Routers may be boring, but it's worth
paying them some attention. We pick out some of the best deals around
Too many users put up with the arcane
routers provided to them by their ISPs, unaware that even the cheapest of third
party models could vastly improve the wireless network strength and overall
quality of their network. What's definitely the case is that if your modem
lacks an Ethernet interface, it's time to upgrade. With Windows 8 just around
the corner, you can be certain drivers won't exist to make your modem work when
Microsoft's new OS begins shipping.
First of all you need to find out what kind
of router you need. If you use a cable service such as that provided by Virgin,
a router with a built-in ADSL modem won't work for you. Instead you'll need a
cable router with a network input. This then plugs into your cable modem and
distributes its services throughout your home. If you are on an ADSL
connection, a suitable router will completely replace the box provided by your
Internet provider.
Budget Routers
Unless you are on a shoestring budget we'd
recommend you opt for a Wireless N router rather than one using the older G
standard. Virtually all new wireless devices like phones, laptops and some
games consoles use 802.1 In wireless. This is two or three times the speed of a
G network and will often improve the range of your network thanks to their use
of MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) antennae.
A
cracking value router
The Wireless N-150 (TD-W8951ND) from
TP-Link is a great option for those on a budget. This ADSL 2+ compliant device
features four 10/100 Ethernet ports for wired devices and an 'N-Lite'
specification wireless capability. This means it doesn't support channel
bonding for the 300MB/S capabilities of other more expensive routers, and only
uses a single antenna rather than the MIMO configuration of higher end models.
By hunting around we found this capable little router online for just $38.99
from Pixmania.co.uk - that's a fantastic price for an N grade router and is
considerably more affordable than even wireless G models from brands like
Netgear or Linksys.
D-Link
DSL-2680
Or maybe the D-Link DSL-2680 is the right
choice for you. Available for $40from eBuyer, this compact little router
delivers 802.11n (150Mbps) wireless and a simple-to-use interface. A few
compromises are apparent as soon as you open the box - the DSL-2680 has only
two wired Ethernet ports (two fewer than most routers offer) and a couple of
useful features such as WDS and QoS are missing. WDS or 'Wireless Distribution
Service' allows you to extend the range of your wireless router by adding
additional access points or routers to the network. 'Quality of Service'
controls allow you to prioritize certain types of traffic so that your streaming
of videos is not adversely affected by peer-to-peer file sharing for example.
Wireless performance of this D-Link model was pretty good when close up, but we
found its use of internal aerials cost it dearly in longer range testing,
managing only half the speed of the TP-Link N-150 at a 20m range.
Mid-Range Routers
Although the TP-Link N-150 is a great
bargain buy, an extra $20 or $30 will buy you an equivalently specified router
from some bigger brands like Netgear or Belkin. These manufacturers both have
years of experience at making easy-to-use interfaces and benefit from
established user bases who will be able to easily lend assistance should you
get stuck. The Netgear DGN2200 costs $75.99from WAE+ and looks quite different
from its predecessors. While the last generation of Netgears had a white and
grey finish, the QDN2200 is much more contemporary with the now-ubiquitous
piano black glossy finish. The device has two antennae allowing the full
802.11N 300Mbps speed to be accessed with a suitable wireless dongle or PCI
card. Just remember the channel bonded 300Mbps mode won't always give you the
best performance. If you live in the countryside it's worth a shot, but if you
are in the city with a congested 2.4GHz band, the un-bonded 150Mbps mode could
well yield the best results.
Netgear
DGN2200
An extra 48.55$ over the DGN2200 buys you
the Belkin Play Max HD. This dual band router allows you to run two networks
simultaneously, a 2.4GHz band network for older a/b/g devices and a 5GHz band
network for newer PCs and laptops. It also has a lot of features that may
appeal as value added extras compared to cheaper routers. The Vuze Bit Torrent
client, for example, allows you to download content from the world's most
popular peer-to-peer protocol even when your PC is turned off, storing the data
on a USB-attached storage device. Considering the router consumes only 10W in
use (compared to an average PC's 50-100W when idling) this could save you many
pounds a year in electricity savings, not to mention improving your carbon
footprint. As with the DGN2200 the Belkin has a plethora of advanced networking
features including QoS, the ability to create networks with separate SSIDs, a
dynamic DNS and WDS.
The router facilitates its BitTorrent
downloading and NAS features via a USB port that allows you to connect external
hard disks or pen drives. The USB storage facilities are extremely well
implemented; plug in a drive and a drive letter is assigned automatically, and
it appears in Windows Explorer. The router also offers four gigabit ports for
its wired networking ports; up to ten times faster than the Netgear. If you
shuffle most of the data over your network between wired devices this feature
alone is worth the additional expenditure.
Belkin
Play Max HD
The interface of the Belkin Play Max is
slick and speedy. It is also easy to navigate. For those who want on-tap access
to the router's more advanced features, Belkin also offers a taskbar
application. Personally we like to keep our PC as free of memory-resident
applications as possible, but if you want the ability to switch between QoS
settings with just a couple of mouse clicks, the Play Max is a great choice.
The best price we found this router for was $127.98 from both eBuyer and
Lamdatek, both of whom are offering the product for the same price.
Netgear
DGND3300
Netgear also provides a gigabit
dual-wireless band router in the form of its DGND3300. You can pick this model
up for around the same price of the Belkin, and although it lacks some of the
bells and whistles of the Play Max, it is still a very capable router. A 'Push
'N' Connect' feature allows you to allows you to add computers to the network
quickly and securely using WPS security, ideal for novice users, while the
router looks after its own housekeeping duties by automatically checking for
firmware updates and applying them in the background. Its eight internal
wireless antennae also grant it excellent wireless range and speed, with the
device connecting at a leading 12Mbps to our laptop even when 20m away -
impressive for a consumer router and even more astounding when you consider
that the antennae are all housed internally. We managed to find this router for
$129.55 from Amazon.com - a great price for one of the best routers on the
market and arguably a better choice than even the Play Max.
Cable Routers
Most of the routers we have mentioned today
have cable router analogues - if you are a cable broadband customer simply look
at the manufacturer's website to see what the cable equivalent is. You can
expect prices to be similar, even though the model you will need lacks an
internal ADSL modem. As always, keep your eyes peeled: these were the bargains
we found on our shopping trip. You might find an even better one!
