So.., over the past week, upgraded our home network…which involved:
1. Replacing my old D-Link DI-524 router with an 802.11n router
2. And replacing the WiFi Card on the laptop with an 802.11n capable card (Intel 4965AGN WiFi Link card).

Linksys WRT600N Router

For #1, I purchased a Linksys WRT600N router — which is a wireless-N gigabit dual-band router, with storage link — which means, you can connect a USB drive to it, and that drive would be available on your network! (kind of like network attached storage - NAS). So, now, my 750GB Seagate external drive is plugged into it, and all its partitions are now accessible wirelessly as a shared folders!

Intel 4965AGN mini-express card

For #2, here is what I did …

• Confirmed with the Dell tech support that my laptop was indeed upgradeable.
• Purchased a Intel 4965AGN mini-express card. Now, here is the thing - you can buy this card from dell.com - which would cost you around $80+tax+shipping, or you can get it from any third party website. I got it from buy.com (or amazon.com), where it was available for around $33 shipped! (yes… thats how dell rips you!)
• The WiFi card on the Dell Inspiron 1420 is below the keyboard. So, you need to remove the keyboard. There is a Service Manual on the dell website which tells you how to replace the WiFi Card. It was pretty simple. In some laptops of other brands (or other dell models), the card is at the bottom of the laptop and is much easier to access.
• Briefly, here is how you do it:
  • Shutdown you laptop, remove the batteries and ground yourself. Once the battery is remove, press the power button on the laptop to ground the motherboard of your laptop.
  • Remove the Keyboard hinge cover using a plastic scribe (no screws to remove here, its all held with tabs and notches).
  • Once the hinge is off, unscrew the two screws which secure the keyboard, and lift the keyboard gently since the keyboard connector is still connected to the motheboard.
  • Rotate the keyboard connector latch (blue colored in my case) towards the front of the computer to disconnect the keyboard cable from the keyboard connector on the mother board.
  • Once the above is done, the keyboard is free. Now, you should be able to see the existing WiFi card in the mini-express slot.
  • In my case, there was one screw which was securing the card to the system board. I just unscrewed it and the card popped up at a 40 degree angle. I could easily remove the card out of the slot. I had to then remove the two antenna cables that connect to the card. Its simple - just gently pull it apart.
  • Now, one interesting thing is, the old 3495ABG card had two anntenna connectors, but the new 4965AGN card has 3 antenna connectors. You need to use all three to make full use of the Wireless N capabilities. It would still work with two anntennas connected, but the performance won’t be “the” best.
  • Luckily for me, the Dell Inspiron 1420 had a third unused antenna cable (grey color).
  • So, I connected the three antenna cables/wires to the new card (white, black and grey), and then plugged back the new card in.
  • Fixed all components back.
  • Started the system, installed the drivers for the new card.
  • As simple as that. The entire thing took around 15 mins.

So, now I have a wireless-N (draft-N) network running in my house. Performance is much better when it comes to file transfers or watching movies streamed wirelessly from the attached harddisk.

In theory, you should be able to do this on most of the laptops with intel chipsets and core duo processors (except HP laptops). Do confirm it with the laptop manufacturer and make sure your BIOS is updated!

B-B-Q Anyone ? - Click to Zoom

This is my first true HDR image!.
What do you say?

We have named him Amogh (after Lord Ganesha). He weighed 6lb 8oz (2.97kgs) at birth.

Well, the little one is doing great, and is already 7 weeks old now. Gosh! How fast time flys by!.

He is pretty active now a days and learning to coordinate movements of his hands and legs :) Its fun to be with him and see him grow :)

More later!…

Link: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=22165

Special thanks to a friend of mine who forwarded this link to me!

Well, all is good at our end. Baby is due pretty soon, and both me and Chitra are geared up for the big event! The official due date is 21-Feb-2008, but anything + or - 2 weeks is considered as a ‘term’ baby.

It has been kind of hectic the past month or so… shopping for baby stuff, childbirth classes, baby shower(s) :) …. and so on. Well, the child-birth classes were pretty informative and helpful. Things like these are unheard of in India. In a way its good, and in some ways, its bad - as-in they give too much of information! Well, shopping for baby stuff is another story …. All in all, its been hectic and fun so far :)

Life would go for a spin for sure, pretty soon - for the good!!

Well, I also realized that I am not really finding time to play with the Wii that I bought a few months back.

So, decided to put it up for sale on eBay. Its a amazing game system, but I don’t really see myself sitting and playing given where I am in my life! :). So, if you are interested, bid for it! BTW, its still hard to find Wii’s here in the US! This thing still has very high demand!

Also, up for grabs on eBay is my Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens! I would be upgrading to a new lens pretty soon (Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM)

On the work front, I am still working for the same project that I was in. The work load is decent. Not too bad.

Well, the next couple of months would be exciting! :) More updates as and when I get time!

My parents are here in the USA. They landed here on Dec 5th and both me and Chitra have been busy since then! :)

… Last couple of days have been very hectic and action packed!… We did go on a vacation to the west coast ! Visited SFO, Las Vegas (again!!), Grand Canyon (again!!) .. and Los Angeles. Photos of this trip are posted in my photo album!

… and last but not the least, we are expecting our first Baby!! :) Baby is due Feb 21st ‘08 and all of us are very excited!

Well, I have been wearing eye glasses for the past 2.5 yrs now, and recently did a routine eye test. Obviously, my power had slightly increased and I think it can be attributed to the improper use of laptops!

So, this week, bought myself a 22″ widescreen LCD monitor (V7 Series). I have never heard about this name before, but found it via a deal site on staples.com. It had very good reviews, and it was well priced. Got it for around $238 (including taxes+shipping).

Its a pretty decent monitor, has regular VGA input, built-in stereo speakers, dvi inputs (no cables though - you need to buy them). Love it so far!…….No problems what so ever. See Updates below…

Also got Logitech Cordless Navigator Duo. So, now I have a full fledged ergonomic workplace at home.

Hopefully, that should help my eyes and my body! :)

Update 1 (9-Nov, 9 AM CST): After using the monitor for a few days, noticed that there was a low hissing noise, which used to start and stop randomly. Asked staples for an exchange - to which they readily agreed. Waiting for a replacement unit today. Will update how the new unit performs.

Update 2 (9-Nov, 7 PM CST): Staples folks screwed up. They are telling me that they have some logistic issues, and the monitor that I was supposed to get is missing from their warehouse. So, its only possible for them to deliver on Monday (12-Nov). Will update once I get the replacement unit!

Update 3 (14-Nov, 8 PM CST): Staples delivered the monitor on Monday (12-Nov), and also offered a $35 coupon to compensate me for the trouble. Haven’t yet got the coupons, but i think they should be here in a few days. The replacement monitor is OK so far!. No hissing noise for 2 days now. Will have to keep an watch for few days. Will update in a weeks time.

Unofficially, the center started operations on 15th October, with 83 people on-board!

When phase 1 is fully ready - it would accommodate upto 3200 people. And since its in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), it means that certain percent of the people working there must be freshly recruited! Which is a great news to the entire Dakshina Kannada region. Phase 2 and 3 would bring in more growth!

This has been a much awaited project. Have been hearing about it even before I joined Infosys in 2002!

Kudos to everyone involved.  An official inauguration ceremony is planned sometime in the coming months!

Will try to post more pictures as soon as I get them!

Well, the answer is, “It depends on the state that you would drive in”. All most all states in US allow you to drive with your Indian License for a period of one year. After that, you need to get a US drivers license. However, if you become a resident of the state, then you need to get a US license within a months time.

One more thing that I get asked is about “International Drivers Permit”. Well, to be frank, its quite useless if your Indian Driving License is written in English. The permit basically tells that you have the license to drive back in India in English. So, its the License thats important and not the Permit. In fact, in some states, International Drivers Permit is not even recognized. So, don’t bother getting it. In any case, your Indian Driving License must be valid and active.

A very good way to confirm what the specific state laws are is to search the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) website for the state in question. This site has the links to DMV sites of various states. Or, you can search google for pharse like “Texas DMV” and see if you can get to the official site of DMV. Once you are on the site, you would normally find a “Drivers Handbook” (or equivalent), which has all the official rules and regulations for that specific state.

Even if you don’t plan to buy a car in the US, I would suggest getting a US drivers license for the reasons given below:

• Your Driving license works as your Identity card too in most of the US states. This helps because, you don’t need to carry your passport and other important documents around all the time. If you dont want to drive or dont know to drive, then most states issue a State ID card - so make sure you get it. Trust me, its very helpful!
• If you plan to drive in the US (say car rental etc), a valid US driving license helps. It will save you a lot of money on car insurance too.
• If you do buy a car, then almost all states in the US make it mandatory to have Auto/Car insurance. If you don’t have a valid US drivers license and drive on an Indian license, then your insurance premium will shoot up! (by at-least $400 to $500 or more for 6 months!)

In some states & cities (like in Texas) there is one thing that might force you to drive with an Indian Driving License… and that is the validity of your Work Permit (H1B or equivalent). In Texas, if your work permit expires within in the next six months, the DMV won’t allow you to apply for a US Driving License. So, keep this in mind, and apply six months before your Work Permit expires if possible! However, this is true for Texas (confirmed in Houston), but may not be true at other states.

Oh - Last but not the least, if you are driving in the USA, make sure that you have auto insurance. Its a must and will save you lot of money and headaches in case of any eventualities!

If you are already in the US, I request you to comment below on your states policy on Indian Driving License!

Imagine getting charged for receiving SMS messages! Its really a sad story out here. There is no easy way for an average person to buy a phone of his or her choice without signing up for a contract. And the contact is normally 2 years! Which means, you must be a subscriber of that cell phone provider for the period of the contract at an agreed upon price. The average cost of plan such plans - around 40$ to 45$ a month (data plans would cost extra!), which is way to expensive compared to India!!! And if you want to switch to an other network, you need to cancel you current contract by paying an “early termination fee”.

If you want to buy a phone without a contract, you need to spend a fortune and its equally painful to get a service from a good provider (without buying a new handset). In other words, its in no way a free market. And, clearly, the down side to this entire thing is … the entire US cell phone market is lagging years behind the ‘world’!

Do check out this very interesting article on the US Cell phone industry which compares the US cellphone industry model with the “The Soviet Ministry Model”….: Free My Phone

I feel privatization is a good thing for India, but competition is very important too. And the most important thing is there must be a very effective regulatory authority like TRAI, which kind of enforces the rules to which the companies in India comply. Kudos to the Indian telephone industry!!

I wish India never gets into a situation like the US when it comes to telecommunications.