Here are some more information for Opened Linksys:

A Cheap Solution for Small Business Video Conferencing

For a small business trying to decide on a network solution which will be required to support video conferencing .... the journey can be aggravating.

Basically ..... Give me an open check and I will spend every dime on bandwidth pipes. Give me a fixed budget and I will squeeze every dime of bandwidth with compression techniques and accept the quality trade off.

Therein lies the dilemma ..... bandwidth vs quality.

So this is really not a question of bandwidth, but QoS (Quality of Service).

If you're willing to accept some risk in QoS to keep your budget under control.....there are options open to you.

With the bandwidth, you would scale to the number of users using the video/multimedia streaming network. About 384kbps per active connection per direction is the scaling for basic video conferencing(320x240). For 640x480 double it, and for 1080i HD 3-7Mbps for each feed.

LAN - Local Area Network, the one you buy and build

WAN - The one you lease and pay for, DSL etc

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line, 3-7Mbps

VPN - Virtual Private Networking, key technology for your solution

For your LAN network topology you want Ethernet at each video conferencing location. This is standard for most all LANs. Your WAN or Wide Area Network connection is the one that needs speculation. Just 10 years ago your choice would have been either a few T-1's at 1.5Mbps each, T-3 at 45Mbps, or Fibre for near limitless bandwidth depending on the above calculated bandwidth need.

Today's internet backbone is much more developed and can handle VPN over cable/DSL very well. VPN is creating a virtual software driven dedicated connection over a broadband connection like DSL.

Many (Linksys) network routers come with VPN capabilities. This should be the first solution attempt because it is exponentially cheaper than any other way. All you would require is a VPN router (Linksys $100) and 3-7Mbps DSL/Cable at each video feed location. Don't forget to get static IP's for each DSL location so you can make your VPN a permanent structure of the internet.

That's the basics. If you need help finding a DSL or cable provider in your area that won't steal your wallet .... visit us at Broadband Nation.

About the Author

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including Small Business Resources Cafe. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

How do I set up a linksys wireless system so you have to have a password to get online, instead of it open?

I have a desk top and that is where the dsl comes in and the wireless router comes in, with two laptops that are wireless ready. However I don't want the neihbors on my wireless connection.

You should enable WEP, WPA or WPA2. I don't know which Linksys router you have so I can't tell you exactly how to do this but it should be evident on the Configuration Panel. To reach that screen enter:

http://192.168.1.1/

into the address field of your browser.

You then need to enter a password. Leave the username blank and enter "admin" in the password field (providing you haven't already changed the password).

From there you need to navigate to the "Wireless Security" screen under the "Wireless" tab. You should be able to configure WEP, WPA or WPA2 from there. WPA2 is the preferable choice.

Once you've configured your laptops to connect to the router using the WEP, WPA or WPA2 key then your neighbors won't be able to connect to your network.

You should also change the password used to access the router. That's done under the "Administration" tab.

Report: Apple gets iPad trademark from Fujitsu
In a week’s time, Apple will have a new tablet on its way to a retail shelf near you. But it can already lay claim to something else iPad-related—the trademark to the name. That’s according to a report posted Friday at PatentAuthority.com, which says that Apple has bought the iPad trademark from Fujitsu.

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