Felisa Yang,
Associate Editor
March 1, 2007
With the release of the first draft of the 802.11n specification by the IEEE came a flurry of product releases from the major networking vendors. Each company put its own spin on the new routers, from hidden antennas to paddle antennas to user-friendly network-display panels. With so many choices, how can you tell which is right for you? That's a tough question to answer. All of these products' throughput numbers looked stellar when compared to the throughput of standard 802.11g routers, but they all fell short of the promised speed improvement of 802.11n (according to the spec, the max throughput is 270Mbps). And there is a slight chance (unlikely, but not impossible) that some major change in the final 802.11n spec could render these product nonupgradable. Our advice dovetails with that of industry analysts: if you already have a wireless home network, keep using it until the spec has been finalized (expected to be around mid-2007) to see how the final performances stack up.
If you absolutely can't wait and need to have one of these routers now, we liked the D-Link N 650 for its fast performance and wealth of features and the Belkin N1 router for its unparalleled user-friendliness.
Also, don't forget to check these routers' companion wireless notebook adapters.
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| Price | $84.99 to $135.00 | Check Prices | Check Prices | $59.88 to $69.99 | $67.00 to $119.99 | $79.99 to $89.99 |
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| Review date | June 19, 2006 | July 20, 2006 | July 28, 2006 | April 24, 2006 | May 03, 2006 | October 13, 2006 |
| The Bottom Line | With its easy-to-grasp status icons, up-to-date security options, and stellar support, the Belkin N1 router is on the path to 802.11n wireless networking stardom, but like other Draft N devices, its performance fails to impress. | Though inconsistent, the D-Link N 650 router performed admirably overall compared to its Draft N competition. Still, we are unimpressed with how it measures up to the promise of 802.11n. Pass on this for now; in fact, pass on all Draft N routers until the spec is finalized. | Although the Buffalo Nfiniti router performed admirably in its somewhat limited mixed-mode operation, like every other Draft N router we've tested, it fails to deliver on the promise of 802.11n. | Though it offers good maximum throughput, the Linksys WRT300N ultimately fails to do the new Draft N standard proud in both mixed-mode and long-range tests. Wait to see how the rest of the Draft N products fare. | Though its maximum throughput is solid and its speed at long range is respectable, the Netgear WNR834B's mixed-mode speed is not. Save your cash until more Draft N routers make it through CNET Labs. | The Trendnet TEW-631BRP's throughput scores led the pack of Draft N routers, but hold your horses and wait to see how the 802.11n spec pans out. |
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| Product Description | Belkin N1 Wireless Router - Wireless router | D-Link RangeBooster N 650 Router DIR-635 - Wireless router | Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti WZR-G300N Wireless-N Router & Access Point - Wireless router | Linksys Wireless-N Broadband Router WRT300N - Wireless router | NETGEAR RangeMax Next Wireless Router WNR834B - Wireless router | TRENDnet TEW 631BRP - Wireless router |
| System Requirements | Linux Apple MacOS 8.x Apple MacOS 9.x Apple MacOS X 10.x Microsoft Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP | Info unavailable | Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition | Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP | UNIX Linux Apple MacOS Novell NetWare Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP | Linux Apple MacOS Microsoft Windows 95 Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows NT Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 |
| Form Factor | External | External | External | External | External | External |
| Device Type | Wireless router + 4-port switch (integrated) | Wireless router + 4-port switch (integrated) | Wireless router + 4-port switch (integrated) | Wireless router + 4-port switch (integrated) | Wireless router + 4-port switch (integrated) | Wireless router + 4-port switch (integrated) |
| Remote Management Protocol | HTTP | HTTP | HTTP | HTTP HTTPS | Info unavailable | HTTP |
| Weight | Info unavailable | 10.6 oz | 14.1 oz | 1.1 lbs | 1.3 lbs | 0.9 lbs |
| Compliant Standards | IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11n (draft) | IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.1x IEEE 802.3u IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11n (draft) | IEEE 802.3u IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g | IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3u IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11n (draft) | IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Info unavailable |
| Features | NAT support DHCP support MIMO technology VPN passthrough Dynamic DNS server Firewall protection Firmware upgradable MAC address filtering Access Point operational mode Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) | NAT support DHCP support URL filtering Syslog support VPN passthrough Auto-negotiation Content filtering Dynamic DNS server Firewall protection Auto-sensing per device Quality of Service (QoS) Auto-uplink (auto MDI/MDI-X) Dynamic IP address assignment Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) | NAT support Firewall protection Auto-uplink (auto MDI/MDI-X) Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) | DMZ port NAT support DHCP support MIMO technology VPN passthrough MDI/MDI-X switch 256-bit encryption Firewall protection Firmware upgradable MAC address filtering Full duplex capability Access Point operational mode Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) | NAT support URL filtering MIMO technology Firewall protection DoS attack prevention Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) | DMZ port NAT support NAPT support URL filtering VPN passthrough Dynamic DNS server Firewall protection Firmware upgradable DoS attack prevention MAC address filtering Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | Info unavailable | 7.6 in x 4.6 in x 1.2 in | 1.4 in x 6.7 in x 7.2 in | 7.4 in x 1.6 in x 6.9 in | 6.8 in x 1.5 in x 8.8 in | 4.8 in x 7.1 in x 1.2 in |
| Data Link Protocol | Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g Fast Ethernet IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g Fast Ethernet IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g Fast Ethernet IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g Fast Ethernet IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g Fast Ethernet IEEE 802.11n (draft) | Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g Fast Ethernet IEEE 802.11n (draft) |
| Frequency Band | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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