Mobile Broadband: The big roundup
Wireless Routers
Unlike last month’s wireless routers, none of the current crop of 3G routers conform to the latest draft of 802.11n. Instead, they use 8011.b/g. While this means that you won’t be able to make any of these devices the hub of a modern, media-streaming network, 802.11g remains just fast enough for the day-to-day internet access these devices will be asked to provide.
The routers are compatible with one or more of the 3G modems on page 67. Our main interest with each routers is its speed, range and features. While we expected to find cut-down versions, the routers on test were more heavily-featured versions of standard routers, lacking none of the features we’ve come to expect, and gaining a PC Card or SIM slot for 3G access.
Our testing takes the shape of four timed file-copying tests. We start with a single 100MB file to test the router’s raw transfer speeds. Then we copy nearly 3000 tiny files, totalling just over 77MB, between a PC wired to the router and a laptop connected wirelessly: a real torture test for networking devices. These tests are repeated with our target laptop immediately adjacent to the router, and then a few rooms away, blocked by doors, walls, and a torturous environment complete with metal objects and interfering wireless networks. If a router can perform well in this environment, it can perform well anywhere.
Finally, we’ve evaluated the integrated HTTP server of each router. This is how you access the settings of each. A good menu system has to be intuitive and easy to use, so we’ve awarded more points for menus that make setup easy.
Comments: 1
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sdrambo
Nov 13, 2008 9:06 PM
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If Virgin mobile is anything like VBB@Home it will be oversold and virtually useless after 3pm any day
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Mobile Broadband: The big roundup?
Internet everywhere, for affordable prices. Dave Stevenson investigates the claims, tests the speeds and delivers a verdict on the best plan for your mobile dollars.
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