Remember that unless you upgrade all your adapters to match, you won't see the true benefits of any of these high-speed network technologies; this requirement adds nearly $100 per device to your investment in potentially nonstandard equipment. Just upgrading one adapter doesn't work well, since using older 802.11b/g devices at the same time can seriously affect router performance.
Also, older adapters are unlikely to support WPA2 encryption, which is needed to get the maximum out of draft-n. Finally, consider that for now new adapters are primarily for notebooks--only a few vendors also offer desktop cards, and most consumer electronics vendors are expected to hold off on products with fast Wi-Fi support until 802.11n is ratified.
If you must have added range now, consider the Netgear RangeMax 240, which earned the top rating in this group for its combination of performance, design, and features. If you're willing to take a performance hit in order to gamble on upgradability to the eventual standard, look at Netgear's draft-n-compliant RangeMax Next line, the only one in our tests that could approach the range of the Airgo-based products.
Though the Belkin N1 Wireless and Linksys Wireless-N routers had top-rated features, design, and usability, they faltered in performance. The Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti line performed similarly to the Belkin and Linksys products, but It suffered some serious flaws, such as a lack of strong WPA2 encryption--a must-have for this class of router.
Another option--if you are on a strict budget and are primarily concerned with improved range (as opposed to top speed)--is to invest in even older and cheaper Airgo-based gear, such as Belkin's Wireless G-Plus MIMO router. This unit's range is nearly as good, and its price is much lower.
Asus 240 MIMO Wireless Router (WL-566gM)
Asus 240 MIMO router: Fast, few frills. The Asus 240 MIMO is based on the same Airgo Gen3 chip set as the Netgear RangeMax 240 (with which it shared top performance honors), but otherwise it's quite different. Some of its features are better, such as a three-year warranty, support for authentication by a Radius server (an important feature for many enterprise customers), and a tool for wireless-encryption setup. In other respects the Asus suffers by comparison.
For example, its installation is essentially a manual affair, with no PC-based setup wizard or automatic settings detection. The quick-start guide's pictures are too small to decipher, and the Web-based quick-setup mode doesn't explain any of the required choices; we had to refer back to the printed quick-start guide for help.
Our chief complaint, however, has to do with the router's main configuration screen. Context-sensitive help comes solely in the form of roll-over pop-ups, which makes quick comparisons of options difficult. Also, when you type in an encryption passphrase, you see a series of asterisks--a common security precaution--and, for WEP, the resulting hexadecimal key. But because you aren't asked to enter the passphrase in a confirmation window, you can't know for sure whether you've input a long passphrase correctly. Even worse, we couldn't find any way to retrieve the current key information from within the router, a common task. The Asus does have an encryption setup utility, eliminating the need to enter codes on the client side, but it works only with Asus adapter cards.
We also had problems with this product's client card and connection utility. While equipment based on Airgo Networks' True MIMO Gen3 technology is supposed to be interoperable, the Asus card would not connect to the Netgear RangeMax 240 router with WPA2 encryption. The utility showed the encryption for the connection as WEP, and wouldn't let us specify WPA2. The same thing happened when we tried to use Windows to set up wireless encryption on the Asus card, and we had no way to resolve the issue without changing to the less secure WPA on the Netgear router (Asus says that its latest drivers, released as we neared press time, correct the problem). Another concern was that both the Asus and Netgear adapters connected to the Asus router only with WPA, even though we set the router to use WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK (it does not have WPA-PSK-only or WPA2-PSK-only modes); we would have preferred to use the stronger WPA2-PSK scheme.
We liked the nicely designed white plastic Asus case, with its band of indicator lights on the front edge. It's superficially like the Netgear RangeMax 240's, but bigger and heavier, and it has taller and beefier antennas that might account for its performance edge. The case also includes wall-mount holes. However, the Asus model's great price and performance do not completely compensate for its usability issues, and inexperienced users especially will be better served by the Netgear RangeMax 240.
Belkin N1 Wireless Router (F5D8231-4)
Belkin N1: Great design, poor performance.In almost every measure besides performance, where it unfortunately hangs around the rear of the bunch, the Belkin N1 is the star of this review. It is head and shoulders above the rest of the products in design and usability, with Apple-like attention to detail in the packaging, manuals, interface, and help files. It also has top-notch features, a lifetime warranty, and excellent support.
On opening the Belkin box, the first thing you see is a large card completely illustrating all the possible physical connection possibilities and detailing the order in which they should be made. Cables are numbered to match the card. The setup CD worked flawlessly, detecting our DSL modem settings correctly and automatically connecting us to the Internet. It then directed us to the Web utility to set up wireless encryption.
The N1's 103-page PDF manual was the longest and most comprehensive in the bunch. Every setting option was clearly explained, along with its implications.
As for features, the N1 is one of only two routers in the group to support WPA/WPA2 Enterprise encryption and Radius server authentication for use in office and educational environments. It also has a full complement of router capabilities, including QoS support.
But while the N1's speed at close range is several times that of an 802.11g router, its overall performance simply wasn't as good as that of the other products in this group (especially the Airgo-based lines). Performance in our long-range tests was particularly erratic, even compared with that of the Broadcom-based draft-n lines.
Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti Wireless-N Router and Access Point (WZR-G300N)
Buffalo Nfiniti: Lacks key features.The Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti has some unique features, such as an external switch that toggles between router and access-point modes; Buffalo's AOSS one-touch encryption setup for easy Buffalo client-card connections; and an upright-oriented antenna cluster. But it also lacks important specs we've come to expect in a high-end router, such as WPA2 encryption support (though Buffalo said it planned to make this available via a firmware update that it expected to post by the time you read this).
In addition, the AirStation is the only router of the group that is missing Dynamic DNS support, which allows cable and DSL customers who don't have fixed IP addresses--the vast majority--to host Web sites or mail servers. Also absent are WPA Enterprise or Radius support, putting the AirStation at the bottom of the features heap in this group.
Designwise, the antenna cluster means you can use the Nfiniti only in an upright position, and you get no wall-mount option. With this model we had the same problem as with the Netgear RangeMax Next, as our many ethernet cables toppled the router (although this happened less frequently with the Buffalo product since it weighs more than the Netgear).
In performance, the Buffalo was in the closely bunched bottom group of draft-n models, which all suffered on our long-range tests. But our biggest issue with the Buffalo was with its Web configuration tool, which was decidedly subpar. Explanations in the pop-up help on each page weren't very helpful, and the poor graphics and confusing division of functions into Basic and Advanced pages just made things difficult to find, even when we knew what we were looking for.
Another annoyance is the wireless-card utility, which cannot distinguish between encryption types, so you have to know what type of encryption the network is using and select it from the menu before entering your key (unless you use the AOSS system, of course).
Linksys Wireless-N Broadband Router (WRT300N)
Linksys Wireless-N: Top features, middling performance.The Linksys Wireless-N is a very good all-rounder in design and features; like the Belkin N1, it seriously stumbles only in performance, although not as badly. It has QoS, WPA/WPA2 Enterprise encryption, Radius server support, and truly comprehensive routing capabilities, making it our features champ.
The installation experience was very good. A CD setup utility led us through the physical connections and then took us to the router's Web-based Smart Wizard for Internet setup. The 90-page PDF manual was nearly as good as Belkin's, but the context-sensitive help within the Web configuration tool was not. It offered no information on the 802.11n features of the router and looked like it was simply copied from another Linksys model. Even a firmware update did not address this shortcoming in the router setup software.
The Linksys has a flat antenna situated in between two pole antennas, a departure from the usual three-pole design. It has no wall-mount bracket, but you can stand the router horizontally or vertically. The case sticks to Linksys's trademark purple and black color scheme, which we wish the company would ditch in favor of more decor-friendly choices like the white, black, and silver of the other routers. On top of the device is a big button that doesn't do anything, but is "reserved" for future use. Maybe one-touch encryption setup? Linksys isn't saying.
What about speed and range? As we did for the Belkin and Buffalo draft-n products, we gave the overall performance of the Linksys Wireless-N line a Fair rating due to its poor throughput at long range (60 feet through house walls) and multiple failures to complete file transfers, a symptom of its lesser range. Even at close and midrange distances, the two tested non-draft-n routers did better.
Netgear RangeMax 240 Wireless Router (WPNT834)
Netgear RangeMax 240: Top performer.Netgear's Airgo-based RangeMax 240 topped our medium-range performance tests and came a close second in the long-range shootout. The RangeMax 240 also sports excellent router features and has the best Web-based configuration tool of the bunch, thanks in no small part to the ever-present and very thorough context-sensitive help.
Installation using the included CD and the Web-based SmartWizard was straightforward and without incident. The process leads you through the cable connections that vendors generally recommend for setup, basic configuration, and then security. We had an equally good experience with the adapter card, as the setup wizard offered to help configure the first connection after installing the drivers and Wireless Assistant connection utility. While the utility could confuse a first-time user, it provides lots of practical information about your connection, such as traffic graphs and statistics.
Designwise, we really like the unit's mod white plastic case with glowing iconic indicator lights that let you check the router status from afar. The RangeMax 240 also has a label on the bottom detailing the functions of all the ports and lights, as well as the default IP address and log-in information you need for browser-based configuration after a router reset--data we wish all vendors would make so handy.
The one design flaw is the model's lack of wall-mount holes, although you can orient the router horizontally or vertically on a desk or other flat surface.
Other nitpicks concern the product's lack of QoS support (Netgear says it will come soon in a firmware update) and the failure of the router firmware's "check for updates" feature to find a firmware update that was available on Netgear's Web site. (To be fair, no router in this review successfully located and installed firmware updates--we had to get all updates manually from support sites.) Overall, however, the RangeMax 240 has the best combination of performance, features, design, and usability here. Its only major drawback is that it will never be upgradable to the 802.11n standard.
Netgear RangeMax Next Wireless Router (WNR834B)
Among the draft-n routers, only the RangeMax Next, based on Broadcom's Intensi-fi draft-n technology (as opposed to the newer but identically named WNR834M model based on Marvell's TopDog chip, which we did not test), came close to the Asus and Netgear RangeMax 240 models in short and midrange performance. However, it faltered in our long-range tests, indicating a smaller coverage area than that of its top-rated RangeMax 240 sibling.
In other respects the RangeMax Next is much like the RangeMax 240, offering the same straightforward setup and advanced client-card connection utility, although its cost is a little higher. Only a few settings differ significantly, mostly those having to do with draft-n. For example, the RangeMax Next is the only draft-n router in this group that does not support WEP encryption when in high-speed 40-MHz channel-bonding mode, since that would result in poor performance for draft-n adapters.
The most visible difference between the RangeMax Next and RangeMax 240 is in case design. The RangeMax Next is a slim upright box with internal antennas, as opposed to the typical external design. While attractive, it has no wall-mount option, and we found it hard to use in the upright position since our cables kept pulling the lightweight box over. You can place the unit flat, but then the internal antennas will likely not be oriented optimally since, unlike external antennas, they cannot be flipped to accommodate the box orientation.
If you want to purchase a draft-n router now and bet on the product's being upgradable to the final standard, Netgear's RangeMax Next is our top choice, with the only major disadvantage being its long-range performance.
What's Ahead for 802.11n
Given the relatively mediocre performance and the interoperability problems we found with draft-n products, it's worth asking why vendors have rushed them to market. Two wireless companies that have chosen to stay out of the draft-n fray (at least for now)--Wi-Fi chip maker Airgo Networks and network equipment vendor USRobotics--say they don't want to ship products that may not be upgradable to the final standard, a guarantee none of the current crop can make. Instead, Airgo says it will have chips ready for 802.11n compliance testing as soon as the specification is ratified.
The rest of the wireless universe, however, doesn't seem to be waiting--and customers aren't either. "Our Wireless-N family offers customers technology they can immediately take advantage of to get the most out of their networks," Linksys said in a statement, noting that in June its Wireless-N router came in third on the best-seller list for all home networking products.