Apple Airport Extreme Base Station specifications :

• Dimensions : 6.5″ x 6.5″ x 1.3″
• Weight : 1.7 lbs
• Antenna : Internal
• Connectivity : IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b,
  IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft)
• Transfer Protocol : L2TP, PPTP, IPSec, PPPoE
• Encryption :  TLS, WPA, LEAP, PEAP, TTLS, WPA2 ,
  40-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP
• Interface : Hi-Speed USB, Ethernet, RJ-45
• Power adapter : External
• Other features :  NAT support, DHCP support, IPv6 support,
  MIMO technology, VPN passthrough, Firewall protection, MAC address filtering
• Approx. price : $179

The design of the AEBS has been kept unchanged for good as it has a simple, clean and elegant design. All the ports are located at the back. The front just has an LED that displays the status. The shape of the AEBS is perfectly square and the antenna is housed inside the router itself.

The router has a USB port to connect a printer or an external hard drive to the network. It also has three Ethernet ports to add wired devices to the router. To add more wired devices you will need to connect a hub. The setup of the device is not supported via the web interface. Apple ships the AirPort Utility software in both Mac and Windows versions separately. After install, Airport Base Station agent helps you set up the device and it automatically detects the shared folders on the connected USB drive, if any.

Moving around the router among computers isn’t easy as configuring it requires you to install the Airport Utility software on each of them. But using the utility is extremely easy and wizard guides you through the whole process in no time to get it up and running. Any changes made to the settings requires a restart, hence interrupting connectivity for a while. The router supports 50 client computers at a time, so if you need to connect above that number, you need to look elsewhere.

Features are limited on the AEBS and it does not offer features seen on other high-end Wireless-N routers. Some of these include, website filters, Wi-Fi protected setup push button, Dynamic DNS or even Mac replication. Although, not very useful in a home set up, these become all the more useful when using the router in an organisation.

Some of the features that it does include are print serving capabilities, full support for IPv6 and also comes with MobileMe support for remote access and administration. But the biggest feature addition comes in the form of true dual-band connectivity and guest networking. The router can broadcast both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency networks simultaneously on the same SSID. A device supporting wireless-N protocol would automatically choose the faster network.If you wish to set different SSIDs for the bands, then it can be done through the Wireless Option in the Airport Utility. You can not however turn off a band completely.

Guest networking, the other big feature update to the AEBS allows you to create a separate network for devices wanting to connect only to the Internet but do want access to local resources. This can be useful in both home and office environments to grant only Internet access to few clients only but block access to important files on the network. Choosing a band for guest network to operate in is not possible though.

The print serving feature works good only for USB hard drives formatted in FAT32 format or Mac OS Extended format. NTFS isn’t supported which has become standard on large hard drives as FAT32 partitions larger than 32GB are difficult to make. For Mac users, when an external drive is connected, the default shared folder appears in the Finder. For Windows users, Bonjour needs to installed that creates a network drive to be accessed using network browser on other machines.

If you own a MobileMe account, you can access the hard drive flawlessly. You need to register the router to your MobileMe account and after that use it with ease. Remote access might not work when using a corporate network where certain services of the Base Station might be blocked. Windows users, do not get remote access whatsoever!

The hard drive is shared as a single folder but multiple folders with different access privileges can be shared across the network. Airport Utility can be used to create private folders for different users. Folders for different users are not visible to a user logged in with his account. This makes for a nice way to grant space on the hard drives to a bunch of users. The hard drive can be powered by the USB port itself.

Security features on the hard drive include a built-in firewall and support for WPA, WPA2 and 128-bit WEP algorithms. Filtering web sites is not possible but time-based access can be restricted by knowing the MAC addresses of the computers.

The performance is a strong point of the refreshed AEBS and it outscores a number of other routers. It manages a score of 75 Mbps in throughput test on 5 GHz band for client computer a few feet away from the router. The score declined to 50 Mbps when client was taken far way from the router. In the 2.4 GHz band, the numbers declined to 40 Mbps and 20 Mbps. The range of the router is great at above 300 feet for both the bands. Heat was however a problem and it does run hot and needs proper ventilation.

Pros :

• Elegant and simple design
• True-dual band capability
• Printer, storage support
• Fast performer
• Guest networking

Cons :

• Limited features
• NTFS partitions not supported
• No remote access for Windows users
• Upto 50 clients supported

Final Thoughts

The Apple Airport Extreme Base Station is basically meant for Mac users as it gives them full support. It does have limited features, so if you want a feature oriented router, then AEBS is not meant for you. Performance is great and true-dual connectivity along with guest networking are its strong points.

Rating : 3.75/5

Netgear WPN 824 Specs:

• Dimensions: 223 x 153 x 31 mm (8.8 x 6 x 1.2 in)
• Weight: 0.5 kg (1.2 lb)
• Standards: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, 2.4 GHz
• Price:  $99 (Approx)

Review:

The Netgear WPN 824 router supports the IEEE 802.11 b / g standards. The installation process is very simple, just plug in the router, insert the included CD and run the setup wizard. It is a very simple process, and should pose no problems even for newbies. IT has a superb design, it is encased in a white casing which looks elegant. It has one of the best designs we have seen in routers. The build quality is also superb and should last for a long time.

The Netgear WPN 824 implements Video54’s MIMO solution and has 7 internal antennas which transmit data dynamically. The blue LEDs on the router show which antennas are currently transmitting. The browser based networking tool bundled with the router includes all the options you may need. It includes a built in firewall and you can also enable WEP / WPA encryption for added protection. The Netgear WPN 824 offers amongst the best performance than any other routers in this range.

The data transfer speeds are superb – they reach almost 40 Mbps at a range of about 150 feet. You get a 1 year warranty with the Netgear WPN 824.

Pros:

• Nice Design and Build Quality
• Superb Performance
• Fast Data Transfer

Cons:

• Relatively Expensive
• Degraded Performance with 802.11 g

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.

D-Link DIR-825 Router specifications :

• Dimensions : 7.6″ x 4.6″ x 1.2″
• Weight : 11.2 oz
• Connectivity : Wired, Wireless
• Data link protocol : Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, Ethernet,
  Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0)
• Features : Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), Firewall protection,
  Quality of Service (QoS), VPN passthrough,
  Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), NAT support
• Antenna : External detachable
• Encryption : WPA, WPA2
• Power Supply : External
• OS : Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, Apple MacOS X 10.4
• Approx. price : $140

The D-Link DIR-825 is very much similar to its predecessor but it has only two antennas instead of three. The dimensions of the router are on the higher side, covering up more real estate but the router can be wall mounted to save some of it. It also works in vertical position if you like it that way.

The router supports true-dual band capability. You can set it to have separate SSIDs for each frequency. The SharePort technology is really helpful as it lets you share a USB device across the network by connecting it to the router’s USB port. Although to use this feature you need to have SharePort Network USB software installed across your networked PCs. Its major drawback is that the attached device can be accessed by only a single networked PC at a time.

Some other features that is supports are Windows Connect allowing you to connect a wireless client with the help of a thumb drive. The USB port also offers support for 3G USB adapter which can be used to access internet via an EVDO cellular signal.

The router has mixed performance for both the frequencies. The maximum throughput test yielded 102Mbps and 70Mbps for 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies respectively. In mixed mode test on 2.4GHz frequency, the router could only notch 40Mbps which is highly dissappointing. The range of the router is good at 270 feet for both the frequencies.

Pros :

• True-dual band capability
• SharePort feature
• Easy to set up
• 3G USB adapter support

Cons :

• Large dimensions
• Slow mixed mode performance

Final Thoughts

The D-Link DIR-825 router puts some good features on the table. The SharePort feature is extremely useful  and support for 3G USB adapter is a bonus. The dual band capability is well implemented coupled with easy set up of the router. Large dimensions and slow mixed mode performance are its downsides.

My Rating : 3.5/5

SMC SMCWGBR14-N router specifications :

• Dimensions : 6.5″ x 5.9″ x 1″
• Weight : 12.3 oz
• Connectivity : Wired, Wireless
• Data transfer rate : 300mbps
• Frequency band : 2.4 GHz
• Antenna Qty : Three
• Encryption : 128-bit WEP,64-bit WEP, WPA2-PSK
• Power adapter : External
• Approx. price : $150

The design of the router seems ancient but it does the job effectively and provides a good range. It has a decent set of features. It works on the 2.4GHz frequency band and does not support the 5GHz frequency band.It also has a USB port for connecting USB devices and also offers a Wi-Fi Protected Setup.

The package contents are ordinary and only essential stuff comes bundled with the router which includes the power adapter, manual, CD and a Ethernet cable. The installation of the router is very simple and completes in flat four-steps flat.

The router has three external antennas which are responsible for the great range of the router. The front has various status LEDs and the USB port. The USB port is used for adding printers to the Wi-Fi network. Other USB devices are not supported. The back portion houses all the Ethernet ports as well as power adapter port.

The router can be controlled via web interface which is easy to use. Most changes do not require a restart. The interface is intuitive, responsive and fast which isn’t the case with most routers.

The performance of the router is its strongest point. It manages 84mbps on short range data throughput test and 52mbps in mixed mode test where both 802.11g and 802.11n devices are connected to the router. It has an impressive range of 300 feet which is greater than what is offered by other routers in the same category.

The SMC router comes with a generous lifetime warranty but with a catch! The warranty is valid until a newer version of the product is launched by the company. While this might benefit early adopters of the product, late buyers will suffer. Overall a good product to invest in for a home user.

Pros :

• Long range
• Good throughput
• USB port for printer
• Intuitive web interface
• Supports WPS

Cons :

• No 5.0 GHz frequency support

Final Thoughts

The SMC SMCWGBR14-N router is an excellent offering directed towards home users. It has great performance and has a long range. No support for 5.0 GHz frequency band is probably its only drawback which might not concern most home users. There are very few routers which offer better features and performance at this price.

My Rating : 4/5

Linksys WRT610N router specifications:

• Dimensions : 8.9″ x 7.1″ 1.4″
• Antenna : Internal
• Encryption : WPA, WPA2, 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP
• Switch : Integrated 4-port
• Data link protocol : Ethernet, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n
• DHCP server, NAT support, MIMO Technology
• Warranty : 1-year limited warranty
• Approx. price : $180

The first thing that you will notice about this router is its look which is damn attractive. It has an internal antenna within its sliding shape. It size is relatively larger than other Linksys routers. In the front you will find a row of LEDs which are used to display the status of the various ports on the router. It also supports WPS devices, so the WPS button can be found in the middle of the LEDs.

It is rich in features and one of the best ones is to use is as a NAS. This can be established by conencting an USB drive to the USB port on the router. The router works on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies simultaneously of the draft N 2.0 signal. The newer 5.0 GHz frequency has better range, strength and stability compared to its 2.4 Ghz counterpart. Hence you can connect multiple devices without worrying about what frequencies they support.

The software is both Windows and Mac compatible, rarely do we see routers coming with Mac compatible softwares. Apart from the software, the router can be configured through the web interface. Setting it up either way is easy and you would be up and running in a few minutes. Using it as a NAS, you can use it access files like a normal file server. The external device is USB-powered, no need for any extra cables.

The router comes with the an extensive content-filtering system for restricting access to content or certain PCs. You can set up the filter to block ports, applications, FTP/HTTP access. A boon for the corporate world!! Encryption is also not compromised as it supports various encryption standards.

The performance of the router is good. It measured 101mbps on throughput test in close range. On long range test it clocked 64mbps. These tests were on the 5Ghz frequency, on the 2.4 Ghz front, it measured 54mbps on long range tests. On the 5GHz, the router had a range of 250 feet while on 2.4 GHz it has 270 feet, impressive.

Pros :

• Great design
• Supports simultaneous dual bands
• Good performance
• Can be used as NAS
• Supports WPS
• Mac compatible software
• Extensive filter system

Cons :

• Limited 1-yr warranty
• Expensive

Final Thoughts

Linksys WRT610N router is one of its kind, and has limited competition in the market, that explains its expensive price tag. It has almost everything going right about it. So if you need dual connectivity, then this could be your best bet.

My Rating : 4/5

Linksys WRT310N Router specifications :

• Dimensions : 8″ x 6.3″ x 1.3″
• Connectivity : Wired,Wireless
• Frequency : 2.4 GHz
• LED Panel
• 4 Gigabit LAN ports, one Gigabit WAN port
• DHCP support
• Encryption : WPA,WPA2,64-bit WEP,128-bit WEP
• Power Supply : External
• OS Compatibility : Windows XP, Windows Vista
• Approx. Price : $130

The Linksys WRT310N Router has a very attractive design which usually you do not find in routers. The router has no antennas sticking out from its body. At the back it has the usual array of ports which include four LAN ports and a single WAN port. Bit disappointed not to find a USB port in there. The LAN ports are gigabit ports allowing for faster transfers as the router is a Draft N 2.0 router.

At the front you will find a line of blue LEDs which indicate the status of various ports and wireless network. The router has been made very slim and light weight. The router does not have proper ventilation and hence it gets hot after a fair bit of usage.

The router can be set up via the Linksys’ EasyLinkAdvisor software that comes bundled with it. The software is quite easy to use and makes setting up the router a breeze. The lack of USB port closes to door to the possibility of printer sharing, network storage etc.

Coming to the most important aspect, Performance. This is where the router excels. Performance is a strong point of the router and that shows in every bit of test that you conduct on it. It scorched the throughput tests with giving 110 Mbps in max throughput and 95 Mbps in mixed mode test, excellent numbers. The range of the router is also quite large and even when as far as 300 feet away from it, we had no problems connecting to it. The only downside was it getting hot during the operation.

Pros :

• Attractive design
• Slim and light weight
• Antenna-free
• Gigabit ports
• Excellent performance

Cons :

• No USB port
• Runs hot

Final Thoughts

offers unmatched performance which is its biggest plus point. Heat is the only problem that this router suffers from. Its sleek design makes it look very attractive. So if you want a wireless-N router, then this one it should be!

My rating : 4.25/5

Apple Time Capsule specifications :

• Dimensions : 7.8″ x 7.8″ x 1.4″
• Storage Capacity : 500GB
• Hard disk type : 3.5″ SATA-300
• Connectivity : Gigabit Ethernet / 802.11a/b/g/n
• Bandwidth: 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• NAT support,DHCP support,RADIUS support
• Interfaces : Ethernet-USB
• OS Compatibility : Mac OSX 10.4 or later, Windows XP SP2,Vista
• Approx. Price : $300

The Time Capsule comes in a very sober and clean design without any added attractions.The router has an inbuilt antenna, so the Time Capsule resembles exactly like a external hard drive. There is only one LED at the front to give you company while working. The back is filled with all the ports ranging from power input to Ethernet ports. Surprisingly, Apple has not included a power button, so that leaves you with your main power supply switch for doing the ON/OFF task!

The Time Capsule combines a Airport Extreme Base Station with a hard drive. A big downside of the hard drive is that backing up and some other features are limited to Mac users which leaves Windows users in the dark. This will bring down its sales with Windows users by a huge margin. The router can connect wirelessly to a Mac or Windows machine. This enables you to wirelessly read/write from the hard drive although speeds will take a hit.

Connecting the Time Capsule to a Windows PC brings up the drive in the network folder. Mac users have many added advantages such as getting to use it for basic storage as well. Leopard users can use the Time Capsule with the Time Machine feature to set up automated backups.Simply put, the Time Capsule is a boon for Mac users while Windows users are offered with limited functionality.

USB port is an ultra-cool feature that lets you plug in any networkable USB device or a series of devices through a hub and share them across the network using the Time Capsule. USB port also accepts printers which is an added advantage, although that can also be done wirelessly if your printer is Wi-Fi capable.

The performance is not a top priority with the Time Capsule but you do get decent performance. You manage to get around 4.5 Mbps/5.1Mbps write/read through Gigabit Ethernet interface. The wireless performance is not impressive at about just 65 Mbps measure at a distance of 15 feet from router.The signal strength drops considerably at larger distances. The hard disk performance is good enough for most of your tasks though.

Pros :

• Neat and clean look
• Upto 1TB hard disk available
• Networking via USB port
• Great for Mac users
• Portable

Cons :

• Average performance
• Limited Windows functionality
• Not advanced storage features

Final Thoughts

The Apple Time Capsule is a great invention in itself and it sets the stone for further such interesting combinations that might crop up in future. Its a good buy for Mac users as they get to exploit the Time Capsule to the maximum. It will not go down too well with Windows users. Performance is a bit of concern especially with networking. If you want to save space, then you won’t get a better product that this!

My Rating : 3.25/5

Luckily D-Link has the answer. The D-Link WBR-1310 allows both Windows, OSX, and Linux devices to connect to the internet through this router. It runs both 802.11b and 802.11g, includes basic security software, supports both WEP and WPA encryption and is easy to install. If you’ve ever installed a router before than this should be no problem but the instructions are fairly bad so you might need to get information off of the internet.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the D-Link WBR-1310:

• Street Price: $39.99
• Transfer Speeds: 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 11, 9, 6, 5.5, 2, & 1Mbps
• Frequency: 2.4GHz to 2.462GHz
• 5 Brighty LED’s

Things I like
This list is going to be rather short I’m afraid to say. D-Link really dropped the ball on this router. The only thing that I like about this router is that it’ll support all three major operating systems. A lot of times the software for the router will only accept devices that use a specific OS and D-Link realized that many people have more than one device running different operating systems. That is really the only thing I like about this product, other than its low price.

Things I don’t like
This device, like its price, is definitely cheap. I used this thing for 2 and a half weeks before taking it back to the store and switching back to my old router. In my opinion this router is garbage. It tended to lock up a lot until the latest firmware update. Also, the latest firmware update fixed some other bugs such as the router login issue. Still, it took them some time to fix it. The fact that there’s no static DHCP setup is also rather annoying.

I had to reset this router more than once a week and that is really annoying especially if you have a number of people using the router and you’re the only one that can reset it. The final thing I don’t like about this router is its instructions. They are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors and are often hard to read. I would stay away from this router because it’s not very stable, it tends to lock up, and the instructions are very hard to read.

Pros:

• Low price
• Great compatibility

Cons:

• Tends to lock up
• No static DHCP setup
• Lots of resetting
• Poorly written instructions

Final Thoughts
Don’t buy this router. Even though its very cheap it is not worth it. You’ll just have to reset the router often, deal with its garbage connection and have a nightmare of a time reading the instructions. There are a number of better routers out there for you.

• Dimensions: 5.9″ x 6.7″ x 1.5″
• Ethernet,IEEE 802.11b,802.11g,802.11n
• Networking standard : IEEE 802.3
• Remote management protocol: HTTP
• Firewall protection

Linksys WRT150N is not as fast as the new Draft N routers but it is aimed at home users who do not have the high bandwidth requirements but are in need for a wireless solution at a cheap cost.This router does adhere to draft 11n specifications making it compatible with both older 802.11g products as well as new 802.11n products.Hence users get the benefit of both technologies.

The router has a blue and black body which has now almost become an identification of linksys routers.The router has two standard antennas and are located on the rear of the router.Also on the rear of the router you will find a variety of ports like WAN port,four LAN ports,power jack and the reset button.The front of the router is simple and nothing flashy and houses all the LEDs for various indications.

Setting up linksys routers has always been easy and so is the case with this one.Linksys has provided an installation CD and also instructions have been provided to give newbies some headway.The configuration of the router is carried out through a wizard and it takes you through various steps sequentially to set up the router.After installation, you can configure the router using the web-based configuration tool.You can define your own set of access rules based on different parameters like time date,time,MAC address,IP address etc.

The performance of the router is behind the newer 11N routers but definitely much better than 11G ones.The router gave a throughput of 54 Mbps at a range of 10 feet which is maximum for the router.At a distance of 200 feet the throughput dropped to 20 Mbps which is significantly higher than older 11G routers.Firewall protection is another very handy feature that has been included in this router.

Pros:

• 11N compatible
• Low price
• Long range
• Easy setup

Cons:

• Slow compared to new 11N routers
• Only 1 year warranty

Final Thoughts

Linksys WRT150N wireless-N router is targeted towards home users who do not need high speeds and are in need of a cheap and reliable wireless router.The router is not meant for power users who need to stream high definition videos or do online gaming and other bandwidth intensive tasks.Cutting down the warranty to 1 year from standard 3 year warranty will be a put off for potential buyers.

The Apple Airport Express is probably the smallest and most compact 802.11 G wi-fi access point on the market being only slightly bigger than a deck of cards. It features a 10/100 Ethernet port for plugging into you computer or cable modern and a integrated USB print server for sharing you printer on the network.

One thing that is great about this device is that it features a mini stereo jack for streaming audio across your network, which is something I haven’t seen on any other similar devices. The Airport Express also features a built in power adapter adding to this devices compact all in one design.

Here are some specs:

• Wireless protocol 802.11
• Up to 54mps wireless transfer rate
• Dimensions: 3.7 inches (94.01mm) x 2.95 inches (75.00mm) x 1.12 inches (28.5mm)
• Weight: 6.7 ounces (189 grams)⁽³⁾
• Wi-Fi protected access (WPA/WPA2)
• Wireless security (WEP) configurable for 40-bit and 128-bit encryption
• MAC address filtering
• NAT firewall
• Price $99.00

What I like

I like this devices compact size with its all in one design. The fact that it is Mac and Windows compatible is a huge plus for me because I use both computers in my home office. With its built in USB printer server network sharing my local printer was really easy and the fact I can plug my iPod straight into this device was certainly a simple way to stream my music over my network.

Thing I don’t like

One down point of this device there is no built-in interface to control audio, and I would of liked to of seen a browser based configuration. The package didn’t come with a mini stereo cable so if you going to stream music on you network with this device don’t forget a pick a one up.

Pros:

• Compact size
• Well priced
• Windows and Mac compatible
• Great audio streaming
• Easy setup

Cons:

• No way to control audio streaming without a computer
• Needs a browser configuration interface
• No mini stereo cable included

Final thoughts

The Apple Airport Express in among the best compact wireless networking devices on the market. With its all in one compact design its many multi tasking uses and easy of setup this device will make a great addition to most peoples wireless networks. If you are looking for a device that is easy to use, that can share a printer or stream audio on you network, or just an extension for you Airport base station the Airport express has got you covered.