English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

This week I did a lot of editing of my section of the white paper. First I needed to have my structure match that of the other two router sections. In our initial rough draft the sub-headers were different so I needed to adjust my subjects for the right sections. I also needed to add information about my router being draft-n capable. There was also information that needed to be given about the hardware of my device. I added things such as the functionality of the power plug, the vertical configuration of the router, and the mobility of its antennas.

This week we edited our rough draft from last week in order to put together a final draft to hand in for our project. There were a number of minor details that needed to be adjusted. Some of the points brought to our attention by our instructor were to change our spacing so it was not double and consistency in the use of spaces and serial commas. We also had some errors with heading titles and other quick-fixes that needed to be taken care of.

For this week I only had to put into words what I have researched so far for this project in order to bring our parts of the project into a whole rough draft. I took sections from my research blogs and molded them to fit into a flowing document that would work in the white paper, which made making the draft pretty easy. I also arranged a bulleted list of the specifications of my certain router that would be later put into a chart on our white paper. I also picked out some good photos from my sources in order to use them in our project.

This week I finished up the last two of my three research blogs. In the first, I researched the manufacturer’s website for use of the specifications of the D-link router. Things such as firewalls, size, and warranty information were found. The second article that I used was an online review of the router by PC world. The reviewer is a third party and put the item through various functionality tests. I plan to use most of the information given. Specifically they give information on the speeds of transfer depending on how far away a computer is from the wireless router.

This research blog will give a summary of information found on the third party review of the D-link DIR-615 router by PC world. The review is online, found at http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/networking_wireless_voip/d-link/dir.... In their tests of this router they were able to establish that it averages 5.62 MBps while one meter away and it could average 4.39 MBps while thirteen meters away with two double-brick walls as an obstacle.

This document summarizes the information that will be used from the website http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=565. This is the manufacturer’s website for the product that I am researching for this white paper. The model I am researching for comparison is the D-link DIR-615. The main use of this website is for the specifications of the router’s performance. I also used http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/d-link-wireless-n/4507-3319_7-32435592.h..., a third party reviewer of tech devices, to confirm the information that the manufacturer gave.

This week’s reading is about ethics and how they apply to the technical workplace. When thinking back on the previous projects and the current one there is definitely one specific project that sticks out as an ethical problem to me and that is the instruction project. I did my project on how to use a specific file sharing software program in conjunction with a website. The obvious dilemma of whether to use the program to download copyrighted material or only use it to download files considered “fair use” rests on the user’s shoulders.

This week my group met online via AOL Instant Messenger on Sunday. Our schedules conflict a lot so I was the odd man out as I had work during this virtual chat meeting. I was caught up to speed that night with email and a document of the entire chat. Our Gantt chart was completed during the meeting. The next day we needed to shift our subject to allow for options to be presented in our paper better. We all decided by email on three different wireless routers to compare. Today I began my research into the D-Link DIR-615 wireless router.

This document summarizes the information that will be used from the website http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127241 for my white paper project. This website, known as new egg, is a third party supplier of various items including software, cameras, and computers. They have no ties with the manufacturer so they are unbiased. The item I researched is a wireless router from the company D-Link, model DIR-615. I reviewed the specifications for the item on this site that were taken word-for-word from the manufacturers specifications.