Unfortunately, the innovative interface design, easy-to-use setup wizard, and uncomplicated PC Card utility were all overshadowed by the IOGear GWA501's poor performance. This router's throughput was low throughout our tests, and it lost signal completely at 160 feet.

Initial Configuration and Documentation

Setting up the router and PC Card was easy, thanks to good documentation and setup tools. The interface has two modes—typical and custom. Custom mode lets you configure all aspects of the GWA501 manually, whereas selecting typical mode launches a setup wizard. The PC Card utility interface closely resembles Windows' native wireless configuration tool, with added tabs for site monitoring, diagnostics, and link status information.

Management and Features

The GWA501 has a host of features, including support for DDNS, virtual DMZ, and special applications that require multiple protocol connections. One notable feature included here but missing from many of the wireless routers we reviewed is the DHCP IP-to-MAC mapping option. The device also includes a simple print server on its USB port.

Security

An SPI firewall as well as WEP and WPA encryption are all included. The firewall is one of the easiest to configure and best designed among the products we reviewed. IOGear offers predefined security templates for network novices. For advanced users, the GWA501 offers full access to the policy engine. Unfortunately, it lacks parental-control tools.

Performance