After 16 months of use, my BT voyager 210 router exhibited symptoms of failing i.e. intermittent loss of connection, slow download speed even the ADSL line is clear. I bought this ADSL2/2+ modem from Amazon at £24.99 (good value) for my ADSL connection (I am not with ADSL2 yet) and this router confirmed that my BT voyager router was on its last leg. After installation, the download speed was back to usual.
What's in the box
In the box it comes with the wireless modem, DC adaptor, microfilter (only one, if you have >1 phone socket in the house, buy more), an ADSL telco cable, an Ethernet/CAT5 patch cable, a CD-ROM (contains only the electronic quick installation guide and a 'must-read' user manual) and a one page, double-sided quick installation guide.
The microfilter however is a 'US' version i.e. it will accept US
phone plugs looking like this: [_] but not UK phone plugs looking like this: [___}. I have to speak to Amazon to arrange a correct replacement. If you have existing microfilters coming with your older modems, you are okay using those. If not, check with Amazon first to make sure that a UK microfilter actually comes with the box. For other suppliers, check this out too.
Installation (Web based) The basic installation is very easy - just follow the quick installation guide. You configure this modem through the web, no software/driver installation on your PC required. Once you logon to 192.168.1.1 and put in your ISP username and password. You are up and running. It has built-in firewall to offer you some basic protection. However you are not protected 'wireless bandits' i.e. those who are scanning for free access near your area.
The next thing is to go through the wireless tab for advanced settings. Don't leave you password as 'password' even if you have WPA encryption. The 'router hackers' can still get to you with username set at admin and password set at admin or password. On the 'modem' tab, under 'user management' Change it to something like passwordpassword (just joking) or something else. This is NOT in the quick installation guide. Thus READ the user manual in the CD-ROM for all the advance settings unless you are a wireless router setup genius.
To the very important security settings, select the 'wireless' tab and under 'setup' fill in the SSID, a unique 'profile' name e.g. My_home2 or House555 etc. You can hide your SSID from the world. However at the moment I need to figure out how to connect my PC to the 'hidden' router in a wireless manner. Or, just connect my PC to the router with the Ethernet cable and forget wireless.
Under 'security' choose '802,1x' (need to put in username and password every time to logon to the router) or 'WPA' (more secure than WEP) + 'any WPA'. Since I have not got a server attached to the router (normal for a home user), I choose 'Pre-share key' and fill in the PSK string with something like a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j10 (up to 63 characters if you can remember it).
Under 'management' you can set access list to restrict the router access only by your wireless devices (PC, printer, laptop, scanner etc with their MAC addresses 11-22-33-44-55-66). No outsider's devices are allowed even for some reason they know your network key (spying on you or you let them have it). This is tested and confirmed using my older PC fitted with a wireless adaptor before I added its adaptor's MAC address to the 'access list'.
For you PC wireless card, you can find its MAC address with the wireless card utility software or a bit more complicated: Call up the 'command prompt' (Start, Run.., type in 'cmd', for Windows 2000 or XP, should be similar for Vista). Then in the small black window, type 'ipconfig /all' and then you will see a list of things. Look for the 'physical address' i.e. the MAC address.
For a wireless USB adaptor, you will find its MAC address on the adaptor label or use 'ipconfig /all'
Furthermore, if you have a static IP for online gaming etc, you can specify it here as well.
Easy-to-digest specification of the router (for more technical details please visit the Dynamode website):
This is a router with 4 Ethernet ports - connect up to 4 network-ready computers with Ethernet cable i.e. wired connection. It is also a wireless router (125Mbps not the common 54Mbps) i.e. extra connections for numerous other wireless devices. Network link Protocol: IEEE 802.11g+ and backward compatible. Network Transport Protocol: PPPoA (for UK) + others.
Digital Signaling Protocol: ADSL (up to 8Mbps, average 2Mbps, sounds familiar with most of the ISPs?), ADSL2 (12Mbps), ADSL2+ (24Mbps, very good if you live next the exchange).
Security Features: Built-in SPI Firewall protection (basic, income traffic only like that one comes with XP SP2, you need extra firewall software to guard against Trojans, spyware etc), DoS (denial of service) attack prevention, hacker protection with Internet Cloaking.
Wireless signal Range:
I have tested this for up to 8 metres indoor through walls and ceiling wtih my wireless laptop. Good signal strength all around - 90 -100%. Of course, always avoid obstacles with fluid e.g. radiators, water tank, human body i.e. yourself to get the best wireless reception. Reception is equally good with either Wireless PCI card or USB wireless adaptors (for my older PC).
Overall impression:
Good value for money; ADSL2+ ready; easy to setup with strong wireless security; can be used as a wired router with plenty of connections for up to 4 devices, sufficient for home use and even small family business.
I will keep an eye on the shelf-life of this product and will update you evey 6 months.
Extra info: Since I have got the US microfilter, I spoke to Amazon and they agreed to refund the cost of the microfilter (based on their price + delivery on their website) as long as I accept the existing router.
Latest extra info: Once you have set up the access of all your devices to the router, you can hid the SSID by checking the 'hid SSID' box under wireless| setup. Now you have extra security. The intruder need to know your exact SSID (now hidden) + your network key in order to connect and then being confronted with the second layer of security - the access list.
The last info: After 1 month or so continuous use, the router has lost its main function - connecting to the internet, only the wireless communication function remains. This is definitely a fault in the router not the ADSL line because when I revive my dying wired BT voyager 210 router and the internet connection was fine. I had a 'lemon'. I had returned it to Amazon (lots of procedure + emails to go through) and claimed back a refund.
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