E
Embattle
Guest
I've had an SMC Barricade Wireless Router for some time now but decided a change was due, this was partly down to the fact I think my SMC has started to under perform but also so I could support the newer 54g wireless technology at a future date.
I ended up purchasing the new Belkin 54g Wireless DSL/Cable Gateway Router, which can be bought for as low as £100 from places like dabs.com which isn't bad considering the 54g support. Generally routers have come down in price due to the proliferation of broadband and home networking.
SMC Router
My SMC router is a solid bit of kit with a metal base section and it includes 3 10/100 ports on the back and a WAN port which is used to connect the Cable Modem. Another three ports are located along the back including a Printer port for print server duties, Com port and a power port.
Two aerials are also located at either end of the device with a little reset button situated next to one of them. On the front are a number of LED lights showing power, link, WAN, etc.
The device has the following basic features:
Built-in NAT firewall security
Internet access for up to 252 PCs
Wireless operation at 11, 5.5, 2, or 1Mbps
Wireless operating range of up to 304 metres
Connects to a cable/xDSL modem, dial-up modem, or Ethernet
3-Port 10/100Mbps switch versatility plus one port for WAN connection
Web-based utilities allow configuration through any networked PC’s Web browser.
The web based management can be accessed via a browser using the Routers ip and then entering a password, if you have Windows XP you can access it via Upnp. The interface is rather ugly and while it covers most areas it does get a little confusing if you've never used a router before although some help is provided from a intergrated help system.
Belkin Router
The Belkin router looks the business with its slightly less brutal lines but isn't as robust as the SMC router since it is entirely made out plastic. An advantage it does have over the SMC is that it comes with a stand that allows you to stand it vertically thus taking up less desk space.
Connectivity is also better on the networking front with 4 10/100 ports located on the back and a WAN port located just to the side of them, although it doesn't have a COM port for dial up duties or a printer port I find these no longer useful so the loss of them isn't worth worrying about.
The Belkin unit also has fewer LEDs, which again I consider no bad thing since at night my SMC used be like a junction with traffic lights whereas the Belkin is just a pedestrian crossing.
The specs:
NAT IP Address Sharing
SPI Firewall
Internet access for 253 Users (LAN), 32 (WLAN)
Integrated Parental Control
Intergrated 10/100 4 port Switch
Mac address filtering
Up to 54Mbps wireless operation
64/128 Bit WEP
Wireless operating range of up to 500 metres
Backward-compatibility with all 802.11b devices
Web-Based Advanced User Interface
VPN-Passtrough
Much like the SMC router you can access it by entering the relevant ip address or via Upnp. Once you've logged on you get greeted by a status screen that shows lots of useful information such as Firmware version, WAN IP, subnet, Gateway, DNS, etc, etc. The interface is split into 5 sections including LAN, Internet/WAN, Wireless, Firewall and Utilities all of which cover the setting up of the various features. A bonus is that each one has a more info section describing what it does. Firmware updates can be made easier as the Router can check for updates and notify you when you login to the router. As whole the management page is layed out better and has more features than the SMC one, this is always a plus for those that like to fiddle with settings
The device offers the same performance using my old wireless Notebook cards, which is all I have at the moment, although getting a set of 54g Notebook cards would result in increased speed and range.
Just a quick look as this router but overall it is well worth getting if you need a wireless router, esp for its price.
I ended up purchasing the new Belkin 54g Wireless DSL/Cable Gateway Router, which can be bought for as low as £100 from places like dabs.com which isn't bad considering the 54g support. Generally routers have come down in price due to the proliferation of broadband and home networking.
SMC Router
My SMC router is a solid bit of kit with a metal base section and it includes 3 10/100 ports on the back and a WAN port which is used to connect the Cable Modem. Another three ports are located along the back including a Printer port for print server duties, Com port and a power port.
Two aerials are also located at either end of the device with a little reset button situated next to one of them. On the front are a number of LED lights showing power, link, WAN, etc.
The device has the following basic features:
Built-in NAT firewall security
Internet access for up to 252 PCs
Wireless operation at 11, 5.5, 2, or 1Mbps
Wireless operating range of up to 304 metres
Connects to a cable/xDSL modem, dial-up modem, or Ethernet
3-Port 10/100Mbps switch versatility plus one port for WAN connection
Web-based utilities allow configuration through any networked PC’s Web browser.
The web based management can be accessed via a browser using the Routers ip and then entering a password, if you have Windows XP you can access it via Upnp. The interface is rather ugly and while it covers most areas it does get a little confusing if you've never used a router before although some help is provided from a intergrated help system.
Belkin Router
The Belkin router looks the business with its slightly less brutal lines but isn't as robust as the SMC router since it is entirely made out plastic. An advantage it does have over the SMC is that it comes with a stand that allows you to stand it vertically thus taking up less desk space.
Connectivity is also better on the networking front with 4 10/100 ports located on the back and a WAN port located just to the side of them, although it doesn't have a COM port for dial up duties or a printer port I find these no longer useful so the loss of them isn't worth worrying about.
The Belkin unit also has fewer LEDs, which again I consider no bad thing since at night my SMC used be like a junction with traffic lights whereas the Belkin is just a pedestrian crossing.
The specs:
NAT IP Address Sharing
SPI Firewall
Internet access for 253 Users (LAN), 32 (WLAN)
Integrated Parental Control
Intergrated 10/100 4 port Switch
Mac address filtering
Up to 54Mbps wireless operation
64/128 Bit WEP
Wireless operating range of up to 500 metres
Backward-compatibility with all 802.11b devices
Web-Based Advanced User Interface
VPN-Passtrough
Much like the SMC router you can access it by entering the relevant ip address or via Upnp. Once you've logged on you get greeted by a status screen that shows lots of useful information such as Firmware version, WAN IP, subnet, Gateway, DNS, etc, etc. The interface is split into 5 sections including LAN, Internet/WAN, Wireless, Firewall and Utilities all of which cover the setting up of the various features. A bonus is that each one has a more info section describing what it does. Firmware updates can be made easier as the Router can check for updates and notify you when you login to the router. As whole the management page is layed out better and has more features than the SMC one, this is always a plus for those that like to fiddle with settings
The device offers the same performance using my old wireless Notebook cards, which is all I have at the moment, although getting a set of 54g Notebook cards would result in increased speed and range.
Just a quick look as this router but overall it is well worth getting if you need a wireless router, esp for its price.