ZyAir G-1000 Internet Access Point 802.11G 54Mbps (also b) ZyXel Access Point : $110 http://www.zyxel.com Sean Gibson - email

INTRODUCTION

Wireless technology is king, with mainstream computer users setting up a wireless network inside their home or small office regularly. It's a wonderful new side of technology that many didn't predict would become such a mainstream part of our lives. Being able to set up an effective wireless network, especially in an office setting, can save a company thousands of dollars.

ZyXel's G-1000 Access Point is a Wireless LAN Access Point compliant with the IEEE 802.11g standard. The 802.11g protocol delivers data rates of up to 54Mbps and when used with WPA encryption can be a highly secure, reliable, and easy-to-use wireless LAN solution for residential and business applications.

description of technology

For the ZyXel G-1000 unit, standard features include powerful security mechanisms such as IEEE 802.1x user authentication and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), both of which allow users to communicate and access data with efficient link quality and high-level network security. For those of you that aren't already on the WPA bandwagon, you need to get there very fast. Without it, anyone with a wireless connection can log into your network, and theoretically hack into any computer into the network almost uncontested. With the protected access enabled (WPA), the network can be safe and secure from unwanted access.

The ZyAIR G-1000 allows users to connect both 802.11g WLAN clients and 802.11b WLAN clients at the same time. Additionally, for a wide range of flexibility and movement, users can easily integrate the ZyAIR G-1000 wireless connection into an existing wired network by using the built-in Web-based configurator.

installation

We had two different Routers that we had to work though with this device. The only problem during installation was getting into the G-1000's web based configurator because it already had a set IP outside the range of either router, making it very difficult to set up. Basically it took a little finesse, but we eventually reset the unit's IP address to one within the range of both routers and were then up and running for 802.11g bliss. For those of you brand new to wireless networking, getting this unit to work with your existing router might take some serious reading of the manual or even a call to tech support. For you advanced users out there, especially IT people in the office (whom I strongly suspect will be the biggest users of this product) you'll not have too much hassle setting the unit up.

Performance

We set up a system about 10 feet away and ran a few tests to make sure this sucker did in fact run at 54Mbps. Then, to test the the Access Point was done with the help of NetIQ's Qcheck 3.0 software, which is freeware and can be downloaded by clicking here. It's a fantastic program that can test out the throughput rate as well as the response time between nodes on a network.

Response Time Testing

Well 1ms is really what we're aiming for with response time between computers 10 feet away. The response time from the "close" tests with the computer within 15 to 30 feet yielded the same results.

Throughput Tests

The great thing about this program is that between 2 points on the network you can send a packet of information to determine the throughput. Unfortunately the maximum size is only 1000k, so that's what we set it at.

After 50 tests the average response time for the 1000k packet was 16.134Mbps. This is pretty decent to be honest and outperformed some of the other wireless access points we've reviewed here.

Overall, the network performance of the unit was good.

I mentioned before in the review that WEP is an absolute critical thing to have with any wireless network. For example, at home, I'm able to access my neighbor's wireless network and log in without him apparently knowing at all. Would you want someone to do this with your home or office network? Of course not! With the firewall and WEP features being highlights for security, it's highly recommended to initiate the firmware upgrade to enable these features. Note: The firmware upgrade for this unit can be downloaded here.

Overall Impressions

The performance of the unit was pretty impressive and had outperformed some of the other wireless access points we've reviewed in recent time. This unit is a great add-on to your existing network to either extend a wireless network, or to add wireless capabilities that aren't already there. The coolness factor is addressed in the form of a very small, sleek, and modern design in the unit, and the fact that WPA can indeed be implemented with this unit. It's highly recommended by this reviewer that WPA be implemented into all wireless networks for obvious reasons - nobody wants unauthorized access into their network!

The price point of the G-1000 is about $110, which for "just an access point" is a little high. However, the usefulness for such a product is so high that many IT professionals would do well by wanting this item to add-on into their existing office networks (where I personally feel this product has much more appeal). Since 802.11G is the new standard and many people find the performance perfect, don't expect any new wireless protocols to be developed and implemented anytime soon, so there's a great longevity factor.

Overall, the ZyAir G-1000 Access Point is a perfect add-on to existing networks to upgrade or implement 802.11g wireless networking capabilities. Because the product is scaleable, you can have as many of these units in a given area as you wish in order to maximize a coverage area. The performance was nice, and the firmware upgrade to implement WPA is an absolute must for everyone. In the end, this is a solid product for networking professionals to use.

9 / 10 OVERALL SCORE 92% 9 / 10 8 / 10 10 / 10 10 / 10 9.2 / 10