Besides Cable services, ADSL Internet services are also popular in some regions. Even though mobile internet services (3g / cellular services) are widely used because the portability reason where people can access the Internet from their cell-phone or laptops, broadband wired internet services are still preferred for homes due to the higher speed compared to cellular internet.

3G networks are usually slower than Wi-Fi networks powered by Cable/DSL, with download and upload speeds typically ranging from 100 kilobits per second (Kbps) to 700Kbps (as opposed to 300kbps to 6MB with typical Wi-Fi Cable/DSL connections). Some systems deliver faster speeds, but 300Kbps to 700Kbps is common in metropolitan areas.

More people have more than one computer in homes with only one single ADSL/Cable Internet connection. The question that frequently arises is how to share the Internet with many computers in home? The answer is: build a simple computer network either wired or wireless network. Typically when you sign up for a broadband internet connection, the ISP provides a compact modem which is connected to a single computer.

Should you build a wired network, you need another LAN Switch beside a modem-router. And should you build a wireless network, you need a modem, router, and a wireless access point. Four devices to build a wireless network seems a difficult task to do for mostly home users. But TP-Link offers TD-W8961ND ADSL Modem Wireless Router – a single device for all the requirements to build a secure wireless network in homes or in small offices.

What this Product Does

TD-W8961ND ADSL Modem Wireless Router is an All-in-One device that combines the function of a high speed ADSL modem, a 4-Port 10/100Mbps NAT router and a wireless access point. It is designed to give you a one-stop solution to acquiring and sharing high-speed Internet access over a wired/wireless network.

The TD-W8961ND is powered by the latest wireless 802.11n technology (and is backward compatible with 802.11b/g products) and with the adoption of the smart MIMO antenna technology delivers the speeds of up to 300 Mbps (in ideal conditions), better wireless performance, transmission rates, stability and longer distance coverage. With this high-performance wireless network, you can share your high-speed DSL Internet connection, photos, music, files, and even the bandwidth consuming applications like HD video streaming wirelessly which can not be accommodated by 11g products, from anywhere in your entire home or even the yard.

The router supports various QoS policies to provide priority queues for smooth VoIP traffic, HD multimedia streaming, as well as gaming experience. See also how to choose the best wireless gaming router.

How Secure?

Security would be the last thing to be considered in building the wireless network in homes. It is therefore, the TD-W8961ND ADSL Modem Wireless Router supports the dual-firewall feature (NAT and SPI) which helps protect your network against any types of Internet attacks. Networks are constantly under attack from any types of internet threats which evolve continually that affect the network performance, reliability, and availability of your network resources.

For wireless connection, the TD-W8961ND ADSL Modem Wireless Router supports the latest industrial wireless security encryption Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2) to provide active defense against security threats. Setting up the WPA encryption is very easy by just pushing the QSS button.

You can also control the access based on the MAC address, IP address, domain name or applications like MSN, Yahoo Messenger, to allow you establish restricted access policies for children or staff (for deployment in small offices). To update the firmware automatically and other settings, TD-W8961ND also provides TR-069 and SNMP. All these features help you to enhance network security level and make network management more flexible.

The good thing is that the router supports WDS wireless bridge to allow you expand the wireless with seamless bridging. You can use the TP-LINK TL-WA901ND wireless n access point with bridging function to expand your network for larger area coverage.

The figure below shows a simple network diagram that deploys TD-W8961ND ADSL Modem Wireless Router. With a single device, you can build a high-performance wireless network in home to allow you share the internet connection, share documents, streams HD video, and share the printer. With your game console, you can add a wireless gaming adapter to allow you play multiplayer gaming wirelessly in the comfort of your living room without the clutter of the wires.

How to configure?

Configuration is easy, as long as you have the user-name and password provided by the ISP with you (or probably you have changed the password). Generally each ISP has its own configuration procedure; therefore one phone call to the ISP will help you complete the installation easily.

Since the DHCP server is enabled by default, you can connect your computer using the UTP cable. Connect one end of the cable to the NIC adapter of your computer and another end to one of the router Ethernet ports. Configure your computer TCP/IP property to obtain the IP address automatically to allow it receives the IP address automatically from the router’s DHCP. Default IP address is 192.168.1.1, user-name and password is the same “admin”. You can type in the address from your browser: http://192.168.1.1, you can start the configuration wizard easily.

Please note:

In updating the firmware, you should know the hardware version of your device. how to know your hardware version? Typically it is printed on the back of your device. Follow this link to see the firmware update.

TD-W8961ND ADSL Modem Wireless Router a single device for all the requirements you need for high-speed wireless network in homes or small offices without any hassle.

See also:

• Actiontec GT701D Ethernet DSL Modem with Routing Capabilities
• SBG6580 Cable Modem Wireless Router is the Next Generation High-Bandwidth Services and Home Networking in a Stylish Package
• TRENDnet TEW-657BRM 150 Mbps Wireless DSL Modem Router
• DPR-1260 multi-port wireless print server – for offices
• Best wireless router for gaming