3Com - OfficeConnect Wireless 54Mbps 11G Travel Router review
the clue is in the name
Review date: 11 January, 2005. Review by: IT Reviews Staff
The most obvious in this instance has to be Internet access when out of the office, with an Ethernet LAN connection all that's needed when at a hotel, conference or on a customer site. Simply plug in the router using the cable supplied, and everything else can be done 'over the air'.
More than that, other wireless users can connect to your private hot-spot with, just as on a full-size router, a built-in DHCP server to assign and manage client IP addresses, a firewall for security and Network Address Translation (NAT) to enable multiple users to share the one Internet connection.
Alternatively, it's possible to turn the router into a wireless access point. The DHCP server and NAT router are then disabled with wireless users connected directly to the local network and Internet access provided by alternative means. Or set it to client mode to transform the Travel Router into a wireless bridge. Whereupon it can be used to add wireless support to any PC, or other device with a fixed Ethernet interface.
As well as the switch used to select each of these modes, there's just a single 10/100Mbps Ethernet port for LAN attachment on the Travel Router, plus a reset button and a connector for the external AC adapter. Lack of support for Power over Ethernet (PoE) means having to carry the mains supply with you, but it's not that large and you do get a padded travel pouch included in the price. The lack of an external aerial does limit range, but we didn't see any drop off in performance until around 40 metres which, given the target market, should be more than adequate.
Some setup work is also required to configure the router, with a browser-based GUI to look after this side of things. Not that there's much to do when it comes to the wireless interface, other than set the SSID and channel to use. WEP and WPA encryption can also be specified, plus you can copy the router mode settings to AP mode and vice-versa to help speed things up.
Some of the other router options are more involved but, again, not that onerous to configure. Firewall protection, for example, is simply set to high, medium or low, plus there's the ability to nominate a single DMZ address or configure more specific port forwarding rules for public-facing servers.
The WAN port can also be configured in several ways. For example, when used with an external broadband modem rather than another network Ethernet router, it can be set to use either PPPoA or PPPoE with support for both fixed and dynamically assigned addressing. While in client mode all that's needed is the SSID of the wireless LAN to connect to and the security credentials required.
Once the various settings have been applied all you have to do to activate them is move the slider on the side. Add support for both 54Mbps 802.11g and older 11Mbps 802.11b clients and the 3Com Wireless Travel Router makes for a very easy to use and flexible gadget indeed.
And it's not just mobile workers who will find it useful. The biggest appeal will undoubtedly be to those needing to work in teams and communicate with co-workers when out of the office. Despite all that, it's no more expensive than a full-size wireless router, with the mobility and bridging options a bonus on top.
Verdict
This is a tiny yet fully formed wireless router with lots of uses. A single fixed Ethernet port plus 802.11g wireless interface with WEP/WPA encryption which can be configured as a router to create a private wireless hot-spot and share an Internet connection; as a conventional wireless access point or as a wireless bridge. Great value at the price.
Company: 3Com
Contact: 01442 438000
