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SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N router

Manufacturer: SMC Networks Part number: SMCWGBR14-N

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Compare with most popular

$98.98 - $146.99 at 5 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 8 reviews

Mar 2008

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

Bottom Line:: With a fair price, decent performance, and dead-simple setup, the SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N router is about as well-rounded a Draft N router as you'll find. It also boasts impressive range and a smart design. We strongly recommend it for general home use.
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Where to buy

store	customer rating	inventory	tax & shipping	price
Once you know, you Newegg!	See store profile	In stock Once You Know, You Newegg.	Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price	$109.99 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
Amazon.com Marketplace	See store profile	In stock		$133.95 Shop now as of 07/08/2009
Directron.com	Not yet rated See store profile	In stock		$98.98 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
	Not yet rated See store profile	In stock		$146.99 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
	See store profile	In stock		$124.99 Shop now as of 07/09/2009

*Total price for the SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N router are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.

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CNET editors' review

SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N router

price range: $98.98 - $146.99

Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
Edited by: Matthew Elliott
Reviewed on: 03/13/2008

The good: Decent throughput; long range; compact and practical design; USB port for print serving; intuitive Web interface makes setup and maintenance a snap; while not exactly lifetime, the warranty is generous.

The bad: USB port is on the front, no support for 5.0Ghz frequency.

The bottom line: With a fair price, decent performance, and dead-simple setup, the SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N router is about as well-rounded a Draft N router as you'll find. It also boasts impressive range and a smart design. We strongly recommend it for general home use.

Read full review

You may not be familiar with SMC, but you should if you're shopping for a Draft N router. The company's SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N router finished at or above the average of the group of recent Draft N 2.0 routers we've tested while exhibiting impressive range. It also boasts a generous set of features, a practical design, and an always-appreciated intuitive Web interface. In short, we strongly recommend this router for home users looking to setup an .11n network. The only feature we wish were present is the ability to broadcast at the 5GHz frequency; it operates only on the crowded 2.4GHz band.

The SMC Barricade N router provides nearly the same features as the D-Link GamerLounge DGL-4500; the SMC router doesn't include anything akin to the D-Link's GameFuel technology for prioritizing bandwidth for games (and the D-Link supports either 2.4GHz or 5GHz), but it can generally be found online for $30 to $40 less at around $140. We prefer the design of the SMC Barricade N router and found it to provide a more reliable signal. While the Netgear WNR854T RangeMax remains a favorite of ours for general home use, the SMC Barricade N router serves up additional features including a USB port and Wi-Fi Protected Setup, while delivering better range than the RangeMax.

Device type: Wireless router
Network standard: 802.11n (draft 2.0), 802.11b/g
Bandwidth: 2.4GHz
OSes supported: Linux; Mac OS and Windows
Security options: WEP; WPA; WPA2
Features: Four Gigabit LAN ports; one Gigabit WAN port; Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS); DHCP support; NAT firewall with Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI); USB 2.0 multifunction print server.
Notable design features: Compact case with the antennas placed on the side away from the network ports.
Support: 24-7 toll-free phone support; e-mail support form; FAQs; knowledge base; driver and software downloads.

The SMC ships in very economical package. Inside, you'll find only the bare necessities: the router itself, a base for positioning it vertically, a power cord, an Ethernet cable, and a CD that contains an electronic version of the manual along with an installation guide. In fact, we found the Quick Installation Guide is a little bit too economical: two letter-size pages of setup information with illustrations in 15 different languages. While we could have used a magnifying glass to read the small print, we experienced no problems during the simple, four-step installation process. We got the router up and running within a few minutes.

The design of the SMC is similar to that of the LevelOne N_One: straightforward and practical. The three antennas are placed on the side of the device, away from the network ports that are located on the back. On the front are the status LEDs, each marked by a tiny icon indicating the corresponding port's connection status. There's also a LED showing the status of the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) push-button features. WPS is a feature that makes adding other wireless clients a simple, painless process. This LED lights up when the WPS button on top of the router is pressed, indicating the four-minute window when other WPS-enabled devices are automatically added to the network by the router.

The SMC's design does have one minor shortcoming: The USB print server port is located on the front. We'd rather see this port on the back, since a printer is generally permanently connected to this port. Having a USB cable coming out from the front of the router only adds to the cable clutter on your desk. A front-mounted USB port would be perfect if it were for Windows Connect Now (WCN), a feature that allows for adding wireless clients to the router using a USB thumb drive. Alas, the SMC doesn't support this feature.

Once set up, the router can be configured via a Web-based interface that resembles that of the D-Link GamerLounge DGL-4500, which we found to be among the best. All sections are well organized and intuitive, with great response. Most changes can be applied instantly without restarting. One difference between these two otherwise very similar routers: the D-Link uses WCN while the SMC uses WPS Push Button as the primary method of quickly and securely adding wireless clients to the network.

The two routers differed in performance, however, with the advantage slightly leaning toward the SMC. In labs testing, the SMC scored 83.7Mbps in our short-range maximum throughput test, which was imperceptibly faster than the D-Link while trailing the Netgear WNR854T RangeMax by roughly the same minuscule amount. On our mixed mode test, where the router was set up to work with both 802.11n and legacy 802.11g clients at the same time, the SMC's score was 52.4Mbps; less impressive but still faster than that of the D-Link and in the middle of the pack. On our long-range test, the SMC again scored toward the top of the pack when broadcasting its signal at 200 feet. In all, the SMC offers more than acceptable throughput, particularly if you don't have older wireless devices on your network.

In anecdotal testing, the SMC was able to maintain its signal over long ranges. In our test environment, which has a lot of walls and other interference, we were still able pick up stable signals from the router at 300 feet, an impressive distance. By comparison, the Netgear WNR854T RangeMax started to drop its signal at around 270 feet.

SMC backs the SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N with a generous lifetime warranty, provided you register the product within 30 days of purchase. The only catch is that the lifetime warranty lasts only as long as the product is an "active" SMC product, meaning that it hasn't been replaced with a newer model. Given the lifespan of a router, we think this arrangement is preferable to the industry standard one-year warranty. The company's Web site is as intuitive as the router's Web interface, where you can find firmware, manual downloads, and FAQ pages, as well as contact SMC support by e-mail. Toll-free phone support is available 24-7; we dialed the number listed and quickly got hold of a representative who was helpful and patient. All in all, we had a very pleasant experience with the company's technical support.

Ixia IxChariot maximum throughput tests (at 15 feet, in Mbps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Throughput max

Netgear RangeMax Next WNR854T

85.5

SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N

83.7

D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme Gaming Router

81.9

Edimax BR-6504N nMax

76.7

Apple Time Capsule

65.1

Asus WL-500W 802.11n

62.9

LevelOne N-One WBR-6000

47.3

Ixia IxChariot maximum throughput tests with mixed 802.11b/g and draft N clients (at 15 feet, in Mbps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Mixed throughput

Edimax BR-6504N nMax

Netgear RangeMax Next WNR854T

67.5

Asus WL-500W 802.11n

55.1

SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N

52.4

Apple Time Capsule

51.5

D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme Gaming Router

50.9

LevelOne N-One WBR-6000

23.9

Ixia IxChariot long-range tests (Measured indoors at 200 feet, in Mbps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Throughput at 200 feet

Asus WL-500W 802.11n

29.7

D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme Gaming Router

Netgear RangeMax Next WNR854T

26.9

SMC SMCWGBR14-N Barricade N

24.3

Apple Time Capsule

21.4

Edimax BR-6504N nMax

11.4

LevelOne N-One WBR-6000

5.3

Find out more about how we test networking gear.

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User reviews

Write Review

Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 8 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 8 out of 8

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8 stars

LOOKS COOL BUT...

by THE COMPUTER HEALER on March 14, 2008

Pros: STYLISH, USB PORT, SECURITY, EASY

Cons: STYLE, MIDDLE CLASS,NO 5.0 GHZ

Summary: most routers are pretty even in terms of quality these days and you can tell them apart for the most part by price.
this router in my opinion should cost $
...

Read more

Summary: most routers are pretty even in terms of quality these days and you can tell them apart for the most part by price.
this router in my opinion should cost $80.
i allowed this router to slave for my network for almost two weeks and I was rather dissapointed.it only took 5 min to setup. unfortunately it only took 5 min to get dissapointed. the range is outstanding.
in a 1800 sq ft home the closest dead spot was two houses down the street.however the speed had me expecting better. i never seen the 300mbps it averaged about 120 mbps with a high of 204. also if you have a microwave in its path you'll regret it.
I'm currently running the D-Link 655 Xtreme and its the standard i use now at that price. i feel for only 20 dollars more i should get better results.

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17 out of 19 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

My best wifi router ever.

by phepph on April 20, 2008

Pros: Very stable, long range,

Cons: only one SSID

Summary: I got it as a replacement for a Linksys router that I had to reboot every 3 days.
It has now been running 6 weeks without a problem (or a
...

Read more

Summary: I got it as a replacement for a Linksys router that I had to reboot every 3 days.
It has now been running 6 weeks without a problem (or a reboot).
Connects very well to many different laptops and wificards/USB. My best router ever.
(I have had a total of 5 different wifi routers until now)

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5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

The product is good but the customer service sucks

by georaq on August 13, 2008

Pros: Good speed but the range is still not I expected

Cons: technical support don't know what they are taking about

Summary: when I was installing the router, I end up needing the help of the service. The instruction is so minimal that you need to call them. I end up spending ...

Read more

Summary: when I was installing the router, I end up needing the help of the service. The instruction is so minimal that you need to call them. I end up spending almost 3 hours on four calls since the calls gets cut. They didn't call me back. The person helping me told me in the end that it is my computer that has a problem. Good my roommate has a little knowledge of it and ask if he can change the WPS to WPS-personal. So we tried and it works and it asked for the password and found the router. That simple, but before he was insisting that it is not the right way. How can you be a technical help if you don't know those simple thing. I think SMC should change their help desk to the Philippines. Looks like they are College grad. Everytime I need a technical help on my electronic stuff and a person from the Philippines answers the phone, they know what they are talking about and if they don't know how to help you, they will tell you and will transfer you to the right person and I don't have to spend 3 hours resolving the problem.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 stars

NOT FULLY READY FOR PRIME TIME!

by barry41561 on August 11, 2008

Pros: Very Fast - when it works

Cons: Very Slow - when it doesn't

Summary: After reading the reviews -- I took the plunge. I have a D-Link DGL 4300 -- a fine wireless router, in it's time. But I needed much faster throughput ...

Read more

Summary: After reading the reviews -- I took the plunge. I have a D-Link DGL 4300 -- a fine wireless router, in it's time. But I needed much faster throughput -- the SMC seemed to be the way to go.

It's been 3+ weeks -- and SMC tech support still cant get the router to function normally. The only consolation is that - finally - SMC is admitting that there are bugs being worked out - and that I should have patience. How much patience should a person have? Three weeks? Five weeks? They don't seem to have a good answer...

So -- if you buy this router, be SURE you can get your money back. You may need to...

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3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 stars

I hate this product.

by on October 26, 2008

Pros: Easy to setup and configure that is the only thing good about it.

Cons: keeps dropping the signal need to reboot the router everyday

Summary: bottom line I would recommend this router to anyone, I'm going back to belkin no problem with them.

Summary: bottom line I would recommend this router to anyone, I'm going back to belkin no problem with them.

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Excellent Product.

by tracer123 on October 10, 2008

Pros: Simple interface for educated users. Similar to D-Link. Excellent signal.

Cons: No setup wizard for those unfamiliar with Wi-Fi.

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Reliable, fast, love the printing feature!

by diazsp on April 18, 2009

Pros: Easy to set up, fast, reliable, wireless printing capabilities

Cons: USB on front
1 stars

D-Link Uses WPS Also

by Chris_Spears on March 17, 2008

Pros: Makes use of Draft 802.11n

Cons: It is an SMC product

Summary: Almost every single D-Link router gives you the option to use WCN AND WPS. There are only one or two that don't.

C|Net should know this since they

...

Read more

Summary: Almost every single D-Link router gives you the option to use WCN AND WPS. There are only one or two that don't.

C|Net should know this since they review so many D-Link routers.

Show less

0 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 8 out of 8

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Specifications

Manufacturer: SMC Networks
Part number: SMCWGBR14-N
Description: The Barricade N Draft 11n Gigabit Broadband Router (SMCWGBR14-N) is the perfect all-in-one networking solution for connecting and sharing your high-speed cable/xDSL Internet connection. Designed for the home and office, this platform-independent multifunctional router combines a 4-port 10/100/1000Mbps LAN switch, high-speed Wireless-N (draft 802.11n) access point, NAT firewall with Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), intelligent stream handling technology, a multifunction print server and a user-friendly web-based management interface in one convenient device. The built-in wireless access point is 802.11n draft v2.0 compliant while maintaining full backwards compatibility with the Wireless-G (802.11g) and Wireless-B (802.11b) standards. This next-generation wireless networking standard utilizes advanced MIMO (Multiple-In, Multiple-Out) technology to deliver incredible speed and range. With wireless speeds up to 300Mbps and extended coverage, there is enough bandwidth to simultaneously stream video and audio, play online games, transfer large files, make VoIP calls and surf the Internet. With security being a key consideration, SMCWGBR14-N supports the WPA and WPA2 wireless encryption standards, which prevent unauthorized access to wireless networks and ensure data is secure. Wireless security can also be set up easily using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) that enables push-button or PIN configuration. The 4-port 10/100/1000Mbps LAN switch is ideal for connecting Gigabit Ethernet devices, such as Network Attached Storage (NAS), and transferring large files or streaming media content at up to gigabit speeds. The integrated NAT firewall with SPI provides protection from hackers and Denial of Service attacks by analyzing individual data packets, to ensure that only authorized packets are allowed access to the network. Using the Access Control feature parents or network administrators can block certain websites, limit web access based on time or dates, and/or block Internet access for applications like P2P utilities or games. Intelligent stream handling technology automatically manages and prioritizes the flow of time-sensitive data in your local network and going to the Internet, without the need for end-user configuration. As a result time-sensitive applications like online gaming and video run smoothly without lag and breakup problems. A USB2.0 multifunction print server, which supports both printing and scanning, is also included. The print server has been designed with ease-of-use at the forefront and can be setup in minutes using the printer installation wizard. Scanning and saving of documents is performed using a web-based interface so there is no need to install scanning software on each computer. Finally, configuration of your Internet connection and advanced router functions is made simple and straightforward with the EZ Installation Wizard and intuitive web-based management interface.

General
Device Type Wireless router
Form Factor External
Built-in Devices Print server
Width 6.5 in
Depth 5.9 in
Height 1 in
Weight 12.3 oz
Networking
Connectivity Technology Wired, Wireless
Integrated Switch 4-port switch
Data Transfer Rate 300 Mbps
Frequency Band 2.4 GHz
Data Link Protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0)
Spread Spectrum Method DSSS, OFDM
Switching Protocol Ethernet
Network / Transport Protocol L2TP, PPTP, IPSec
Remote Management Protocol HTTP
Status Indicators Power, Port status, Link activity
Features DMZ port, NAT support, Print server, Syslog support, MIMO technology, VPN passthrough, Auto-negotiation, Firewall protection, DoS attack prevention, MAC address filtering, Auto-sensing per device, Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), Auto-uplink (auto MDI/MDI-X), Intrusion Detection System (IDS), Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), Wireless Distribution System (WDS) support
Compliant Standards IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.1x, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0)
Antenna
Antenna External integrated
Antenna Qty 3
Directivity Omni-directional
Gain Level 4 dBi
Communications
Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
Interfaces 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 ( WAN ), 4 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45, 1 x Network - Radio-Ethernet, 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A

Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Vertical stand
Cables (Details) 1 x Network cable
Encryption Algorithm WPA, WPA2, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise
Authentication Method Radio Service Set ID (SSID)
Windows Vista Readiness Works with Windows Vista
Compliant Standards CE, FCC
Power
Power Device Power adapter - External
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support Limited lifetime warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Lifetime
Environmental Parameters
Min Operating Temperature 32 ?F
Max Operating Temperature 104 ?F
Humidity Range Operating 10 - 85%
CNET Labs' Benchmarks
CNET Labs long-range tests (in Mbps) 24.3
CNET Labs maximum throughput tests (at 15 feet, in Mbps) 83.74
CNET Labs maximum throughput tests with mixed 802.11b/g and draft N, MIMO clients (at 15 feet, in Mbps) 52.36

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