SOHO Access Points

Allied TeleSyn AT-WA1004G

The AT-WA1004G is quite unlike its cousin featured in the Enterprise category and wins the shootout in the SOHO class. It is a broadband-wireless router and comes with a built-in

4-port switch. It also has a port for your WAN link. Like the WG-102 from Netgear, this one has a metallic body, but with no designated ground-point -so be a little careful with your wiring.

The router features a DHCP server and has 13 wireless channels for b/g mode operations. It can however run only as an

access point. When in pure b or g modes, it allows for data rate selection. WEP encryption comes in 64 and 128 bits, with WPA/WPA2 available if you need them. This AP features the most comprehensive LAN/WAN access filtering and content filtering mechanisms we saw among the entries. They provide you six

pre-configured content filters, client routing, DMZ creation and URL filters. If you want logs, it provides a port-wise access and scheduler, with its own logging. As expected, there is a good

firewall that can guard against DoS attacks and excessive bandwidth usage and block the

services if required. You also get seven pre-configured virtual servers with the ability to add more. With its top line performance, best features and aggressive pricing we saw no distress in

giving it the Editor's Choice for this category. RQS# E25 or SMS 130925 to 9811800601

Belkin F5D7230-4

The two Belkin entries are almost identical in feature sets, but differ vastly in performance and pricing. This one for 



instance, differed enough from its sister to beat it by five places and snatch the Labs Highly Recommended. And guess what- the 7231 that got beaten is the HSM 125Mbps model! So, how did this happen?

Performance is the apt one word

answer. Configured to maximum performance, this AP beat its HSM sister in all three performance tests. The margin was close in TCP throughput to a few hundredths of Mbps. But, this was the only AP in the entire shootout that gave us a

1 Mbps UDP stream average. And, when it came to file transfer, the competition was almost blown away with times of 87s (-4s 7231) and 76s (-20s 7231) with the standard and its own high-performance CardBus adapters respectively.

Coming to specs, this Belkin (like its

sister) offers AP and bridge modes of operation. You can even restrict bridging to 



specific APs using their MAC addresses. Its virtual server database preincludes a huge 140 configurations and allows you to forward to them based on IP
address and ports. You can further log all of this. A DMZ can be created and you can block PINGs. The Parental Control featured in the Belkin router failed to impress us, because it is a subscribed service, with an additional price tag. RQS# E26 or SMS 130926 to 9811800601

Linksys WAP-54G

This is a wireless access point that can function as a client (to another

WAP-54G, or the sister router WRT-54G), a repeater or a bridge. It has no switch

functionality and comes with just one Ethernet port. It features 13 channels,

with support for both b and g modes. For security, the WAP-54G can do WEP, WPA,

WPA2 and RADIUS.

When in client mode, the access point enables a 'site survey' tool which

can then be used to find out what APs are there, what their relative signal

strengths are and so on. However, if you're connected to the AP using the web

browser remotely, you will be disconnected when you enable this mode.

This

Linksys AP allows you to filter access to it using MAC lists and you can enter

between 20 and 40 IDs at a time. Everything is logged and can be sent on to a

Syslog server if you run one. This is the only other AP other than the Cisco

BR1310 in the Enterprise category to feature antenna configuration from the

software — you can select which antenna to prefer for transmission but

doesn't allow you to go any deeper. RQS# E27 or SMS 130927 to 9811800601

Price: Rs 4,100



Warranty: 3 years


Contact: 022-56434000, addoctor@cisco.com

Buffalo AirStation Broadband Router WBR2-G54

This is a broadband router and features two sets of LEDs: one set along the front-face and the other down one side. The two sets are identical and serve for maximum visibility of information. The AirStations from Buffalo feature something called AOSS for secure communication between the AP and the client. But for this, you need Buffalo's own hardware at the other end as well. Under AOSS, the device will use still use one of WPA, WPA2 or WEP for security. WBR2-G54 features 11 channels with auto-selection. You can even separate different connecting clients from one another and decide who to allow using their MAC addresses.

WDS is a feature that allows routing between wireless devices and the WBR2-G54 supports it. You can even set it up as a dedicated WDS station. As a broadband router, it supports packet filtering, NAT and an IDS. The IDS can be configured to send out alert e-mails in case of detected attacks. There are about 26 different types of logs that can be generated and optionally sent to a Syslog server.

An interesting feature was almost all the APs we received featured the ability to select transmission power. But while it was usually selectable only in dbM units, this one AP allowed you to do that in percentages, making it quite human friendly. RQS# E28 or SMS 130928 to 9811800601

Price: Rs 4,500



Warranty: 1 year


Contact: 011-30888825, buffalo@nexgennetworks.co.in

ASUS WL-300g

We had some problems with this AP. First, the Web interface for this was in Korean. We contacted ASUS and they suggested we update the firmware using the English version from their website. ASUS then suggested we use the software provided on the CD, which unfortunately allows updates only if a previous update had failed. We had to download another manual from the ASUS website (on their instructions) and follow the English menu shown there to update the firmware. Therefore, we strongly advise you to check your unit pre-purchase for its

language and get the vendor to update the firmware for you.

The AP has 14 channels (the highest in the shootout) and does both b and g. It can run as an AP, a WDS bridge or a hybrid of the two. You can isolate the AP and send all guest users to a fixed channel. It lacks anything except a basic logging that simply records system status. Security keys (WEP, WPA) can be rotated in a pre-configured interval. 

Performance was reasonably good. TCP throughput was among the top three at 22 Mbps. The AP managed to transfer our test 170 MB file-set in 84 seconds actually matching the Buffalo MIMO WZR-G108. Streaming performance was poor, with 0.89 Mbps average. Its price tag though is among the highest too. RQS# E29 or SMS 130929 to 9811800601

Price: Rs 5,288



Warranty: 2 years


Contact: 022-56490048, swapnali_joshi@asus.com.tw

Surecom EP-9600gp

It has quite a compact form-factor and does not feature a switch. It has 13

channels of b/g operation, with choice of boosting it with a super mode

statically or dynamically. It features RADIUS security for those who need it and

standard WEP/WPA for the rest. Upto five different modes are supported-AP, P2P

bridge, P2MP bridge, repeater and client. You can also access the AP via Telnet

for configuration. Its twin antennae are not omnidirectional and clients need to

be diagonally placed for optimal performance.

It features MAC-based filtering for keeping out unwanted users. There is no

logging of any kind, so you would have a spot of trouble solving any problems.

Performance-wise, it does reasonably well doing 20.4 Mbps in TCP throughput and

able to transfer our 170 MB file-set in 85 seconds.

While

this AP is nothing spectacular, its high pricing with rather Spartan features

makes it lose a lot of ground. We wish it had a lot more to offer-like some

level of logging, maybe the ability to create wireless VLANs and something in

the way of content filtering. It could have also done with the means to

configure its antenna for better placement and performance. RQS# E30 or SMS

130930 to 9811800601 

Price: Rs 5,200



Warranty: 1 year



Contact: 011-26227504, acemicro@bol.net.in

Belkin High-Speed Mode F5D7231-4

This was supposed to be the AP that beat everything since on the face of it,

it had everything-a 4-port switch, WAN and WLAN routing and a promise of the

HSM 125 Mbps bandwidth. We expected it to claim first prize. But it is here, in

a rather distant 7th of 10. This was largely because it was priced higher than

others, and wasn't as impressive in performance as expected. 

There are 13 channels, with auto-selection and DRS, including the Turbo

modes. In the HSM mode, the AP will not do bridging and acts only as an AP.

Otherwise, you can bridge the unit with other APs (filtering them optionally

with their MACs) or mix them with clients.

Like

its sister, it has 140 virtual servers pre-configured and you can filter

Internet access by URL, port and time. Logs include access and firewall events.

Fine, what about performance? It did lower that its own low-speed cousin (the

7230 way up in 2nd place) in TCP throughput testing. It transferred our test

file set (170 MB) in 85s in high-speed mode as against 114s in normal. The

device frequently went to 48 Mbps under similar conditions that others

maintained a steady 54 Mbps. At the end of the day, you would pay about a Rs.

1,000 more for this AP over its cousin. RQS# E31or SMS 130931 to 9811800601 

Price: Rs 5,367



Warranty: 1 year


Contact: 022-55905660, pushparaj.vasani@carrypaq.com

Buffalo AirStation Broadband Router WBR2-G54

This is a broadband router and features two sets of LEDs: one set along the

front-face and the other down one side. The two sets are identical and serve for

maximum visibility of information. The AirStations from Buffalo feature

something called AOSS for secure communication between the AP and the client.

But for this, you need Buffalo's own hardware at the other end as well. Under

AOSS, the device will use still use one of WPA, WPA2 or WEP for security.

WBR2-G54 features 11 channels with auto-selection. You can even separate

different connecting clients from one another and decide who to allow using

their MAC addresses.

WDS

is a feature that allows routing between wireless devices and the WBR2-G54

supports it. You can even set it up as a dedicated WDS station. As a broadband

router, it supports packet filtering, NAT and an IDS. The IDS can be configured

to send out alert e-mails in case of detected attacks. There are about 26

different types of logs that can be generated and optionally sent to a Syslog

server.

An interesting feature was almost all the APs we received featured the

ability to select transmission power. But while it was usually selectable only

in dbM units, this one AP allowed you to do that in percentages, making it quite

human friendly. RQS# E28 or SMS 130928 to 9811800601

Price: Rs 4,500



Warranty: 1 year


Contact: 011-30888825, buffalo@nexgennetworks.co.in

Netgear WG-602

Initially, we could not connect to this AP's web interface out of the box, wirelessly. We had to

connect to it using a direct-wired connection. This Netgear AP does not feature a switch and can deliver 11 channels of b, g or mixed wireless connectivity. It is also one of only 2 APs in the entire shootout (the other being the NP-28G) to support Spanning Tree Protocol. Further, it supports region based configuration-where you select your country and it will configure itself according to allowed (legal) feature-sets. Like all Netgear

APs, this one also has 'NETGEAR' as its SSID.

The AP can display a list of wirelessly active stations (other APs and bridges), along with a list of channels and frequencies they're using. And this is not limited to Netgear products. The WG-602 is a multimedia router and features the Wireless Multimedia Mode. It can work as a P2P/P2MP bridge and a repeater if needed.

TCP throughput was top-line (22.4 Mbps), but performance lagged behind in file-transfer (117 seconds). The product is priced at

Rs. 4,800 with a three year warranty. But, given a lack of other features (like logging and firewall), this seems to be a steep price.

RQS# E33 or SMS 130933 to 9811800601

Price: Rs 4,800



Warranty: 3 years


Contact: 011-26207270, atul.jain@netgear.com

Compex Net Passage NP-28G

The Web interface for this AP seems to work only when launched from its

'uConfig' software. It has just 11 channels and is more of a multimedia

router than anything else. It even has four USB ports that can be used in a

couple of ways-before that, let's get over with the standard features of the

unit. The router helps you create 'pseudo-VLAN's of your WLAN clients. 



We understand that this is nothing but wireless VLANs where there are no preset
ports people plug into. It also supports the Spanning Tree Protocol like the

WG-602. But, unlike the WG-602, it has a firewall and port-forwarding

capabilities.

The

USB ports on the device can be used for atleast four interesting purposes-

one, you can connect it to a Cable/DSL USB modem and serve the Internet through

it. Second, you could attach an external USB hard disk to it and offer storage

for your wireless clients. Three, a USB Web cam maybe attached (more on this a

bit further on) and four, a USB printer gives you workgroup printing. When you

attach a Web cam to the router, its built-in software will detect it and allow

you to view and control the camera and its output over the web interface. And,

this can be used for security monitoring purposes! RQS# E34 or SMS 130934 to

9811800601

Price: Rs 8,500



Warranty: 1 year


Contact: 022-28221013, sanjaya@rptechindia.com