GIGABYTE AirCruiser G Desktop Router review

It might look like a standard PCI wireless network adaptor, but don't be fooled by appearances: Gigabyte's AirCruiser G Desktop Router is actually a 54Mbit/s wireless router.

If you plug it into a spare PCI slot it acts like any other wireless router. There's no need to worry about leaving your PC on, though; with most new PCs it should draw power when your PC is turned off, and Gigabyte provides an ATX cable that provides the same function for older PCs.

Once it has power, all you need to do is connect it. The AirCruiser has two Ethernet ports, one for a broadband connection and one for a wired PC. Unfortunately it doesn't give network access to the PC in which it's installed, so your computer will need another network port for you to loop a cable round. This means that if you want more than one wired client you'll have to spend around £20 on an external switch. Finally, you need to connect the wireless aerial. Annoyingly, the aerial's tip flashes blue and it can't be disabled, so we suggest using some black tape to cover it up.

As with many other routers, configuration is performed through a web browser. The wizard configuration should take you through all the settings, although you can change settings manually later on.

We were pleased to see the usual range of options, including a firewall and the ability to change the router's MAC address to match the settings of your ISP. However, you have to enter the address manually, which is more difficult than the selection-list approach of other routers we've seen.

We tested the router's wireless speed at 12.49Mbit/s, which is fairly average for an 802.11g wireless router and more than enough for web browsing.

While this is much cheaper than buying an external router, we're not entirely convinced by it. It doesn't connect the host PC to the network, and if you have to buy a network switch as well, you'd be better off with a dedicated router.