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Equip your home with WLAN, broadband, and Bluetooth in one box

Announced at CeBIT and now available in the UK is Elmeg's new D@vos-44 DSL, a telephone system and computer network for the home or small office with almost literally everything, except WiFi.

The description is somewhat confusing. It has what the supplier calls "a high-speed 128 kbit/s Internet connection," which some of us might regard as a slow one. It has "an Ethernet WAN interface for broadband," a LAN interface and a Bluetooth option supporting up to 7 Bluetooth devices. These can be organisers, palm-tops, hand-held devices or notebooks. This is a Class 1 Bluetooth unit that supports a wireless network and Internet access at up to 100 metres.

The D@vos -44 DSL is in fact a small home PBX, with one ISDN extension, an IP router and 4 analogue extensions lines. It has four connections for telephony or fax plus a simultaneous broadband link via the ISDN port.

Despite its name, however, it doesn't appear to have a DSL connection. There is a "fully integrated" Ethernet interface and there is a packet-filter firewall to protect the network from attacks from the Internet.

An optional LAN expansion module allows you to network your PCs using the four analogue telephone ports, the existing 2-wire telephone lines and a Home PN adapter, rather than laying new network cables in the home. This will let you share printers, DVD drives, the Internet connection and network games and still make and receive telephone and fax calls at the same time. The Home PNA adapters are supplied either in the form of a PCI card or as an external USB connection.

This system is described as "ideal for use with a flat rate ISDN connection such as BT's New Midband product."

The D@vos -44 DSL is based upon Linux, with a Java-based web configuration. Bluetooth profiles for LAP (LAN access) and DUN (Dial up Networking) are both supported. Inexplicably, cordless telephony profile (CTP) isn't mentioned.

The system with the Bluetooth option retails at £378 plus VAT. Please call Elmeg UK on 0870 7444333, for your nearest dealer.