Product Reviews

D-Link's Wireless 108G Gigabit QoS Router is the first router we've seen to include a four-port Gigabit Ethernet switch. With throughputs 10 times faster than 100Mbit/s Ethernet, it's ideal for sharing files, particularly if you have a network attached storage (NAS) device; see Labs on page 103. The Gigabit QoS Router also supports jumbo frames (see FAQ, opposite).

As with D-Link's other recent routers, the Gigabit QoS Router can be configured using the setup wizard on the CD provided. This takes you through every step from plugging the router in to setting up security. Strangely, the maximum level of security you can set is WPA - not WPA2, even though the router supports it. If you're running a Windows network, you can use Windows Connect Now and

The Gigabit Ethernet switch doesn't make any difference to the wireless performance. Our wireless test showed that performance was slightly above average, although there was a big drop-off in throughput moving from near to far range. The Gigabit switch comes into play when you're using a wired network. Running our throughput test using two Gigabit Ethernet PCs, we recorded a stunning throughput of 181.75Mbit/s or 21.67MB/s. Forcing our network cards to run at 100Mbit/s we managed only 83.89Mbit/s. The Gigabit speed isn't 10 times as fast, because it's limited by the speed of the hard disks in our test systems. Still, running a network at hard disk speed is excellent for sharing files.

The router has built-in quality of service (QoS), so it can prioritise time-sensitive traffic such as voice calls. The simple web interface gives access to the other advanced features, such as the firewall and port forwarding.

If you're looking for a decent 802.11g wireless router and want to share storage over a wired network, D-Link's Wireless 108G Gigabit QoS Router is a good choice. However, it's expensive for a router without an ADSL modem, and you can add a Gigabit Ethernet switch to your existing wireless router for around £25.