Digital Trends

Compex NP26G-USB

June 17th, 2004 | by Jeff Fila

Features Management

As with most SoHo routers, the NP26G-USB features a Web-based configuration module. We really liked the way Compex designed the configuration and immediately noted a speed difference in the response time of the Compex utility compared to any other utility we have tried. The Compex management program was decidedly faster than any other we have tried. It also doesn't require rebooting after making changes to the wireless setup or other features, unlike other routers we have seen where it seems you need to reboot the product after every change, no matter how minor it may seem.

The Web-based admin for the NP26G-USB is the fastest and easiest we've seen yet.

The URL and content filtering found in the D-Link DI-624 is much more robust and easier to use than the Compex solution, but besides that, the NP26G-USB features the best navigation and Web-based management we have seen. It does have a few quirks, such as a several odd Maylay or Chinese to English translations, and the router's clock not taking daylight savings time into account even though it says it does. It allows users to easily update or upgrade the router's firmware by simply browsing for the downloaded file. It also features the ability to backup or restore router settings to your computer, allowing you to save settings in case you lose or have to reconfigure them.

Printer and Webcam Configuration

The idea of being able to print to one printer from any wired or wireless computer on the network is something that we think a lot of users will appreciate. Based on the CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) project, the NP26G-USB supports a very high percentage of USB-capable printers and takes the place of a separate and often expensive print server. Setting up a networked printer is as easy as plugging it into a USB port, enabling the print server in the Web administration application and adding the network printer on your PC. We had no issues at all getting our USB printers to work with the router or with Windows XP and 2000 and Mac OSX. Those of you hoping to use the NP26G-USB for two printers may be disappointed as at this time, it only supports one printer and one webcam at a time.

The webcam server is also a nice feature, but it requires a bit more work and comes with some tradeoffs at the expense of other features. If you want to use the NP26G-USB as a webcam server, the device can not be used as a router. To enable webcam support, users must install a webcam-only firmware upgrade which disables the router functions. The device can still be used as a print server as well, but you'd have to purchase another router to have both a router and webcam server at the same time. This does make sense, as such a configuration allows for the webcam to be located anywhere the wireless (or wired) footprint reaches and you may not always want the webcam to be located where your router is. However, the marketing material we have seen from Compex does not note this fact and we think it should.

After upgrading to a webcam-capable firmware, setup of the webcam was just as simple as everything else with the Compex router. The router is currently compatible with 10 different webcam models from Logitech, Samsung,  Creative Labs and TrackerPod. After plugging a webcam into a USB port on the router, you must add at least one user to the module in order to allow access. To access the webcam, users simply need to point their web browser to the NP26G-USB's IP address (either internally or from the Internet) and enter their username and password. From here, users can view and control the webcam, which includes the ability to pan, tilt and zoom if the camera supports those features.