Byrnes-Krickl | Byrnes and Krickl and Byrnes-Krickl

For a number of years I have networked our home PCs. I did it for the usual reasons: to share devices like printers and storage, and resources like internet access and media files. I think my enthusiasm peaked in about 2002 while I was doing a Cisco networking subject at UTS. But over the last few years I have tried to take a more pragmatic approach. I stick with regular consumer hardware and software and I try not to indulge my IT excesses. If I can justify it I still like to configure things manually but I no longer collect junk for repair and improvement.

Our current network comprises:

3 PCs running Win XP +SP3,
1 web/storage server running Ubuntu 9.04
1 laptop running Win XP +SP3
1 PS3
2 mobile phones with wifi

The PS3, laptop and 1 PC connect wirelessly. 2 PCs and the server use fast ethernet cables. I also incorporate an 8-port switch for ease of cabling and to accomodate workbench projects.

Until last week I was using a Dynalink RTA1025w wireless modem/router connected to Exetel ADSL2. It had performed well for a few years but in recent months our net access was getting flaky. Everything still worked and it synched at 12 Mbps but anything that required a consistent connection seemed slower. I had a look inside the Dynalink and sure enough some caps were swollen. I replaced them but it only lasted for a day after surgery. Maybe my soldering was sloppy or maybe it was just a very cheap PCB.

To maintain our net access while I decided what to do I installed a Siemens Speedstream 4200 ADSL modem. I have two of these in the workshop. They are very simple WAN/LAN modems with only 1 LAN port and used to be given away by Optus and Telstra as part of broadband package deals. Many people immediately replaced them with a multiport modem/router so there are lots of these sitting around in unused condition. It performed really well. It’s abililty to route is almost non-existent but it is a great little modem. For a weekend we just had the Speedstream plus the switch operating with our wired PCs and there was a clear improvement over the recent performance of the Dynalink.

I decided to keep the Speedstream and add a separate wireless router. A few months ago my Mum got a laptop and I suggested they add a wireless router to their cable modem. I picked the ASUS RT-N11 and it proved to be good value, easy to set up and reliable. So I bought another for us.

Here is what I did:

installed the latest generic firmware on the Speedstream. Optus and Telstra both produced firmware for use with this modem but I didn’t want any provider-specific features or settings confusing my setup. Firmware and lots of info about this modem is available from http://www.modemsupport.com.au/ [This site seems to be down at the moment, 18 May 2013, so try this for more info: http://shadow.sentry.org/~trev/4200.html]
here are some instructions for bridging the Optus version
put the Speedstream into bridge mode, so that all incoming packets are just sent to the Asus router. (Note that while in bridge mode the web configuration utility is not available so if you want to leave bridge mode you need to reset the modem to factory defaults and start configuration from scratch). I found a few different procedures for entering bridge mode. I read this whirlpool post but ended up following this HOWTO written by Jacob Comber. Except that my modem with generic firmware has IP 192.168.1.1 and not Telstra’s version with 10.0.0.1 That made things a little easier later because all the devices on my LAN have manually set IPs in the 192.168 subnet.
After setting the modem to bridge mode I just connected the RT-N11 to the modem and to my PC and went through the router’s web setup utility.

For the record this is how to return the 4200 to factory defaults:

Using the tip of a ballpoint pen or unfolded paperclip, press and hold the Reset button located on the bottom of the modem. The pwr LED will blink red once, indicating that the reset has begun.
Continue depressing the Reset button for four seconds or until the pwr LED begins to blink alternating red-to-green.
Release the Reset button.

Postscript

In October 2012 to improve wifi coverage and to give me more control I bought an ASUS RT-N16 to replace the RT-N11, which I’ll keep as a spare.

Early last year my LG U880 started getting hard to use. Some keys were not working properly – I’d have to press them hard which would really slow down my texting. I was well out of my contract period so I could have just ordered a new phone from 3, but none of those available on my plan really took my fancy. I’m on a cheap plan so I can only get the bottom model from each manufacturer.

At that time I was offered a second-hand Nokia 6280. I wasn’t that keen on the slidey style (the LG’s clamshell style seemed more stable) but the keys worked well so I decided to use it until I found something better and newer. I can’t remember if it was already unlocked or if I unlocked it myself but either way it worked fine with my 3 sim.

This Nokia was released about the same time as the LG I had been using, early 2006, so I had some idea of what to expect. The Nokia comes with a ridiculous 6Mb of internal memory which I think was tiny even in 2006. It has a MiniSD slot so I bought a 1 Gb card – gigantic for 2006 and about the smallest you can buy in 2009. I keep the phonebook, profiles, logs and messages in the internal memory but photos and videos on the memory card. My PC has a multicard reader so I transfer photos and videos via memory card.

Likes:

the camera is excellent. I’m amazed that what is essentially a high-tech box brownie produces such good quality photos: quite sharp, good colour saturation and it performs well in low light conditions. I’ve written some tips about editing the exif data.
the display is clear and bright.

Dislikes:

the slidey mechanism is very loose. If I set it to vibrate it sounds like the phone is about to fly apart. It doesn’t seem to have got any looser over the months. I’ve read in forums that some people were worried about it and returned theirs as faulty. The consensus seems to be that it is just a characteristic of the model.
the menu system is good except for the ‘Settings’ section. I can never find the right category for the setting I want to change. In particular I can’t really figure out the many display settings. And I don’t seem to be able to get the information I want onto the display.
a minor irritation: when viewing a list of received text messages I can only see the sender and the beginning of the message. I’d like to see the date it was sent too.