Securifi Almond review

Also, while the Almond offers the type of advanced features commonly found in most routers, it doesn't seem to support IPv6. Hopefully this will be added via a firmware update since IPv6, which is to replace the existing IPv4 that's running out of addressing space, is being officially used by many Web sites.

As mentioned above, setting up the Almond is easy thanks to its LCD. But if that seems difficult, the router comes configured with a main Wi-Fi network and a Guest Wi-Fi network, the settings of which you can see by tapping on the Wireless tile button of the touch screen. And that's all you need to get connected. The router supports a maximum of 50 Wi-Fi clients.

Performance
Considering the Almond's small size, I didn't expect much from the router in terms of performance and it indeed didn't impress. It wasn't bad either, scoring about 50Mbps in the close-range (15 feet) throughput test. When I increased the distance to 100 feet it now registered only about 17Mbps.

And 100 feet is about as far as you want to use the router. In my testing at CNET HQ, where there are many other Wi-Fi devices that might interfere with my tests, the router's range was just about 150 feet.

The Almond passed the 24-hour stress test, during which it didn't disconnect once.

The Almond worked well as an extender but since its range is rather limited, it didn't offer much extended range in my trials. Also since it doesn't support the 5GHz band, clients connected to its extended-range network should expect much slower data rates and more lag, than when connected to the original network.

CNET Labs 2.4GHz Wireless-N performance test (in Mbps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Range

Throughput

Cisco Linksys E2000

51.3 

74.2 

Cisco RV110W

28.4 

62.6 

Cisco Linksys E1500

37.4 

62 

Cisco Linksys E4200

46.9 

61.4 

D-Link DIR-657

39.2 

60 

D-Link DIR-825

40.4 

57.44 

Belkin N+ Wireless Router

29.44 

55.44 

Netgear WNDR3700

38.6 

54.8 

LaCie Wireless Space

19.8 

53.4 

D-Link DIR-645

24.5 

51.3 

D-Link DIR-655

38.4 

50.6 

Securifi Almond

16.8 

45.9 

Cisco Linksys E3000

32.8 

43.5 

D-Link DIR-605L

36.8 

40.8 

Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station

21.12 

40.6 

Linksys WRT610N

28.8 

35.76 

Apple Time Capsule

20.8 

32.2 

Conclusion
With average performance and a buggy Web interface, the Securifi Almond would still be a great router if it cost half its current price. For now, it makes an OK router with a novel touch screen that doesn't justify its price tag, mostly because with routers, you generally only need to configure once.