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Ron's posts with tag: bj
 I haven't written a "real" blog for awhile, so I'll just take this opportunity to tell a little story.
This past weekend I flew down to Houston to see BJ. We'd been talking about hooking her old computer up wirelessly. See, she's got a Linksys WRT54G router and it's got an ethernet cable running to her computer and it also feeds the Diva's computer down the hall. The problem is that there's a splitter on the cable by her TV and the cable runs across the floor to where the cable modem, access point, and computer are. So I suggested that we move the cable modem and access point over to where the TV is and let her computer connect wirelessly too.
Well, she thought that was a great idea, but said there weren't any empty slots in her computer, and we'd have to go with a USB device. So, she was planning to take me to the local computer store to help her pick something out. But while in Fry's in Dallas, I saw they had an Airlink USB device (regularly $39.99) on sale for $19.99 so I picked one up for her.
So when I was in Houston, I opened up the package and installed the drivers, and when it was time to plug in the device, I pulled it out of its little static bag and tried to plug it into the back. After maneuvering a flashlight and rearranging other USB devices, we decided that it STILL didn't fit back there very well, so we plugged it into one of the USB ports in the front. The computer sits on the table next to the monitor, so this wasn't ideal since moving the mouse caused it to get bumped.
I suggested we go to the computer store and get a short USB extension cable in order to be able to fit it into the back of the computer and also let it sit on top of the case since it has an internal antenna.
So off we went to Circuit City, and found this little gem from Belkin for $35! Holy crap. So we decided to try right next door at Target. Sure enough, they had a 6' extension for $7.99. That's more like it. We bought a few other items and headed out.
Later on, the new USB extension cable was hooked up into the back of the computer and the cable modem and access point were moved over to the other side of the room, and the wires and cords were all pushed back behind and out of the way. I'd switched the access point and both computers from WEP to WPA for better security, and had all the CDs and notes with passwords and passphrases listed pulled out. So we were cleaning up and putting things away, and I grabbed the CD and the manual that came with the Airlink thing and was going to throw everything else away. So I pulled out the little cardboard insert inside the box in order to flatten it down, and guess what was hiding underneath it?
A little 6" USB cable! Yes, they'd apparently had complaints and had provided us with a solution. If you click that "Airlink USB" link above, it says
Package contents:
-802.11g USB 2.0 adapter
-Utility and driver CD
-Quick installation guide
...but if you look at the manual or the quick installation guide, they both list the USB extension cord. The one they provide is bendy, so you can position the USB adapter sticking up in the air so the antenna will work better.
So after BJ smacked me around for dragging her to the store, we had a good laugh about it.
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