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An unusual feature that USR has been promoting with its ADSL Wireless Gateway is support for S=1/2 which aims to increase download speeds for Internet access up to 12Mbits/sec. This is an extension to the G992.1 standard - also known as G.DMT - as used by all UK ISPs which calls for data compression to increase transfer rates. Unfortunately, we were advised by USR that S=1/2 is not currently supported in the UK and is unlikely to be in the future either as most ISPs will move directly to the proposed ADSL2+, or G992.5 standard.

That issue aside the USR router provides a good level of features for home and office users alike and is simple enough to set up. Two paths are available at first contact with the browser management taking you through a quick setup wizard or you can use USR’s EasyConfigurator tool which searches the network for USR devices. The latter provides quick access to ADSL parameters, the country of operation and the tools for applying firmware upgrades.

The web interface is easy enough to use although the supporting documentation could be more helpful especially when it comes to modifying some security options. Firewall duties are handled by NAT and SPI and address filters can be used to stop LAN users from accessing the Internet. Port filters could prove useful as you can block or allow access to all PCs physically connected to any of the four Ethernet ports. A single server can also be placed in a DMZ to allow direct external access to it from the Internet. However, unlike the majority of units on test, the USR does not provide any options for entering URLs or keywords for blocking access to specific web sites.

Wireless security extends to WEP, SSID masking and MAC address filtering, while WPA using pre-shared keys or those supplied by a RADIUS server are also supported. However, wireless performance left a lot to be desired as USR singularly failed to distinguish itself in any of the tests. Speeds of 14.2Mbit/sec for the two metre line-of-sight test were around 25 per cent slower than the top performers and we even reran the tests using a 3Com OfficeConnect 802.11g PC Card but saw almost identical results.

Verdict

As a general purpose router the ADSL Wireless Gateway works well enough but there’s better value to be had elsewhere. Wireless performance is well below par and the S=1/2 technology is of no value to UK users.

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