Microsoft MN-500 Wireless Base Station

The Microsoft MN-500 Wireless Base Station is an ideal piece of hardware for those venturing into the world of wireless networking.  With the proliferation of broadband internet access, the sharing of a home internet connection is much more attractive than it was with dial up Internet Access.  In addition to sharing an internet connection, those households with multiple computers can share music, video and other files between computers with relative ease.  There's no need to keep 3 copies of something on different machines, when files can easily be access from any computer in the house.

The setup options include general Management, WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), Wireless settings and Security options.  Once you've logged into the base station the Home screen will display your WAN, LAN and general Base Station information. All configuration settings are available from this screen, as well as updating the router's firmware, resetting the router and backing up and restoring configuration information. 

The software that installs (optional) with the MN-500 can automatically check for firmware updates, and notify you when a new version is available. You can also check Microsoft's Hardware web site for new versions, as well.  The latest version, not yet posted on the hardware site is v1.09, and can be downloaded directly here.