Just as with most broad band routers today, the SMC7004WBR features Internet Browser setup, which is basically the same as it’s brother’s, the SMC7004BRInternet Setup with added configuration for the wireless connections.
As a matter of fact, almost everything except for the wireless abilities are the same as the SMC7004BR. This is no surprise, as the only difference between the models is one letter (W) that obviously stands for wireless. That is why I chose to use this as a wireless gateway instead of a router; PC Mechanic already reviewed the router side with the review of the SMC7004BR.
The 7004WBR retails for US$320, which is a very good deal for what you get. Instead of having to break down the walls, or settle with an ungodly 1Mbps speed from Phoneline Networking (or the equivalently priced 11MBps Phonline Networking Standard) you can simply hook up all of your computers with Wireless Ethernet. In this field, the 7004WBR is fully packed, offering high configurability, especially in terms of wireless security.
The 7004WBR reviewed by PC Mechanic came with a pair of Wireless Ethernet Cards thanks to SMC; the SMC2602W PCI card, and the SMC2632W PCMCIA card. Both come with driver disks for virtually all Windows Operating Systems. The 2602W is basically a 2632W inserted into a PCMCIA card reader that goes into a PCI slot. For obvious reasons, the PCMCIA card is firmly attached to the PCI PCCard reader. Driver configuration was very simple, and both cards worked flawlessly through our testing period.
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