routers

Netgear announced today the availability of its latest wireless router, the N900 wireless-dual band gigabit router (model WNDR4500).

This is first true dual-band router from the company, and the second submitted for a CNET review, that offers the new 450Mbps speed on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The first was the TEW-692GR from Trendnet.

While the Trendnet TEW-692GR doesn't offer much else, the N900 on the other hand is also the first of its kind to incorporate two USB ports to host USB external storage devices and printers. Physically, the N900 is one of the biggest routers … Read more

Sprint announced today its first mobile cellular router that can be used both within the U.S. and internationally, the International Mobile Hotspot by ZTE.

This is similar to the Sprint Mifi 4082, with one big exception: it doesn't support 4G networks. The new International Mobile Hotspot doesn't feature Wireless-N, either, just the old 802.11g standard.

Similar to other mobile hot-spot solutions, the new router can support up to five Wi-Fi clients at a time, comes in a very compact design, and offers about 4 hours of battery life. It comes with a preinstalled, unlocked SIM card that is both W-CDMA and GSM capable. It can also be tethered to a laptop to work as a modem or an SD card reader.

The new International Mobile Hotspot is available now at $50 (after a $50 rebate with a two-year contract). It comes with a single data plan that costs $60 per month with a 5GB cap. Additional international rates vary, depending on the location. … Read more

Are you getting all that you can from your wireless router? How do you know? If you're not getting the same range or throughput as you used to, something may be awry. Here's how to measure your wireless router's performance to make sure that it's running at its best:

Signal strength To measure signal strength and to identify the active wireless channels around you, we recommend using a program called inSSIDer.

When you launch inSSIDer, you'll notice a list of wireless networks around you, including your own.  Each network's signal strength is displayed … Read more

As I've mentioned in the past, the single best way to improve Internet performance in your home is to plug your PC directly into your router. After that, the best bang for the buck comes from ditching your old 802.11g router in favor of an 802.11n model.

And you don't need a lot of bucks to do that. Newegg has the D-Link DIR-601 802.11n wireless router for $19.99 shipped. That's after adding it to your cart and applying coupon code EMCKBGK58 at checkout.

The benefits of 802.11n are numerous and well-documented: faster throughput, better range, and stronger security options. Your mileage can and will vary depending on things like the size of your house, placement of the router, and so on. But speaking from personal experience, 802.11n blows 802.11g out of the water.… Read more

Netgear announced today the availability of its top-of-the-line true dual-band router, the N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Premium Edition (model WNDR3800).

Introduced at CES 2011, the WNDR3800 is an upgrade to the company's existing WNDR3700. Netgear says it's the first home router to offer the Clear Channel Selector feature and also the first that's capable of creating private cloud file sharing through Netgear's new ReadyShare Cloud service.

Clear Channel Selector, which the company says is generally available only in expensive wireless routers for businesses, "automatically detects when the Wi-Fi channel currently in use becomes … Read more

The Linksys E2500 is the third true dual-band router in the new Cisco E series, after the top-notch 450Mbps E4200 and the Gigabit E3200. Compared with the specs of these two, the E2500 is inferior because it lacks Gigabit Ethernet, 450Mbps Wi-Fi standard, and a USB port to host an external hard drive. It is, however, much more affordable at just around $70.

In our testing, the Linksys E2500 was indeed much behind the other two in terms of throughput performance and range. Like the other routers, it is very easy to use, thanks to the Cisco Connect support that'… Read more

You remember the Pogoplug, right? It's the gizmo that turns one or more USB hard drives into network-attached and Web-accessible storage.

The Cloud Engines Pogoplug Pro is the third-generation version of the device, notable mostly for the addition of built-in Wi-Fi. That means it doesn't have to sit right next to your router, but can instead reside just about anywhere in your home, office, or home office.

From now through August 26, or until supplies run out, my very own CNET overlords (in partnership with Cloud Engines) are offering the Pogoplug Pro for just $29.99, plus $10 $… Read more

If you're looking for a mobile Internet solution and travel within Clear's 4G coverage, then look no further than the Clear Spot 4G Apollo. All things considered, this is the best mobile router we've seen.

This is a compact device, though not the most compact of its kind, that offers superfast cellular Internet access for up to eight Wi-Fi clients at a time. It has average speeds of around 9Mbps for download and 5Mbps for upload as tested in the San Francisco Bay Area. At these speeds, you can download a full 1080p high-definition movie (some 10GB … Read more

The HD Media Router 1000, model DIR-657, is the first in the Media router series that D-Link introduced at CES 2011, and it's a totally new router. At least on the outside.

Unlike previous routers, such as the DIR-655, DIR-825, and DIR-855, the DIR-657 doesn't have external antennas that stick up from its back anymore. Following the lead of Cisco and other vendors, D-Link now uses the internal antenna design, making the new router seem much more compact than previous models. The router's chassis is as sleek as many other new routers, and attracts fingerprints very easily. … Read more