Computer Shopper - UK (2019-10)

56 OCTOBER 2019|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE 380

NETWORKS

BTComplete

Wi-Fi

★★★★★

£5 per month•www.bt.com

TP-LINKArcherC5400

★★★★★

£240•www.currys.co.uk

TP-LINK DecoM5

★★★★★

£190 (triple pack)•www.amzn.to/2L05qMi

D-LINKDIR-895L

★★★★★

£255•www.ebuyer.com

There are

better-featured

mesh systems available,but the CompleteWi-Fi is

decently quick on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, and is well

worth it forBTPlus customers in particular.

Although this isn’t

the fastest £200-plus

router,it’s still speedy,

and comes with an impressive arrayof

features, from parental controls and

filters to BT YouView support and smart home integration.

Provided you’re willing

to tinker with afew

settings, the Deco M5 is

the most feature-rich mesh Wi-Fi system around,

even if it’s not strictly the fastest. Get the triple

pack forthe best coverage throughout the house.

If you can stomach

the price,D-Link’s

DIR-895L will make

it worth your while with staggeringly fast speeds and exceptionally

long range.Italso lets you connect to your home network remotely,

via an L2TP VPN.

WI-FISTANDARD802.11ac•STATEDSPEED1,733Mbit/s(5GHz),385Mbit/s(2.4GHz)•

USBPORTS (^1) • WALLMOUNTABLENo•WARRANTYUnderrentalcontract•
PARTCODEBTCompleteWi-Fi•FULLREVIEWMar2019
MODEMGigabitEthernet•WI-FISTANDARD802.11ac•STATEDSPEED2x2,167Mbit/s(5GHz),
2x1,000MBit/s (2.4GHz)•USBPORTS1xUSB2,1xUSB3•WALLMOUNTABLEYes•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•PARTCODEC5400•FULLREVIEWMay2018
MODEMGigabitEthernet•WI-FISTANDARD802.11ac•STATEDSPEED867Mbit/s(5GHz),
400Mbit/s(2.4GHz)•USBPORTS (^0) • WALLMOUNTABLENo•WARRANTYThreeyearsRTB•
DETAILSwww.tp-link.com•PARTCODE (^210380) • FULLREVIEWDec2017
MODEMGigabitEthernet•WI-FISTANDARD802.11ac•STATEDSPEED2x2,166Mbit/s(5GHz),
1,000Mbit/s(2.4GHz)•USBPORTS1xUSB2,1xUSB3•WALLMOUNTABLEYes•
WARRANTYTwoyearsRTB•PARTCODEDIR-895L•FULLREVIEWDec2017
5qMi
around,
triple
hehouse

400

01

Wireless routers each use anumber

of Wi-Fi standards, so you shouldn’t

have any trouble connecting your computer

or phone wirelessly if you get an 802.11n or

802.11ac router.Nearly all routers support

802.11n, so even acheap model should

provide decent performance.

Youcan expect atransfer speed of around

40Mbit/s at adistance of 10m from any

modern 802.11n router.The very latest

routers use the 802.11ac standard, which

provides tremendously fast transfer

speeds. Some devices still don’t support

the 802.11ac standard, so check the

specifications before you buy.

02

If you subscribe to an ADSL

broadband service,you should buy

Choosinga... Wirelessrouter

awireless router that has abuilt-in ADSL

modem. This will cost more than the

equivalent cable router,but it allows you

to connect your router directly to your

broadband connection without having to

use aseparatemodem.

03

Most 802.11n wireless routers use

the 2.4GHz frequency band. This has

good range but it can be prone to

interference if it’s positioned close to alot

of other 2.4GHz devices, such as other

routers and babymonitors. If you have

trouble getting aconsistent signal or you

want faster speeds forvideo streaming, for

example,it’s worth buying adual-band

router that can use both the 2.4GHz and

5GHz bands.

Alternatively,ahigh-gain antenna can

boost signals and improve ranges and

throughputs to the entire house.You can

also add ahigh-gain antenna to aPC’s

network adaptor.Ifwired network speeds

are apriority,you should look forarouter

with aGigabit Ethernet connection.

04

Many routers come with built-in USB

ports that let you connect aUSB drive

and use the router as anetwork storage

device.Ifyou want to share aUSB printer

over your network, look forawireless router

that has aUSB print server.

Finally,ifyou’re interested in making voice

calls over the internet, buy arouter with

built-in VoIP support (and phone sockets)

because this can save you money.

redredredred

ailabl but the ClWi-Fi i

Like the YubiKey 4

before it, this USB stick

conveniently stores all the cryptographic

data you need to add two-factor authentication to aPCor

laptop; and this time,there’s NFC, allowing you to use it with

mobile devices via asingle tap.

USBTYPEType-A•OSSUPPORTWindows10,macOS,iOS11andlater, Android•

WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.yubico.com•PARTCODEYubiKey5NFC•

FULLREVIEWApr2019

NETGEAR OrbiOutdoorRBS50Y

★★★★★

£250•www.amzn.to/2MZg5YB

This weatherproofWi-Fi extender

is aperfect addition to mesh

systems that can’t quitecover a

garden. It has similar internal specfications to the

brilliant Orbi RBK50, meaning high speeds and

reliable connections.

WI-FISTANDARD802.11ac•STATEDSPEED1x866Mbit/s(5GHz)1x1,733Mbit/s(5GHz),

1x400Mbit/s(2.4GHz)•USBPORTS (^0) • WALLMOUNTABLEYes•WARRANTYTwoyearsRTB•
DETAILSwww.netgear.co.uk•PARTCODERBS50Y•FULLREVIEWJul2019
YUBICOYubiKey5NFC
★★★★★
£38•www.yubico.com

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rentalco

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NFC