| Author |
Message |
EjP
Guest
|
 Posted:
Thu Feb 03, 2005 12:33 am Post subject:
wireless audio receivers |
|
|
I don't know if this is the right group to post this, but here goes...
I picked up a Netgear MP101 wireless music receiver this weekend. A
friend recommended the Roku M1000, but this seemed to do the
same thing at half the price. Unfortunately, sometimes you
get what you pay for (I should have read the web reviews
first). Anyway, I've got it *almost* working and I'm not
quite ready to give up. Here's where I'm at...
- Got the wireless to work reliably by using a static IP
(DHCP had about a 40% success rate).
- The bug-ridden server software sounded like someone
playing soccer with a CD player, so I used it to
load the latest firmware and then turned it off
and launched MS Media Connect.
Now it almost works. It sees all the files and playlists, and
it plays fine for one song at a time, but if I try to play
more than one song, it gets to the end of the first and
then hangs. That's where I'm stuck. The server is a 3GHz
Pentium running XP SP2. I've turned off all firewalls
just in case, but it didn't help.
Any advice would be appreciate it, including advice about
similar devices that might work better.
Thanks,
E
|
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|
 |
EjP
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:47 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
EjP wrote:
| Quote: |
questions about MP101 wireless music player
For the record, I plan to post this to any online reviews |
I can find.
Here's the bottom line. This is clearly a beta-release product
that was rushed to market before it was ready, and many problems
linger a year after its release. I *was* finally able to make it
work with a combination of websurfing and trial and error.
Netgear support was worse than useless.
Here's the short version:
-My system:
Pentium 3GHz, Windows XP SP2
Linksys BEFW11S4 (computer hardwired. MP101 via wireless)
-My magic bullets:
Static IP for MP01
Latest MP101 firmware (1.3.7)
Enable uPnP on router
Twonky music server (either standalone or Winamp plugin)
-What *didn't* work:
Bundled music server (you need it to download firmware, but
music will skip and jump like a very dirty CD)
Windows Media Connect (no skipping, but only played one
track at a time)
MusicMatch server (no skipping, played more than one song
in a row, but playlists didn't work and unit hung
frequently)
Netgear support (online broken. Phone support totally clogged
and useless)
-What I haven't tried:
Firewalls (I disabled them during my testing, but I think
they're OK)
Online radio
-Conclusion:
Now that I have it working, I'll probably keep it, but I'll
keep the box and the receipt right up until the end of the
return period, just in case. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone
else.
Some more details...
First of all, the DHCP only works about half of the time,
often requiring a "Restore to factory defaults"
to get it to work again. I finally gave up and used a
static IP, which seems to have solved THAT problem.
On to the server software. This makes the network support look
good by comparison. It works to install the firmware upgrades and that's
about it. When I used it to serve music, it skipped and jumped
like someone was playing soccer with a CD player, and it got
even worse if there was even the slightest amount of network
traffic on the home network. There were other problems, but
why beat a dead horse? When I surfed the
web, I found that virtually *everyone* had a similar story to
tell about the server software. Did Netgear even bother to
test it?? For the record, this *was* the latest version.
Based on what I read on the web, I decided to try Windows
Media Connect. The skipping stopped and it sounded great -
as long as I played one song at a time! If I tried to play
two or more songs, it got to the end of the first, completely
hung for a minute or two, then went back to the main menu.
Tried MusicMatch server. I got really excited when it successfully
played two songs in a row, but then I tried to use a playlist. It
saw the playlist, but came back with "unrecognized song format"
when I tried to play it. Also, any attempt to interrupt a song
(e.g. hitting the stop button or navigating menus) would hang
the unit and require a power-cycle to bring it back.
I tried to use the Netgear online technical support, but -
surprize!! - that's buggy, too. I entered my information and
it dutifully recorded a case number, but when I click on it,
it says it can't found.
I decided to call Netgear. I knew this would be painful, but
it was my last attempt before taking it back. I navigated
the hellish phone tree once, and got cut off. The second time,
I was informed the wait was "in excess of 10 minutes". I can't
accuse them of lying because strictly speaking a half hour
*is* in excess of 10 minutes. Finally I got a very friendly
"did you plug it in"-level technician who spent 15 minutes
determining that I wasn't a total moron, at which point she
said I would be contacted by a "level 2 technician"
sometime in the next 24 hours. As of this writing, we're at
36 hours and counting.
Finally, in desperation, I tried the free Twonky server. Bingo!
Everything worked, including playlists, and no hangs whatsoever.
Now it's actually a nice unit that does exactly what I want.
I'll probably keep this one, but if you're thinking of a wireless
music client, my advice would be to wait a bit because the
technology is not quite there yet. The good ones (Roku and Slim
Devices) are really too pricey for what they are, and the cheaper
ones like Netgear and Linksys all have bugs. In a year or so, these
things'll be $50 and totally bulletproof. If you absolutely have
to have one, figure out what your time is worth when comparing
prices. |
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Bill Riel
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Feb 08, 2005 3:01 am Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
In article <ctr9lv$g50$1@info4.fnal.gov>, noname@hackers.are.bad says...
| Quote: | Any advice would be appreciate it, including advice about
similar devices that might work better.
|
Unfortunately, I don't have any advice for your particular device,
though I am very happy with the squeezebox that I bought a couple of
months ago: <http://www.slimdevices.com/>
I've also heard good things about the Roku, and I was considering both
of these devices, but one review I saw slightly tipped the scales for
the squeezebox. I've not regretted the purchase one bit.
Bill |
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EjP
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Feb 08, 2005 4:07 am Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
Bill Riel wrote:
| Quote: | In article <ctr9lv$g50$1@info4.fnal.gov>, noname@hackers.are.bad says...
Any advice would be appreciate it, including advice about
similar devices that might work better.
Unfortunately, I don't have any advice for your particular device,
though I am very happy with the squeezebox that I bought a couple of
months ago: <http://www.slimdevices.com/
I've also heard good things about the Roku, and I was considering both
of these devices, but one review I saw slightly tipped the scales for
the squeezebox. I've not regretted the purchase one bit.
Bill
Yes, both the Roku and the Slim Devices get pretty excellent reviews, |
and I have a friend who's very happy with his Roku.
The MP101 was half the price for something that nominally did the
same thing. I guess you get what you pay for.
Now that I've found the workaround, I'm very happy with it, but
that doesn't excuse Netgear's abysmal support. I'm tempted to
return it just out of protest, but by now I've put too much
time into it.
-E |
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Bill Riel
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Feb 08, 2005 4:42 am Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
In article <cu8s1i$k08$1@info4.fnal.gov>, EjP <noname@hackers.are.bad>
wrote:
| Quote: | Yes, both the Roku and the Slim Devices get pretty excellent reviews,
and I have a friend who's very happy with his Roku.
The MP101 was half the price for something that nominally did the
same thing. I guess you get what you pay for.
Now that I've found the workaround, I'm very happy with it, but
that doesn't excuse Netgear's abysmal support. I'm tempted to
return it just out of protest, but by now I've put too much
time into it.
|
I can understand that - and to tell you the truth, had I been aware of
the Netgear product, I might also have been tempted by the lower price:
both the squeezebox & the roku were pretty close in price to make that a
non-factor in my decision.
Well, maybe Netgear will get their act together and get the bugs out -
it would be nice to see a drop in price for these devices.
Bill |
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EjP
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Feb 08, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
Bill Riel wrote:
| Quote: | In article <cu8s1i$k08$1@info4.fnal.gov>, EjP <noname@hackers.are.bad
wrote:
Yes, both the Roku and the Slim Devices get pretty excellent reviews,
and I have a friend who's very happy with his Roku.
The MP101 was half the price for something that nominally did the
same thing. I guess you get what you pay for.
Now that I've found the workaround, I'm very happy with it, but
that doesn't excuse Netgear's abysmal support. I'm tempted to
return it just out of protest, but by now I've put too much
time into it.
I can understand that - and to tell you the truth, had I been aware of
the Netgear product, I might also have been tempted by the lower price:
both the squeezebox & the roku were pretty close in price to make that a
non-factor in my decision.
Well, maybe Netgear will get their act together and get the bugs out -
it would be nice to see a drop in price for these devices.
|
Fat chance. I just tried their technical support page, and they've
completely re-done it. Now it won't even let me log in!!
I can just here the report at their next corporate meeting "...and
online complaints are down dramatically this month...".
-E
> Bill |
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The Open Sourceror's Appr
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Feb 08, 2005 10:00 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
EjP <noname@hackers.are.bad> wrote in news:cuam9b$5lj$1@info4.fnal.gov:
| Quote: | Well, maybe Netgear will get their act together and get the bugs out -
it would be nice to see a drop in price for these devices.
Fat chance. I just tried their technical support page, and they've
completely re-done it. Now it won't even let me log in!!
|
Their wall-wart power supplies have a tendency to melt.
--
Tired of spam in your mailbox?
Come to http://www.spamblocked.com
Who is Brad Jesness? http://www.wilhelp.com/bj_faq/
To the spammers, my motto: FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC. |
|
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|
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EjP
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Feb 10, 2005 2:43 am Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
EjP wrote:
| Quote: |
I don't know if this is the right group to post this, but here goes...
I picked up a Netgear MP101 wireless music receiver this weekend. A
friend recommended the Roku M1000, but this seemed to do the
same thing at half the price. Unfortunately, sometimes you
get what you pay for (I should have read the web reviews
first). Anyway, I've got it *almost* working and I'm not
quite ready to give up. Here's where I'm at...
- Got the wireless to work reliably by using a static IP
(DHCP had about a 40% success rate).
- The bug-ridden server software sounded like someone
playing soccer with a CD player, so I used it to
load the latest firmware and then turned it off
and launched MS Media Connect.
Now it almost works. It sees all the files and playlists, and
it plays fine for one song at a time, but if I try to play
more than one song, it gets to the end of the first and
then hangs. That's where I'm stuck. The server is a 3GHz
Pentium running XP SP2. I've turned off all firewalls
just in case, but it didn't help.
Any advice would be appreciate it, including advice about
similar devices that might work better.
Thanks,
E
|
[the conclusion]
For the record, a *week* after I contacted them (by
phone, by Email, and by online submission), I got my
first (and apparently final) response:
| Quote: | Dear E...,
I have reviewed the case. I have found that many times, the
skipping is due to the way MP3s are encoded. We have done
some testing in the lab and found that MP3s encoded with
dbPoweramp, do not have the problem with skipping. It can
be downloaded from the following location:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/download.htm
Best Regards,
Ted
|
and I see they've marked the case "closed". Not that I have
any intention of reripping my whole CD collection, but it
doesn't matter, because it skips with powerAmp conversions, too.
I think this sets some new standards for lame.
If you value your time and sanity, do NOT buy a Netgear
product.
-E |
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EjP
Guest
|
| Posted:
Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:13 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
EjP wrote:
| Quote: | EjP wrote:
I don't know if this is the right group to post this, but here goes...
I picked up a Netgear MP101 wireless music receiver this weekend. A
friend recommended the Roku M1000, but this seemed to do the
same thing at half the price. Unfortunately, sometimes you
get what you pay for (I should have read the web reviews
first). Anyway, I've got it *almost* working and I'm not
quite ready to give up. Here's where I'm at...
- Got the wireless to work reliably by using a static IP
(DHCP had about a 40% success rate).
- The bug-ridden server software sounded like someone
playing soccer with a CD player, so I used it to
load the latest firmware and then turned it off
and launched MS Media Connect.
Now it almost works. It sees all the files and playlists, and
it plays fine for one song at a time, but if I try to play
more than one song, it gets to the end of the first and
then hangs. That's where I'm stuck. The server is a 3GHz
Pentium running XP SP2. I've turned off all firewalls
just in case, but it didn't help.
Any advice would be appreciate it, including advice about
similar devices that might work better.
Thanks,
E
[the conclusion]
For the record, a *week* after I contacted them (by
phone, by Email, and by online submission), I got my
first (and apparently final) response:
Dear E...,
I have reviewed the case. I have found that many times, the
skipping is due to the way MP3s are encoded. We have done
some testing in the lab and found that MP3s encoded with
dbPoweramp, do not have the problem with skipping. It can
be downloaded from the following location:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/download.htm
Best Regards,
Ted
and I see they've marked the case "closed". Not that I have
any intention of reripping my whole CD collection, but it
doesn't matter, because it skips with powerAmp conversions, too.
I think this sets some new standards for lame.
If you value your time and sanity, do NOT buy a Netgear
product.
-E
|
It goes on...
When I got the above suggestion, I immediately
responded (as politely as I could manage) that it did
not work and even if it did, it would mean re-ripping my
entire CD collection, which I felt was unacceptable.
I heard nothing, and then several days later I
received another E-mail from someone who identified
himself as the long awaited "Level-2 technician".
It contained *the same suggestion*, followed
by the following line:
| Quote: | I hope this suggestion helps you to fix the issue,
I am going ahead and closing the case if you have
any further queries you can get back to us, We can
reopen a case for you and help you further.
|
It then advised me to call their support line
(translation: spend another half hour on hold)
if I had any further problems.
This time I wasn't polite.
-E |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kai Howells
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:35 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
Well, you asked about alternative options - I can highly recommend the
Apple AirPort Express - just a little bit larger than a deck of cards,
it has analogue and digital optical audio outputs, you can stream via
wired ethernet, or wireless - and IT JUST WORKS =)
It's not much more than the Netgear, it works with Windows and Mac
clients and you just beam your music over to it with iTunes
Cheers,
Kai
On 2005-02-15 03:13:51 +1100, EjP <noname@hackers.are.bad> said:
| Quote: | EjP wrote:
EjP wrote:
I don't know if this is the right group to post this, but here goes...
I picked up a Netgear MP101 wireless music receiver this weekend. A
friend recommended the Roku M1000, but this seemed to do the
same thing at half the price. Unfortunately, sometimes you
get what you pay for (I should have read the web reviews
first). Anyway, I've got it *almost* working and I'm not
quite ready to give up. Here's where I'm at...
- Got the wireless to work reliably by using a static IP
(DHCP had about a 40% success rate).
- The bug-ridden server software sounded like someone
playing soccer with a CD player, so I used it to
load the latest firmware and then turned it off
and launched MS Media Connect.
Now it almost works. It sees all the files and playlists, and
it plays fine for one song at a time, but if I try to play
more than one song, it gets to the end of the first and
then hangs. That's where I'm stuck. The server is a 3GHz
Pentium running XP SP2. I've turned off all firewalls
just in case, but it didn't help.
Any advice would be appreciate it, including advice about
similar devices that might work better.
Thanks,
E
[the conclusion]
For the record, a *week* after I contacted them (by
phone, by Email, and by online submission), I got my
first (and apparently final) response:
Dear E...,
I have reviewed the case. I have found that many times, the
skipping is due to the way MP3s are encoded. We have done
some testing in the lab and found that MP3s encoded with
dbPoweramp, do not have the problem with skipping. It can
be downloaded from the following location:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/download.htm
Best Regards,
Ted
and I see they've marked the case "closed". Not that I have
any intention of reripping my whole CD collection, but it
doesn't matter, because it skips with powerAmp conversions, too.
I think this sets some new standards for lame.
If you value your time and sanity, do NOT buy a Netgear
product.
-E
It goes on...
When I got the above suggestion, I immediately
responded (as politely as I could manage) that it did
not work and even if it did, it would mean re-ripping my
entire CD collection, which I felt was unacceptable.
I heard nothing, and then several days later I
received another E-mail from someone who identified
himself as the long awaited "Level-2 technician".
It contained *the same suggestion*, followed
by the following line:
I hope this suggestion helps you to fix the issue, I am going ahead and
closing the case if you have
any further queries you can get back to us, We can
reopen a case for you and help you further.
It then advised me to call their support line
(translation: spend another half hour on hold)
if I had any further problems.
This time I wasn't polite.
-E |
|
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| Back to top |
|
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The Open Sourceror's Appr
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Feb 16, 2005 1:15 am Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
Kai Howells <kai-usenet@rocketcat.info> wrote in news:4211c241$0$1019
$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au:
| Quote: | It's not much more than the Netgear, it works with Windows and Mac
clients and you just beam your music over to it with iTunes
|
....at a buck a track. Hasn't anyone figured out what it costs to fill an iPod
yet? This isn't rocket science!
--
Tired of spam in your mailbox?
Come to http://www.spamblocked.com
Who is Brad Jesness? http://www.wilhelp.com/bj_faq/
To the spammers, my motto: FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC. |
|
| Back to top |
|
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EjP
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:32 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
Kai Howells wrote:
| Quote: | Well, you asked about alternative options - I can highly recommend the
Apple AirPort Express - just a little bit larger than a deck of cards,
it has analogue and digital optical audio outputs, you can stream via
wired ethernet, or wireless - and IT JUST WORKS =)
It's not much more than the Netgear, it works with Windows and Mac
clients and you just beam your music over to it with iTunes
Cheers,
Kai
|
I'll keep that in mind for the future. At this point, I'm in
a quandry. With the Twonkyvision server, the MP101 works
great. It even serves free internet radio, which their own
software doesn't. Plus, I've put so much work into it that
I hate to take it back.
On the other hand, I really HATE to think that such an awful
company has my money.
I've compromised by posting my bad experiences to every online
review service I could find in the hopes of taking a bite
out of sales. I also emailed MusicMatch and informed them
that NetGear was blaming the MusicMatch conversion software
for their own problems.
I also do some procurement for my job, and I can assure
you that P.O.'s to NetGear will not get signed in the future.
I hope all of this stings them a bit, but I suspect they
have their head so far up their ass they'll never notice.
-E
| Quote: | On 2005-02-15 03:13:51 +1100, EjP <noname@hackers.are.bad> said:
EjP wrote:
EjP wrote:
I don't know if this is the right group to post this, but here goes...
I picked up a Netgear MP101 wireless music receiver this weekend. A
friend recommended the Roku M1000, but this seemed to do the
same thing at half the price. Unfortunately, sometimes you
get what you pay for (I should have read the web reviews
first). Anyway, I've got it *almost* working and I'm not
quite ready to give up. Here's where I'm at...
- Got the wireless to work reliably by using a static IP
(DHCP had about a 40% success rate).
- The bug-ridden server software sounded like someone
playing soccer with a CD player, so I used it to
load the latest firmware and then turned it off
and launched MS Media Connect.
Now it almost works. It sees all the files and playlists, and
it plays fine for one song at a time, but if I try to play
more than one song, it gets to the end of the first and
then hangs. That's where I'm stuck. The server is a 3GHz
Pentium running XP SP2. I've turned off all firewalls
just in case, but it didn't help.
Any advice would be appreciate it, including advice about
similar devices that might work better.
Thanks,
E
[the conclusion]
For the record, a *week* after I contacted them (by
phone, by Email, and by online submission), I got my
first (and apparently final) response:
Dear E...,
I have reviewed the case. I have found that many times, the
skipping is due to the way MP3s are encoded. We have done
some testing in the lab and found that MP3s encoded with
dbPoweramp, do not have the problem with skipping. It can
be downloaded from the following location:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/download.htm
Best Regards,
Ted
and I see they've marked the case "closed". Not that I have
any intention of reripping my whole CD collection, but it
doesn't matter, because it skips with powerAmp conversions, too.
I think this sets some new standards for lame.
If you value your time and sanity, do NOT buy a Netgear
product.
-E
It goes on...
When I got the above suggestion, I immediately
responded (as politely as I could manage) that it did
not work and even if it did, it would mean re-ripping my
entire CD collection, which I felt was unacceptable.
I heard nothing, and then several days later I
received another E-mail from someone who identified
himself as the long awaited "Level-2 technician".
It contained *the same suggestion*, followed
by the following line:
I hope this suggestion helps you to fix the issue, I am going ahead
and closing the case if you have
any further queries you can get back to us, We can
reopen a case for you and help you further.
It then advised me to call their support line
(translation: spend another half hour on hold)
if I had any further problems.
This time I wasn't polite.
-E
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bill Riel
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:43 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
In article <Xns95FE7727D9F48MorelyDotesspamblock@216.99.211.247>,
spam@uce.gov says...
| Quote: | Kai Howells <kai-usenet@rocketcat.info> wrote in news:4211c241$0$1019
$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au:
It's not much more than the Netgear, it works with Windows and Mac
clients and you just beam your music over to it with iTunes
...at a buck a track. Hasn't anyone figured out what it costs to fill an iPod
yet? This isn't rocket science!
|
Huh? First, the OP is talking about using airport express, which doesn't
have anything to do with the iPod. It does require using iTunes, but
again, there's absolutely *no* requirement to use the iTunes music store
- ripped CDs work perfectly well with iTunes, as will MP3's ripped from
any source I've tried.
--
Bill |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kai Howells
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:27 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
|
|
Sounds like you're making the best of a bad situation... Email (or even
better snail mail) someone at netgear and let them know of your
findings (be firm, but not rude) as well as your ability to influence
purchasing decisions.
My personal experiences with Netgear has been fairly good - but this is
only for networking equipment. They seem to be one of the better of the
cheap equipment manufacturers, however I'll be looking at their
products with a more critical eye in the future based on your
experiences.
Anyway, good luck with getting it all sorted to your satisfaction =)
Cheers,
Kai
On 2005-02-17 01:32:29 +1100, EjP <noname@hackers.are.bad> said:
| Quote: | Kai Howells wrote:
Well, you asked about alternative options - I can highly recommend the
Apple AirPort Express - just a little bit larger than a deck of cards,
it has analogue and digital optical audio outputs, you can stream via
wired ethernet, or wireless - and IT JUST WORKS =)
It's not much more than the Netgear, it works with Windows and Mac
clients and you just beam your music over to it with iTunes
Cheers,
Kai
I'll keep that in mind for the future. At this point, I'm in
a quandry. With the Twonkyvision server, the MP101 works
great. It even serves free internet radio, which their own
software doesn't. Plus, I've put so much work into it that
I hate to take it back.
On the other hand, I really HATE to think that such an awful
company has my money.
I've compromised by posting my bad experiences to every online
review service I could find in the hopes of taking a bite
out of sales. I also emailed MusicMatch and informed them
that NetGear was blaming the MusicMatch conversion software
for their own problems.
I also do some procurement for my job, and I can assure
you that P.O.'s to NetGear will not get signed in the future.
I hope all of this stings them a bit, but I suspect they
have their head so far up their ass they'll never notice.
-E |
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EjP
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Feb 17, 2005 8:44 pm Post subject:
Re: wireless audio receivers |
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Kai Howells wrote:
| Quote: | Sounds like you're making the best of a bad situation... Email (or even
better snail mail) someone at netgear and let them know of your findings
(be firm, but not rude) as well as your ability to influence purchasing
decisions.
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I've emailed a number of different Email addresses at their site.
I've never received even an automated reply.
As I said, any Email to their technical lines just results in the
same useless suggestion (with about a week turnaround).
My impression is that their entire communcations structure is
TOTALLY swamped (India's population is large, but not infinite).
What's funny is that if you call the help line, you'll get a message
that they are experiencing heavy traffic "due to the popularity
of their products". Yeah, lots of people call to report *working*
products :)
| Quote: | My personal experiences with Netgear has been fairly good - but this is
only for networking equipment.
|
It seems like a lot of companies have a success with one thing
and then go downhill when they try to branch out. This is often
because the other products are either subcontracted out, although
I don't know if that's the case with the MP101.
For example, Creative is well-known for their sound cards, but
I once made the mistake of buying a modem from them. When it
didn't work, I called them. After being transferred to the
company that actually built the modem (Creative's only
contribution was their name), I was told that the modems
mostly didn't work, they knew they didn't work, and hopefully
I had kept my receipt.
| Quote: | They seem to be one of the better of the
cheap equipment manufacturers, however I'll be looking at their products
with a more critical eye in the future based on your experiences.
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In the end, I don't know that they're any better or worse than
anyone else. For example, everybody (including me) loves
Linksys routers, but they make a product similar to the
MP101 (the WMLS11B), which gets very mediocre reviews.
Since my router has always worked perfectly, I've never had
to call Linksys, so I don't know anything about their
customer service.
-E
| Quote: | Anyway, good luck with getting it all sorted to your satisfaction =)
Cheers,
Kai
On 2005-02-17 01:32:29 +1100, EjP <noname@hackers.are.bad> said:
Kai Howells wrote:
Well, you asked about alternative options - I can highly recommend
the Apple AirPort Express - just a little bit larger than a deck of
cards, it has analogue and digital optical audio outputs, you can
stream via wired ethernet, or wireless - and IT JUST WORKS =)
It's not much more than the Netgear, it works with Windows and Mac
clients and you just beam your music over to it with iTunes
Cheers,
Kai
I'll keep that in mind for the future. At this point, I'm in
a quandry. With the Twonkyvision server, the MP101 works
great. It even serves free internet radio, which their own
software doesn't. Plus, I've put so much work into it that
I hate to take it back.
On the other hand, I really HATE to think that such an awful
company has my money.
I've compromised by posting my bad experiences to every online
review service I could find in the hopes of taking a bite
out of sales. I also emailed MusicMatch and informed them
that NetGear was blaming the MusicMatch conversion software
for their own problems.
I also do some procurement for my job, and I can assure
you that P.O.'s to NetGear will not get signed in the future.
I hope all of this stings them a bit, but I suspect they
have their head so far up their ass they'll never notice.
-E
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