NetComm's NB6Plus4W offers good short range performance and management tools for a very reasonable price.
Design and Features
The NB6Plus4W from NetComm is a compact, single-antenna device that includes four wired 10/100Mbps ports and 54Mbps wireless, and even a USB port in case nought else is available. Configuring the device is easy enough; the Web interface is well laid out with the first menu level appearing as labelled icons across the top of the screen, and lower menu levels appearing on the left. Rather than standard help files, brief notes appear on the relevant screens and more detailed instructions can be found in the PDF manual supplied.
Management options include SMTP, diagnostics and the ability to back-up the router configuration to a PC. There is a raft of security options including SSID hiding, WEP/WPA encryption and specific allowing or blocking by MAC address. Other features include traffic prioritisation and NAT functionality, allowing simultaneous VPN or VoIP traffic.
Performance
Our performance testing on wireless routers consists of checking wireless throughput speeds over a variety of distances between a notebook and the router. To test the router it is located at one end of a 55-metre long hallway, while the connection to the notebook is tested at five-metre increments by transferring a 1MB file between it and a wired PC, using the application Qcheck.
This is done until either the 55 metre point is hit, or the notebook is unable to reliably connect. At the 25-metre point there is a "dog-leg" in the hallway, and two results are recorded here — the first one is in line-of-sight, the second and all subsequent points after are obstructed.
Each test is performed at least five times, and the result averaged.
The NB6Plus4W managed throughputs up around 21-22Mbps with ranges up to 25 metres, but speeds plummeted to under 5Mbps at 50 metres. Speed was reduced when the test notebook was immediately behind an obstruction, but the concrete obstruction was less detrimental to performance at greater distances.
Verdict
If you intend to connect to ADSL2+ over a wireless router and are one of the lucky ones that can achieve a speed between 21Mbps and 24Mbps, the NetComm NB6Plus4W won't be able to deliver the full speed to wireless clients. This isn't a show stopper as a large majority of homes are unlikely to hit this speed or even have the option available, but it's something to keep in mind.
This is a relatively low end device for the home-office, but it has most of the features you would hope for at a very reasonable price of AU$158.40. The basic one-year warranty is extended to three years when you register the product online.
