Zoom ADSL X3 5560 - router

...charged me £80 for the Zoom X3. I'm sure it's available cheaper online.

--> WHAT IS A ROUTER?

Routers have been much more common in big business until broadband internet made its way into homes. Rather than the PC or Mac making the connection through the modem, a router connects by itself. This means that the router is always connected, even when the computer is off. This makes internet sharing easier, as each computer ...
.../> So where does the Zoom X3 fit in?

It has an ADSL modem built in, and one ethernet port. So you can connect directly, in the case of one computer, by plugging the router into your ethernet port (network card), or connect an ethernet hub to chain more computers through the one socket. If you wish, you can connect a wireless base station to the ethernet port at a later date.

So now you know a bit about the confusing ... more

When I signed up for ADSL, I got a free Speedtouch modem. It worked fine on my main computer - a PC at that time - but networking and sharing the connection was a bit of a hassle. For one thing, the main computer had to act as a 'server' all the time, and remain connected, for the second computer to access the internet.

Then our modem gave up the ghost altogether. To be honest, I was slightly relieved. I'd heard a lot about how a router would make internet sharing easier, so I decided to go the extra mile and spend a few more pounds to upgrade. I needed something quick, so I unfortunately had to pay the premium and buy from PC World who charged me £80 for the Zoom X3. I'm sure it's available cheaper online.

--> WHAT IS A ROUTER?

Routers have been much more common in big business until broadband internet made its way into homes. Rather than the PC or Mac making the connection through the modem, a router connects by itself. This means that the router is always connected, even when the computer is off. This makes internet sharing easier, as each computer just talks to the router directly, rather than talking to the modem through another computer.

--> CHOOSING A ROUTER

Different routers have different ways of connecting to computers. Here are three things you need to think about when choosing your new router.

1. Be sure to choose an "ADSL router", as these have built in ADSL modems.

2. If you're connecting more than one machine to your ADSL line, you'll need a router that has more than one ethernet port, or an ethernet hub to 'chain' through a router's single ethernet port.

3. Routers can connect via USB, ethernet or wirelessly. What you choose will depend on your usage and your budget.

So where does the Zoom X3 fit in?

It has an ADSL modem built in, and one ethernet port. So you can connect directly, in the case of one computer, by plugging the router into your ethernet port (network card), or connect an ethernet hub to chain more computers through the one socket. If you wish, you can connect a wireless base station to the ethernet port at a later date.

So now you know a bit about the confusing world of routers and ADSL, let's get onto the X3 itself.

--> WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

The Zoom X3 router comes with a very informative manual and two ADSL micro-filters. If you already have an ADSL connection, chances are you already have filters, so you don't need to worry too much about those. You also get the mains adaptor, a phone cable and a reasonably short ethernet cable to get you started. There's also an installation CD which you only need to run if you're using Windows.

The following is my experience of setting up the router on a Mac. Most of this will also apply to PC setup.

To begin, you simply plug in the router into the phone line, through the micro-filter if necessary. Then connect the ethernet port to your computer, or to the uplink socket on your ethernet hub. Plug in the router and switch it on.

Then, with the help of the manual, you connect to the router by opening your normal web browser and typing http://10.0.0.2 - the local area network address - into the location bar. Enter the username and password supplied, and you're ready to go.

Simply fill in the blanks with your ISP's phone number (usually three digits separated by a comma) and name, and your username and password. You can change other connection settings if your ISP needs you to, but normally the defaults are set correctly. Then change the username and password you used to connect to the router, for security, and enable the NAT firewall if you need to.

And that's all you have to do!

On a Mac, you simply set your computer to connect via DHCP. The system will find the router itself, and assign each computer a unique IP address. I'm not sure what the procedure is on a PC but it's pretty similar and doesn't require any major changes to your system settings - the manual takes you through it, step-by-step.

Within ten minutes all your computers are online, independently of each other, and can connect without a single server being connected all the time.

--> IS IT WORTH UPGRADING?

If you have more than one computer, the answer is a loud, resounding YES! If you've struggled with connection sharing on ANY operating system, a router will be heaven to you - and if you're not technically minded, you can buy the Zoom X3 without knowing any more than what the manual tells you.

--> MAINTAINANCE

Once the router is connected and working, you'll see the LAN and RXD lights flash when active, and the router will generally stay connected for days, even weeks, without any problems. If anything goes wrong, you can switch it off and on again to re-connect, without having to reboot your computers. And if you run into any serious problems, you can reset the unit to default factory settings, and there's an option to upgrade the Zoom software when updates are released.

--> ANY CONS?

The Zoom X4 has more ethernet ports, and I would have preferred that, since my ethernet hub is showing its age now. As with any complicated network, you're also going to get a load of mess from wires and cables, so you need to hide the router in a spot where you can tie or tuck the wires out of sight.

But I do like the fact that the X3 allows you to expand or upgrade later - add a bigger hub, or a wireless access point, for example.

--> CONCLUSION

I consider myself to be a bit of a techie but I don't see the point in wrestling with computers and wasting time getting them to do what you want. The Zoom X3 is a simple, user-friendly unit for a decent price and comes with fantastic documentation that anyone could understand. If it's time for an upgrade, give the Zoom X3 a look. 

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