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David A.

David A.

Joined on 07/09/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 9
Most Favorable Review

Bought this to replace the older version, pretty happy

EnGenius ESR9850V2 Wireless N Router with Gigabit Ports IEEE 802.11b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab
EnGenius ESR9850V2 Wireless N Router with Gigabit Ports IEEE 802.11b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab

Pros: I bought the v2 version as a backup to my original ESR9850. After I started having slight difficulty in connecting one of my laptops (Atheros chipset, had to reboot the laptop after sleep mode to connect) I put the backup in place to see if it would help. While my benchmarks were always top-notch with the older router, I noticed an immediate improvement in response times with this one. Websites are snappier across the board. I will keep the older one and refresh the firmware just in case (it did have a problem with the last upgrade, maybe that caused some issue) and keep this one in place. Overall a very good Internet appliance Engenius. Kudos for staying focused on making a fast, reliable, inexpensive device instead of getting distracted like the rest of the industry by trying to make mini-Linux computers out of them (and screwing up the works in the process).

Cons: Not seeing the v2 version explicitly listed on the site, so I couldn't find out if there were firmware updates. I see in the comments below there are, so please consider updating your website so we can find them. Also, discontinued product. I think with a different case and some more firmware updates, you could have continued this product as the top-quality offering of the low-price contenders.

Most Critical Review

Sadly, bad choice

SYBA SY-EXP50012 e-SATA/USB 2.0 ExpressCard
SYBA SY-EXP50012 e-SATA/USB 2.0 ExpressCard

Pros: If you use it as if you're walking on a tightrope over jagged shards of a broken computer, it will work.

Cons: My experience with this product ended with Windows 7 unable to start and System Repair resetting the state, causing a messed up antivirus prog and loss of settings and desktop changes since the last normal boot. How did this happen? I plugged in a USB device after ejecting an ESATA device (normal stop with the "safe to eject message) . My laptop's USB stopped responding entirely, which of course renders the mouse unusable. Fortunately, I'm one of the 10% of people who know how to keyboard around Windows, so I shut it down - or tried to. It locked on shutdown and I had to hard reset it, and boom - I'm into System Repair mode. Not acceptable. I use my computer for both work and life management, and breaking it breaks my work and my life until I get it fixed. NOT ACCEPTABLE. Specific faults with this device: You must plug in the ESATA device before you plug the card in. You must EJECT the card and replug it in before using a USB device, or it will break your USB and give Windows

Overall Review: Sorry Syba. You need to put out stuff that works and price it accordingly. It is not worth a few bucks savings to me to have something that does not work - that's a total loss of the money I spend, not a savings over what I could have spent. Nobody thinks to eject a dual-use device in between changing the use. If it does SATA and USB, we expect to be able to unplug one and plug in the other and have it work WITHOUT breaking our computer. That's just how we customers roll.

Works fine

G.SKILL 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory Model F2-5300CL5S-2GBSQ
G.SKILL 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory Model F2-5300CL5S-2GBSQ

Pros: Works fine mixed and matched with the original 1gb memory in my tablet PC (HP TC4400). Also, G-Skill was the only vendor to give me the actual timings (5-5-5-15) so that I could get a better sense of how well it would mix with the original memory in my tablet. I spent an hour looking at manufacturer's websites and even called on directly, only to be told that "they don't have that information" and "your computer will make it work even if it's not exactly the same". I'm torn between lol and /facepalm on that one. So thank you, Gskill, for putting out the information I needed to make the right purchase the first time.

Cons: None, just works.

Unreliable model. support horrible

BUFFALO AirStation HighPower N300 Gigabit Wireless Router - WZR-HP-G300NH
BUFFALO AirStation HighPower N300 Gigabit Wireless Router - WZR-HP-G300NH

Pros: When it works, I get 130m connection speed (single-band router). I was once able to get it configured to 300m speeds, but didn't notice any download, browsing or video difference.

Cons: This model has a confirmed IPtables problem - if you're streaming anything (video, music, games) the iptable fills up, the router locks up and then needs a power reset. I averaged 24-48 hours between reboots, compared to my old Linksys which never ever ever made me reboot it. So being forced to manually reset the router every other day and restart the Netflix movie / Pandora connection is not acceptable. Refund? nope, replace only. So I RMA'd the router and the torture began. You ship at your own expense, you have to print and follow their checklist word-for-word or they disclaim responsibility, and even when you do follow it ("send all accessories", I sent the attached stand - that's an accessory, right?) they don't return your unit or your box, they just send you a plain box refurb. So I didn't get back my original box or stand. Oh, and the refurb unit locks up just like the original, because it's a design flaw, not a defective unit (or rather, all the units are defective).

Update to "Rating: 1/5Another bad USB connector report"

Rosewill RX81U-ES-25U3 Aluminum / Plastic 2.5" SATA I/II USB 3.0 External Enclosure
Rosewill RX81U-ES-25U3 Aluminum / Plastic 2.5" SATA I/II USB 3.0 External Enclosure

Pros: RMA'd this product after the connector broke off, and Rosewill had Newegg send me another for free (and very quickly) and told me to not bother to send back the old one. So I'm happier now with Rosewill the company. About the product, the USB connector seemed firmer on this one, but I took no chances - I put a line of superglue on the bottom edge of the connector/circuit board join, and I put a tiny drop on either side too. Now this sucker isn't going anywhere - I gave it a stress test and it was rock solid. Just be careful not to put too much glue, as there are holes in the connector and you don't want glue getting in there. I came close to putting too much on and I can feel how the glue makes it more difficult to connect/disconnect the cable.

Cons: None with the extra support for the connector. There's no external power plug on this drive, and I'm using an Expresscard USB 3.0 adapter so power is an issue with anything over a 5400rpm drive. But you can connect an extra USB power cable to the Expresscard to bring it up from .5 amps to .9 amps, and that will run a faster hard drive.

11/29/2010

Another bad USB connector report

Rosewill RX81U-ES-25U3 Aluminum / Plastic 2.5" SATA I/II USB 3.0 External Enclosure
Rosewill RX81U-ES-25U3 Aluminum / Plastic 2.5" SATA I/II USB 3.0 External Enclosure

Pros: Worked great while it worked, then the USB connector broke while plugging the cable in normally. The speed was very good, I used it as an external HD to play games and they loaded very well. The USB 3.0 port has limited power, so a high power drive like a large 7200 RPM drive might have problems, but I used an SSD which has very low power requirements so it was fine.

Cons: I'd plugged the cable into the case several times during the months of ownership, then unplugged it to move it, plugged it back in and the cable didn't stay in. The USB connector on the board was mounted only by tiny solder points and apparently broke off of the board. I used careful, normal pressure to plug the cable in, so this isn't a case of excessive force, it's a design failure. Just a small plastic reinforcing mount for the connector would likely have prevented any problems. Now I have to RMA a sub-20.00 part and pay shipping and all.