Labs

The DIR-615 looks very similar to the router bundled in the DKT-810 kit, except that this model works with cable Internet connections rather than ADSL, and the router only has two antennas. Fortunately, it uses the same friendly CD-based setup wizard, so it's quick and painless to get your Internet connection working and a secure wireless network up and running.

The

ADVERTISEMENT

web-based management tool is the same, too. This looks great, but some of the more advanced options, such as QoS, are tricky and a little confusing to set up correctly.

Performance using our Centrino laptop was very good. Throughput of 20.14Mbit/sec at one metre from the router was very quick, and 11.74Mbit/sec at 25 metres indicated that range wasn't a problem. You should be able to get good reception anywhere inside the average home.

Switching to the same-brand DWA-410 USB adaptor (around £38) was disappointing, though. At one metre we managed 46Mbit/sec, which is great, but we couldn't get a signal at 25 metres, no matter how many settings we tweaked manually.

While Draft-n performance wasn't as good as we'd hoped, this router is fine if you just want to share an Internet connection wirelessly with your Centrino laptop. If you're looking for fast file sharing or video streaming, Buffalo's Nfiniti is a better choice.