ASUS WL-566gM
Recently, we tested a wireless router with support for
the MIMO technology by LevelOne. This time, we got a model by ASUS and,
running ahead I must sat it showed attractive results indeed.
Developers have long been working hard trying to achieve a real data
transmission rate comparable to that of the wireline network. All
remember various technologies with the high-flown figures
108, 125 Mbit/s, but so far it's been impossible to talk about such a
high user data transmission rate. Finally, a solution has come up which
is able providing the users with a rate comparable to that for wireline
networks.
Here, we are reviewing the wireless router WL-566gM and the
WL-106gM adapter. Curiously, the manufacturer decided not to violate
the traditions of marking its wireless equipment, and the model name
has the number 240 which of course doesn't denote the transmission rate
available to the user but simply tells the rate of the wireless
channel. However, large red letters on the box denote that the real
operation speed achieves 100 Mbit/s. Let's try to sort that out how
true it is.
MIMO technology
We already told about the MIMO technology in our previous
reviews, so we'd better not dwell on that and instead briefly remind
its key distinctions from the previous methods of transmitting a radio
signal. This technology implies that every receiver and transmitter
uses a number of independent antennas and, respectively, receivers and
transmitters. Therefore, it does not suffice to simply install three
instead of one antenna at the access point. To give birth to this
technology, the transmitted data stream has to be specially divided so
that each route transmitted its own part. That is, at an instant of
time different antennas will transmit different signals, which in
theory allows raising the transmission rate while there are vacant
parts of the spectrum. As every new channel is added, the rate rises at
the amount of the rate of this very channel, but that is only in
theory. I practice, we have to consider a number of parameters,
including the rate of dividing the overall stream.
WL-566gM Package Bundle
The router is shipped in a stylish cardboard box of a smart
design. By the way, the setting of the adapter package is very similar
to that of the router, except the image of the device. The router came
bundled with the following items: a power supply unit, a network cable,
CD with software and documentation, as well as a printed copy of the
installation and setup guide. The adapter is bundled with: a CD with
drivers, utilities and documentation, as well as printed version of the
installation and setup guide. In any case, that's enough for a quick
start working with the equipment.
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Clock speed
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2.4 2.5 GHz
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Firewall type
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NAT and SPI
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Transmission capacity (mode 802.11b):
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19 dBm - 20 dBm
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Transmission capacity (mode 802.11g)
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14 dBm - 16 dBm
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Transmission rate
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within 1 (802.11b) to 240 Mbit/s (MIMO)
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Control
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Web interface
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WAN
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10/100 Mbit/s
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LAN
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4 ports 10/100 Mbit/s
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DHCP
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DHCP-server, WAN DHCP client
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Access restriction
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by IP address, port, URL, MAC address.
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Wireless network security
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WEP with keys of 64 bit or 128-bit length, WPA2, TKIP,
AES WPA-PSK.
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Antenna
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3 external dipoles
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Power supply unit
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External, 5V, 2A; included in the delivery set
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Dimensions (width x height x depth)
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214 x 175 x 36 mm
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Weight
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500 g - without PSU
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Gross weight
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1.4 kg
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Exterior and design
The exterior of the router is attractive enough and combines a
simplicity and processability, which are seen even upon the first look
at it. The housing is white, with silvery edging, has three mid-sized
antennas. The upper panel has a number of vent holes which improve the
cooling of the device's components. Traditionally, the front panel has
all the required indicators and the marking of the device. Note that
the indicators themselves are interesting enough: there are no
customary square windows for LEDs, the labels are made transparent.
That is not only attractive, but also allows controlling operation of
the device under a dim illumination. There are the following
indicators: power, active status of the wireless network, activity of
the LAN ports and the WAN port. As you see, there is nothing redundant
and at the same time al is sufficient.
On the rear panel of the router, there are all the ports (one
WAN and four LAN ports, all 10/100Base-TX), a power connector, buttons
to tune and reset the parameters, as well as three antennas which,
unfortunately, can't be either removed or replaced. Note that there is
no on-off switch. The button for fast tuning juts out, so there is no
problem to press it; as to the button to reset parameters, it is
recessed into the housing to avoid accidental presses.
The bottom part of the router also has a number of vent holes,
four legs with rubber foot, a pair of hinges for wall mounting, and of
course a sticker with the information about the device.
Interior
The upper and bottom part are fastened with four self-tapping
screws under the rubber feet. The exterior of the board is shown on the
below photo.
The router board is shielded from both sides with a metal
housing, which allows reducing the induction at the router and at the
source. The wireless part is made as a separate module. To implement
the wireless part, there is used the Airgo solution on the base of the AGN300 chipset which includes a
MAC-level processor AGN303BB, controllers PHY AGN301RF and AGN302R. The
chipset allows handling a data stream up to 240 Mbit/s using channels
of 40 MHz width (two adjoining 20 MHz channels), or up to 126 Mbit/s
with 20 MHz channels. It offers hardware implementation of
the WEP encryption (64 and 128 bit), TKIP and AES, which means a high
network operation speed even if robust encryption is used. Three
antennas are connected to this board. Note that their connected are
filled up with a special mastic to avoid spontaneous disconnection.
As a wireless client we used the adapter ASUS WL-106gM which
supports the same technology as the router. We did not use any other
adapters in our network, so we can talk about the rate of the tested
equipment achieved without outside influence.
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