Netgear WGU-624 Wireless Router and WG511T PC Card - The Equipment
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I decided to go with the IEEE 802.11g (wireless g) protocol which, while not the top of the line (recall the previous discussion of wireless n), is still the fastest reasonably priced wireless network. The WGU-624 Wireless Router and the WG511T wireless PC card operate at the 802.11g 54Mbps as well as “Super G” (2x) speed of 108Mbps. Of course, this is by no means a guaranteed transfer rate, even with a full signal, but theoretically one could get that with this combination. Both devices can also communicate on the slower IEEE 802.11b (wireless b) protocol, so there is backward compatibility with older networks and devices.
WGU-624 Wireless Router
This router is a robust player for a small wireless network. It has four wired points, though port one is shared with the Internet port if the router will connect directly to, say, your DSL modem. It features both wireless g and wireless a (IEEE 802.11a), which operates at 802.11g speeds but at a different frequency (5.5GHz). The intent is to use the wireless a to connect to a wireless server and the wireless g to connect to the clients.
The router can act as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) host for the g-side, issuing IP addresses to wireless devices connected. If you need it for an (slightly overpowered) access point only, DHCP can be turned off. Encryption can be WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) at 64, 128, or 152 bits, WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key), or nothing (not advisable). There is also an option to specify access to only wireless cards (as identified by their MAC address) listed.
The firewall, while not as powerful as a dedicated appliance such as my own Smoothwall box, is pretty decent. It performs Network Address Translation (NAT), stateful packet inspection, and allows site blocking by keyword or domain with trusted IP address bypassing (of course, that computer would need a specified IP, not assigned by the DHCP). It also allows service blocking, and lets you schedule the site blocking by day of week or time of day, and it can email alerts and logs.
The device has a four-inch articulated antenna and can be placed flat or vertically with two included clip-on brackets.
