Digital Trends

Compex NP26G-USB

June 17th, 2004 | by Jeff Fila

Wireless Performance

We tested the NP26G-USB under the same conditions that we tested the D-Link DI-624 and it performed well. Our test setup came with the Compex iWavePort WL54G 802.11g PCMCIA adapter but we had no problem accessing the router with any other wireless card we tried, including the D-Link DWL-G650, the Sonnet Aria Extreme, or our Compaq Presario R3060's internal Broadcom 802.11g card.

For our testing, we transferred large, highly compressed files such as the 508MB demo for the game Far Cry and the 380MB image of the Clark Connect Linux firewall/server package.

Our first round of testing was done with our wireless laptop in the same room as the router, about 10 feet away. With the internal Broadcom wireless card, and with WEP encryption enabled (which has been shown to slow down transfers a bit) transfer speeds topped out at about 15.3Mbps and averaged only around 9.4Mpbs. Using the Compex card, transfers were better, averaging about 16.2Mbps and topping out at 20.2Mbps.

At our second test location, one story below and about 15 feet away from the router, we recorded a 19.2Mbps maximum transfer speed and a 15.3Mbps average transfer speed with the Compex card. The internal Broadcom card dropped to an average of about 9.3Mbps and a maximum speed of about 10Mbps. Connectivity at longer distances was excellent and on par with other wireless solutions we have tested.

When we first heard of the Compex NP26G-USB and its dual USB ports, the first thing we thought of was network based storage using external USB hard drives. Unfortunately this is not possible at this moment — but we've heard rumors of Compex trying to support it. If they can add that plus WPA encryption, and create a single firmware that supports both router and webcam functions, Compex may have one of the best 802.11g routers on the market.

Conclusion

With support for network printing and a webcam server, the NP26G-USB has a feature set unrivaled in the SoHo router marketplace. Its performance and features are on par with other more well-known brands and its price is competitive. With all that the NP26G-USB has to feature, we'd recommend this product to almost anyone looking for a quality home or small office wired or wireless solution.

Compex sells the Netpassage in both a USB and non-USB configuration so if webcam or print server support is not a requirement for you, you can save some money. The company lists the MSRP of the USB model at $149, but it can be found online for under $100 and even under $80 at Newegg, making this a great bargain in our opinion.