Nightshift

Last week, I showed you how to setup the GE 31591 Skype and Cordless Phone in one. Today, I’ll show you how to setup the Hawking Broadband Booster.

To be honest, I don’t really believe in speed boosters. For me, the only way to get a faster speed to to spend more on your subscription. But since this piece of gadget was just given, again, by my brother, there’s no harm in trying it.

According to the user’s guide, “The Hawking HBB1 Broadband Booster eliminates the problem of Internet lag in home and work networks. When multiple internet applications such as, VoIP phone calls, streaming video, and online gaming run simultaneously on a given broadband network, internet lag is present as both applications fight for the same amount of bandwidth. The end result is choppy conversations for VoIP calls, dropped or “frozen” frames for video streaming and online gaming lag (unplayable online gaming experience). The HBB1 Broadband Booster solves this using an intelligent engine (StreamEngine Technology) to manage and prioritize all data traffic going out of the network for a seemless internet experience. The HBB1 is designed to enhance the playability of online games, maintain VoIP call quality, and improve the performance of all time-sensitive “real-time” internet applications without any configuration by the user.” The keywords here are “seemless internet experience” which basically translates to minimized lagging.

Anyway, the setup is very easy. There are three ports – modem in (labeled as “Modem”), router out (labeled as “Router) and the 110v power adapter. Just connect the modem and the router cables but make sure that the device is unplugged. There is no power switch so the power jack has to be disconnected from the device. Then, powercycle your modem and router and wait for them to stabilize. Wait for a minute before you connect the power to the HBB1. Blue light blinks to signify that it’s “boosting” your connection.

See how tangled the cables are.

Of course, the most important issue is, does the HBB1 works? I did a test in Speedtest and selected the server in Singapore, before and after I setup the HBB1. I am currently subscribed to Globe’s 1 Mbps DSL with landline. Here are the three results of the before-HBB1.

Average download speed: 0.76 Mbps

After HBB1:

Average download speed: 0.84 Mbps

It hasn’t been two hours since I setup the gadget, so I’ll do further testing and check if the thing really works.