Content

Nexland WaveBase

The ISB Quick Start Guide - If you're familiar at all with installing these types of Broadband/Router/Switch combos then this install guide will most likely get chucked. I do recommend that most folks read the guide. It has useful information on setup, especially the Cable ISP providers and their often quirky service.

Nexland's Quick Start Guide has 4 easy-to-follow procedures. Each procedure has no more than four steps to them, printed with type big enough to read to children. One of the steps (the Hardware Install) also has funny, yet accurate, illustrations (unlike kid's books) depicting what cable goes where. Piece of cake.

The only remark for the Quick Start Guide is that in the very lower right side of one of the pages, pushed straight to the edge of the paper, is where the WaveBase's default IP number is printed. In my most humble opinion they should have put the IP number in a more readable place, like on the top-center of the page. After trying to guess it's IP (uh, this isn't particularly recommended), I saw it at the bottom. It's default is 192.168.0.1.

Console Mode - There is also a text-based console mode to setup the WaveBase, if you're into it. The console mode is titillating, but that isn't a good reason to use it. It has only the most basic setup options and everything is in the web-based setup anyway. The WaveBase is really meant to be setup using the web-based interface. Only for reasons of security or you are a hard-core console-mode router-nut should you have to use it.

The Manual: RTFM - Now that I had setup and configured the WaveBase successfully, I took it upon myself to read the manual. Reading the manual resulted in the conclusion that one might be better off paying $150 for some dude named Jason to install the network for you. But, generally speaking, if you're not already familiar with the technology or haven't already set up a wireless network, get prepared for a good bit of reading. And not from this manual. Go to a bookstore and get a real book. The manual won't insult your intelligence, but then it won't increase it either. The manual lacks a glossary as well as an index. This will make a first-timer slightly irritated.

To be fair, there a lot of upsides to the manual. You do get a lot of pretty pictures, with little paragraphs explaining each item on the screen and what it does. There is a nice appendix section that covers a bit of troubleshooting, from making sure that the WaveBase is turned ON to using ping to find DNS names for mail servers. It was touching to see that in a manual, and not on a forum board somewhere. The manual also takes great pains to guide you through several of the big broadband providers attempts to make you pay for hooking up more than one computer. The WaveBase is capable of defeating all of their current efforts. This is excellent.