JANUARY2006 WHICH?
46
HOME NETWORKS
1Linksys WirelessRouter SRX 81%£108 from online retailers
This is a great choice. It’s not cheap, but if you need
your wireless network to cover a large area and
penetrate lots of walls, it’s second to none.
It’s the only router that passed our toughest test:
passing through two brick walls, one plaster wall
and 20 metres of air. Even under these conditions,
it easily transmits enough data to listen to music or
keep up with broadband internet.
Computer adaptorThis router works brilliantly even
with a basic laptop with built-in WiFi. But using the
Linksys laptop card improves the connection greatly
– it’s well worth the extra £90 if you have a large
home and want your network in several rooms.
The Linksys USBadaptor isn’t as good. It’s unlikely
to be much quicker than any other adaptor, though
it’s still more likely to work hitch-free with the router.
Laptop adaptorLinksys Wireless-G Notebook
adaptor with SRX (£63)
USB adaptorLinksys Wireless-G USB Network
adaptor (£40)
SCOREThis ignores price
and is based on:
Performance 50%
Ease of use 50%
1Linksys
2Netgear
ILLUSTRATION MICKMARSTON PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN TRENHOLM, JON HONEYBALL
wqsud
Best Worst
KEYBest Buy
We recommend that
you stick to the same
brand foryour WiFi
adaptorand router.
This ensures that
they’ll work well with
each other. We’ve
listed the matching
adaptors foreach of
ourBest Buys.
The BestBuy
combinations ofrouter
and adaptorwork well
forlistening to music a
couple ofrooms away –
through atleast one
brick wall and a couple
ofplaster ones.
OurBest Buys also
have clearersoftware
and instructions than
othermodels. And
they’re a biteasier to
make secure so that
no one can use your
network orsee what
you’re up to. By
contrast, making the
worstproducts secure is
extremely difficult. Itis
worth saying, though,
thatnone makes the
security set-up a cinch.
All the routers we
tested are compatible
with any type of
computer. That’s
because you choose
theirsettings on a
web page via your
internetbrowser.
2NetGear WPN824RangeMax 71%£75 from online retailers
This router doesn’t quite have the reach of the
Linksys but it’s just as fast at short range – faster
than most people will need, in fact.
It’s also the only other router on test that’s really
easy to use. As with the Linksys, this is down to the
clarity of the software and features such as parental
control, which lets you control which web pages your
kids can look at.
Computer adaptorNetGear’s laptop card is about as
fast as typical built-in WiFi; its USB adaptor isn’t as
good but it’s still safer than mixing brands.
Laptop cardNetGear WPN511 RangeMax (£51)
USB adaptorNetGear WG511 Wireless PC Card
adaptor (£52)
USING THE TABLE
We tested the latest
routers from big brands.
Price
We give a guide price of
what you can expect to pay
for the products online.
Ease ofuse
Set-up How easy it is to
get the router working.
We look at the clarity of
instructions and whether
software options are
sensibly laid out.
SecurityHow easy it is to
make your wireless
network secure. UseHow
well informed the software
keeps you about what’s
happening on the network.
Performance
Range and speed We
tested the routers with
USB and laptop adaptors
from the same brand, as
well as a laptop with built-
in WiFi. We measured
how quickly they sent data
across various distances
and obstacles.
Routers
MODEL
1 Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router SRX 108 wsqw
2 NetGear WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router 75 wsqq
3 Buffalo Air Station Router 100 sss w
4 Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router (One Touch Set-Up) 85 wss q
5 Belkin F5D8230 90 qsu q
6 Buffalo Air Station MIMO Wireless Router 94 suu q
7 D-Link DI634M Wireless 108G MIMO Router – DI-634M 80 sus q
8 Belkin F5D7632 80 qus s
9BTVoyager 2110 70 wuu u
10Cable & Wireless 802.11G Wireless LAN ADSL Router 46 qds s
11NetGear DG834G Wireless ADSL Firewall Router 75 qds s
(£) Set-up Security Use Range and (%)
speed
Price Ease of use Performance Score
81
71
70
67
63
61
60
51
49
45
42
Linksys laptop
adaptor
NetGear laptop/
desktop adaptor