DigItAll Consumer Ideas and Insights About the Next Consumer Web Frontier, Visual Networking

Cisco Consumer Video Strategy Takes Stage

There’s no doubt about it – the band Paramore is hot.  Fresh off a summer ’09 tour with No Doubt, the band released their third studio album “brand new eyes” in September and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200.  To top that off, the band just wound down a headlining tour covering 18 cities across the US in a little over a month during which they participated in countless promotional visits including a stop on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.  They head off to Europe next. 

What does this hot band have in common with Cisco? 

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Posted by Jeff Marusak at 04:51PM PST

Are We a Match?: Linksys by Cisco and Windows 7

The Cisco team has been working closely with Microsoft to prepare for the late 2009 introduction of Windows 7 in order to ensure continued network connectivity and device discovery for the Linksys by Cisco line of products.

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Posted by Brenna Karr at 10:31AM PST

Naming Your Network

When you turn on your Wi-Fi enabled laptop or cell phone, both search for wireless networks in range and inevitably the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ‘linksys’ shows up. This means that when the router was set up, the user did not bother configuring the wireless router, thus leaving it unprotected and vulnerable to hacking, or the user did not come up with a unique name for the network.

It is not difficult to change the name of your wireless network. Using Network Magic, all you need to do is follow the steps of the software already on your router. If you have an older router model or feel more comfortable using the web-based setup page, then here are five steps to follow.

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Posted by Brenna Karr at 08:50AM PST

Don’t Be Scared to Update Your Firmware

This last installment of our four-part series will help you update the firmware on your network devices to make sure your network is secure and up to date. 

Firmware is embedded software that is stored in a device to help it run correctly. For this reason, it is important to make sure you always have the latest firmware in order for your wireless router, network adapter, or any other device to perform at top level.

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Posted by Brenna Karr at 02:11PM PST

Don’t be Scared to add another Computer to your Network

Adding a computer to a wireless network allows users to share an internet connection, files, and a printer, without a tangled mess of cords. But, it doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, it’s the opposite of scary. In this third installment of our “Don’t be Scared” series, we help you add another computer to an existing wireless network. Don’t know how to set up a wireless network? Then you should first read our previous blog post and learn how to set up a network.

One option we suggest for adding another computer is Cisco Network Magic software, which is included with the router. By following these easy steps, you can be well on your way to enjoying your network with multiple computers.

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Posted by Karen Sohl at 11:13AM PST

Flip Video Camcorder = New BFF

The Flip video camcorder doesn’t just have to be for birthday parties and vacations. I’m finding more and more people using them very practically in their day-to-day jobs.

Exhibit A:

Author and marketing strategist, David Meerman Scott, blogs at Web Ink Now.  He uses his Flip video camcorder to film video with industry experts and highlights from his many speaking engagements.

Roxie Merritt Director of New Media Operations, U.S. Department of Defense

Exhibit B:

Huffington Post blogger and serial entrepreneur, Patricia Handschiegel, and co-creator/entrepreneur Meghan Cleary has the Flip video camcorder in their very fashionable “toolkit” as well. One of their projects, NPG.com, uses The Flip to share video interviews of tech savvy and successful business women.

“We deliberately shot the series on Flip cameras to first encourage our audience to play with video, and also because we feel there is an increasing place for cameras of this type in business and wanted to show an example of how to use the Flip in this type of format,” Patricia told me in a recent conversation. Check out every episode here.

New Power Girls Video Series - Episode 1

Exhibit B, C and D From Twitter!

From @Sparks_Austin  @olivermarks and @pamelaames. Thank you for sharing!

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Posted by Johanna Fry at 11:10AM PST

Johanna Fry

Don’t be Scared to…Change your Router Passwords

Okay -  so your have your wireless network up and its been running great and the last thing you want to do is touch any settings because the thought of going back and changing anything is scary! Well, it doesn’t have to be!  I’m here to help.

In week 2 of our 4 week series—it’s all about changing the default password on your router!   If you haven’t changed the default password or the password since you set up your router, it’s about time!

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Posted by Karen Sohl at 04:17PM PST

The Second Generation Flip Video MinoHD has Arrived!

The Flip Video family keeps growing and getting better. We are proud to announce today the 2^nd generation of Flip Video MinoHD – the super stylish video camcorder that everyone will want to get their hands on!  The new MinoHD is now even better equipped to capture and share your life’s moments in stunning high-definition video.  It comes with more style, a bigger screen for awesome viewing, instant Facebook uploading capabilities and two hours of recording time.     

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Posted by Karen Sohl at 01:54PM PST

Don’t Be Scared to… Set up and Configure your Wireless Network

As we enter October and the Halloween season, many things may seem to be scary, Home Networking does not need to be one of them.

Over the next month, we will be helping to unmask some of the seemingly intimidating basics of creating and maintaining a Linksys by Cisco home network. Along with simple text instructions for most tasks, we will be including links to our Knowledge Base and User Forums that contain detailed instructions to help you solve most of the issues you may encounter.

Set up and configuration are the first steps to getting the most out of your home network.

The easiest and least intimidating path to set up is simply to follow the sticker on the router’s advice and “Run the CD First”. The installation wizard that is included with the product has won awards throughout the years for its simplicity and visual representation of the steps involved with the process and can be your escort through the entire process.

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Posted by Karen Sohl at 03:18PM PST

Strengthen Cyberspace Security to Support 21st Century Education

  October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which reminds us that the need for cyber security solutions is growing due to increased cyber crime and our heavy reliance on Internet technologies.

Cisco’s Cyberspace Action for Education (CAFÉ) program helps empower digital citizens to secure their online environment, and provides free online resources for parents and kids to keep updated on the latest potential threats and solutions, while becoming acquainted with The Realm characters. We also seek to arm teachers, students, and staff at schools with the case studies, informational materials, and products to raise awareness and help combat these Internet threats.

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Posted by Johanna Fry at 10:06AM PST

Johanna Fry

Linksys by Cisco goes E-Support

Since 2006, Cisco Consumer internal research data shows that the percentage of customers using online support has increased from 10% to now over 80%, revealing a decided turn away from telephone support in favor of more streamlined service via E-support. Indeed, market research proves that if consumers needed help with their network they prefer to search online for it, with a recent YouGov survey revealing that 41% would utilize online tools before turning to telephone support. Check out our tools for resolving issues effectively through online support. Which would work best for you?

E-support—Offered worldwide in seven languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)

Ask Linksys—Personalized step-by-step solutions and troubleshooting tips generated through customer answers to multiple choice questions

Discussion Forum—Online boards on which customers connect with each other to share tips and compare experiences

Product support pages—A dedicated support page for each product on which technical specifics and related self-help resources can be found

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Posted by Johanna Fry at 11:39AM PST

Johanna Fry

Winners of the Lifestyles of the Tech Frustrated Competition are Announced

We are excited to announce the winners of our “Lifestyles of the Tech Frustrated” competition   which ran early July through mid August and offered customers the chance to win a Flip Mino HD Camcorder!  The winners and their stories can be found at our Lifestyles of the Tech Frustrated website. 

The Cisco Consumer Products group invited entrants to tell their stories that depict the challenges and advantages of home networking. Cisco wanted to hear about what customers use their home networks for and what they accomplish in their lives through technology. The competition also asked how customers’ problems were solved through the use of the Network Magic software.

Gerard from Albuquerque – wrote a poem about home networking, Lisa from North Carolina talked about her experience of her network working one day and then next it wouldn’t, while John from Virginia wrote in about the different Network Magic offerings and how they help him and his network.  These customers’ submissions were considered some of the stand-out entries.  

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Posted by Johanna Fry at 10:17AM PST

Johanna Fry

802.11n Ratification – What Does this Mean for You?

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) announced today that the 802.11n WLAN standard specification has been officially ratified.

This final version of the specification is not significantly different from the 2.0 version of the Draft specification to which we have been building products. As a result, our Linksys by Cisco routers will automatically be certified without any firmware or hardware changes.

Also, this announcement further enables the development of the Media Enabled Home through a standards-based approach that provides easy integration of new products into the Connected Home.

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Posted by Johanna Fry at 09:14AM PST

Johanna Fry

Sharing Files Should be as Easy as Sharing Dessert

If you didn’t know better from experience, you’d think that you just share files the way you share dessert; you ask your brother if he wants half your ice cream sundae. There’s no debate, or pause to read directions – and you definitely don’t have to ask twice.

Sometimes, sharing computer files can seem more difficult than quantum physics. Take a quick look at how you’re supposed to share files in Windows XP, in this article from Microsoft’s Help and Support page:

“Through the Simple File Sharing UI, you can configure both share and NTFS file system permissions at the folder level. These permissions apply to the folder, all the files in that folder, subfolders, and all the files in the subfolders. Files and folders that are created in or copied to a folder inherit the permissions that are defined for their parent folder. This article describes how to configure access to your files, depending on permission levels. Some information that this article contains about these permission levels is not documented in the operating system files or in the Help file…”

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Posted by Johanna Fry at 11:02AM PST

Johanna Fry

IP Addresses: The Internet’s ID Badges

If you’re new to networking, the Internet Protocol address, also know as IP Address, can be a confusing concept.  While confusing or not, IP addresses must be set up correctly in order for your network to operate correctly – so it helps to know just a little bit about them.

Think of IP addresses as virtual i.d. badges that computers use to identify themselves on the Internet and within networks.  Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns the IP address you use to access the Internet. Most ISPs use dynamic IP addresses – they’re assigned on the fly to avoid some of the problems with static (fixed) IP addresses. These ISP-issued IP addresses are public IP addresses, and they can change every time you log onto the Internet. This ability is governed by a protocol known as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP.

Private IP addresses are the ones your home network system uses internally. Your ISP only sees the IP address it has issued to your router, which masks all the other devices in your network. So in order for your network to work internally – for file sharing, let’s say – you or your router must assign IP addresses to each of the connected devices – computers, printers, file servers, game consoles, music systems, etc.

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Posted by Johanna Fry at 10:02AM PST

Johanna Fry