08 September 2010
manufacturer:
- bluetake
supplier:
- bluetake
price:
- ~£100 approx
review by:
- inder
related www:
- forum thread
- bluetake
pros:
supports many protocols and network standards, small, compact and light, four lan ports, usb port, com port, cable or dsl modem supported, print server function, built in firewall, web-based management console, wireless printing, wireless internet access, internet sharing within a lan, virtual server function, special application and dmz available, support for tcp/ip, nat, dhcp, pppoe etc..., fixed or dynamic ip address support, status leds on front of unit, provision to fix unit flat to wall, four rubber feet to protect surface, ieee 802.11b compliant, wide operating range for wi-fi (35m~100m indoors, 100~300m outdoors).
cons:
no way to extend antenna length, however they provide ample coverage as standard.
modtown rating:
- 5 out of 5
do you agree with our rating? why not drop by the forums and leave your comments...
The LAN ports (LAN1 to LAN4) allow computers to be physically connected to the router using suitable RJ45 network cabling. The most important connection is the WAN port - which is where the DSL or Cable Modem is connected to the router for Internet Access and sharing etc... On the side of the unit, is a small 'door' that reveals two more hidden ports - a COM port for external 56k modems and a USB port for LAN connection to a computer.
Hidden ports for 56k and USB
connections...
These two ports are very useful for users who wish to either use an external 56k modem with the router (as they don't have access to a Broadband connection) or to use it as a backup connection to the Internet - should their Broadband connection fail or go offline for some time. The USB port provides an alternative, or an extra connection for connecting a computer to the router if the computer in question has no Network Adapter or Network Port built in or available.
Printer Port - for the Print Server
function...
The BW320 router also has a built-in Print Server function, meaning
that any printer
connected to the Parallel Printer Port on the back of the unit can easily be
shared on the network - without the requirement of having a dedicated computer
to act as Print Server or be left powered on all the time, as the BW320 will handle all print requests from users on
the network by queuing the print jobs and sending them to print as necessary, when
the printer is ready to print.
Router Configuration:
All configuration and setting up of the BW320 is done through an easy-to-use
web configuration tool. Once all connections have been made to the BW320 and it
is plugged into a Power Supply and running, the user needs to open a web browser
window on a wired computer (that is on the network, connected to the BW320) and
type in the default address of '192.168.1.254' to access the BW320 web
configuration tool.
Login dialog...
The web browser will prompt for a username and password, a default user has been setup and access credentials are detailed in the manual. Once logged in, the user is greeted with a welcome screen. The layout of the web configuration tool is consistent throughout, with a menu on the left of the screen and content in the main area on the right hand side of the screen.
Initial welcome screen after login... and Menu options...
The menu on the left has three
main options and nine 'Advanced Setup' options. The first option is the 'Setup
Wizard' and this is the starting point for all users. This handy wizard will
guide you through the entire setup process of the router and once completed, the
router is ready for basic usage.
For the majority of users, there is no need to venture into the 'Advanced Setup'
options, although a user would need to if they wanted to activate WEP Protocol
for Wireless Networking or turn deactivate the Wireless Networking function, for
example.
Setup Wizard:
Each step of the Setup Wizard is clearly detailed in the manual. Exactly
what each option or protocol does is also detailed in the manual. Default
values are populated in the fields and may not need to be changed depending on
the Internet Setup required or ISP settings etc...
 |
 |
|
| Step 1 - LAN Setup | Step 2 - WLAN Setup | |
| LAN
IP Address, LAN Subnet Mask, DHCP Setup, Starting Address, Pool Size (Max 253) |
WLAN
IP Address, WLAN Subnet Mask, DHCP Setup, Starting Address, Pool Size (Max 253) |
|
 |
 |
|
| Step 3 - WAN Type Select | Step 4 - Static IP Address | |
| PPPoE, Dynamic IP Address, Static IP Address, PPP (Modem) | WAN IP Address, WAN Subnet Mask, WAN Gateway, Primary DNS, Secondary DNS, NAT Setup, Response PING | |
 |
 |
|
| Step 5 - Setup Completed | Step 6 - Rebooting BW320 | |
| Setup completed, press 'Reboot' button to reboot the BW320 | Wait while BW320 reboots and new settings take effect |
Status Screen:
The Status option displays the current status and setup of the router.
Listing useful information like LAN IP Address, LAN DHCP Status, NAT Status, WLAN DHCP
Status, LAN MAC Address etc...
Status Screen - Useful Information...
Continue to Page 3 (Advanced Options)...
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