Ever have a problem determining the IP Addresses utilized on your network? How about determing the IP Addresses of the remote devices when connected via VPN? How about when the DHCP Clients table failed to display the Static IP Addresses on your network? Well worry no more, there is actually a tool that allows you to scan the IP Addresses of the network whether it's local or remote. It is called IP Scanner.

For this example I am utilizing a regular IP Scanner which you can easily download for free from just about anywhere. Check how an IP Scanner looks like.

















So after filling in the fields and scanning the network, it will display the lists of IP Addresses on the range you selected. It is very easy to determine whether a certain IP Address is active or not just by looking at the colors. If it's GREEN then it's good but if RED then it's a dead IP.




















From the screenshot above, you will notice that there are two fields that you should be filling in. It actually displays as a range of IP Addresses on your network. For my example, I utilize my local IP Address which 10.200.1.1 to 10.200.1.255. If you notice, it only differs on the last of octet of my IP Address 1 to 255. This gives me the range of that one subnet. Of course, the field entries will differ to the IP Address of your network but again, I suggest that you use the 1 to 255 range when scanning for IP addresses.

So there you can do the same procedure over and over to determine the active IP Addresses of your network.

Quoting Wikipedia:


“File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to exchange and manipulate files over a TCP/IP based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server applications. Applications were originally interactive command-line tools with a standardized command syntax, but graphical user interfaces have been developed for all desktop operating systems in use today. FTP is also often used as an application component to automatically transfer files for program internal functions. FTP can be used with user-based password authentication or with anonymous user access.”


When using IE6 (Internet Explorer 6), FTP users can easily copy and paste files on the browser. They can either do the classic drag and drop or copy and paste. Unfortunately, all of that changes when IE7 and IE8 were released. The new version of the browser doesn’t display the usual folder icons on the page instead it gives you a list of the folders and files you have on your FTP Site. Below is a picture of what I mean.
















With this method, it will be very incoventient for some non-technical users on uploading their files to their FTP Site. Little that everyone knows is that there is actually option on the browser that would allow you to browse your files just like Windows Explorer. All you have to do is click on the Page Option of your IE browser then click on Open FTP Site on Windows Explorer.




















The moment you select that option, an  Explorer window will open and from there you can start uploading your files on your FTP Site.














To change the user access of your FTP Site, you can easily right-clik anywhere on the window and select Login As as indicated on the screenshot below.

























So there, you can now start uploading and download your files on your FTP Site.

Windows Vista's high security is pretty much irritating at some point. I hate the idea of continuously clicking on the "Continue" button every time i run or install a software on my computer. I believe all of us (Vista users) have encountered and experienced first hand this problem.

Here's what I mean.



So how do we avoid this? Below are the simple steps on how to disable it.

Go to Control Panel and if your window is displayed on Classic View then look for an icon that says User Accounts.



From here, you will have the option to click on Turn UAC On and Off



You can disable UAC just by simply removing the check box on the item just like the picture below.



Although UAC has its purpose, unfortunately i couldn't grasp it right now. All i know is that its a nuisance and it should be out of my computer. At the mean time, i don't worry about this much since no one uses my computer except me. Lol...

Another feature on the WVC80N that triggers my curiosity is its Samba Server option. I've found this to be very very helpful especially if you want continues recording on your camera but your PC's hard drive capacity is hindering you. The concept here is to upload your videos directly to a Samba Server enabled device which is basically your NAS backup.

First, make sure that your camera is part of your network. Make sure that the camera settings like IP and DNS are correct.

Second, make sure that your NAS is properly configured. Shared Folders are created and try to upload files manually to your NAS to double check.


Here’s how to configure the settings on your camera.

Samba Server - this could be the IP Address or Domain Name of your Samba Server.

For this example, I utilize a regular storage device on my network that’s why the IP Address displayed is private.

Upload Path - this is the shared folder you created on your Samba Server and this will serve as the destination of your recorded videos.

Note: The upload path must start with a backslash (\).

Login Name and Password - this will serve as the authentication needed for a certain users to access the Samba Server/shared folder.

File Name Prefix - this is the default file name of the recorded video.



Next, after you successful configure the settings, access the shared folder you created on your Samba Server and noticed an AVI file with a WVC80N prefix. Notice that the size of the file is growing as the recording continues.

I've been tweaking around the new WVC80N camera of Linksys and it has given me a few things to take note. What catches my attention is it's distinctive method of signing up for TZO remote access. I had the experience of configuring the WVC54GC and WVC54GCA before for remote access and to tell you honestly, i prefer the previous method. It's because sometimes the setup wizard just won't detect the device. Of course, for advance users we can always configure our firewalls for issues like that. Unfortunately, not all computer users have the skill to touch or mess with their firewalls. Chances are they would end up returning the device to store or worst 5-8 hours of technical support.

Here's what i found out when i went to www.TZO.com/linksys




Ok, on the other note. Having to use the setup wizard to configure your camera's remote access lightens up the load that most of our non-techy consumers are having problems. All they have to do is to continue clicking the Next button while filling up necessary items along the way. Even my wife found this to be easy, definitely a perfect tool to assist noobs.

Below are the screenshots for configuring remote access.








Ideally, you don’t need to access the camera’s UI to configure it for TZO. The settings should automatically be input on the TZO page the moment you finish the setup wizard. But for cases that it did fail to save the settings on the camera’s UI, then open the email address you used to sign up for TZO and grab the details from there. (Below is an example of the email i got from TZO)



Just access the camera's UI by typing the IP Address of the camera on your Internet Explorer browser and go to Options Tab.



Note: You still need to Port Forward port 80 on your router so you can access the camera remotely. If you enabled an Alternate Port on the camera’s UI, then forward the appropriate port on your router.


For more screenshots and reviews. Click the link below.
My Home Server (WVC80N Review)

TeamViewer - the All-In-One Solution for Remote Access and Support over the Internet

TeamViewer establishes connections to any PC or server all around the world within just a few seconds. You can remote control your partner's PC as if you were sitting right in front of it.

I bumped into this software while chatting with a friend. Or should i say, my friend introduced this software to me. He needed my help to fix some problems he's having with his wireless connection. Unfortunately, i can't visit his place during that time. That's when he asked me to download and install this software. I was impressed, it works a lot faster than Microsoft's Remote Desktop and it doesn't install much on your system. And YES, i was able to fix my friend's wireless router after accessing his computer remotely.

Feel free to download and run this software to your computers. With this you will be able to remotely access your computer from anywhere in the world. And that's not all, you can easily transfer files from your home computer to your secured office network.

http://teamviewer.com/index.aspx



Give it a try!

When Windows 7 emerge on the ever growing OS wars, Microsoft has finally developed the OS that can be considered a true successor of Windows XP. With it's unexpected flunk from Vista, Microsoft has learned their lessons and redeemed their lost honor.

On the other side, New Operating System means new trials. New challenges awaits us on how to configure our devices or software to work with the OS. Or by the least, make it work.

Looking back 10 years ago, I first had a glimpse of a product that has revolutionize printing. The print servers. I had the first experience of printing thru a print server with my old Linksys box, the EPSX3. This device stayed with me for more than 5 years until i finally decided to move up and start using USB printers and challenge myself to use a wireless print server to par. One thing that i have realized from this experience is that it's not easy to setup a print server especially if you have little knowledge on how it works. Well, from a quick research and plenty of technical support calls I finally learned to figure out on how to make my little Print Server work. To make my story short, i have realized that almost all print servers are configure the same way regardless of what version of Windows you are using. I say Windows because i'm not a big fan of MAC nor Linux. The best and easiest method on configuring your print server to work with your printer is still LPR (Line Printer Remote). And this is basically what i'll be babbling on this article. How to do LPR on Windows 7?

To begin, it always goes to whether or not you (for this matter, me) have installed the printer drivers to the computer. Different Operating Systems could sometimes mean different set of drivers. Printer drivers should be installed properly on your computer first and make sure your computer can print fine when the printer is wired to it. This would be a deciding factor whether or not you have installed the printer drivers correctly. Afterwards, proceed immediately in configuring your print server. You can refer to your Print Server documentation on how to do it. Basically, we only need two things from it, its IP Address and make sure we can ping that IP Address. The moment you determine the IP of your print server, go to Devices and Printer window on your Windows 7 computer.



For my setup, I am using an HP Officejet 7400 printer.



Right click on your printer icon and click Printer Properties.



On the next window, it will show the same nauseating options and tabs like your XP and Vista. And from here, it should be smooth sailing. Click on Add Port and proceed with the wizard.



Select Standard TCP IP and make sure to click New Port. Not "New Port Type".



Proceed with the wizard.



Input the IP Address of your print server and do NOT worry about the Port Name since it will automatically be filled in. Focus on the IP Address field only. Proceed with the wizard afterwards.



By default, Standard is selected. But since we are not using standard ports, click on Custom and proceed to Settings.



Make sure you select LPR, and feel free to input anything under Queue Name. Usually i just input either L1, L2 or L3. Press Ok afterwards then proceed with the wizard again until you complete it.





Don't forget to Apply the settings the moment you finish the wizard.

You can now start printing through your Print Server. Cheers!!!

With the updates and patches run by Microsoft on all their Operating Systems, it is inevitable that you will experience this problem regardless if you’re using Vista or XP.

For Vista users you will get a message “Enter Credentials” the moment you connect to your wireless network. You will be prompted to input a Username, Password and a Domain Login eventhough you are not connected to any domain at all.



For XP on the other hand, a message “Validating Identity” appears when you connect to your SSID.

So how do we do away with these problems?

Well, the quick and sure way to fix this is to change your wireless security to WPA. But if WPA is not an option on your router then you don’t have a choice but to proceed reading this article. Lol…

To put it blatantly, all you have to do is to create manually a “Preferred Network”. A preferred network is the profile of your own network. It is where your SSID and wireless security are saved allowing you to automatically connect to your network even after restarting or shutting your computer down.

Creating a preferred network is different on XP and Vista, and this is the root of this article. How to create a preferred network?

For XP, you can right click on your wireless icon on your system tray and select View Available Wireless Network.



Then under Related Tasks, click on Change Advance Settings



Make sure that you're on the tab that says Wireless Networks then click on ADD.



Manually input the settings of your wireless network like the SSID and WEP for data encryption. Make sure that the check box "The Key is Provided for me Automatically" is always UNcheck for you to input your WEP Key on the Network Key and Confirm Network Key fields.



Then proceed to the Authentication Tab and uncheck Enable IEEE. Press Ok twice afterwards and you're done.



Notice then that your Wireless icon on the System Tray will say CONNECTED without you do anything.

For Vista computers, open your Network and Sharing Center window just like the one below.



Click on Manage Wireless Network to proceed on creating a preferred network.





Select Manually Create a Network Profile and proceed on inputting your Network settings just like what we did earlier on XP. Press Next once you're done.





On the next window, make sure that you don't click on any of the selections. Instead, immediately click on close. This allows your preferred network to automatically connect to your wireless router.



Now you're done. Your computers should be able to connect wirelessly now to your router using WEP security.

Home Network Defender is the latest security product (SP) built-in on selected LinksysbyCisco routers namely WRT610N, WRT320N, WRT310N and WRT160N v2 & v3. HND is a collaboration of Trend Micro and LinksysbyCisco wherein the best Parental Control system of Trend Micro are incorporated and implemented on the latest LinksysbyCisco routers making HND a competitive software on the internet market. This security product is unique compared to other SP I have encountered because the settings are enabled on the router instead of the usual "computer installed softwares" thus creating an umbrella type of protection wherein all devices connected behind the router will be affected.

You can Read More Articles Related to Home Network Defender on the links below.

Home Network Defender FAQ’s
Smallnetbuilder Review
LinksysbyCisco with HND

Eventhough the product received good reviews from various sites and even won a PTPA Award (Parent Tested Parent Approved), there are still some users that find this product a bit frustrating. Thus on this article I will be discussing the 3 (three) methods on how to disable it.

First method is the easiest and the most common. Since the HND settings are being saved on the router’s memory, it is therefore possible that if you RESET the router, the HND settings will be erased. Though I do not condone resetting the router since this means reconfiguration and reinstallation of the device, you can do this method if you have plans to completely do away with HND. But if you are not technically confident to reconfigure your router back then I advise you not to proceed with this method. I suggest you continue reading the article to learn more.

The next method is by disabling HND from Network Magic 5.5. If you have an HND supported router, chances are you will also have Network Magic software included on the setup CD for the router. Just install Network Magic on one computer and start configuring HND from there. From Network Magic you can configure and personalize the settings of HND. You can also personalize some restrictions on selected computers. All you have to do is login to your HND account using Network Magic and move the scroll bars to Adult (see screenshot below). Just make sure that “Your Network (All Devices)” is selected on the drop-down menu.



The last method is only applicable at the mean time for WRT610N routers with the latest firmware. I’m hoping that this feature will be added to the other HND Supported routers soon. Just access the User Interface of your router and go to Administration Tab. Scroll down and look for Home Network Defender. Click on the radio button “Disabled” as the option and be sure to Save the Settings. From here the HND will completely be disabled on the router without resetting it.



Closing Thoughts:

HND is a very nice product with good intentions. If you are parent who doesn’t want to give all internet access to your kids, then this product suits your needs. Unfortunately, since it is still new on the market, there are still major bugs and problems that Linksys needs to sort out first before it can become a product worthy of your money. Until then, you have the choice to disable it.

An ISO image is an archive file (also known as a disc image) of an optical disc in a format defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This format is supported by many software vendors. ISO image files typically have a file extension of .iso.

The most important feature of an ISO image is that it can be easily rendered or "burned" to a DVD or CD by using media "authoring" or disc "burning" software. ISO burning is now typically a native feature of modern home and business computer operating systems.

Source: Wikipedia



So, how do we extract ISO Files?


Let's take this file below for example. This is a Setup Wizard for one of LinksysbyCisco latest model of Wireless Internet Cameras, the WVC80N.




You can of course burn the ISO File to your CD using Nero for example. After that, you can use the same CD on running it anytime anywhere.

The other method of course is by using an extracting tool. There are a lot of tools which you can use to extract ISO Files, but as for now I suggest you use the most common of them all and that would be WinRAR.



First is of course you have to make sure that WinRAR is installed on your computer. If not, then feel free to download and install it. You can basically download WinRAR from just about anywhere. All of you have to do is Google it.

If WinRAR is already installed on the computer, make sure that it does support ISO by checking the settings. (You can do that by clicking on the Options Tab and select Settings). Just make sure that ISO is one of the items that are checked.




If you are not confident in doing the steps mentioned above, you can however just simply right click on the ISO File and click on Open With.




Make sure that “Select the program from a list” is selected.




Just basically select WinRAR as one of the Recommended Programs.




And there, you will see all the files from your ISO File.




Just extract the files using the same method as you do with ZIP Files and you should be good to go.