Tenda N60 Wireless N600 Concurrent Dual Band Gigabit Router Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. Tenda N60 Router4. Tenda N60 User Interface & Settings5. Testing Methodology6. Wireless Throughput Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

Having a router which is capable of feeding the increasing number of bandwidth-heavy devices in one's house is as important today as it has been at any other time in history. Does Tenda's dual band, 600Mbps N60 router have the performance to feed the onslaught of bandwidth-sapping devices?

With the N60, Tenda aims to offer an affordable router which uses dual frequency bands to network the home with minimal interference. The N60 utilises Wireless-N technology to offer connection speeds of up to 300Mbps on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency ranges. A multi-function USB 2 port and quartet of Gigabit Ethernet ports are also found on the N60 router.

Designed to provide interference-free multimedia streaming, on-line gaming and high-capacity file transfers, can the Tenda N60 dual band router prove it is capable of being the core of a modern wireless network?

Specifications:

• Standards: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n; IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.3ab.
• Interface: 1*10/100M LAN/WAN (interchangeable) port.
• Antenna: Internal high performance, omni-directional antenna.
• Wireless speed: 300Mbps (2.4GHz) + 300Mbps (5GHz).
• Wireless frequency: 2.4GHz & 5GHz.
• Security: Content control, WEP, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK, WPA/WPA2, WPS fast encryption.
• Dimensions (LxWxH) (mm): 171.6mm x 111.2mm x 25.5mm.

Tenda ships the N60 in a large box which features an image of the router on its front side. Some of the key features such as the multi-function USB port and dual band technology are also outlined on the packaging's front side.

The packaging's rear side outlines some of the key areas where the N60's dual band technology can help to provide a stable wireless connection to a densely-populated network.

A power adapter and Ethernet cable form the N60's basic bundle.

A user guide and setup wizard is provided in digital form on the supplied disk. Tenda also supplies a basic installation guide in paper form.

Tenda has designed the N60 to feature a sleek, modern appearance which uses curved dimensions and a pure white colour scheme.

The Tenda logo and product name are written on the N60 router in a grey font.

A total of ten green LEDs indicate the status of certain router parameters, such as current operation, broadcasting wireless bands and connected wired devices.

Four rubber-tipped feet prevent the N60 from slipping along a surface. A perimeter of cooling slits helps the internal components to dispose of their heat.

A sticker located on the N60's underside labels some of the router's important connection codes and operating specifications.

Located on the angled right side of the N60 router is an easy-to-access USB 2.0 port. It can be used to connect a printer or USB hard drive to one's network.

Tenda's decision to give the USB port a whole side to itself is a smart one – it prevents needless fussing about in the wire-ridden area behind the router.

A WAN connection, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a WPS/reset button, and the power connector are all located on the rear side of Tenda's N60 router.

One of the four LAN ports is given IPTV duties, although it is functionally identical to the other Ethernet connections.

A pair of 17.5cm-tall antennae sends two streams of 150Mbps 802.11n to provide a combined transfer rate of up to 300Mbps on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands.

Moveable by up to 180 degrees in the X-direction and 90 degrees the Z-direction, the antennae are each given a quarter of a sphere of rotational volume. This gives a good amount of flexibility for users to perfect their antenna positioning.

Tenda sets the default user name and password as ‘admin', without the quotation marks.

Information such as IP address, traffic and wireless properties is listed on device info page.

The network page provides access to subsections which show the connected clients, IP address and WAN interface speed.

Security settings such as the URL filter can be accessed via the ‘Security' section's sub parameters.

Tenda gives access to advanced settings such as bandwidth allocation and the DMZ.

Parameters for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks can be accessed via the ‘basic' subsection of the ‘wireless' section.

Further features such as the security settings and guest network configuration are also accessible in the wireless section.

Configuring a USB hard drive for use with the N60 router is a straightforward task, thanks to Tenda well-documented installation steps. One thing worth noting is that only the HDD's primary partition can be accessed; the remaining partitions are all rendered inaccessible.

Configuring a printer for use with the N60 is an equally simple procedure, although the same can't be said about arranging it for use with Windows 7. Thankfully, Tenda's guidance is very good, yet again.

The IPTV port can be enabled via its specific section.

Settings such as the date and time, user name and password, firmware and statistics logging can be accessed via the ‘tools' section.

Configuring the Tenda N60 router for initial use is a simple process that is well-documented, provided you have the ability to convert the XP-orientated instructions to a form that makes them useful in Windows 7. Tenda gives the occasional instruction screenshot in a Windows 7 environment, but the majority are displayed using the XP operating system.

We would prefer it if Tenda was to update its manual and guide to a more modern operating system – Windows 7. In the case of the PDF-based, in-depth user guide, adding in some Windows 7 screenshots is likely to be a small investment which will benefit many novice users.

Tenda's browser-based interface gives access to a good amount of settings, statistics and features, but we would like the interface to have a makeover which makes it more modernised and sleek, allowing it to match the attractiveness some of its competitors' options.

Testing methodology:

To test the Tenda N60 router, we used Totusoft's LAN Speed Test software to measure the real-world network throughput when transferring a 100MB file between a wired ‘server' computer and a wireless ‘client' laptop. LAN Speed Test provides real-world performance results as it creates the file, measures the time taken to transfer it, and calculates the effective network throughput.

To eliminate potential bottlenecks, the ‘server' computer was connected to the N60 via Gigabit Ethernet. As we wanted to test the N60's wireless performance, the ‘client' laptop was connected via the router's maximum supported speed – 300Mbps using Wireless-N on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands.

For short range testing, our laptop and adapter were positioned 3 feet from the router, in the same room. This represents a typical usage scenario where the N60 is required to provide a wireless signal for many devices located in a single room.

For long range testing, our laptop and adapter were positioned around 40 feet from the router, on the building's floor below. The signal has to travel through four plasterboard walls and a solid brick floor in our converted church building. Due to the building's age and very solid wall material, having the power to push a signal through the 40 foot distance is a demanding task for any router.

This test procedure represents another typical usage scenario where the N60 is required to provide a wireless signal for devices located in different rooms of the house, or even the garden.

The wireless adapter we used was an Edimax EW-7733UnD. It is a strong adapter which supports 802.11 a/b/g/n modes on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency ranges, features a rotatable antenna and supports up to 450Mbps data rates.

Test Procedures:

• Totusoft's LAN Speed Test software, 100MB file transfer between client and server computers.
• We run the test five times and take an average (therefore reducing the effect of slight variations in the measured speed of each result).
• When averaging the recorded transfer rates, we will determine and eliminate outlier results and run an extra test in place (therefore reducing the effect of random errors).
• 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands tested.

‘Server' Computer:

• Processor: Intel Core i5 3570K.
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V.
• Network Controller: Intel 82579V Gigabit LAN Controller.
• Memory: 8GB Patriot Viper 3 IEM Limited Edition 2133MHz.
• Test Drive: 24GB ADATA SP300 SandForce SF-2141 SSD.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.
• Router Connection: 1Gbps Wired Ethernet.

‘Client' Laptop:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5250.
• Test Drive: 250GB Samsung HM251HI.
• Wireless Adapter (USB): Edimax EW-7733UnD.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.
• Router Connection: 300Mbps Wireless-N, 2.4GHz & 5GHz.

During short range testing, we observed three competing wireless signals on the 2.4GHz frequency, and two on the 5GHz frequency.

During long range testing, we observed three competing wireless signals on the 2.4GHz frequency, and two on the 5GHz frequency.

Tenda's N60 delivers solid performance on both frequency bands during short range testing. Despite an additional interference-causing signal, the 2.4GHz frequency band offered the best overall transfer rates.

The Tenda N60 router continues to deliver strong performance on the 2.4GHz frequency band, despite the disturbance-ridden 40 foot signal path. Even when our client computer was positioned 40 feet away from the N60 router, the transfer speeds were still adequate enough to deliver effective playback of a high bit-rate Bluray rip.

Performance on the 5GHz frequency band plummets with distance and material interferences. It is clear that the 5GHz signal is attenuating heavily as it struggles to penetrate the building's thick internal structures over extended ranges. This is likely related to the shorter wavelength, in comparison to the 2.4GHz signal.

At the 5GHz transfer rates that we recorded, a stream of high-definition content would get choppy at certain points and file sharing would be a time consuming process.

The Tenda N60 dual band wireless router delivers strong performance over short range and good performance over long distances on the 2.4GHz frequency band.

Short range performance of the N60 was strong. The router managed to surpass the 100Mbps barrier on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. Signal strength was faultless, with Windows 7 reporting a full five bars connection strength on both frequency bands.

The N60's long range performance was good on the 2.4GHz frequency band, but the 5GHz signal attenuated rapidly – a fact which may have been related to our building's thick internal structure.

Long range recorded speeds on the 2.4GHz band were high enough to make playback of high bit-rate Bluray rips a realistic possibility. Signal strength was also strong, with Windows 7 reporting a 3-4 bar connection.

Web browsing and simple tasks were able to be carried out using the 5GHz signal over an extended range, but the low transfer rates affected the speed and quality of file transfers and HD streaming, respectively. Signal strength fluctuated between 2 and 3 bars, according to Windows 7, and there were some instances where we struggled to connect to the 5GHz frequency.

Configuring the N60 router for first use is a simple procedure. Tenda provides good directions in the basic and in-depth user guides, although the XP-orientated screenshots will make the procedures slightly more difficult for some users.

Tenda's user interface is in-depth and provides access to plenty of the N60 router's features and settings. The navigation menus are well laid out and make the specific setting or parameter easy to find. We would, however, prefer a more attractive interface which offers a ‘friendlier' usage experience.

Performance of the Gigabit Ethernet and USB ports is, as we would expect, without issues. We had no problems streaming a high-definition movie from our portable HDD which was connected to the N60's USB port. Using our printer over the network was equally hassle free, once we had completed Windows' less-than-straightforward configuration procedure.

One issue we did notice with the Tenda N60 router was its operating temperature. Sat on our desk in an open environment, the device was hot to touch and we recorded a temperature of 39°C on the upper surface. This could cause problems for users who want to put the N60 in a confined space. We would recommend caution.

Available for £34.98 from Ebuyer, Tenda's N60 is priced very competitively. It is one of the cheapest dual band Wireless-N routers available.

Pros:

• Strong short range wireless performance.
• Good 2.4GHz performance over long distances.
• Simple configuration procedure, provided you can understand the Windows XP screenshots.
• Plenty of customisable settings.
• Multi-function USB port.
• Sleek, modern appearance.

Cons:

• Weak 5GHz performance over long distances (we have had better results with other routers)
• User guide features directions for Windows XP, not Windows 7.
• Unit gets hot.

KitGuru says: An affordable dual band router that offers good performance, reliability and a simple configuration procedure.

 

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