Billion 7402G

The Billion 7402G is a wireless router aimed at the business user that provides all you need to get a small network of PCs connected to the Internet over ADSL.

It includes a wireless access point and a fully-featured ADSL modem/router with four network ports.

At first glance, the 7402G is a rather unassuming device, finished in a business-like grey plastic.

Documentation and supporting software is adequate, but far from slick, and the wireless function operates at the standard theoretical 54Mbits/sec 802.11g range and speed - you won't find any Mimo or Pre-N features.

That said, there are two main areas that set the 7402G apart from your typical router.

One is optional support for ADSL2/2+ speeds of up to 24Mbits/sec and the other is its wide range of useful network features well-suited to the small business.

In addition to the standard features you'd expect such as WEP and WPA security, UPnP, NAT and port forwarding, you also get several more sophisticated capabilities.

It has a built-in IPSec VPN (virtual private network) and a Firewall which includes DoS (denial of service) protection, URL blocking (by domain or keyword) and SPI (stateful packet inspection). All attack attempts are logged.

Several Dynamic DNS services are supported internally and allow the users with dynamic IP addresses to use a fixed domain name.

QoS (quality of service) support lets you prioritise allocation of your bandwidth to specific uses, users and times of day.

Those with some networking experience will find the 7402G's no-nonsense approach clear and easy to work through.

It doesn't pander to novices, but the built-in browser-based configuration system is clear and well-structured.

Although the sheer number and complexity of features can at first appear quite daunting, setting up your basic Internet connection is relatively simple.

The Billion 7402G is feature-rich and highly configurable, allowing more advanced users to get the most from their Internet connection and small teams to share their bandwidth securely.