NETWORK MAGIC PRO 5.0

No-Sweat Home Network Management

Home and small-office networks have spread like wildfire. But users attempting to configure, secure, and maintain those networks may too often feel as if they're battling a blaze in the Santa Ana wind. That's where Network Magic comes in. Though it doesn't yet succeed in its toughest challenge, making security effortless, it's still a valuable tool for the home or business user who isn't a tech expert but needs to manage a network of up to eight computers—along with attached devices like printers and NAS appliances.

If you are already a Network Magic user, the first thing you'll notice in this version is the improved control dashboard. The graphical interface displays a map of your network with pictorial representations of all the connected devices. Which the utility finds automatically. You can point and click to connect devices, control Internet access, and track online activity Sharing connections, files, and devices such as printers is is just as easy.

Every time you make a change—or more important, someone else does—a pop-up notifies you of the change, so you know what's happening at all times. Network Magic even finds and reports wireless devices that aren't broadcasting an SSID, so you'll know if someone is trying to connect clandestinely. Then you can isolate any unknown machines and mark them as intruders. Having this level of visibility is as usefttl as installing security software.



Unfortunately the product's most serious failing is in its most important new capability: the Change Wireless Protection (CWP) feature. through which Network Magic can enable WEP or WPA encryption on supported routers. In testing. CWP failed to work properly with my supposedly supported business muter, the Linksys WRVS4400N. As a result of the bug my testing uncovered, Cisco has, for the moment, taken business routers off the list of devices supported by CWP. Cisco's consumer routers, however, will still be supported. Although this is bad news for businesses, home users (especially networking novices) can still benefit greatly from Net work Magic.—Mario Morejon

PC Magazine January 2009