ZyXEL Prestige 652HW review

The ZyXEL Prestige 652HW appears to be an ideal all-in-one communications system, combining broadband access, stiff firewall protection and a wireless access point for a reasonable price.

It has an integrated ADSL modem and a four-port Ethernet switch. Plugging a ZyAIR 802.11b PC Card, which costs an extra £52 including VAT, into the slot on its side enables wireless functions. We wouldn't suggest using another manufacturer's wireless card as our tests indicate that they are unlikely to work.

The 652HW offers a host of other features, the most useful of which is the backup modem option, designed to keep your business online if the ADSL link fails. The nine-pin serial port at the rear of the unit can be connected to a standard modem. During normal use the router constantly monitors the ADSL link and, if it fails, uses the modem to dial your internet service provider number and set up a new connection.

You can even add a second number, to be used if the first one is busy or unavailable, and the system keeps an eye out for the primary ADSL link and reverts back to that when it becomes available again.

Installation is very easy, requiring you only to point a web browser directly at the unit's default IP address, where the well-designed web interface provides plenty of wizards. The 652HW offers decent security with a stateful packet inspection firewall and network address translation (NAT) protecting the ADSL connection while the wireless access point gets 64/128-bit WEP encryption, MAC address filtering and service set identifier (SSID) masking. Basic web access can be controlled with URL filter lists, but the new WiFi Protected Access (WPA) specification isn't yet supported.

Features such as 802.1x port authentication and remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS) support won't cut much ice with small office users. Still, as a general business communications device the Prestige 652HW is hard to beat.