NetComm NP802n Wireless Router

Design
At first glance, the NetComm NP802n doesn't look much like a NetComm router. Yes, it does still bear all the hallmarks of modern router design — it's small, it's boxy, there's more antennas here than at Pine Gap — but unlike recently tested models such as the NB12WD and N3G005W, it's got a smoother, all-white casing that looks and feels a lot more like competitor Netgear's product lines, although the NetComm NP802n is a tad smaller.

Front panel lights are well laid out and blink in the classic blinkenlights style, while the rear of the router houses four gigabit Ethernet ports, one WAN port and power. One slight oddity of the NetComm NP802n's design is that owing to the three detachable antennas that protrude from the back, the four gigabit Ethernet ports are split into groups of two, divided by the middle antenna.

Features
The NetComm NP802n sits at the top of the range of NetComm's new line of 802.11n routers; the company has previously stayed away from the 802.11n market, citing lack of formal certification of the 802.11n standard. The other models — the NP801n and NP800n come in a touch cheaper than the NP802n, at AU$179.30 and AU$139.70 respectively, but you'll drop down to standard 10/100 ports and fewer antennas with each step along the way. It's also worth noting that while you can switch the compatibility mode of the router's wireless configuration, depending on which standards you wish to comply with, the router itself only outputs in the 2.4GHz range.

Aside from 802.11n, the NetComm NP802n also comes with four gigabit Ethernet ports; NetComm's pitch for this model is that it's for SOHO and gamers who want the best possible speed. As with every modern router, configuration is primarily via a web interface. One nice touch — in the same style as the N3G005W — is that wireless security is enabled by default. It's a generic enough password, but at least some security is better than no security, and it should encourage users to implement their own wireless security solutions.

Performance
Setting up the NetComm NP802n follows the usual predictable router install path. Unlike the NB12WD, NetComm does provide a printed quickstart guide, although like that model, quick is the best way to describe it; not much more than "plug it in, connect up a PC and go to the web interface" printed on a glossy piece of paper.

The router interface is suitably well laid out, and the pre-install wizard should be a good fit for novice users. We were particularly impressed with the wireless set-up portion of the install routine, which uses a sliding security scale to demonstrate the relative levels of security — from nothing all the way up to WPA2 AES — and lets you input the desired variables below.

Once we were up and running with the NP802n, we set to running it through our standard series of wireless networking tests. As it's 2.4GHz only, we've only compared it to similar 2.4GHz models, and in order to give it the best possible signal/throughput chances, we placed it in 802.11n-only transmission mode.

Signal strength: 2.4GHz

Throughput: 2.4GHz

As with all of our wireless tests, results are indicative in our test location only, and depending on where you deploy a router, as well as competing signals, your results may differ. The NP802n's lack of 5GHz mode does present the spectre of plenty of performance problems, although as with other 2.4GHz units we've tested, we didn't hit too much of a problem in that respect.

Predictably, signal strength dropped off sharply after a short distance, but we were still able to maintain signal around an ordinary suburban Sydney home with few problems. Throughput at close range was competitive with better performers (some of which do offer 5GHz range), but where the NP802n did redeem itself was at longer ranges, coming second only to the Netgear WNDR3300. It's still well below the hype that vendors (including NetComm) place on 802.11n, but comparatively it's very competitive indeed.