Design
The BiPAC 7404VGP won't win any awards for its style. Billion has eschewed a fancy case in favour of function in this device, unlike rival Netgear which has started to make its routers stand out visually. The model comes in a blue square case that is reminiscent of the back office hardware produced by enterprise vendors like Cisco.
But do you really care what your router looks like as long as it works?
On the front of the router are lights displaying the status of the device's various network ports, such as ADSL broadband, Wi-Fi, four ethernet ports and telephony.
On the back of the router are those ports. They look sturdy and are clearly labelled. Also on the back sits the small antennae providing Wi-Fi access. There is also an on-switch, a still-useful feature some manufacturers don't bother with anymore.
At 210mm by 148mm by 36mm, the 7404VGP is a little larger than some routers on the market, but most people will probably tuck it away behind a desk somewhere, so it probably doesn't matter. The extra size can also be explained by the substantial functionality of the model.
Features
Billion went all out with this model and packed it full of features. For starters it's an ADSL2+ router, allowing speeds of up to 24Mbps. We were able to sync our ADSL2+ connection reliably at around 16Mbps. You won't be able to get ADSL2+ speeds with all Internet service providers though; most are still limited to a maximum of 1.5Mbps due to their dependence on Telstra's broadband network.
ADSL2+ support is fast becoming standard in the Australian market though, so Billion put a few other treats in to keep customers satisfied. For starters the router supports Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony, with two ports dedicated to this increasingly popular technique of cheaply making calls over the Internet with a provider such as Engin or mynetfone.
The VoIP support means you won't need an external device to use VoIP -- you can plug your normal old telephone right into this router and just make calls. In actual fact, you can plug two! Your non-computer-literate mother won't even know she's calling her friends over the Internet.
In case your VoIP line temporarily stops working for any reason (or you just don't want to use VoIP), the router also includes a normal telephony port to make calls over the normal public switched telephony network (PSTN).
VoIP isn't known for its reliability, so this is a needed feature right now. If your VoIP lines aren't working the router will automatically direct outgoing calls to the PSTN line.
To ensure the quality of your voice calls isn't affected by your downloads the 7404VGP includes what is known as quality of service (QoS).
We could go on further about the 7404VGP's feature set -- but it's really not necessary. If there is a feature that you need in this router it's probably there -- it even supports broadband standards like Annex M (which doubles ADSL uploading speeds) that aren't even being used in Australia yet.
Performance
Your writer owned an entry-level Billion ADSL modem a few years back that was flakey and prone to overheating. Well, the vendor has clearly done its homework and fixed those issues. The 7404VGP was very reliable over the week that we put it through its paces.
We didn't have any network performance issues of any kind, and unlike other models that we've tested, the Wi-Fi signal remained strong even through several walls and across the other side of your writer's house. The quality of VoIP calls was similar to that experienced when using an external analogue telephony adaptor device.
The one issue that must be mentioned with respect to this device is the user interface of its Web configuration system. It's simple enough to set up a basic ADSL connection, but once you start getting into VoIP and security configuration you'll probably need to break out the router's handbook unless you have a strong level of personal technical expertise.
Unlike some other models in its class, the 7404VGP's Web interface is clunky and we found it quite confusing to navigate. In this area the router's extensive feature list turns out to be a curse, as you can configure every option under the sun. Your writer has set up many routers in his time, but there were many options presented which he had never heard of.
To give Billion some credit the router does come with a wizard, and the router can automatically scan for settings. However most novice users will still need to get their hands dirty a little if they want to use the device's full functionality.
The router didn't come with a hard copy manual -- the only copy was a PDF document on an included CD.
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mac_nut99
11/07/2008, 07:04 PM
rating
9/10
Great unit, shame about the power switch. Mine has been flakey for the last few times I have power cycled the equipment and I am now sitting here typing with one hand because the switch won't stay on!
Apart from this small bug bear, this has been the best router I have owned, voip excellent and very good speeds.
Love it so much I am holding down the bl**dy power button to shop for a new one
Pros: everything
Cons: power switch
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Rartemass
25/06/2008, 10:28 AM
rating
8/10
The 7404 is a nice piece of machinery. I quite like the simple look of it. I tuck it away under a desk anyway so what does it matter how it looks?
It took me a while to figure out what I needed to setup but I didn't need to look at the manual to get the basics, ie wireless security, MAC filtering, ADSL and VOIP connected.
The firewall was the biggest hurdle and I still don't have it configured how I want.
The biggest issue I had was when I reset the admin password. I set up everything except the firewall and decided to change the password. When I did the router rebooted and reset everything to factory default.
The second time I configured everything I created a second account with a different name and password, then disabled the admin account. This saved the settings fine and I can log in with my more secure account.
It was a steep learning curve to get this working but well worth the effort. the interface isn't as bad as people have made out. I have only setup one wireless network before and got this configured for wireless to 2 PC, wired to 2 PCs, ADSL and VOIP connected in less than 2 hours. Now I know what to do I could repeat the process in less than 30 minutes. All this without looking at the manual. How bad can that make the interface?
Pros: Does everything I need and more.
Cons: Firewall blocked torrents and P2P by default. Difficult to locate what settings are blocking it.
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Super Guy
12/02/2008, 03:31 PM
rating
9/10
Ive just installed the 7401VGPM which is the little brother to the 7404 (the 7401 offers only single phone port otheriwse the same).
The unit replaces a NETGEAR DG834GV. which while simple to set up lacked configurability and doesnt support IVR systems meaning I can t access phone banking etc through the VOIP line.
The Billion has all of the funtionality of the netgear and much more.
Setup was more complicated than NETGEAR as the unit is far more configurable. I'm no techo and still managed to rebuild the network last evening with 4 wireless devices 2 network printes a nas and desktop and everything worked!
Most importantly I now have access to IVR systems and the line quality over voip is indisquishable from PTSN - something that was a problem with the NETGEAR.
Before buying the Billion I emailed their support line to ensure I was buying the correct unit - all the info I needed back within an hour - couldnt be happier.
Pros: does what it should and highly configurable to meet every need
excellent support response
$80 -$90 cheaper than its competitors!
Cons: Brevity in technical mannual writing is not a strength
cheap looking casing, power supply etc and the light show is a bit OTT
best not to set it up with a glass of red
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stmoore
20/12/2007, 11:31 AM
rating
3/10
Very disappointing wifi and voip performance
Pros: haven't found any yet
Cons: Wifi is flakey at best. Sometimes won't give out IP address even though notebook connects. Have to reboot router to fix
Voip is poor. Constantly drops incoming calls, modem hangs and needs reboot
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alx8
19/12/2007, 09:18 AM
rating
10/10
best router ive ever had. adsl 2 performance, wireless, use the newest firmware though
Pros: everything
Cons: i dont know if the writer has used the internet on computers before.
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gsalier
05/12/2007, 03:04 PM
rating
9/10
Rock solid ADSL2+ performance.
If looks matter to you then this is not your device. However if performance, reliability and flexibility are what you want then this is the device for you. Have not experienced the wireless issues with four different devices. (Jasjam included).
Pros: Stability
Reliability
Flexibility
Cons: Can't really find any so far...
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d_man41
16/08/2007, 09:03 AM
rating
9/10
Great adsl2+ router, lots of configurable settings, stable VoIP, fast throughput.
Ensure you use the latest STABLE firmware currently 5.52g.
Pros: Fast throughput
Stable VoIP
Lots of settings to configure for optimal performance
frequent firmware updates - shows Billion want to improve the product.
Cons: Generally flaky wireless performance, recommend buying a higher gain antenna.
Perhaps too many options for newbies.
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Tunsten
05/04/2007, 11:28 PM
rating
10/10
MAGNIFICO!
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slash
19/12/2006, 06:56 PM
rating
9/10
Awesome piece of engineering...one of the best ADSL2/2+ perfomers. I have tried Netgear DG834G, Alcatel SpeedTouch, Linksys AG241 but no one beats Billion in the qulity of ADSL trought put... Downloaded 20 GBs in 48 hours !! including 1700 MBs in 1 hour Never before done that !!
Wifi Performance is good enough for home ...I have successfully tried with Centrino Lappys , Linksys and Netgear PCMCIA Cards ...works like a charm...
VOIP perfomance is good as well, however its a nob's nightmare and a tweaker's paradise... to configure it
Interface is not as good as a Dlink or a Netgear but it's the performance that counts...
Already recommended to a couple of friends and clients...
Pros: -Solid allround perfomace in ADSL2/2+ environments
-Wifi Performance / compatibility is good
- VOIP can be connected with 2 different vendors
- Excellent tweaking capabilities trought the interface or CLI
Cons: -Not as good looking as a Netgear or a Linksys Mimo
-GUI needs to be more user friendly speially for non-tech users
- A second Wifi Antenna is desirable
-DDNS client is updated even if the IP is not changed. Issues with DDNS.org
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whitebridge78
18/12/2006, 03:00 PM
rating
9/10
Very happy with purchase. Tried it at home first than bought a second for work with VOIP.
Pros: Great VOIP and wireless capabilities
Cons: Difficult configuration
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