Convoluted Network #2 - Yo Dawg...

Yo dawg, I heard you like networks, so we put Wi-Fi in yo Wi-Fi so you can connect while you connect.

No, but in all seriousness, I essentially daisychained routers for this one.

I picked up a Belkin N450DB router today and decided to make another proof of concept convoluted network. I set it up in the following way:

• Created a Wi-Fi hotspot on my Galaxy Nexus
• Connected my laptop to the hotspot via Wi-Fi
• Turned on Internet Connection Sharing in Microsoft Windows 7
• Bridged the connection between my laptop ethernet port and the Modem / WAN port on the N450
• Once the network was up and running (which it did on it's own - go Belkin!), connected my HP TouchPad (Android 4.0.x) to the network.
• Opened Chrome and proceeded to browse to a few websites.

Again, like with the first convoluted network, I didn't want to do too much stuff on the connection because I only get 2GB / month on my phone data plan. I just wanted to see if I could get this network up and running, which I did. I really gotta hand it to Belkin though. Their network setup didn't extend past "plug in the freaking cable and be happy!" It's very refreshing to see that kind of usability in technology.

Here's a pretty picture I drew with my awesome MS Paint skills to demonstrate the network. 

Check back periodically. I'll be posting more random ideas I come up with later. 

Convoluted Network #1 - Content Without Borders

So I recently picked up an awesome (albeit unpaid) internship at Belkin. While many people might just know them for their expensive surge protectors and lame iDevice cases, they have actually started making strides in the wireless arena. They have been making high end networking equipment for a while but that's starting to really take off and they're rapidly becoming a big player.

Well one of the perks of working there is that I on occasion can get some free stuff. As such, I'm going to try to do something cool with everything they give me as a way of saying "I'm incredibly thankful for this gift". I'm not plugging the company by any means, as I will admit they have their faults. I also want to make it CRYSTAL CLEAR that THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS AN ALL OTHER WEBSITES ASSOCIATED WITH MY BEING IN NO WAY REFLECT THOSE OF BELKIN INTERNATIONAL, INC OR ITS AFFILIATES.

That being said, time to geek out.

So the first items I received from them were a ScreenCast AV4 and a Powerline AV Starter Kit. The Screencast is this really awesome product that serves as a wireless HDMI bridge. The Powerline is another nifty gadget that bridges ethernet connections through the electrical wiring in your home.

What I did was the following:

• Created a wireless hotspot on my Galaxy Nexus. 
• Connected my computer to the hotspot over Wi-Fi
• Turned on Internet Connection Sharing in Microsoft Windows 7
• Shared my internet connection via my ethernet port
• Plugged from the ethernet port on my laptop to the 1st powerline adapter in my bedroom. 
• Plugged the other powerline adapter in the next room over.
• Plugged the ethernet cable from the second powerline adapter in to an XBox 360. 
• Plugged the HDMI port of the XBox in to the ScreenCast Transmitter
• Plugged the ScreenCast Receiver in to the HDTV in the living room. 
• Loaded the XBox and signed in to XBox live. 

Now I didn't do much past that because I limited to 2GB / month on my phone. I just set everything up to prove that I could. The network looked a little like the following image. 

I might be getting some more stuff soon so I will post other random configurations I come up with. Thanks again to Belkin.