Netis WF2710 AC750 Wireless Dual Band Router

In a crowded networking market, where many of the latest routers are north of $200 (or more), the Netis WF2710 comes in under $50. Is this white box a peewee wonder? Read on to find out!

The latest standard for networking gear is known as 802.11ac. Devices that conform to this standard offer Wifi that conforms to both the 2.4 Ghz, as well as the 5 Ghz standard. Most of the new networking gear that is being introduced, conforms to this. It offers the advantages of less interference on the 5 Ghz frequency, and faster speeds.

The only real downside of the 802.11ac devices is that not surprisingly they cost more than the previous stuff, the so-called Wireless-N. While one approach for the cost conscious is to purchase a previous generation device, the Netis WF2710 offers a way to get into an AC router, for a price that is even lower than some Wireless-N routers. It is currently available at NewEggfor $39.99.

Netis AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router

A wireless router is an important centerpiece to a home network, and forms the backbone of distributing the internet broadband connection.  The latest standard is the 802.11ac, which incorporates the older 802.11b/g/n standard that works off the 2.4 GHz frequency.  It also add additional frequency in the 5 GHz range, which is capable of even faster speeds.  The other advantage of the 5 GHz frequency is at least for now, there is less gear there, and hence less congestion and interference.

In order to take advantage of the 802.11ac, a new router is a prerequisite.  Today, we take a look at the Netis AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router which incorporates all the latest standards.  Netis is a company that makes a wide variety of networking gear.  This router currently retails for $89.99 on Amazon.

Netis Beacon N300 Gaming Router

Netis Systems has been making networking products since 2000, but only recently did I hear about this company.  Netis was willing to provide their new N300 Gaming Router for testing.

The N300 Gaming Router is model WF2631.  It is a standard WiFi router with the usual 4 LAN 100 ports, and internet connection.  There is no USB port, but it does have 3 external antennas.  It uses the 802.11n protocol, and is backward
compatible to 802.11b and g, but does not support the newer 802.11ac protocol.  There is also support for WPS, with the push button on the rear of the unit.  It should be noted early on that this unit retails for a budget friendly $49.

Dlink DIR-820L: How to Fix the WiFi Not Connecting Issue

 I have had several routers through the years, from a variety of manufacturers, including Belkin and Linksys.  Recently, my Linksys was acting up, and I was eager to upgrade to 802.11ac, the latest standard.  I found the Dlink DIR-820L on Amazon for the fair price of $69, and pulled the trigger.

The initial setup was simple, with the usual connection of ethernet wires.  The 820L has the standard plug for the internet from the modem, and then the 4 ethernet ports for wired connections- in my case I plug in directly a notebook, my Brother 2270DW laser printer as well as the adapter for a Powerline adapter (which is my backup network when the WiFi fails- more to come on this).  The 820L setup in about 10 minutes.  Based on something I had read elsewhere, I decided to name the new 820L as the same name as my previous router, and reuse the same password.  This move proved a seriously lousy idea, and I don't recommend it at all.

EA6500

Apparently tomorrow Linksys will be announcing some new routers.  The upcoming flagship model will support the latest WiFi standard, ac, and be named the EA6500.  Reportedly it will retail for $220, which will buy a max speed of 1300 mbps, with four internal antennas.  It will also feature 2 USB ports for those that want both network attached storage, and a network printer simultaneously.  Look for further details soon, and the reported availability is August.

Jonas

Western Digital MyNet

There is presently no shortage of manufacturers that are in the router market.  Sure, just about everyone has a router these days, but it is not clear to me that they get updated all too often unless they are a real networking guru.  Western Digital has been a long term player in the hard drive market, and at first I was not sure what they could bring to the crowded router table.

The first feature is the FasTrack technology.  This serves to prioritize entertainment traffic over the rest, which translates to a video stream not being interrupted.  Other routers can do similar things these days, but those with an older router, from an older standard like g, would benefit from an upgrade.

The second feature is built in storage.  I am a proponent of built in storage to a router, and have a 4 GB flash drive permanently plugged into my router that I frequently make use of.  The new top of the line router, their MyNet N900 Central has 2 TB built into the device.  While a serious price of $349 makes this less of an impulse buy, those that want to stream media could use this as a turnkey solution with no fuss.  The storage space can also be used for wireless backup.

Tom's Hardware