This post was written by Jason Stella
Netgear RangeMax WNDR3300 has installation down to a fine art as the CD-ROM based setup utility helps you connect the router and checks your Internet connection is working. The dual band feature is capable of improving wireless range and makes the router comparatively good value. However, Gigabit Ethernet isn’t on the menu, wireless performance is nothing to write home about and reviewers were also concerned that during wireless tests the router hung on a number of occasions when reviewers changed the wireless mode and it had to be rebooted to clear it.
Linksys 24-Port 10/100/1000 Gigabit Switch SR2024 is a 1000 megabit switch with features and capabilities that are very good. Drop this switch in your current hub or switch WorkGroup, and you can improve high-needs clients to Gigabit speed full accordance with the needs, while continuing to service other clients at their current speed with the speed links to each user requirements. All ports have automatic MDI / MDI-X crossover detection, so you do not need to worry about the type of cable.
TRENDnet TEW632BRP is a low-cost wireless N broadband router that’s easy enough to set up and offers a reasonable range of features for the price. The URL filters make it more versatile but wireless performance is well below the touted speeds. The router can run in mixed wireless mode or you limit access to 802.11b, g or n clients only. Security is present and correct with options for WEP or WPA/WPA2 plus SSID masking and the router supports both PIN and push-button modes for quick wireless configuration using WPS.
EnGenius Technologies’ ESR-9710 Wireless-N Gigabit Router is a compact box of tricks that incorporates an 802.11n wireless access point that’s Draft 2.0 compliant. EnGenius scores highly for features with its far superior web site filtering in comparison to the likes of Netgear. The EnGenius ESR-9710 undoubtedly delivers a whole heap of features which are almost identical to those on offer by D-Link’s DIR-655. It’s a tough call as they are very similarly priced although the DIR-655 does have an extra USB port and is covered by D-Link’s remarkable 11-year warranty.
Draytek’s Vigor2820n is offering a bumper bundle of features making it highly appealing to small businesses looking for a sophisticated broadband router. The SPI firewall can be customised with a wide range of filters and this is made easier with objects. Users on the same SSID can be blocked from seeing each other and other systems on the LAN, making secure guest wireless Internet access a cinch to set up. General security and wireless features are particularly good and the current deal with the USB wireless N adapter makes this package even better value.
Netgear WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router is surprisingly easy to set up and get working. Surprisingly hard to get the passwords and computers ‘talking’ to each other, this may be due to the incredibly complicated Virgin Media. You do not need the PC with the router attached on all the time (common myth), but clearly you will need to keep the modem signal and router on. Strength of signal is fine, speed is fine. Bottom line: easy to set up, reasonable price, get some help if you are unsure, you don’t really need it though.
Linksys WRT54GS Wireless Router has both WEP and WPA wireless encryption for the wireless signal. Reviewer suggests the WPA, as it is a little more secure. The setup is very simple. This wireless transmits at a max transmit rate of 54mbps for the “g” standard, and 11mbps for the “B” standard. It’s pretty standard in that respect. Bottom line it is a good starter wireless router. While it does have a decent wireless signal, and it’s Encryption is pretty solid, the construction of the unit itself gives pause to solidly recommend this unit.
SMC moves away from the chunky Barricade-g boxes to a slimmed down and extremely lightweight silver plastic chassis with Barricade N Broadband Router. A useful feature is the small switch at the rear which allows you to physically disable the wireless access point. No installation utilities are provided but none are needed as the router’s management interface provides plenty of wizard-based assistance. For router security features there’s little between SMC and D-Link’s DIR-655 but the latter’s Gigabit ports make it look a far better deal – especially as it only costs a few pounds more.
Belkin’s sleek little Network USB Hub is rather special in that it enables you to share virtually any type of USB device over the network with multiple PCs. The hub adheres to Belkin’s design philosophy so its polished black casing will fit in neatly with its latest wireless routers. Belkin delivers a simple solution for sharing your USB devices over the network. It’s extremely easy to use with good management and monitoring tools but overall performance for USB storage devices is a disappointment.
Netopia R9100 Broadband Router has features that are a bit dated. Too quirky for a new user to easily configure out of the box and probably not the first choice of many ISP’s to deploy Pretty easy to configure if you know what your are doing and someone tells you what to bunch in the “Easy Setup”. The Menus are a good start; they just need a bit more organizing to make them more functional. Good performance, except sometimes the dial on demand doesn’t always work.