The perfect emergency router

Posted on 27 Aug 2009 at 16:44

Paul Ockenden finds the essential router for any travelling PC doctor

As you might imagine, I get sent all kinds of kit to evaluate by manufacturers which hope I’ll write nice things. The really good and really bad stuff gets mentioned, but much so-so kit doesn’t warrant column inches.

Occasionally, though, Postman Pat turns up with something truly interesting, as happened recently with Netgear’s SRXN3205 wireless router. Dave Mitchell has already done a PC Pro Business Labs review, but I’ve had the luxury of trying it out in a longer-term, real-world test.

The device belongs to Netgear’s ProSafe range of business-class devices, which is a step up or two from what you’ll find on the shelves of your PC superstore. They arrive in brown boxes devoid of marketing drivel, and tend to be made of sturdy metal rather than flimsy plastic, hence the lifetime warranty, which isn’t to be sniffed at.

In Dave’s review, the SRXN3205 ticked many boxes: 2.4 and 5GHz; 802.11n draft 2; SPI firewall; Gigabit LAN ports; traffic metering; IPsec and SSL VPN support; and so on. Its row of aerials looks like a mini Goonhilly Down, and so far its performance has been totally rock-solid, with a range that puts many competitors to shame.

However, it’s the stability that’s impressed me the most. Whenever I have a wireless router on test, I mess around with its configuration – altering security and radio settings, DHCP ranges and lease times – and nine times out of ten the device will lock up and need a power cycle. The SRXN3205 has been as solid as a rock, though, no matter how much I abuse it, which in an SME environment could save you both downtime and support costs.

The only thing on my wishlist for version 2 (in case anyone at Netgear is reading this) would be dual ADSL and Cable WAN connections to support load-balancing and WAN failover. Some Netgear ProSafe devices have these features, but the SRXN3205 has only a single Ethernet port, which means that for home and small-office users it’s only really suitable for cable, but not ADSL.

Amazing box of tricks

Or does it? Convention has it that for cable broadband you need a router, but for ADSL you need a modem, although as I’ve explained here before, an ADSL modem typically has a router inside too. The SRXN3205 and several similar devices have great features but lack an ADSL port, which leaves people that receive broadband via their phone line with a restricted range of kit from which to choose. Recently, though, Postman Pat turned up with another box, much smaller this time, and the sender was SEG Communications (I first dealt with this company back in the days of 14.4Kbits/sec modems!).

The DrayTek Vigor 120 amazing little box of tricks that’s both clever and very simple

Inside the packaging was one of its DrayTek Vigor 120 devices, an amazing little box of tricks that’s both clever and very simple. In its default mode, it serves as a bridge between the PPPoA (point-to-point protocol over ATM) used by ADSL to PPPoE (PPP over Ethernet) used by most cable connections. Hooking this up to the WAN port on the back of the SRXN3205 enabled me to connect directly to my ADSL provider simply by entering my ADSL username and password on the router. The Vigor 120 is truly plug-and-play when used like this, and requires no configuration at all.

There are a couple of other uses for this brilliant device. The first is for failover. There are several ADSL modem/routers that have both ADSL and cable connectors and can switch automatically from one to the other should one service go down. This can be a life-saver for places where BT and Virgin Media both run their wire past your front door, but out in the sticks you’ll often find that although BT fulfils its public service remit near your house, Mr Branson knows that running his fibre to your street would eat into too much of his profits.

As a result, if you want failover you’ll need two ADSL providers: a traditional provider running on BT’s exchange equipment, and an LLU provider for maximum fault tolerance. The Vigor 120 makes this easy, simply by connecting one ADSL line to the normal port of your modem/router and the other via the DrayTek to its Ethernet WAN port.

Another useful thing you can do with the Vigor is plug it straight into the Ethernet port of a PC and then use Windows’ built-in PPP stack to make a direct connection to your ADSL provider. This can be incredibly useful when trying to solve users’ connection problems, as it bypasses their existing router and also allows you to see all the connection logs and diagnostics. That’s why I’ve come to believe that the Vigor 120 is an essential tool for any travelling PC doctor, and at just £50 it’s also something of a bargain.

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