Route it right

Sigh! If I had a rupee for every wireless networking nightmare I have helped resolve over the years, I’d be a rich man by now. For a “Look Ma, no wires” pipedream that wireless promised, it sure got off on a wrong foot! Fortunately, networking companies like Belkin are realising that setting up a wireless network shouldn’t be about knowing how to configure SSIDs, WPA/WPA2, and pre-shared keys.

When you take the new Play Max router out of the box, all you have to do is plug in the router to your broadband connection and power supply, and you’re done! The Play Max router ships with a pre-set default wireless network and password so you can start using your wireless network with zero configuration. All you need to know about the router and network — the network name, password etc. — is on a little card that comes along with the box.

Sure, for anyone who has set up a wireless network before this, it may not sound like a big deal but for first timers, Belkin just took the smarts off setting up a router. Gone are the confusing LEDs, replaced by a single on/off indicator, though to be honest, I would have liked the familiar set of lights — they’re rather useful when things go wrong! A single LED that glows green when the router has an Internet connection and amber if something is wrong just doesn’t cut it.


Specs wise, the router is equipped with two wireless ‘N’ radios capable of operating on the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequency bands simultaneously, so it can support two ‘N’ streams at the same time, say one for video, and the other for web browsing.

What distinguishes the router from its peers is the inclusion of mini ‘apps’ for a variety of uses, all of which are controlled from your PC via the Belkin Router Monitor. First, the Play Max comes with two USB ports, so you can connect both a USB printer and a USB hard disk to wirelessly access both devices over the network. Connect a hard disk to it, and you can use the Torrent Genie function to continue your Internet downloads (music, movies, and applications) directly to the connected disk without your PC staying on. You will have to initiate the downloads on your PC though.

In addition there is an interesting mix of backup, music and media streaming applications that work on your router while it serves up your Internet connection as usual. I find the printer and hard disk servers useful, as also the Bittorrent client. The rest of the apps are averagely useful but a bonus nonetheless. Slight tweaks to these apps could make them a whole lot more usable though.

Add to this good whole-home coverage and the dual networks it runs on and you have a great router for the first timers, but one that doesn’t scrimp on features. If your demands are simpler, you might want to consider the cheaper Share (drops torrent downloads, one USB slot, and music/video apps), or the Surf (no USB slots), all of which run a wireless ‘N’ network and are as easy to install.

Iomega iConnect Wireless Data Station

If you already have a wireless network in your home, and you just want all your drives and printers to be available on your network, you could look at the Iomega iConnect Wireless Data Station. This is especially useful if you, like me, have accumulated a number of hard drives over the years and need a way to access them from anywhere in the house.

Set-up for the iConnect is fairly easy — connect it to the wireless router via the included network cable, run the software on the CD and add your disks and printers. As soon as a disk is plugged in it appears as a share on your network, and then onwards, it’s one click and you’re in. The user interface is straightforward, no frills, and like the Play Max router, this also comes with a torrent client for your downloads and a wireless media streamer to play your movies and music directly over DLNA devices like the Sony PlayStation 3.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though. First, it only supports Windows formatted disks, so keep that in mind if you’re a Machead. Data transfer performance is middling, and you need to have an ‘N’ wireless network if you plan to stream movies from this say onto your PlayStation 3. It does pull a lot of neat tricks, though I wish it were a little cheaper at the same time.
 
Belkin Play Max wireless router

• Rating: 8/10
• Price: Rs 8,199
• URL: http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=509867

Iomega iConnect Wireless Data Station
• Rating: 8/10
• Price: Rs 6,500
• URL: http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products/network-storage-desktop/wireless-data-station/network-hard-drive-iconnect/

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