Smart Home Blog

Asus WL500G Premium is a very interesting device. Basically it’s WiFi router with four ports for wired connection. Additionally it equiped with two USB ports. Using one of those ports and external hard drive we can easily get NAS.

Moreover, the sources of WL500G’s firmware are available on the ASUS web site. As result there is a custom versions of firmware with extended functionality (possibility to run Torrent client, for example).

If you have Squeezeboxes you can turn WL500G into music streamer for your devices using those recommendations to install and run SlimServer there.

I thought to buy Asus WL500G because it provides amazing functionality. But it has a big disadvantage - lack gigabit ports and 802.11n. I can live without hight speed WiFi connection but wired gigabit network is required for streaming media content (especially HD) over the house. So, I decided to wait for availability of Belkin N+ Wireless Router.

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UI2 with overlay and resolution 1080p

Yesterday I made a few shots of ASUS P2-M2A690G. It’s really great. I found that there are actually two sound cards. One uses analog and digital outputs and another - HDMI. That means it’s possible to send audio and video via one HDMI cable!

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Yesterday I got barebone ASUS P2-M2A690G for testing as media director for LinuxMCE. That box is priced just in €100. But it’s really good: integrated ATI RadeonTM 1250 with HDMI output, S/PDIF-out (Optical) audio, slim form-factor and nice looking design.

Additionally I had Desktop Athlon 64 X2 5400+ and 2GB RAM. Installation of processor and memory took about 15 minutes (thanks to well thought-out internal design). By the way I like the quality of P2-M2A690G assembling. All wires are tied up into braid and placed around case. So, internal space looks very clear.

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Finally ASUS announced specification, prices and availability of its new Eee B202 Desktop PC. Its price starts from $269.00. So, as you can see B202 looks very attractive in design, productivity and price points.

I like ASUS Eee B202 Desktop PC and I’d like to try it as LinuxMCE media client (media director). It uses Intel graphical chip which supports UI2 but without transparency yet. The B202 can be mounted behind TV. It’s compact, noiseless and has enough power to play video (not sure about HDTV). Well, let’s wait till it’ll be available in Europe. I think it can be good competitor for aOpen miniPC.

Full specification after jump.
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It seems that ASUS is going to crowd aOpen and MacMini produced its version of miniPC - Essentio CS 5110. It’s compact - 29 x 20 x 8 cm but has enough power to playback even HDTV! The miniPC is also equipped with built-in 802.11n wireless adaptor with transmission rates of 300Mbps and Bluetooth 2.0 adapter, HDMI and S/PIDF with 7.1 Sound. The CS 5110 is quiet. The operation noise level is only at 23.9dB at idle mode (thanks to 2-in-1 thermal module). So, it provides a very comfortable computing environment. Stylish design of the CS 5110 won’t break your living room appearance.

The availability and price are not known yet. The But I already started to think about using it as media director in LinuxMCE. It has nVidia video adapter and it’s stylish, compact and power. So, let’s see when it’ll be available for buying.

Detailed specification after jump.
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