EZ Connect g 802.11g 108g Wireless CardBus Adaptor review

Verdict:

Review Date: 22 Sep 2006

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Reviewed By: Alan Lu

Our Rating 3 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

SMC's Barricade is one of the cheapest wireless routers in our group, but it's also one of only three to support the Radius security protocol.

Given this extra security, it's odd that you're not prompted to set a WEP or WPA password when configuring its settings. The web-based configuration system is straightforward, but if you run into trouble the jargon-filled help system won't be much use.

SMC's EZ Connect CardBus adaptor is also one of the cheapest, but its performance was reasonable. It transferred files at around 18Mbit/s over both 1m and 15m, although its speed in the 25m benchmark was poor.

The EZ Connect Wireless USB Adaptor didn't fare so well. Its speeds over 1m and 15m were the worst in the test, and its speed over 25m put it ahead of only the products that failed to connect at all. It does have a five-year warranty, which could come in handy while waiting for files to transfer. The Barricade router redeemed itself in our Centrino tests. It produced the best speed of 7.9Mbit/s over 25m and its 19.7Mbit/s over 15m was just behind the best products. Its speed of 13.7Mbit/s over 1m isn't as impressive, but it's still respectable.

If you want a cheap ADSL router to connect your Centrino notebook to the internet, the Barricade is an excellent choice. If you want to buy a wireless network adaptor as well, though, we'd recommend looking elsewhere.

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