Actiontec Wireless G Router and Network Cards

Reviews: Networking

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Richard Poelling
Brian
Actiontec
Oct. 3, 2005

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Testing

What I will be testing is throughput or Mbps (Megabits per second), not to be confused with MBps (Megabytes per second). To determine what kinds of speeds I was getting from my setup, I utilized a program called Qcheck that is distributed by IXIA. This free utility allows for the determination of response time (latency) and throughput. To do this, the program has to be installed on all machines used in the test. The program runs as a service called Endpoint in the background. It enables you to test from either direction on any two machines that it is installed on, (i.e. A-B or B-A). All throughput testing was done with a 1,000 KB setting in Qcheck. The scores are an average of 20 runs, 10 runs from the server to wireless connection and another from the wireless connection to server.

For the laptop testing, the AP was set in the center of the house on a workbench. The laptop was then tested while I was sitting on the couch. This is a distance of about 25 ft with one wall standing between the notebook and the router. I would consider this to be an average amount of interference and I think it will provide a good approximation of the average signal quality.

Since Qcheck requires two ends to test, I will be using a new Dell Poweredge SC420 Server and my test system containing an ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard with onboard LAN.

For my first assay, I will be testing the ability of the router to provide maximum signal. To do this, I placed the router on top of the test system. Throughput testing was performed with WPA-PSK (no server) enabled. Therefore the numbers being reported are for what I would consider an optimal setup (i.e. not open). The system was tested in either Mixed (802.11b and 802.11g), b only, or g only modes. The results were what I expected from these settings. The mixed and g performed similarly, while the b was painfully slow. As with every other wireless router on the market, the connection speed reads 54 Mbps, but as you can see from the numbers, doesn't even come close to that in reality.

Router Throughput at Various Settings

Mixed b & g

802.11g Only

802.11b Only

Wired Connection

16.37

15.90

5.25

94.12

(Mbps)

110

The PCMCIA laptop adapter did pretty well in terms of throughput. For the general "couch" test, I got an average of about 10.8 Mbps. This is obviously slower than a 100% connection, but I was going through a wall and some duct work. If you just want to surf the web, then you really only need 1-2 Mbps. If you are moving large files back and forth, this reduced speed will be readily noticeable.

Conclusion

Standards are developed for a reason. These enable the end user to know that any two devices from any number of manufacturers will work together, period. After using many products which strayed from the standard, it is nice to get back to the simpler things. Knowing that I can associate with the AP without having to alter its configuration is a nice feeling. The speeds may not be as fast, but there is something to be said for not having to troubleshoot a connection that is going screwy because of some proprietary setting hidden somewhere.

All three of the products from Actiontec performed well. Although I was not a huge fan of their styling, I will give them credit for making a style their own and not copying others. I could very easily pick out an Actiontec device from the crowd. Most of the complaints that I had fell mainly in the realm of software which can easily be fixed with a firmware update. The pricing on the router is in the $60-$80 range depending on where you shop. If you are looking for a basic, straightforward wireless router, you might want to check this one out.. If you have 802.11g devices already set up or you just want to stick with standard 802.11g, then I suggest you consider Actiontec's Wireless G products.

Pros

USB adapter will work for desktop or laptop
Solid performance
Wireless radio off by default

Cons

Very angular styling
Services blocking needs enhancement
Interface on router needs streamlining

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Looks
Page 3: Setup
Page 4: Router Features
Page 5: Router Features Continued
Page 6: Testing & Conclusion

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Add Comment

7 User Comments

1 - Posted by blackjet on October 4, 2005 - 10:34 am

what does the 802.11 and the letter following it ie b or g stand for?

2 - Posted by handrail on October 4, 2005 - 12:37 pm

in short....

b = 11Mbps transfer rate

g = 54 Mbps transfer rate

3 - Posted by Rich on October 4, 2005 - 12:41 pm

Check out this article for more info.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/article.php?directory...

4 - Posted by blackjet on October 5, 2005 - 4:21 am

good article, u just cant beat a GB wired connection for gaming with mates tho! when u think wireless will ever get that fast? if ever?

5 - Posted by Rich on October 5, 2005 - 8:18 am

Some of the new "pre-N" routers are much faster, but it is still a wireless link. I personally would rather run the wires, but then again, I have so many wires now whats a few more. The thing I hate the most is that there is so much overhead and other stuff that is involved with the transmission of wireless signals that it may say 54 Mbps but it is really 25 Mbps. The "speed boosted" options that are advertised as 108 Mbps are actually sitting at the 50-60 Mbps range of the previous standard.

6 - Posted by blackjet on October 5, 2005 - 8:59 am

yea i perfer the wires too...

7 - Posted by Rich on October 5, 2005 - 6:13 pm

Wireless is good if you can't run wires, but a Gigabit connection can reach speeds of 300-500Mbps. Show me a wireless that runs that well and then I will think about it.

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