Asante FriendlyNET FR1104-G Wireless Firewall Router

Provided By: Asante
Price: $89.99 ($69.99 after $20 mail in rebate)
Review Date: July 30th, 2004
Written By: Daniel W.

Wireless networking is becoming more popular than ever. With prices of dropping, speeds increasing, and network streaming components becoming more and more popular; there are more reasons than ever to setup a home wireless network. For small business, the dropping equipment prices and increasing speed make a wireless network logical and very affordable to deploy. Of course, the center of any good wireless network is a secure and solid router, like Asanté’s FriendlyNET Cable/DSL 802.11g Wireless Firewall Router with integrated 4-port 10/100 Switch. As the title implies, this is an 802.11g wireless router with a built-in 4-port switch and hardware firewall.

Click on image for larger picture

For those who have never heard of Asante, they mainly produce business network equipment.

Packaging:

The FR1104-G comes in a shrink wrapped, fully colored retail box. The front of the box has the title of the product and company logo printed across the top along with a picture of the router and a brief intro. The top of the box has a list of some of the router's advanced security features in four languages and the system requirements. The bottom of the box has a contents list. On the back of the box is a brief list of features in four languages and a diagram of scenarios featuring the FR1104-G and other Asanté products.

Click on image for larger picture

Inside, the router is enclosed in a plastic bag and sits securely in a compartment on top of a smaller cardboard box. All the other included contents inside the box.

Click on image for larger picture

Contents: (one of each)

• FriendlyNET FR1104-G Firewall Router with integrated 4-port switch
• Power module
• CD-ROM
• 10/100 Ethernet cable (5 feet)
• Documentation

Click on image for larger picture

Features:

FR1104-G Wireless Router features and specifications can be found on Asanté on their web site.

• Wireless 802.11g/b access point with upgradeable antenna
• Configuration wizard simplifies installation
• Supports UPnP, Microsoft Xbox and MSN Messenger
• Supports popular internet gaming sites, including BAtle.net and MSN Gaming Zone
• Business-class security with advanced 128/256-bit WEP encryption, WPA, 802.1X RADIUS authentication
• For an extra level of protection, the router can limit access only to registered computers using hardware-based (MAC) security
• Ports are open only on demand (not “always open”)
• Firewall with inbound/outbound packet filters plus keyword/URL blocking

Specifications:

• Dimensions (W x H): 7.9 x 5.9 x 1.7 inches (201 x 151 x 44 mm)
• Weight: About 1.1 pounds (0.5 Kg)
• Power: 5 VDC (external power module included)
• Microprocessor: 32-bit embedded RISC with integrated 8 KB cache
• Operating Temperature: 32º to 104º F (0º to 40º C)
• Relative Humidity: 10% to 90% non-condensing
• Status Indicators: Power, Status, Speed, Link/Activity (per port), Internet and Wireless
• Wireless Antenna: Single 4 dBm, upgradeable (uses RP-SMA connector)
• Frequency: 2.412-2.497 GHZ ISM frequency band
• Channels: USA and Canada (1-11), Europe (1-11), Japan (1-11), Spain (10-11), France (10-11)
• Modulation Techniques: 802.11b: CCK (11, 5.5 Mbps), DQSP (2 Mbps) and DBPSX (1 Mbps)
• 802.11g: OFDM (54 Mbps)
• Typical Coverage: 802.11b: Indoor up to 50 M at 11 Mbps; outdoor up to 130 M at 11Mbps
• 802.11g: Indoor up to 20 M at 54 Mbps; outdoor up to 50 M at 54 Mbps

Click on image for larger picture

Next (Description & Setup)