Like its sibling, the SRXN3205 comes in an industrial looking metal case with the RJ-45 connectors on the front face for ease of access at the cost of a relatively untidy appearance.
No documentation is included beyond the installation guide, even on the CD. All you get is a link to download the reference manual from the company’s web site. That’s one way of making sure buyers get the most recent edition, but it is a nuisance.
Most of our remarks about the DGFV338’s management interface also apply to the SRXN3205, including the traffic metering.
Particular services can be blocked according to schedules and by the identity of the computer attempting to use them. If you’re concerned that users may try to find ways around the access controls, the router can enforce the binding between MAC and IP addresses.
While QoS can be used to ensure that time-critical applications such as VoIP get the bandwidth they need, you can also impose a limit on the number of sessions that can taken up by each computer. That limit can be expressed as a fixed number or as a percentage of the maximum number of sessions. If the limit is exceeded, the router will drop packets associated with the additional sessions.
Where users may require remote access to the office LAN, the SRXN3205’s SSL VPN comes into its own as there’s no need to install software on the PC in advance. Instead, an ActiveX-based client is downloaded when needed, which means this feature is limited to Windows PCs.
And if you do want to make your router accessible from the Internet, it supports three dynamic DNS services: DynDNS, TZO and Oray.
As for performance, the SRXN3205 did well on the long-distance test, equalling the NetComm’s average of 27 seconds, our long-distance champ. Our same-room trials averaged 23 seconds (with substantial variability), while 33 seconds to send the folder to the next room was on the slow side but not excessively so.
This is the most expensive router that we tested, but a business that wants the convenience and security of a SSL VPN along with the reassurance of a long warranty is likely to consider it money well spent.