Linksys WRT54GX

Internet-sharing Router, 4-port Switch, with a built in speed and range enhanced Wireless-G (802.11g) Access Point
Shares a single Internet connection and other resources with Ethernet wired, Wireless-G, -B, and other SRX devices
New SRX technology: the farther away, the more advantage -- up to 8 times faster than standard Wireless-G (802.11g)
SRX also increases wireless range by up to 3 times and reduces dead spots in coverage area

The Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX is really three devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect Wireless-G, Wireless-B, and other performance-enhanced SRX devices to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Finally, the Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.
The Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX combines smart antenna technology with standards-based Wireless-G (802.11g) networking. By overlaying the signals of two Wireless-G compatible radios, the "Multiple In, Multiple Out" (MIMO) technology effectively doubles the data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 3 times farther than standard Wireless-G. And the farther away you are, the more advantage you get -- the higher data rate and reflection-friendly technology can yield up to 8 times more throughput than Wireless-G in some situations. The router avoids interference by dynamically switching to the clearest channel available. Even your standard Wireless-G and -B equipment will work better when communicating with SRX-enabled devices.
To help protect your data and privacy, the Router can encode all wireless transmissions with industrial-strength WPA encryption. It can serve as your network's DHCP Server, has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, and supports VPN pass-through. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility.
With the Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX at the center of your home or office network, you can share a high-speed Internet connection, files, printers, and multi-player games with flexibility, speed, and security!

Linksys WRT330N

The Wireless-N Gigabit Gaming Router is really four devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect to the network without wires. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100/1000 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together at up to gigabit speeds. The Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.
We've also included a Network Optimizer that applies various Quality of Service (QoS) techniques to your network traffic to make sure that time-sensitive applications like online and local network gaming run smoothly. It automatically determines what data is time-sensitive and what isn't, and prioritizes delivery of that data to its destination, ensuring the best-possible performance for the various types of data that go through your network.
The Access Point built into the Router uses the very latest wireless networking technology, Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's "Multiple In, Multiple Out" (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 4 times farther than standard Wireless-G.
With Wireless-N, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. It works great with standard Wireless-G and -B equipment, but when both ends of the wireless link are Wireless-N, the router can increase the throughput even more by using twice as much radio band, yielding speeds up to 12 times as fast as standard Wireless-G.
To help protect your data and privacy, the Router can encode all wireless transmissions with industrial-strength 128-bit encryption. It can serve as your network's DHCP Server, has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, and supports VPN pass-through. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility.
The incredible speed of Wireless-N and gigabit wired networking is ideal for media-centric applications like gaming, streaming video, and Voice over IP telephony, and gives you plenty of headroom to run multiple media-intense data streams through the network at the same time, with no degradation in performance. The Linksys Wireless-N Gigabit Gaming Router optimizes your online gaming, lets you share a high-speed Internet connection, files, and printers, and run media-intensive applications at amazing speeds -- all without the hassle of stringing wires!

Linksys WAP4400N

Linksy Wireless-N Access Point with Power Over Ethernet With the growth in high bandwidth applications, such as storage and video in the work place, network performance is essential. Wireless technology is no longer lagging behind wired performance. The introduction of the Linksys Business Series WAP4400N wireless Access Point answers the growing business' need for access, speed and security.
The Access Point uses the very latest wireless networking technology, Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's “Multiple In, Multiple Out” (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce “dead spots” in the wireless coverage area.
The Linksys Wireless-N Access Point lets you connect Wireless-N (802.11n), Wireless-G (802.11g) or Wireless-B (802.11b) devices to your wired network so you can add PCs to the network with no cabling hassle. Power over Ethernet support makes it easy to install -- you can mount the Access Point anywhere, even without ready access to a power plug. With appropriate Power Over Ethernet support at the other end, you only need to run one cable to the Access Point to deliver both data and power. Of course, you can also use the included AC adapter if your installation point has power available nearby.
To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G Exterior Access Point supports both Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and the industrial-strength wireless security of Wi-Fi Protected Access™ (WPA), encoding all your wireless transmissions with powerful encryption. The MAC Address filter lets you decide exactly who has access to your wireless network, and advanced logging keeps you appraised. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility.
The Linksys Wireless-N Access Point with Power Over Ethernet is the best way to add wireless access to your existing business network.

Specifications
Device Type:
Wireless Access Point
Form Factor:
Desktop
Wireless Network Standards:
IEEE 802.11g

IEEE 802.11b

IEEE 802.11n
Wireless Data Transfer Rates:
300 Mbps
Security Protocols:
128-bit WEP

64-bit WEP

WPA-Personal

WPA-Enterprise

WPA-PSK
Modulation Technology:
OFDM

DSSS
Networking Standards:
IEEE 802.3 Ethernet 10Base-T, IEEE 802.3u Ethernet 100Base-TX
Firewall Features:
MAC Address Filtering
Management:
Web Based
10/100/1000 Mbps Ports:
1
Antenna Type:
Omni-Directional

Linksys WRT350N Wireless-N Gigabit Router

The Linksys WRT350N Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link is really four devices in one. The fastest and most advanced wireless solution currently available, this unit provides you with wireless access, connects your various devices or computers at high speeds, provides hassle-free storage options, and acts as a server to allow you access to your data and media from virtually anywhere. With the Linksys Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link at the center of your home or office network, you can easily add storage, share a high-speed Internet connection, files, printers and multi-player games, and run media-intensive applications at amazing speeds, without the hassle or expense of stringing a lot of wires.
This Linksys Wireless-N Router with Storage link provides you with a Wireless Access Point (WAP) that lets you connect to the network without wires, and a built-in, four-port, full-duplex 10/100/1000 switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together at up to one-gigabit speeds. A built-in router function ties everything together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection, while a Storage Link feature lets you easily add gigabytes of storage space onto your network using readily available USB 2.0 hard drives, or plug in a USB flash disk for a convenient means of accessing your portable data files. There is also a built-in Media Server that streams music, video, and photos from an attached storage device to any UPnP compatible media adapter, allowing you to get your files from anywhere in the world via the Internet.
The Access Point built into this router uses the very latest in wireless networking technology -- Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's Multiple-In, Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Whereas ordinary wireless technologies are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually makes use of these reflections to increase the range while reducing dead spots in the coverage area. This means the signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections at up to three times the distance of standard Wireless-G, so the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. This Wireless-N router is fully backward compatible, so it works great with standard Wireless-G and -B devices, but when both ends of the wireless link are Wireless-N enabled, the router can increase the throughput even more by using twice as much radio band. This allows speeds up to 15 times that of standard Wireless-G. As a further convenience, unlike other speed-enhanced technologies, Wireless-N can dynamically enable this double-speed mode for Wireless-N devices, while still connecting to other wireless devices at their respective fastest speeds. For especially congested areas, there is a good neighbor mode that makes sure the router checks for other wireless devices in the area before gobbling up all the available radio band.
To help protect your data and privacy, this router can encode all its wireless transmissions with iron-clad, 256-bit Wireless Protected Access (WPA2) encryption. This unit can also serve as your network's DHCP server, includes a powerful SPI firewall to protect your all your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, and supports VPN (Virtual Private Network) pass-through for the ultimate in network security. Despite all its features and functionality, configuration is simple and easy, thanks to the included web browser-based configuration utility. The incredible speed of Wireless-N and gigabit-wired networking is ideal for media-centric applications like streaming video, gaming, and voice-over-IP telephony, and gives you plenty of headroom to run multiple media-intense data streams through the network at the same time, without worrying about a degradation in performance.
This Linksys router features four Ethernet ports with numbered LEDs that indicate device connection and activity, LEDs indicating power, Internet activity, wireless activity, and security, as well as a top-panel button that is reserved for future functionality. There are ports for power, Internet, and Ethernet (four), a reset and security button, and three antennas. This unit uses CAT 5 cabling, and allows WEP, PSK, PSK2, and Radius security features, as well as 64 and 128 WEP key bits. The Linksys WRT350N is FCC, CE, and IC-03 certified, runs on 12-volts via an included adapter, measures approximately 1.57 x 6.93 x 7.4 inches (WxDxH), and is backed by a manufacturer's limited three-year warranty. Product DescriptionThe Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link is four devices in one. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect to the network without wires. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100/1000 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together at up to gigabit speeds. The Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection. The built-in Media Server streams music, video, and photos from the attached storage device to any UPnP compatible media adapter and you can get to your files from anywhere in the world through the Internet. The Access Point built into the Router uses the very latest wireless networking technology, Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's Multiple In, Multiple Out (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 3 times farther than standard Wireless-G. To help protect your data and privacy, the Router can encode all wireless transmissions with industrial-strength 256-bit encryption. It can serve as your network's DHCP Server, has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, and supports VPN pass-through. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility. The incredible speed of Wireless-N and gigabit wired networking is ideal for media-centric applications like streaming video, gaming, and Voice over IP telephony, and gives you plenty of headroom to run multiple media-intense data streams through the network at the same time, with no degradation in performance.

Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway WCG200

-High-speed DOCSIS 2.0 certified Cable Modem gives you a fast, "Always On" connection to the Internet
-Share the Internet -- connect one PC to the integrated Router via USB and four more via Ethernet using the built-in 10/100 Switch
-Built-in Wireless-G (802.11g) Access Point lets you connect more PCs without running wires
-Advanced SPI firewall and wireless security features protect your PCs, your data, and your family

The Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway is the all-in-one solution for Internet connectivity in your home -- a Cable Modem, Internet-sharing Router, Switch, and Access Point in one box!
The Cable Modem function gives you a blazing fast connection to the Internet, far faster than a dial-up, and without clogging up your phone line. Connect your computer to the Gateway via USB, or take advantage of the built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet Switch to jump start your home network. You can share files, printers, hard drive space and other resources, or play head-to-head PC games. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need.
The built-in Wireless-G Access Point allows up to 32 wireless devices to connect to your network at a blazing 54Mbps, without running cables through the house. It's also compatible with Wireless-B devices, at 11Mbps. The Gateway's Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share that high-speed Internet connection.
To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G Cable Gateway features an advanced firewall to keep Internet intruders and attackers out. Wireless transmissions can be protected by industrial-strength WPA encryption. Safeguard your family with Parental Control features like Internet Access Time Limits and Key Word Blocking. Configuration is a snap with any web browser.
With the Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway at the heart of your home network, you're connected to the future.

Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

Editors' note: The rating and/or Editors' Choice designation for this product has been altered since the review's original publication. The reason for this is simply the general improvement of technology over time. In order to keep our ratings fair and accurate, it's sometimes necessary to downgrade the ratings of older products relative to those of newer products. (12/9/04) The Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster makes it easy to set up a typical home or office network, and it comes with all the documentation you need to get it up and running. It touts a wealth of advanced networking and security features, and it's fast, especially in networks with both 802.11g and 802.11b connections.
Setup and ease of use of Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G broadband routerThe illustrated Fast Start guide for the Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster walks you through the basic setup, which includes connecting the router to your computer and broadband modem, configuring all the computers on the network to work with the router, and configuring the router. The Fast Start guide is more thorough than others we've seen, with plenty of images and screenshots illustrating the setup process. We were glad to see brief explanations of basic networking terms, such as the difference between static and dynamic IP addressing and what to do if your DSL provider uses PPPoE. The guide also describes how to connect to the WRT54GS's browser-based configuration tool if you need to tweak the router's configuration--for example, to supply the router with a static IP address. No quick-setup guide can cover all possible networking scenarios, but Linksys's step-by-step guide does an excellent job rounding up the usual suspects and making it easy for most homes and small offices to set up a network in a few minutes. In most cases, you need only to plug in the router and connect the cables. For more complicated setups, Linksys includes a thorough user guide detailing the WRT54GS's diverse features.
Features and security of Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G broadband routerAlthough the Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster is easy to set up, you'll find a number of advanced features and configuration options under the hood. The Linksys WRT54GS's browser-based configuration tool gives you access to the router's networking and security settings, such as DHCP server and client settings, firewall settings, and wireless encryption settings. The router also comes with two types of firewalls. One is a Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall that makes sure packets are part of a legitimate connection; the other is a NAT firewall that effectively hides computers behind the router. You can lock your network down even tighter by configuring the router to block services such as FTP and Telnet. A DMZ function located on the configuration tool's Applications and Gaming tab lets you place one computer outside the firewall, which can be useful for Internet gaming and videoconferencing. The Linksys WRT54GS also lets you set up access-control policies that grant Internet access to specific computers on your network at predetermined times of day and days of the week. If you telecommute, the router's VPN pass-through support will help get you to work. The Linksys WRT54GS router also has good wireless security. You can configure it to use WEP or WPA. WPA is stronger than WEP, but it's important to have both options, because you may want to connect to older 802.11b devices that lack WPA support. We also like that you can turn off the beacon on the WRT54GS's integrated 802.11g access point. This helps protect you from uninvited guests by stopping the access point from advertising its presence to the world. The Linksys WRT54GS router comes with removable antennas, giving you the option of attaching high-gain antennas to the unit to increase its range. Our only gripe was that the router lacks a mounting bracket.
Performance of Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G broadband routerThe Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster is one of a growing number of wireless routers touting proprietary speed enhancements. Like the D-Link DI-624 and the Netgear WGT624, the WRT54GS SpeedBooster router includes a technology (in this case, Broadcom's Afterburner) that substantially increases wireless network performance. The enhancements kick in only if all the devices on the network are playing by the same proprietary rules; otherwise, the device scales down to standard 802.11g speeds. We think that this limitation makes the SpeedBooster enhancement (and similar Turbo or Super-G offerings from vendors such as D-Link and Netgear) more of a marketing gimmick than a significant feature. Proprietary solutions depend on networks molded out of homogenous gear, limiting your purchase choices and tying you to a single vendor. On the other hand, the Linksys WRT54GS Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster does a fine job supporting standards-based equipment from other vendors, even older 802.11b gear. In CNET Labs' mixed-mode tests, which measure throughput when both 802.11g and 802.11b transmissions occur simultaneously, the WRT54GS delivered the fastest speeds we've seen, clocking in at 25.8Mbps. The Linksys also went the distance, stretching as far as 200 feet in our range tests.

ASUS WL-520G

ASUS proudly announce the smartest WLAN Router in the world, WL-500g. It provides fast 54 Mbps date rate and all WLAN Router function, including DHCP server, IP sharing, Firewall, VPN pass through, esc. To ensure WLAN security, it also provides strong WPA and unique WLAN firewall, to protect the data from WLAN. This smart and revolutionary solution also incorporated convenient plug-and-share functions through the USB 1.1 interface. It also provides powerful WDS function, easily let user to setup WLAN environment in home, SOHO and office.

Product MPN
MPN :WL520G

Router Functionalities
Firewall • DHCP Server

Built-In
4-port Built-In Switch

LAN Interfaces
10/100 Base-T

WAN Interfaces
1 x 10/100 Base-T

LAN Standards
IEEE 802.3 CSMA/CD or Ethernet • IEEE 802.3u 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet)

Protocols
DHCP • NTP • PPPoE

WLAN Standards
IEEE 802.11b • IEEE 802.11g/b
802.11b Data Rates
11 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 1 Mbps
802.11g Data Rates
125 Mbps, 54 Mbps, 48 Mbps, 36 Mbps, 24 Mbps, 28 Mbps, 12 Mbps, 9 Mbps, 6 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 1 Mbps
802.11b/g Indoor Range
39.62 meter
Modulation
OFDM • CCK • QPSK • BPSK • DBPSK • DQPSK • 16QAM • 64QAM • DSSS
802.11b/g Outdoor Range
298.7 meter
Security
WEP • WPA • TKIP • AES • 802.1x
Antenna Type
External Antenna x 1

ASUS RX-3141 Gateway Router

ASUS continues to try to innovate its way into the crowded consumer networking market. Although it's not the first company to introduce a SOHO router with a built-in 10/100/1000 switch - that would be D-Link's DGL-4300 [reviewed here] - it is the first to have that four-port switch support Jumbo Frames. Unfortunately, this spiffy little gigabit Ethernet switch comes as part of a router that's nowhere near as impressive.
The RX3141 is about the size of a typical business tome with all indicators on the front and connectors on the rear. It's not made for standing vertically on a desk, but has mounting screw slots on the bottom along with two reasonably strong magnets in case you'd like to throw it up onto the side of a file cabinet.
Figure 1 shows the router is powered by a Winbond W90N740 32-bit ARM7TDMI-based MCU. It has built-in support for two 10/100 Ethernet MACs and a USB 1.1 host controller hub with one port tranceiver.

ASUS 240 MIMO Wireless Router

The Asus 240 MIMO is based on the same Airgo Gen3 chip set as the Netgear RangeMax 240 (with which it shared top performance honors in our October issue's roundup), but otherwise it's quite different. Some of its features are better, such as a three-year warranty, support for authentication by a Radius server (an important feature for many enterprise customers), and a tool for wireless-encryption setup. In other respects the Asus suffers by comparison.
For example, its installation is essentially a manual affair, with no PC-based setup wizard or automatic settings detection. The quick-start guide's pictures are too small to decipher, and the Web-based quick-setup mode doesn't explain any of the required choices; we had to refer back to the printed quick-start guide for help.
Our chief complaint, however, has to do with the router's main configuration screen. Context-sensitive help comes solely in the form of roll-over pop-ups, which makes quick comparisons of options difficult. Also, when you type in an encryption passphrase, you see a series of asterisks--a common security precaution--and, for WEP, the resulting hexadecimal key. But because you aren't asked to enter the passphrase in a confirmation window, you can't know for sure whether you've input a long passphrase correctly. Even worse, we couldn't find any way to retrieve the current key information from within the router, a common task. The Asus does have an encryption setup utility, eliminating the need to enter codes on the client side, but it works only with Asus adapter cards.
We also had problems with this product's client card and connection utility. While equipment based on Airgo Networks' True MIMO Gen3 technology is supposed to be interoperable, the Asus card would not connect to the Netgear RangeMax 240 router with WPA2 encryption. The utility showed the encryption for the connection as WEP, and wouldn't let us specify WPA2. The same thing happened when we tried to use Windows to set up wireless encryption on the Asus card, and we had no way to resolve the issue without changing to the less secure WPA on the Netgear router (Asus says that its latest drivers, released as we neared press time, correct the problem). Another concern was that both the Asus and Netgear adapters connected to the Asus router only with WPA, even though we set the router to use WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK (it does not have WPA-PSK-only or WPA2-PSK-only modes); we would have preferred to use the stronger WPA2-PSK scheme.
We liked the nicely designed white plastic Asus case, with its band of indicator lights on the front edge. It's superficially like the Netgear RangeMax 240's, but bigger and heavier, and it has taller and beefier antennas that might account for its performance edge. The case also includes wall-mount holes. However, the Asus model's great price and performance do not completely compensate for its usability issues, and inexperienced users especially will be better served by the Netgear RangeMax 240.

Роутер ASUS WL-600g All-in-1

Производитель
ASUSTeK
Модель
WL-600g
Тип оборудования
Маршрутизатор, коммутатор, точка доступа, ADSL-модем
ADSL
ADSL2+ (24Мбит/сек прием, 1Мбит передача)
Firewall
Есть
Скорость передачи данных
10/100 Мбит/сек
Максимальная скорость беспроводной передачи данных
54 Мбит/сек
Беспроводная связь
IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b
QoS
Поддерживается
UPnP
Есть
NAT
Поддерживается
Управление
Веб-интерфейс
Порты
4 порта 10/100 Мбит/сек, 1 порт RJ-11, USB порт (для внешнего накопителя)
Поддержка схем обеспечения безопасности беспроводной передачи
WEP-кодирование с 64 или 128 битным ключом; WPA-PSK/WPA2 (TKIP/AES)
Встроенные антенны
1 антенна
Внешние антенны
1 антенна (съемная)
Блок питания
Внешний; входит в комплект поставки
Рабочая температура
0 ~ 50°C
Размеры упаковки
24 х 25.1 х 23.9 см
Вес брутто
1.556 кг
Ссылка на сайт производителя
http://www.asus.com.tw/
Телефон горячей линии производителя
+7 (495) 231-19-99 (понедельник-пятница с 10.00 до 18.00)

ASUS WL-700gE Router

A router that supports a plethora of media-sharing protocols and features a built-in 160GB hard drive should be a perfect addition to any home with lots of multimedia. Integrating storage into a router--a device that's always on and can be easily hidden away--makes excellent sense, particularly when full-fledged NAS solutions are often too expensive or difficult to use. Considering that it's priced at roughly $260 from online retailers and is only slightly larger than standard routers, the Asus WL-700gE could have taken the networking world by storm. Instead, we expect to find it in the homes of alpha geeks only. The WL-700gE has so many features and such a poor configuration interface that confusion is guaranteed to overtake any mere networking mortal. It's a tough product to compare to other wireless routers, because it offers so much more and for a much heftier price. If all you need is wireless networking, you can easily find a $50 router that will suit your needs. But if you're a BitTorrent fiend and you like the idea of being able to download to your heart's content while you and your PC are sleeping, this router is worth the added cost and configuration headache.
DesignAlthough it houses a 3.5-inch hard drive, the Asus WL-700gE looks like most other wireless routers and is only a bit bigger. Its white top and bottom sandwich the router's silver sides, presenting an understated and clean design. Nine indicator lights adorn the front panel: five for connected LAN and WAN ports and one each to show wireless activity, hard drive activity; on/off status (conveniently located on the power switch), and the status of the router's "readiness" for use.
You'll also find a USB 2.0 port and a copy button on the front panel. The USB 2.0 port can be used for additional storage or sharing a peripheral, such as a printer, across your network. If you connect a USB storage device to the router and hit the copy button, the contents on your USB device--say, a portable hard drive or a thumbdrive--will be copied to the router's hard drive. The WL-700gE can also use external drives as a part of a RAID array.
Like virtually all routers on the market, the unit's back panel features five 10/100 Ethernet jacks, one of which is a dedicated WAN port, along with an antenna and a reset button. Unlike most routers, the back panel also supplies two additional USB 2.0 ports and an EZSetup button. The WL-700gE has four rubberized feet on its bottom, and Asus ships the router with a weighted base to prop it up for vertical use.
Features EZSetup is Asus' proprietary configuration utility for Windows-based computers. Though the configuration utility is straightforward and simple to use, like most things about the WL-700gE, there are a few flaws: The EZSetup wizard says holding the button on the router for three seconds will cause the power light to flash, but the power light remains solid and the "ready" light flashes when the button is held. Through the wizard you can configure the most basic router settings including the type of Internet connection you have and the name and the security settings of the wireless network.
The second issue concerned mapping the hard drive. The EZSetup wizard can also map the router's hard drive to a Windows drive letter, but our attempts to do so--both in wireless and wired modes--proved futile. At the very end of the process, we received error messages that blamed our wireless adapter and suggested retrying, which led to subsequent attempts, all of which failed. In the end, the EZSetup wizard got us connected to our network and the Internet but failed to map the router's hard drive. We ended up manually mapping the drive. The EZSetup guide is simple to use but, clearly, isn't reliable.
All other configuration must be done from the router's downright confusing Web interface. Unlike other manufacturers that turn networking jargon into regular English or explain all the settings in their configuration interface, the WL-700gE's configuration pages are designed for geeks, and the tool tips often add to user confusion. One of the worst offenders is the configuration page for BitTorrent file sharing. A configuration question asks: "Enable download daemon?" and offers help by stating that "This field allows you to enable gift based download daemons, Gnutella and FastTrack. But this task is CPU consuming." We found out that giFT is a client for multiple peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, but that still leaves non-Unix geeks unclear on whether this option should be turned on.
A call to tech support proved fruitless and frustrating, as well. Despite the promised 3-minute hold, we listened to advertising for more than 5 minutes before being booted to a voicemail system that invited us to leave our name and number. We did so but never received a callback. A later attempt netted us 30 seconds of talk time with a tech support rep, who then put us on hold for more than 10 minutes before we hung up in frustration. Likewise, Asus's hardcopy quick-start guide walks you through only the EZSetup process; it doesn't address the router's Web interface. The included utility CD purports to have in-depth user guides, and to be fair, it does--in Chinese. The only English guide is an electronic version of the quick-start guide.
The Asus WL-700gE offers 64-/128-bit WEP, WPA, and WPA2 for password protecting your network. It also offers MAC address filtering, SPI and NAT firewalls, and URL blocking. You can also manage user settings/permissions, as well, using the Web interface. The security features provided by the Asus WL-700gE are standard for routers.
The included Download Master lets you set up to seven BitTorrent streams at once, or up to 10 FTP/HTTP downloads. We started a BitTorrent download late in the evening, shut off our PC, and happily found the completed download in the mapped drive the next morning. When we first initiated the download, we were a bit confused as we stared at the Download Master window. Instead of updating continuously, it seems to update every 10 to 20 seconds, leaving you wondering at first whether anything is happening. It also took a long time for the progress bar and the ETA figures to appear, leaving us scratching our heads. The Download Master interface could certainly use some improvement for better usability.
Besides downloading content using Download Master, you can also set up a message board on the router or a public site (if you get a dynamic IP address from your ISP, you'll have to set up a dynamic DNS host). You can also network printers using the USB ports or increase storage capacity by attaching USB hard drives. If you have attached a USB hard drive, you can also set up mirroring, where the content of the Asus router's hard drive will be copied over to the externally attached drive for redundancy. Finally, using the front-mounted USB drive, you can quickly copy over the contents from an external hard drive to the router's drive by simply pressing the copy button. The content will show up in the router's Copy folder.
PerformanceThe Asus WL-700gE supports both 802.11g and 802.11b clients. Its performance pales in the face of the scores from the Draft N routers on the market but are more than sufficient for home wireless users. In mixed mode at 10 feet, it scored an average of 22.4Mbps. At 200 feet, again in mixed mode, it scored 11.6Mbps.
Service and supportAsus provides a two-year limited warranty for the WL-700gE router. As mentioned above, support is a mixed bag. Phone support is available 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT on weekends, but it's a toll call, which makes the extended hold times even less palatable. Asus's site offers product-specific FAQs, driver and manual downloads, a troubleshooting guide, and a user forum. Try to avail yourself of all of these options before calling tech support.