Labs

Linksys' WAG300N is the smallest of the Draft-n devices on test, but it has two large captive antennae. There's a front-mounted power button, but this is a simple toggle between on and off rather than a mechanical switch. This wouldn't be significant if the router remembered its power state, but it doesn't automatically switch back on after a power cut.

The WAG300N's web interface is infuriating, with the settings for a single function such as wireless networking split across several

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sub-levels. Related items such as the SSID and pre-shared key fields are on separate pages; you need to save settings, rebooting the router, between each page.

We deliberately tested in a challenging environment, with up to 20 competing access points and other potential sources of interference, including a cordless phone and a constantly active audio-streaming Bluetooth device. Even so, the WAG300N's performance was shocking. With Linksys' own Draft-n PC Card adaptor, we were able to copy files to our notebook at a leisurely 72MB/min. Using the onboard Intel 2200BG chipset, this dropped to less than 33MB/min.

Transfer rates to the MacBook were untenably slow, with the File Copy dialog predicting a two-hour wait. Waiting for an hour showed that this prediction was gloomily accurate, and we abandoned the test. We updated the router's firmware and experimented with different channels before disabling the Bluetooth device and cordless phone and repositioning the antennae and ultimately the router. Nothing improved the performance, making this a device to avoid.