Labs

A glossy white finish and invisible antennae make the Netgear the catwalk winner in this group test. Despite its internal aerials, the DG834N proved second only to the Buffalo where speed was concerned, racking up decent performances right out to 25 metres. It also has a built-in ADSL2+ modem (a micro-filter is included in the box in case you don't already have ADSL set up) and offers automatic wireless security plus intrusion detection to keep malicious software at bay.

It doesn't have gigabit network ports or a USB port for a printer, but these are the only notable downsides. Setup is simple thanks to the Smart Wizard, and the options in the web interface are intuitive. Given its superb turn of speed, the Netgear is excellent value for ADSL broadband users.