Aztech HomePlug HL280E Snap Review

I’m never a fan of wireless network even though I have a D-Link DIR-655 Wireless N router at home. I’ll mainly be using the 4 ports Gigabit switch available on the DIR-655 for connections of my Mac mini server, MacBook Pro, NAS and Playstation 3. The OpenNet’s Optical Fibre termination point is in the living where most of my servers, NAS, computers being in the bed room. Hence I’ve decided to try out the new Aztech HomePlug HL280E which enable network connection through the use of powerline up to 1000Mbps.

A pair of Aztech HL280E Adapter from Bizgram

I’ll be performing a series of tests using iPerf (TCP mode only test).

Test Machines & Software
Server: MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7, 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, Raid-0 (2 x 240GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD Serial ATA 2.5″ Solid State Drives)

Server IP: 192.168.2.2, Gateway 192.168.2.1, Subnet: 255.255.255.0

Client: MacBook Pro 2GHz CoreDuo, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 500GB SATA HDD

Client IP: 192.168.2.1, Gateway 192.168.2.1, Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Power Strips: 02 x Taiyo 8 Gang 3 Metres Extension Sockets

Tool version: iperf version 2.0.2 (03 May 2005) pthreads
iPerf Commands

Server: iperf -s

Client: iperf -c 192.168.2.2


Client will attempt to iperf server IP for 3 times in succession.

Test 1 (Server and client in the bedroom, on the same wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Bedroom

Test 1 - iPerf results

Test 2 (Server connected to wall socket, client connected to wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 2 - iPerf results

Test 3 (Server connected to wall socket, client connected to power strip)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 3 - iPerf results

Test 4 (Server connected to wall socket, client connected to wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Utility Room (Room furthest away from bedroom with wall socket extended from kitchen’s existing power circuit)

Test 4 - iPerf results

Test 5 (Server connected to power strip, client connected to power strip)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 5 - iPerf results

Test 6 (Server connected to power strip, client connected to wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 6 - iPerf results

Test 6 will be the likely scenario of how my network will be deployed since there’s only 1 wall socket closest to where all my NAS, Mac Mini and MacBook Pro were, hence the HomePlug for the bedroom will definitely be on a power strip.

When my SingTel exStream gets activated eventually, a network speed of 50 Mbits/sec isn’t too bad.

More about the snapshot at sgwoot.com posted by guest blogger.

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TP-Link TL-WR710N travel router review

TP-Link’s TL-WR710N travel router is very similar to Netgear’s PR2000 Trek, but in a slightly smaller form factor. Like the Trek, it can plug straight into an electrical socket, it has a USB 2.0 Type A port for sharing storage, and it has two ethernet ports. Unlike the Trek, it supports only one 150Mbps spatial stream in 802.11n mode (on the 2.4GHz frequency band); and since it doesn’t have a micro USB port, it must be plugged into a wall socket (unless you travel with an extension cord, I suppose).

The TL-WR710N can operate in one of five modes. In wireless router mode, you connect the Pocket Router to a DSL or cable modem and clients connect to the router wirelessly or via an ethernet cable plugged into its LAN port. In wireless access-point mode, the router connects to a hardwired network that has Internet access and creates a wireless network that clients can join to reach the Internet. In this case, the second LAN port can support one hardwired client (or more if you connect an ethernet switch).

"If I had to choose between this and Netgear's Trek, I’d go with the Trek."

In WISP mode, the Pocket Router establishes a wireless connection to a Wi-Fi hotspot and shares that Internet access on its own wireless network (as well as through its LAN port). And in repeater mode, you can use the Pocket Router to extend the range of a wireless network by establishing a wireless connection to another wireless router or wireless access point. It will then rebroadcast that signal.

The TL-WR710N comes with preconfigured security, with its default SSID, wireless password, and admin login and password printed on the side of the device (albeit in itty-bitty print). Like TP-Link’s TL-MR3040, the Pocket Router supports up to WPA/WPA2 security with a RADIUS server. A single unlabeled LED (on the side facing out when the router is plugged into a wall socket report) glows blue when the device is working properly and blinks when the device is booting or when an ethernet cable or USB device is connecting to the router. Not terribly informative. This router doesn’t have a WPS button, either, but it does support the feature in software.

You can share files stored on a USB hard drive by plugging it into the Pocket Router, and TP-Link provides a media server for streaming music, video, and photos (but the server is not DLNA certified). You can also establish user accounts for file sharing, to restrict access and control whether users can read and write files or only read them.

When I measured TCP throughput, the Pocket Router finished last overall. When the wireless client was in the same room as the router, separated by nine feet, I saw TCP throughput of just 15.4Mbps. When I moved the client to the kitchen, 20 feet away with one insulated wall in between, the Pocket Router’s throughput dropped only slightly, to 14.6 Mbps. As with TP-Link's other travel router, the TL-WR710N couldn't reach the MacBook Pro when I placed it in my home office, 65 feet from the router and separated by several insulated walls.

Would I buy one?

The TP-Link TL-MR3040 and the Netgear Trek PR2000 are street-priced about the same. The TP-Link’s user interface exposes more functions than the Netgear’s does, but the Netgear delivers much higher performance.

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Trendnet TEW-714TRU Pocket Wireless Router Review

You have to wonder why there are so many types of electrical plugs in the world. It’s a pain in the neck that Trendnet remedies by providing three swappable plugs: One for use in the UK, one for use in the rest of Europe, and one for North America. Since most other countries use one of those three types of adapters, Trendnet figures its router can plug into 90 percent of the world’s electrical outlets.

The router itself is relatively small; think of a slightly oversized wall wart. It plugs directly into an electrical outlet, much like the Netgear Trek and the TP-Link TL-WR710N. It can operate in one of three modes: As a wireless router connected to a DSL or cable modem or a hardwired network; in WISP mode, connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot; or as a repeater to extend the range of an existing wireless network. You slide a button on the side of the device to choose which mode you’d like it to operate in.

The Trendnet has one ethernet port and two USB ports. One is a USB 2.0 Type A for sharing files stored on a connected storage device, but there is no media server onboard for streaming music, video, or photos.

The second USB port is used only for charging small devices, such as a smartphone, tablet, or media player (it will deliver between 1.1- and 2.1 amps of power). There is no provision for using a 3G, 4G, or LTE USB modem with this router. An on/off button on the other side of the router lets you turn off the router’s network function without disabling its USB charging function.

Like most of the other travel routers in this roundup, the TEW-714TRU supports the 802.11b/g/n standards, delivering one 150Mbps spatial stream on the 2.4GHz frequency band. The router comes from the factory preconfigured with a secure password, and its default SSID, network password, and admin login and password are printed on a label that gets hidden the moment you plug the router into the wall (because it’s on the same side as its prongs). A WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) button on the side of the router simplifies the process of adding clients to its wireless network, but you’ll still need to know the admin login info to access its user interface.

In terms of performance, the TEW-714TRU is way in the back of the pack, but it's faster than the last-place TP-Link TL-WR710N. At close range, with the client nine feet from the router and in the same room, it mustered TCP throughput of just 18.4Mbps. The first-place-finishing Netgear Trek PR2000 hit 87.7Mbps here. The Trendnet finished next to last when the client was in the kitchen, 20 feet from router and separated by one wall, delivering TCP throughput of 16.2Mbps.

It wasn’t able to sustain a connection at all when I moved the client to my home office, which is 65 feet from the router and separated by several walls.

Power tips uber alles?

The TEW-714TRU’s power tips will benefit frequent world travelers, and its ability to charge mobile devices and share files from an attached USB storage device are attractive features. But this router’s Wi-Fi performance leaves a bit to be desired.

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Netgear Trek PR2000 Travel Router Review

The Netgear Trek is extremely versatile and it delivers great speed and range, but it operates only on the 2.4GHz frequency band. It doesn’t have as many features as some of its competitors, but it is well designed and is largely self-contained. You’ll never need to worry about packing an AC adapter, because it’s built in—just swing its blades down and plug it into a nearby socket.

If you want better range than what you’ll get from operating the router near the floor, you can plug a USB AC adapter into its micro USB port (but you’ll need to provide your own, since Netgear doesn’t put one in the box). You could also connect an external battery to the Trek’s micro USB port (here again, you’ll need to provide your own).

"When you’re at home, you can configure the Trek as a wireless range extender."

The Trek operates only on the 2.4GHz frequency band, supporting the 802.11b/g/n standards, but it supports two spatial streams in 802.11n mode to deliver maximum throughput of 300Mbps (most of its 802.11b/g/n competitors support only one spatial stream and therefore top out at 150Mbps).

That and the aid of an articulated antenna helped the Trek deliver very high throughput—76.3Mbps—when the client was in my home office, 65 feet from the router and separated by several walls. That's more than three times faster than two of the other routers I tested, and the other three couldn’t reach the client at all.

With the client at close range—nine feet from the router and in the same room—the Trek delivered TCP throughput of 87.7Mbps, and the Trek's performance actually ticked up slightly when I moved the MacBook Pro to the kitchen, 20 feet from the router and separated by one insulated wall.

Pivoting the antenna upward—as I did for my tests—exposes four LEDs that light up to report power status, Internet access, Wi-Fi activity, and the presence of a USB storage device. It’s always nice to have visual affirmation instead of having to guess what’s going on.

Netgear’s travel router has two ethernet ports, so you can connect one to a DSL modem, cable modem, or the ethernet connection in your hotel room, and support one wired network client with the other (or plug in a switch and support as many hardwired clients as the switch has ports). The Trek does not support a guest network, which means anyone who's granted access to your network will be able see all the other devices on your network—you can’t restrict them to just Internet access.

You can also connect the Trek to a Wi-Fi hotspot and share a broadband connection that way. A WPS button would be a welcome addition in these scenarios; as it stands, you need either to log into the router’s user interface to initiate WPS pairing, or read the factory-assigned SSID and Wi-Fi password that’s printed on the router itself (assuming you didn’t change it). This is a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

When you’re at home, you can configure the Trek as a wireless range extender to fill in dead spots, or as a wireless bridge to support clients such as older Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, or AV receivers that require a hardwired network connection. Just don’t forget to take it with you when you hit the road again.

The Trek has one USB 2.0 Type A port that can be used to share a portable hard drive over your network. I much prefer Netgear’s Readyshare software for sharing files on a USB hard drive attached to the router. Using an SMB server, you can easily copy multiple files or entire folders over your network. The Trek also has an FTP server for sharing large files over the network or over the Internet.

You can also use that USB port to charge another USB device, such as a smartphone or media player—when the router is plugged into power. Unlike the D-Link and TP-Link devices, however, the Trek does not support USB cellular modems (although Netgear’s website indicates that the model sold in China and Russia does).

The Netgear Trek supports UPnP, but it doesn’t have a DLNA-certified media server. If you consider media streaming a critical feature, you might be happier with D-Link’s DIR-510L. But I don’t imagine that particular feature will be all that important to someone shopping for a travel router.

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D-Link DIR-510L Wi-Fi AC750 Travel Router Review

The DIR-510L is a marvelous device that's capable of running on AC power using the provided adapter, or it can run on its own internal 4000mAh battery. And it has three USB ports, so it can share files stored on a USB hard drive and run on AC power at the same time. The router must be put into charging mode to charge anything (the USB port delivers up to one amp of power to an attached device).

The DIR-510L is the first 802.11ac travel router.

Most travel routers trail the market, supporting older standards and offering limited features. Few would say that about D-Link’s DIR-510L (or the Wi-Fi AC750, depending on which name you find easier to remember). This is the first travel router to support the 802.11ac standard, and it’s loaded with features.

In case you’re wondering what AC750 means, it’s the industry’s fuzzy-math marketing speak for informing buyers that a router supports two 150Mbps spatial streams using the 802.11n standard, and one 433Mbps spatial stream using the 802.11ac standard (never mind that 150 + 150 + 433 add up to only 733).

The DIR-510L is a dual-band router capable of running on the 2.4GHz frequency band in 802.11b/g/n mode, or on the 5GHz frequency band in 802.11a or 802.11ac mode. It has only one Ethernet port, so it can’t support a wired network, but it can operate as a wireless router connected to either a wired broadband connection, or as a wireless hotspot connected to a wireless broadband connection. Alternatively, you can share a 3G, 4G, or LTE wireless broadband connection with a wireless USB adapter and whichever cellular service you subscribe to.

It has a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button, which makes connecting clients super-easy (there’s no need to write down the SSID or WPA password). You should be aware, however, that the DIR-510L doesn’t come with any preset security. Don’t get in a hurry and forget to set that up, or anyone will be able to jump on your network. The DIR-510L supports guest networks on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, enabling you to share Internet access with others without granting them access to the computers on your network.

While feature-rich, the DIR-510L was not the fastest travel router I tested—at least not when I tested it with a Mac server and a Mac client. Netgear's 2.4GHz 802.11n router was faster than the D-Link both when the D-Link was operating as a 2.4GHz 802.11n router and when it was operating in 802.11ac mode on the 5GHz frequency band.

When operating as an 802.11ac router, the D-Link DIR-510L delivered throughput of 59.8Mbps when the client was in the same room as the router, nine feet away. Throughput dropped marginally to 48.5Mbps when I moved the router into my kitchen, 20 feet from the router with one insulated wall in between. The D-Link couldn't connect to the MacBook Pro at all when I moved it to my home office, 65 feet away and separated by several insulated walls. Distance typically isn't a big problem with travel routers, unless you're trying to support several colleagues in adjacent hotel rooms.

As you can see from the benchmark chart, the client had no problem connecting to the DIR-510L's 2.4GHz 802.11n network when the client was in my home office. I measured TCP throughput of 29.5Mbps in that scenario. At closer range, the D-Link delivered throughput of 42.3- and 43.1Mbps when the client was in the bedroom and kitchen respectively. But that's a far cry from the Netgear Trek's performance of 87.7-, 89.2-, and 76.3Mbps in the bedroom, kitchen, and home office respectively.

The DIR-510L has an onboard DLNA media server for streaming music, photos, and video from an attached USB hard drive. D-Link’s SharePort app supports most of the typical file formats: bmp, jpg, and png for photos; mp3, wav, and m4a for audio; mp4, mov, and m4v for video; as well as PDF and Microsoft Office document formats. Sadly, however, it does not support flac audio files. If you’re using a Mac, you can use D-Link’s SharePort Web Access to view directories of files on an attached drive. D-Link also offers SharePort apps for iOS and Android devices.

The D-Link DIR-510L has nearly all the features you could want in a compact router, but it's not the top performer—at least not when paired with a MacBook. That title belongs to Negear's Trek PR2000. When I tested these routers with a Windows laptop, the results were just the opposite.

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Asus Chromebox Review

ASUS’ first desktop Chrome OS device is simply called the Chromebox. From a distance it looks like a somewhat larger Intel NUC. The low profile, square form factor has become the shape of choice for bringing Ultrabook CPUs to desktops. ASUS’ take on the design is matte plastic on all faces, with a glossy plastic trim around the top. There’s a single white LED above the power button on the unit. Google’s Chrome logo and brand integrate nicely on the top of the box. Google appears to be learning from the mistakes of its predecessors - logos are ok, as long as they don’t clutter up the design.

More expensive materials would be nice but for $179, I’m not complaining. In a world where small dimensions usually come at a premium, ASUS and Google continue the Chrome OS trend of delivering a better than expected experience at a given price point.

ASUS Chromebox Comparison ASUS Chromebox vs. Intel Haswell NUC

ASUS Chromebox
	ASUS Chromebox	Intel Haswell NUC
OS Preloaded	Google Chrome OS	None
CPU	Intel Celeron 2955U (2C/2T 1.4GHz 2MB L3) Intel Core i3-4010U (2C/4T 1.7GHz 3MB L3) Intel Core i7-4600U (2C/4T 2.1/3.3GHz 4MB L3)	Intel Core i3-4010U (2C/4T 1.7GHz 3MB L3) Intel Core i5-4250U (2C/4T 1.3/2.6GHz 3MB L3)
GPU	Celeron: Intel HD (200/1000MHz) Core i3: Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) Core i7: Intel HD 4400 (200/1100MHz)	Core i3: Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) Core i5: Intel HD 5000 (200/1000MHz)
Memory	2GB/4GB configs, 2 x DDR3 SO-DIMM Slots	2 x DDR3 SO-DIMM Slots
Storage	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years	1 x mini PCIe (full length)
LAN	10/100/1000 Ethernet	10/100/1000 Ethernet
Wireless	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0	1 x mini PCIe (half length)
External I/O	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)	4 x USB 3.0 1 x mini HDMI 1 x mini DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)
Power Supply	65W	65W
Dimensions	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"	4.59" x 4.41" x 1.36"
Starting Price	$179	$285

The Chromebox has four USB 3.0 ports. Two are located on the front, and two more around back. On the back side there’s also a Gigabit Ethernet port, DisplayPort and HDMI outputs as well as a 1/8" audio out.

There’s an SD card reader on the left side of the unit, along with a Kensington security slot. The recovery switch is just above the security slot. To enter recovery mode use a pin or paperclip to keep the switch pressed down while powering up the unit. Hit CTRL+D to boot into dev mode once at the recovery screen.

Despite ASUS’ initial claims that its Chromebox would be fanless, there is a single fan inside the machine. Air is brought in through the bottom and vented through the back of the chassis. Fan noise is minimal, and it is entirely possible to run the machine without the fan spinning up but open up enough tabs and you’ll find the fan humming away all the time. My review unit was a development unit, which ASUS claims was a bit louder than final retail units will be. Given the low performance requirements of Chrome OS and the low thermal footprint of the Haswell based Celeron inside, noise isn’t an issue with the ASUS Chromebox.

As with anything this size, the power supply is external. In this case ASUS uses an AC adapter that looks a lot like what you get with one of its Ultrabooks. The external power supply can deliver up to 65W, although I never saw power consumption above 15W.
Hardware & Configurations

The Chromebox will be available in three different configurations. Each configuration is a fully functional PC with DRAM, storage and WiFi already configured. Chrome OS comes preloaded on all systems.

In the US you’ll only find the Celeron 2955U and Core i3 models. ASUS sampled me the $179 Celeron 2955U but upgraded to 4GB of RAM instead of the default 2GB.

ASUS Chromebox Configurations
	Chromebox-M004U	Chromebox-M025U	Chromebox-M020U
OS Preloaded	Google Chrome OS	Google Chrome OS	Google Chrome OS
CPU	Intel Celeron 2955U (2C/2T 1.4GHz 2MB L3)	Intel Core i3-4010U (2C/4T 1.7GHz 3MB L3)	Intel Core i7-4600U (2C/4T 2.1/3.3GHz 4MB L3)
GPU	Intel HD (200/1000MHz)	Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) 4K Video Support	Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) 4K Video Support
Memory	1 x 2GB DDR3-1600	1 x 4GB DDR3-1600	2 x 2GB DDR3-1600
Storage	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years
LAN	10/100/1000 Ethernet	10/100/1000 Ethernet	10/100/1000 Ethernet
Wireless	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0
External I/O	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)
Power Supply	65W	65W	65W
Dimensions	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"
MSRP	$179	$369	?

The Core i3 model ships with an ASUS Chromebox wireless keyboard and mouse (available for $50 separately). The Core i7 model, which isn't available in the US, features a remote control with QWERTY keyboard, external speaker and 1080p webcam.

The $179 configuration is clearly the sweet spot for ASUS’ Chromebox. While the Core i3 model does increase memory capacity and improves performance, unless you have a real need for 4K video out the savings offered by the entry level Celeron model are hard to beat.

Storage

One of the biggest problems with entry level PCs is they ship with a mechanical hard drive rather than solid state storage. The result is very high latency IO and a user experience that can be substantially worse than using a smartphone or tablet when it comes to launching apps. Many Chrome OS devices instead opt for shipping higher performance eMMC solutions or low end SSDs; ASUS’ Chromebox is no exception. All ASUS Chromebox models ship with a 16GB SanDisk U110 M.2 (SATA) SSD. ASUS isn’t multi-sourcing the drives, this should be the only thing you find if you crack open one of the boxes.

The Chromebox ships with an SD card reader and four USB 3.0 ports so you can obviously get media onto the device, there’s just not much space to store it. Also keep in mind that as with (almost) all SSDs you’ll want to keep a substantial amount of free space on the drive to avoid ruining the user experience. In the case of the U110 you have around 12GB free by default, and I wouldn’t drop below 3GB - 4GB free on the drive.

Given the small size of the internal SSD, I don’t expect we’ll see a lot of users pulling large files off of the drive. As there’s no support for network share access under Chrome OS, if you want to play an offline video you’ll have to either stream it off an attached USB/SD card or copy it locally from external storage. Although the Chromebox features four USB 3.0 ports, I measured max sequential write speed at around 42MB/s (copying from a USB 3.0 Patriot Supersonic Magnum SSD). I suspect we’re limited by the write speed to the single NAND device (likely two NAND die) on the U110.

All Chromebox owners receive 100GB of free Google Drive space for 2 years - an attempt to offset the limited local storage.

Memory

ASUS offers three different configurations of the Chromebox. The entry level $179 configuration ships with a single 2GB DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM. Even the upgraded Core i3 model ($369) only ships with a single 4GB DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM. It’s only the fully upgraded Chromebox M020U (Chrome for Meetings) that ships with two SO-DIMMs (2 x 2GB).

ASUS shipped me the $179 system upgraded with two 2GB DDR3-1600 SO-DIMMs (4GB total up from the 2GB base). For light usage I didn’t see DRAM usage exceed 2GB, however when I really started heavy multitasking with the machine I can see 2GB being a bit of a limit. I’m pretty confident that the $179 configuration will make for a good system as is, however it likely wouldn’t hurt to buy another 2GB SO-DIMM ($20 - $25).

Inside the ASUS Chromebox

Like the NUC, it's pretty easy to get inside the Chromebox. Peel off the four rubber feet underneath the box to reveal the four Phillips head screws. Remove the screws and use one of the screw holes to provide leverage to pop the bottom off and you're in.

ASUS' motherboard is slightly rectangular (11.25cm x 10cm) compared to the more square Intel NUC form factor (10cm x 10cm).

There are no real surprises on the inside. The Chromebox features two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, an M.2 SATA port and a mini-PCIe both of which come populated from the factory.

via AnandTech

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