As with Apple's AirPort, Linksys' Compact Wireless G Broadband router can be packed up, slipped into a bag and carried around. It will appeal to anyone who's into network gaming or spends a lot of time using internet access in hotel rooms.
While the AirPort comes with only a solitary network port, the Compact Wireless G router has four network ports for PCs and one to connect to the internet connection. There's no external aerial on this router, so we weren't expecting the best performance. Still, using our Centrino notebook, throughput of 13.75Mbit/s at close range and 11.04Mbit/s at 10m is good and not far behind that of our standard 802.11g wireless router, which has an external aerial. We couldn't get a connection at 20m, but few products can. There's no turbo mode, so you won't see any speed or range improvement by switching to Linksys' network adaptors.
Concealed under a flap is an external aerial connector, so you can connect an external aerial, such as Hawking's OmniDirection 7dBi aerial (reviewed in What's New, Shopper November 2005), to increase range and performance.
Configuration of the router is simple; the setup wizard on the CD takes you through everything, including wireless security settings. However, it won't let you continue until it has detected an internet connection. This means you can't use the wizard if you just want to use the router as a way of sharing files between connected PCs. In this case, you have to bypass the CD's wizard and connect directly to the web-based management. It's well laid out and you shouldn't have trouble with the basic settings. There's a range of more complex settings, too, which you will need only if you're having trouble with applications such as games.
For this price, the router is ideal for homes where you don't need much range on your wireless or you want a router you can transport. Otherwise, we'd rather spend a bit more for a faster product, such as the hotlisted Buffalo High Power router.
System Specifications
802.11g (54Mbit/s) wireless router, WAN port, four Ethernet ports.
Author: David Ludlow
Computer Shopper Online