Details
Price: $127.5
Antenenas: Internal
LAN: 4 x gigabit Ethernet
Wireless: Wireless N 2.4GHz & 5 GHz
Modem: None
Asus
RT-N56U
In recent years, Asus has slowly but surely
become one of the computing industry’s best brands, offering a wide range of
products with market-topping performance at reasonable prices. Can it bring
that ethos to the world of routers too?
Well, you only have to look at the Asus
RT-N56U to get an idea of whether or not it’s possible. This is a router that
has been redesigned from the ground up to throw off the shackles of the
traditional, box-and-aerial form factor and come up with something that looks
stylish, maybe even artistic. The wireless is multi- channel, but there’s no
way to tell by looking, because the antennas are discreetly embedded in the
device’s fascia: two for 2.4GHz and three for 5GHz.
It’s no slouch technologically speaking
either, with wireless N capabilities spanning both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz range
(the latter is absent from cheaper routers), four gigabit LAN ports, a
cable-ready WAN port and the usual selection of security features and
configuration options available through an easy-to-use web interface. The WPS
fast-setup button means you can create a secure connection to a compatible OS
(Windows 7, for example) without the need to type in tedious WPA keys.
The best feature, however, is the USB
compatibility, which allows you to attach storage (so that the router can
double as a media streaming centre), 3G dongles (to share mobile internet
connections), printers, and many other devices. There’s even a BitTorrent
client!
If there’s a problem, it’s only the price.
If you don’t expect to use the extra features, it’s no better at actually
handling traffic than any other router, especially once you factor in the
likelihood that wireless N speeds will be lower than quoted if you go with the
more easily absorbed 5GHz frequency range.
Still, we were impressed. If you want
something a bit more capable than entry level, with solid network performance,
fantastic design and impressive additional features, it’s perfect. Asus has
done it again.
D-Link DIR-636L
Details
Price: $102
Antennas: Internal
LAN: 4 x Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless: Wireless N 2.4GHz
Modem: None
D-Link
DIR-636L
Following closely on the design-led heels
of the Asus RT-N56U is the D-Link DIR-636L, which - as you can see from the
image - has a similarly radical approach to router fashion. However, its
slightly lower price alludes to something less polished.
In fairness, the form is a stand-out
element, and since it’s likely the area that’ll attract purchasers in the first
place, it’s only right that we consider it first. The cylindrical design is, as
with the Asus, almost artistic and ornamental. It’s something that won’t look
entirely out of place in any room of the house, and it looks only vaguely
functional (there’s a power indicator and a WAN indicator). If having PC
equipment out in the open bothers you, this solves that problem.
Let’s face it, though, most people don’t
care about how routers look, but how they perform. Connectors include four
gigabit Ethernet ports, a WAN port and a USB port - nothing you won’t find on
an router. You do get wireless N support, but its 2.4GHz only. However, the USB
port does allow access to storage, which is a feature normally only found on
more expensive routers. Better still, this content can be hosted on the web, so
you can access it from any internet connection anywhere in the world (as long
as you install the right apps first).
The usual security features are also
augmented by tight parental controls (the kind normally found at the browser
level) and the ability to view recently visited websites in real time through
an iPhone/Android app.
Performance is reasonable. Connection
speeds are consistent and fairly high even at long ranges. You can get faster,
but probably not without spending more. There are undeniably areas of weakness,
but the expert features combined with the low cost make this a solid choice, if
not a universally great one.
Edimax BR-6428nS
Details
Price: $28.5
Antennas: 2
LAN: 4 x Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless: Wireless N 2.4GHz
Modem: None
Edimax
BR-6428nS
One of the main reasons that almost
everyone is running a wireless G router is that the wireless N solutions are
inevitably more expensive. Edimax aims to subvert that assumption with the
cut-price BR-6428nS router - a wireless N device that you can pick up for less
than US$30.
Wireless N is faster than wireless G, and
offers a stronger signal with a greater range, so you can understand why you
might be keen to take a chance on the upgrade, especially when you’re asked to
spend so little money on doing so. However, the discounts come at a price: you
lose out on all manner of features.
We’re not just talking software either. The
BR-6428nS doesn’t have gigabit Ethernet ports, just standard ones, and there’s
no USB connection, so if you want to link up any storage or a printer, it’ll
have to be wireless. The internal software is also a bit of a nightmare, with a
poorly organised and slow configuration back-end that you’ll have to administer
manually. Prepare for headaches.
There’s no denying that it does do the bare
minimum job of establishing and maintaining a wireless N network with speeds
better than the average wireless G router, but at the same time, it’s less
stable and consistent than other wireless N competitors. Spend a little more
money and you’ll get a lot better.
As a router, it’s cheap, compact and
minimally functional, and if that’s all you want, then US$30 isn’t a bad price
by any stretch, but there’s so much more on offer. You can’t even call it
‘entry level’ because beginners with struggle with the setup procedure. It’s
maybe alright in an emergency, but ¡n the long-term you’re getting what you pay
for, and that’s not very much at all.
Cisco Linksys EA0
Details
Price: $207
Antennas: 2
LAN: 4 x Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless: Wireless N 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Modem: None
Cisco
Linksys EA0
The Cisco Linksys EA4500 is a revision of
the Cisco E4200, claiming faster wireless N speeds and more stable connections,
with a complete overhaul of the firmware and configuration interface. The E4200
was already good, so the question we need to answer is whether this one is as
good.
And rather than keep you waiting... yes,
largely it is. But there are other problems.
The ‘Cisco Cloud Connect’ system used for
device management upset even its most loyal users when the update was rolled
out (automatically) to Cisco devices earlier this year. The concern wasn’t
about the practicality of the system, but about the terms of using it, which
essentially granted Cisco administrator access to your routers and gave it the
ability to disconnect you from the internet at its discretion. The company has
since revised away the offending clauses.
And as it turns out, the cloud system isn’t
bad. It makes it very easy to administer and configure your router even when
you’re in a completely different location. Whether this is a requirement many
people have is another matter, but there are definite uses - you could set up a
relative’s router remotely, or check the security of your network, for example.
One definite problem is that alterations to
your router’s settings take ages to register, because they have to communicate
the changes to Cisco’s central server. Only a second or two, but it quickly
stacks up, and there’s no way around it. Try to administer settings offline and
you’ll get a reduced interface for your troubles.
Performance is reasonable, peaking around
400 Mbps and bottoming out at 50M bps at the furthest reaches of wireless
range. Not great, but far from disappointing either. It’s a well- built and
forward-thinking router, but the extra features (including support for apps...)
feel misguided, more in service to Cisco and its partners than the customers.
Maybe we’re just being cautious, but there are plenty of other routers that are
just as good without being half as irritating.
