New Product: Alfa 7 dBi directional panel antenna with RP-SMA connector

When it comes to wireless networking products, Alfa Networks is a name synonymous with quality. Their AWUS036H 1000mw USB adapter is the most sought after wireless receiver for computer users with long range needs.

This month we are excited to announce Alfa has introduced a new Wi-Fi antenna to their line of quality products. The Alfa 7 dBi directional panel antenna has an RP-SMA connector and will work with the AWUS036H as well as all other Wi-Fi adapters made by Alfa that have an RP-SMA antenna connector.

Unlike an omni-directional antenna, directional antennas concentrate gain in a particular direction, giving you better range and signal to a particular network, and allowing for better penetration of obstacles. Depending on your needs, you may be better off with one or the other. The product page for this antenna has more details on which type may be best for you. We also encourage you to contact us directly for individually-tuned recommendations.

Happy Independence Day!

All of us here at Rokland want to wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day. We also want to remind people that both the US Postal Service and UPS will be closed tomorrow, July 5th, in observance of the holiday. Any purchases made this past Friday, Saturday, today, or tomorrow will ship Tuesday, July 6th.

Rokland’s environmental initiatives

Apologies for the boring title, but the phrase “going green” has been beaten to death.

Over the next several weeks we want to profile steps we are taking to become more environmentally friendly. Not because we expect people to just start buying from us due to these things, but because we believe businesses have a responsibility to be transparent about what they are doing (or not doing) to make environmental concerns a higher priority in their organizations.

In June we began replacing all standard bubble wrap in our shipping facility with a new bubble wrap that is fully recyclable and will also biodegrade in under 3 years in the event it ends up in a landfill. We do encourage customers to reuse bubble wrap whenever possible. Save it in the attic and use it in packages to send to friends and relatives at Christmas time. When it is no longer usable, be sure to recycle it instead of just throwing it away.

This is just one step of many we have taken, stay tuned for more…

The importance of risk-taking

We all hear about the dangers of taking risks all the time. Any time you put a lot on the table, you risk losing it all. There are countless stories of people who have. Rarely do you hear stories about what can happen when you play it safe. If you are familiar with Apple co-founder Ron Wayne’s story, then you already know. But if you are not, it is definitely worth a read.

Celebrating 10 years…

On June 19th we will be celebrating out 10th birthday. Wikipedia attributes the dot-com bust as originating on March 19, 2000, just several months before we bravely (or insanely) decided to go into business.

We weren’t known as Rokland back then, and in the last ten years, more than just our name has changed. It has been an amazing experience, and we have seen a lot along the way. We still remember touting the benefits of early 802.11 wireless networking over infrared networking. And who could forget how nice x-jack modems were, being able to use any standard phone cord with your laptop for dial-up Internet.

The technology business is all about predicting things, and attempting to develop and sell what people want. Sometimes it is about making them want something they don’t even know they need. We lived without smartphones and Facebook for thousands of years and now many of us consider these necessities of life. In the last ten years we have made a number of correct predictions and we have had our share of incorrect ones. We won't get into the details of those here, but fortunately the hits have been higher in number than the misses, and we are working hard to keep that going for the next ten years and beyond.

We want to thank everyone we have come in contact with this past decade- the many of you who are repeat buyers, and also those that had some complaints. Those complaints helped us improve our processes and become better as a business. Thanks to our suppliers, and our employees present and past.

It is hard to imagine what the business and technology landscape will look like ten years from now. We look forward to going along for the ride though and hopefully to making some more splashes of our own!

Simple PDF editing using Microsoft OneNote

If you are looking for a way to make simple edits to a PDF document, such as adding a signature or some additional text/terms to an agreement or contact, Microsoft OneNote is a good option.

It is part of Microsoft Office Home and Student edition, as well as the Ultimate edition. It can also be purchased individually. If you don’t already have Microsoft Office, there are cheaper alternatives out there. But if you do, to edit a PDF all you need to do is open your PDF document and then select Print, and Print it to a OneNote file. The new document will automatically load on your computer, where you can then proceed to make changes and save the document as a new PDF file. This is just one of many ways to edit a PDF document, but a very simple one if you already have OneNote installed.

New Alfa AWUS036H retail boxes coming soon

The retail box for the AWUS036H wireless USB adapter from Alfa Networks will soon be getting a makeover. Other models such as the AWUS036NH and AWUS036NEH will also be getting new boxes.

The new box is white in color and has a plastic window on the front and back that allows you to see the actual product. The USB adapter has the anti-counterfeit sticker on the back side but the retail box no longer does. This is because you can see the sticker on the back of the Alfa unit thanks to the plastic window on the back side of the retail box. We do not have a precise date on when the new box units will ship- it depends on when our current stock is sold- but we estimate early June 2010.

Would a new ebook reader be DOA?

You may have heard of Acer, but you may not have known the company is the #2 maker of laptops and netbooks. Acer bought Gateway and eMachines several years ago, and they have also carved out a nice share of the netbook market.

They have announced plans for a new eBook reader to launch sometime this fall. They are entering a field dominated by Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. Oh yeah, and then there’s the iPad.

Acer’s goal is to become the number one maker of “tweener” devices, which are devices in between smartphones and netbooks. But is there much of a point in introducing a new e-reader, or would that be similar to a company launching a new word processor for Windows?

Alfa AWUS036H, AWUS036NH, and AWUS036NEH anti-counterfeit hologram stickers

Effective immediately all Alfa model AWUS036H, AWUS036NH, and AWUS036NEH model wireless USB adapters have a new anti-counterfeit hologram sticker on them from factory. See this video for more details.

If you have purchased a unit after this date from any retailer and it does not have this hologram, be sure to contact Alfa (www.alfa.com.tw) with your serial number and MAC address to confirm that it is genuine. Some retailers may still be clearing out non-hologram stock in early April, but most retailers, including Rokland, will be shipping only the hologram stickered units.

Rokland.com now offers US Postal Priority Mail shipping

We know in these tough economic times everyone is looking for ways to save money. While our web site has always offered actual UPS Ground rates with no markup, we were aware that especially in rural regions, standard shipping charges for a small order could exceed $10.00.

We heard your suggestions, and integrated US Postal Priority Mail shipping into our web site. For many single item purchases shipping will be just $5.00 for this service, which (according to the US Postal Service) averages 2-3 mailing days.

We did not make any changes to our UPS offerings, so you can still select UPS Ground, which may be more cost effective on larger orders. UPS 3 Day, 2 Day, and Next Day Air options are also still available.

You can choose any of these shipping options during the checkout process. To get a shipping quote for your order, unlike many web sites you do not first have to create an account or login. All you need to do is add the items you want to the cart, click the Checkout button, and then select your state and zip code from the drop down menu to see what the shipping charges will be if you opt to proceed with the checkout process.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about US Postal Priority Mail shipping:

1. Priority Mail will only be available for US purchases.
2. Priority Mail averages 2-3 mailing days to many locations in the US, but this is not a guaranteed time frame, it can take longer than this.
3. Priority Mail tracking service gets one scan at the time of shipment, and a second at the time of delivery. Sometimes it may get scans in between, but usually not. UPS tracking is point-to-point which means it will generally get multiple scans during transit and also provides you with an estimated delivery date the same day the package is shipped, whereas Priority Mail does not.