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APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router

Manufacturer: APC Part number: WMR1000G

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

$55.13 - $72.29 at 6 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
2.5 stars Average
Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 1 review

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router can't match the ease of use, range, or warranty of the travel-router competition.
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CNET editors' review

APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router

price range: $55.13 - $72.29

Reviewed by: Stephanie Bruzzese
Edited by: Felisa Yang
Reviewed on: 11/07/2005
Released on: 06/29/2005

The good: Compact design; WPA security; SPI firewall, VPN, and DMZ support; unlimited, toll-free phone support.

The bad: Slow throughput at long range; mediocre maximum throughput; confusing documentation; won't power up via a laptop USB port.

The bottom line: The APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router can't match the ease of use, range, or warranty of the travel-router competition.

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When you're kicking it in your hotel room after a long day on the road, the last thing you want to do is sit at the room's uncomfortable desk, close to the Ethernet jack, to check your e-mail. APC's 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router can transform that jack into a wireless hot spot, letting you lie in bed while working online. Toting this small, light device along on your travels is easy, and its support for WPA, SPI firewall, and VPN capabilities helps your data remain secure. There's just one problem: the 3Com Office Connect Travel Router offers all of this--plus easier setup, better range, and a longer warranty--for the same price.

Like a lot of travel routers, including the 3Com and the SMC SMCWTK-G EZ Connect Wireless Travelers Kit, the compact APC Wireless Mobile Router is about the same size as the fourth-generation Apple iPod. It also offers some of the same design features as its competitors, such as an Ethernet jack, a power port, and a reset button on the back edge, along with three LED status lights on its face indicating power, wireless, and Ethernet connectivity. APC bundles the requisite AC adapter, Ethernet cable, and USB cable with the device, though you can't plug the latter into your laptop's USB port to draw power. Less conveniently, the USB cable connects the Wireless Mobile Router to APC's optional TravelPower Adapter, which means you have to buy and carry yet another device.

Installing the APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router is an exercise in frustration, due to its poor documentation. First, the installation guide instructs you to connect the router to your broadband modem; a few steps later, it tells you to plug the APC into your computer's Ethernet jack. The guide then attempts to describe how to configure the device in its three operating modes--access point, router, and client--via the browser-based configuration tool, yet the instructions contain misinformation in some sections. Navigating through the longer user manual is equally irritating, since it's missing several pages.

If you can muster the patience to make heads or tails of its documentation, you'll find that the APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router offers a decent list of features. The device provides both WEP and WPA security, as well as a firewall that provides SPI (stateful packet inspection) and NAT functionality. The APC Wireless Mobile Router offers support for VPN pass-throughs, which lets you tap into your office VPN from remote locations, and its DMZ support allows you place one of your computer's ports outside the firewall without exposing your entire system.

In CNET Labs' tests, the APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router earned mediocre scores in certain areas and disappointing results in others. The device achieved a 23.3Mbps maximum throughput rate, which was just a hair faster than the 3Com Office Connect Travel Router's 22.2Mbps but not as speedy as the SMCWTK-G EZ Connect Wireless Travelers Kit's 26.4Mbps. Though the APC and 3Com travel routers ran neck and neck in our mixed-mode trial, with respective scores of 14.3Mbps and 14.4Mbps, the 3Com pulled far ahead in our long-range tests at 200 feet, transferring data at 12.1Mbps compared to the APC's 6.6Mbps. True, the average-size hotel room is nowhere near 200 feet long or wide, but there may be other travel destinations (satellite office locations, conference centers, and so on) where you'll want to use the device.

CNET Labs maximum throughput tests
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

SMC SMCWTK-G Travel Router

26.4

Apple AirPort Express

APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router

23.3

3Com Office Connect Travel Router

22.2

CNET Labs maximum throughput tests with mixed 802.11b/g and MIMO clients
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Apple AirPort Express

3Com Office Connect Travel Router

14.4

APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router

14.3

SMC SMCWTK-G Travel Router

13.8

CNET Labs long-range tests
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

3Com Office Connect Travel Router

12.1

Apple AirPort Express

11.1

SMC SMCWTK-G Travel Router

9.8

APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router

6.6

While APC's two-year warranty is longer than SMC's warranty, it's still a year short of 3Com's three-year term. Fortunately, you can call the company's toll-free support line for as long as you own the product, though the lines are open only Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Our search on the product name in the support Web site's knowledge base yielded just two results, but you can always engage in a live chat with a tech-support rep to get your questions answered.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 1 review
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5 stars

3Com and APC Router virtually identical why so different review results?

by KevinK on January 26, 2006

Pros: Looks the same as 3Com Router

Cons: Looks the same as 3Com Router

Summary: Umm, something fishy here, I think both the 3Com and APC mobile routers are made in the same factory and other than color scheme appear to be exactly the same. ...

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Summary: Umm, something fishy here, I think both the 3Com and APC mobile routers are made in the same factory and other than color scheme appear to be exactly the same. The fact that the outcome of the reviews of these two products is so very different ought to raise a red flag.
Shame on you CNET for not noticing the simularity and investigating further.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: APC
Part number: WMR1000G
Description: APC sets the standard in its industry for quality, innovation and support. Its comprehensive solutions, which are designed for both home and corporate environments, improve the manageability, availability and performance of sensitive electronic, network, communications and industrial equipment of all sizes. The mission of APC is to improve the manageability, availability, and performance of information and communication systems through rapid development and delivery of innovative solutions to real customer problems. PRODUCT FEATURES: 128 bit WEP encryption; 802.11b connectivity; 802.11g connectivity; Access point; Built-in firewall protection; Compact portable design; Ethernet client; Mode selector switch; Support data rates up to 54Mbps; USB or AC powered; Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security.

General
Device Type Wireless router
Form Factor External
Width 2.8 in
Depth 0.8 in
Height 4 in
Weight 0.4 lbs
Localization United States, Canada, Brazil
Networking
Form factor External
Connectivity technology Wired, Wireless
Data Transfer Rate 54 Mbps
Data link protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Features Firewall protection, Access Point operational mode
Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Communications
Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slot(s) Total (Free) None
Expansion Slots Total (Free) None
Interfaces 1 x Network - Radio-Ethernet, Network - Ethernet - RJ-45
Compatible Slots None
Port(s) Total (Free) / Connector Type 1 Network Radio-Ethernet:, Network Ethernet:RJ-45
Miscellaneous
Cables (Details) 1 x Network cable
Compliant Standards CE, EN 60950, FCC Part 15 B
Encryption Algorithm 128-bit WEP
Power
Power Supply / Device Power adapter External
Power Device Power adapter - External
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)
Cable(s) included 1 Network cable

Software / System Requirements
Software type Drivers & Utilities
Expansion / Port(s) Required
Slot(s) Required None
Modem
Modem Type None
Warranty
Service / Support Details Limited warranty 2 years
Environmental Parameters
Min operating temperature 32 ?F
Max operating temperature 104 ?F
Operating humidity range 0 - 95%
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 2 years warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 2 years

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APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router

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Specifications

General

Networking

Communications

Expansion / Connectivity

Miscellaneous

Power

Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)

Software / System Requirements

Expansion / Port(s) Required

Modem

Warranty

Environmental Parameters

Manufacturer Warranty

Manufacturer info