Expensive for an N-lite router, but support for up to four wireless networks makes it worth considering.
Written By
Published on 2 May 2011
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Our rating
Reviewed price £55 inc VAT
This ADSL router supports N-lite wireless, which means that it has only one antenna and can’t use MIMO to boost signal strength as twin-antenna routers do. Even so, it still managed decent speeds at close range, and we found it easy to set up and use.
A small leaflet in the box provides a quick setup guide, which walks users through the process of wiring up the router to a phone line and computer. It then points them to the router’s web-based configuration page, which includes a wizard to set up the internet connection. The configuration interface is easy to navigate. The initial status page shows various pertinent pieces of information, many of which are links to the relevant section of the settings. For example, clicking on the wireless SSID brings up the wireless settings page. It supports up to four separate SSIDs with their own security settings, which is ideal for setting up guest networks with access to the internet but not your home network. Push-button WPS security is available, as well as more advanced features such as Wireless Distribution Service (WDS). You can even schedule the wireless service to limit access to certain times of day.A firewall is included, with individual filters for URLs, applications or clients. There’s no option to set up a DMZ, which would be useful for running web or game servers at home. More advanced options include static routing, setting up VLANs, QoS and Dynamic DNS, and the router can even accept remote management requests from outside the local network.
Speeds were great at close range: using our Centrino 2 laptop, it achieved over 40Mbit/s, while results with ZyXEL’s own NWD271N USB adaptor (£23) were even better, getting up to 57Mbit/s. Performance dropped sharply at longer ranges, though, and the automatic channel selection option often chose crowded channels.
This is a fast, capable router with some unusual features that some people will really welcome. It’s expensive for an N-lite router, though. The TP-Link TD-W8961ND was even faster in most tests and significantly less expensive.
Written by
Barry de la Rosa
Barry de la Rosa has written various articles on a range of topics covering everything from TVs to mobile phones.
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