Siemens unveils first HomePlug/wireless router

If the question is "What are ways to connect small-office networks?" the answers are A) Ethernet, B) Wireless and C) HomePlug. The new Siemens SpeedStream 2524 Powerline Wireless DSL/Cable Router adds a new answer: D) All of the above.

The first of its kind, the SpeedStream 2524 is a four-port Ethernet router with 802.11b wireless and HomePlug power line support. That means you can mix and match clients and other devices using any of the three technologies. This allows great flexibility, and lets you extend the network. Say you have a garage home office where wireless doesn't reach; you can add a HomePlug adapter to your computer and plug into the network via power line, or if you need mobility there, you can plug in a second wireless access point that will communicate with the first, extending the wireless network.

As with all HomePlug devices, you must plug the SpeedStream router directly into the wall socket, not into a power strip or battery backup. Overall, installation was straightforward. Making the power line connection was simple. Then with the box on the Internet, you configure the wireless connection via the browser-based administration pages. A quick start guide is included, and all documentation resides on a CD-ROM.

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If the question is "What are ways to connect small-office networks?" the answers are A) Ethernet, B) Wireless and C) HomePlug. The new Siemens SpeedStream 2524 Powerline Wireless DSL/Cable Router adds a new answer: D) All of the above.

The first of its kind, the SpeedStream 2524 is a four-port Ethernet router with 802.11b wireless and HomePlug power line support. That means you can mix and match clients and other devices using any of the three technologies. This allows great flexibility, and lets you extend the network. Say you have a garage home office where wireless doesn't reach; you can add a HomePlug adapter to your computer and plug into the network via power line, or if you need mobility there, you can plug in a second wireless access point that will communicate with the first, extending the wireless network.

As with all HomePlug devices, you must plug the SpeedStream router directly into the wall socket, not into a power strip or battery backup. Overall, installation was straightforward. Making the power line connection was simple. Then with the box on the Internet, you configure the wireless connection via the browser-based administration pages. A quick start guide is included, and all documentation resides on a CD-ROM.

To "charge" the power line network, you must add a second HomePlug device, such as a Siemens SpeedStream 2501 Powerline USB or 2502 Powerline Ethernet adapter. Notably, these plug entirely into the wall socket, unlike the clunky first-generation boxes that connected to the PC on one side and to the wall socket on the other.

For HomePlug security, Siemens offers a network password for each client. Encryption isn't crucial as it is for wireless; should your neighbor have HomePlug equipment and somehow manage to plug into your network (from a backyard outlet maybe?), the password is enough to keep him out.

Overall, the Internet access controls are well done. You can set up groups and control their Internet access separately, so children can be restricted from certain defined services like ICQ, newsgroups and FTP. Unfortunately, the URL filtering tool doesn't work with groups, which means blocking playboy.com for kids means blocking it for everyone.

There's a firewall to protect against denial-of-service attacks, but it's overkill since these are rarely launched against home networks. Universal Plug and Play Services are enabled by default, and you can either specify IP addresses for each client or rely on the included DHCP server.