A lifelong technology enthusiast, Darien is a regular contributor to both Expert Reviews and PC Pro magazine, specialising in wireless networking, internet security and other technical topics. He also contributes to and produces the weekly PC Pro podcast, and has made occasional appearances on BBC News and Open University programming. In his spare time he dabbles in audio production, and plays guitar, bass and drums with the enthusiasm of a committed amateur.
The best NAS drives to buy Want to store your files securely without using the cloud? These are the best NAS solutions out there right now
LastPass password manager review It’s not as feature-packed as some rivals, nor as cheap, but LastPass does a great job of taking the pain out of password management
The best NAS drives to buy Want to store your files securely without using the cloud? These are the best NAS solutions out there right now
Malwarebytes Premium: Supremely simple virus protection The no-nonsense approach is admirable but Malwarebytes Premium is undermined by a high price and a not-quite-perfect protection rating£30
LastPass password manager review It’s not as feature-packed as some rivals, nor as cheap, but LastPass does a great job of taking the pain out of password management£31.20
Bitwarden: A basic password manager that’s fantastic value If you’re turned off by pricey premium password managers, this cheap, functional offering is your best alternative£7.20
Asus RT-AX82U: Next-gen Wi-Fi performance for less The RT-AX82U steps out of its sibling’s shadow to offer superb performance levels for the price£185
The best antivirus programs to protect your PC Protect your PC and other devices with our updated picks of the best antivirus programs this year
Logitech Blue Sona: An excellent studio mic for podcasters A great choice for streaming and podcasting, producing excellent audio with no noise and no fuss£299
SanDisk Extreme Pro: A hefty price tag, but it's worth it The SanDisk Extreme Pro’s bold design certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste, but who cares when the performance is this good?£180
Tenda Nova MW3 review: Cheap and cheerful mesh Wi-Fi The Tenda Nova MW3 is the cheapest mesh wireless kit we've come across, and it isn't half bad, either£80
TP-Link Deco P9: Powerline and mesh Wi-Fi in one A potentially promising idea but the P9 is held back by mediocre performance£170
Netgear Nighthawk AX12 review: A high-end 802.11ax router The Nighthawk AX12 is an exceptional router but at a significant cost£360
Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 review: An excellent gaming router It isn’t the fastest router around but for optimising and managing gaming performance the Nighthawk XR1000 is in a class of its own£244
ExpressVPN: A great, user-friendly VPN ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest nor the fastest, but it’s secure, easy to use and excellent for video streaming£5.61
TP-Link Deco X68: Strong Wi-Fi 6 performance but no Wi-Fi 6E While this dual-station mesh works well, it’s expensive and lacks support for the up-and-coming 6GHz standard£321
Mercusys Halo H80X: A great value Wi-Fi mesh system Compact, unassuming and remarkably speedy for the price, the Halo H80X is a terrific mainstream mesh Wi-Fi system£162