I moved the original 1TB to the 2nd bay and now have 3TB installed.

Cons: Still slightly aggravated with the dings in the metal housing as well as the need to buy proprietary power supply to not get a nag screen. I got a 2nd genuine HP PSU for the travel bag off an auction site for half the price HP charges.

Overall Review: Worth the price in Fall 2014. Top performance for budget price. Have been playing Steam games in 1080p with mostly ok results. The graphics are just good enough for casual gaming.

Works in HP D7-120DX Laptop

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive - STDR2000101 (Silver)
Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive - STDR2000101 (Silver)

Pros: I was able to get this SLIM drive, image my 1TB laptop HD using Macrium, then replace my original drive with this one in an HP M7-120DX laptop, bought from NewEgg. The original 1TB drive can now be installed in bay 2 with an install kit easily available from multiple places.

Cons: I didn't want it for the USB feature. I noticed that while I had it connected, Windows would lose it a lot, many times over the course of the night. I could hear the USB disconnect sound. I didn't worry about it since I didn't intend to use the USB controller piece of the drive. It might be that the drive was going to sleep.

Overall Review: As far as I can tell, this is the only way right now to get a 9.5mm 2TB 2.5" drive. HP laptops may or may not support 2TB drives depending on the BIOS. Fortunately, mine does.