Networking Gear by stefan @ 2013-05-24
Sitecom has reinvented itself with a new look on both the website and the products. Their latest X6 N900 WLR-6100 is a dual-band router with 450Mbps rating on both frequencies, which also sports SCS (Sitecom Cloud Security) subscription free for the first six months, but also multiple mounting possibilities and two USB 2.0 ports for connecting printers and storage devices.
At first we would like to thank Sitecom for offering me a sample of their X6 N900 Wi-Fi Router for testing and reviewing.
“ Sitecom is one of the leading and fastest growing computer network brands for home and small business use. The Sitecom brand has a clear mission statement: “make it easy”. Sitecom makes it easy to set up a home network and to expand it, since it converts technical products into user-friendly solutions which can be used immediately without any problems.
Simplicity is what it is all about! The mission statement “make it easy” is put into practice throughout the organization and is expressed in both the solutions and the service which Sitecom offers. All of Sitecom's products, therefore, have a 10-year warranty. Making the latest technology simple, understandable and accessible is what Sitecom stands for and we make no concessions to that.”
With this router you can easily create a wireless network and share a broadband Internet connection, files and peripheral devices.
The router convinces with state-of-the-art looks and innovative design. Matt, shiny and textured surface finishing in white give the router a high-end touch. Air vents all around allow for maximum air circulation. The included stand allows the router to be positioned either standing up, mounted on the wall or in the classic desktop position.
This solution has Sitecom Cloud Security: the security integrated in the router protects all the devices in your network against cybercrime when surfing the Internet. Simply start using the free six-month subscription and use antivirus/antimalware, antiphishing, protection against malicious websites (URL blocking), ad blocking, exploit prevention and the Do-No-Track option.
The router has a range which is optimized for three floors, the garden and the balcony and wireless speed of up to 450 Mbps.
It supports a wired speed up to 1000 Mbps and is ideal for high-speed internet.
Enjoy the benefits of the fact that this router simultaneously uses the standard 2.4 GHz frequency and the less congested 5 GHz frequency for optimal wireless performance of heavy applications.
The router is suitable for heavy applications such as watching YouTube, streaming music and videos and downloading files.
Make use of the integrated USB ports and connect external hard disks, printers or webcams and share the device with all users in the network. Print from any location in the house or back up files from any computer to the connected external hard disk.
Use the integrated DLNA media server to stream movies stored on the connected hard disk directly to play on notebooks, tablets or media players anywhere in the house.
The router comes secured with an individual pre-set WPA2 security password. You can create a secure home network with just one push of the OPS (One Push Set-up) button.
This product comes with the extensive 10-year Sitecom warranty. Simply activate the long-term warranty by registering your product within 3 weeks of purchase.
802.11a/b/g/n Wireless Standard Protocol
Wireless speed up to 450 Mbps
802.3u 802.3i
Security: WPA-TKIP, WPA-AES, WPA2, WPA-Radius
Compatible with Dynamic IP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP internet connections
6 internal antennas
Quality of Service (QoS)
Universal Plug & Play (UPnP)
Application Layer Gateway (ALG)
IPv6 support: Native, DS-Lite, 6rd
Automatic Firmware Update
Sitecom stands for user-friendly and reliable network solutions for home users. With Sitecom Cloud Security, Sitecom goes one step further and ensures that you can surf the Internet even more safely, not only on your PC, but on all the devices in your home which you use to access the Internet. It does not matter whether you surf the Internet on a laptop, a tablet, a mobile telephone or your television. Thanks to the security that is integrated in the router, all the Internet devices in your home are protected against the dangers of Internet criminality.
Sitecom Cloud Security consists of four elements which, together, make it safer to surf the Internet. These elements are:
Antivirus and Antimalware
Antiphishing
Protection against unsafe websites
Advertisement Blocking
As you would expect from a Sitecom product, Sitecom Cloud Security is very easy to install. You activate the security in your router with just one click of your mouse. That is how simple it is to protect the devices in your home so that you can safely surf the Internet.
Once you have activated Sitecom Cloud Security, your router will work together with Sitecom’s powerful servers, which are located in various locations throughout the Internet. Harmful websites and unwanted advertisements will be recognized by our servers and blocked by the router. You will also be protected against downloading files which contain viruses, as well as against fraudulent websites which try to trick you into giving them your personal details.
Sitecom Cloud Security has been designed to make surfing the Internet safer. It is additional protection. Since it is integrated in the router, all the devices in your home will be protected and this will help to make it safer to surf the Internet.
It is supplementary to antivirus software, which not only protects you against threats on the Internet, but also has other functionality. For example, a good, up-to-date virus scanner will also allow you to safely download files from, for example, a USB stick and will protect you from other risks on the Internet, such as those found on FTP and P2P networks like Bittorrent.
Sitecom Cloud Security is, therefore, supplementary to your virus scanner. Compare it with your house. A virus scanner ensures that your house is safely locked, whilst Sitecom Cloud Security also locks the garden gate.
Again, Sitecom have reinvented themselves with a new look and this is reflected in both packaging and product appearance; their latest X6 N900 Wi-Fi router sports 450Mbps on both bands, good coverage by sporting no less than 6 internal antennas and Gigabit LAN:
On one of the box sides we are shown that the router can be positioned in two different modes:
Also, on the other side we will see some of the product specifications:
The product also ships with SCS (Sitecom Cloud Security) subscription active for 6 months:
A more detailed view of the product and a comparison chart can be found on the back side of the box:
After removing the top packaging, we will end up with a regular cardboard box:
On the top layer we will find the router, while on the bottom we will locate the accessories:
Speaking of the bundle, we will receive one RJ45 LAN cable, a bunch of documentation, the power adapter, some screws for wall mounting and, of course, the dock:
The dock which ships with the product can be mounted in two different positions and on the front it comes with two Sitecom logos:
On the bottom side we’ll find multiple white rubber feet which help when the router sits on the table:
The power adapter was manufactured by DVE and is rated on the output 12V, 2A:
The other end of the adapter ends with a jack plug:
The router comes with a clean, professional design and is covered on the both sides with a transparent plastic film for avoiding scratches during transport:
On the lower side we can find the Sitecom logo again:
The activity LEDs can be found on the right side (most of the routers we have tested so far and were also designed to sit vertically had the LEDs placed on the left) and signal activity for the WAN interface, the 4 LAN ports, the 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless networks, Power and OPS function:
On the bottom we will find the predefined 2.4GHz and 5GHz network names and passwords, along with the router MAC address and serial number:
Also here we will also locate the dock mounting areas:
On the lateral sides we will find multiple ventilation holes:
The back side comes with a Power On/Off switch, a DC-IN port, one WAN and 4 LAN ports, along with two USB 2.0 ports? Where is the Reset button hole? Well….let’s look a little closer:
On the top side of the router we will find two extra buttons, for activating OPS on both bands; these buttons can be also used for resetting the router to the factory defaults, by keeping one of them pressed for more than 15 seconds:
On the other side of the router we will find the mounting mechanism for wall mount; this side also comes with small feet on the sides for sitting the router on the table, without using the dock:
The dock installation can be done in a snap:
Besides the Installation Guide, we will also get a leaflet with default network details (including the initial administrator account password from the browser login screen), an additional leaflet regarding SCS, a disk with necessary software and also one “declaration of conformity”:
One of the leaflets will show us how the SCS layer works; for extending the subscription to one year, we will be charged about 15 Euros by going to shop.sitecomcloudsecurity.com. For extending by 6 months, we will have to pay about 9.99 Euros and for two years 23.99 Euros:
The manual will explain us step by step how to perform the installation on multiple platforms:
The latest X6 N900 router from Sitecom sports a similar user interface as we have found on similar models from them in the past. The main menus are placed on top and each of them comes with multiple sub-sections. Let’s begin with the first menu, which is Status; its first sub-menu is named System Status and from here we can find information like model, uptime, hardware/software versions or serial number:
The DHCP Server section will let us configure options regarding LAN and DHCP:
The Device Status menu will show the current 2.4GHz and 5GHz configuration, but also the LAN configuration:
The IPv4 Status and IPv6 Status sections will show the current configuration:
From the DHCP Status menu, we will be able to see the connected stations, their MAC addresses and also DHCP expiration time; from the same menu we can assign static DHCP IPs:
The Log section displays what is happening “behind the scenes”. We can also use this section to troubleshoot in case we have functionality issues with the router:
The Statistics section will show the traveling packets through all interfaces:
The next menu comes with only two other sub-sections which are IPv4 Settings and IPv6 Settings, which can be configured according to our ISP instructions:
From the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi menus, we will be able to configure advanced settings regarding the wireless connectivity. The Enable sub-section will permit us to disable the specific interface completely:
From the Basic menu, we can select the operating mode, the band, adjust the option if we’d like a Guest Network or not, set a SSID or adjust the channel:
The Advanced mode is mostly for fine-tuning the parameters:
The Security section will let us specify and encryption type for each SSID or enable WMM:
The ACL section will allow us to specify a MAC Address Filtering Table or enable WAC (Wireless Access Control):
The last tab is dedicated to the WPS function:
From the Firewall menu, we will be able to adjust more security options; the first Enable tab lets us disable the function:
From the DMZ tab, we can specify multiple Demilitarized Zones from the same network, which will have unrestricted access to the Internet:
The DoS tab provides us with some protection options like Ping of Death, Port Scan, Sync Flood and so on:
From the Access Tab we can enable MAC filtering on the LAN:
The URL block section will allow us to disallow access to specific websites:
For IPv6 we also have a separate IP Filtering table:
The Advanced Settings menu comes with several other sub-sections like NAT, where we can enable or disable the function, but also an option named Hardware Accelerator, for boosting network performance:
Options that we have found at any other routers are Port Forwarding, Virtual Server or Special Applications:
ALG will allow network access to specific applications:
Universal PnP is designed to support zero-configuration and automatic discovery and can be enabled or disabled from the respective sub-section:
This router also comes with QoS capabilities for prioritizing traffic:
Both USB ports can be configured independently for functioning in different modes like Server or NetUSB Mode:
The final menu is named Toolbox; the first sub-section will allow us to enable or disable the highly acclaimed SCS layer. The initial 6-month subscription will be enabled right away and we do not need to enter additional serial numbers:
From the password menu, we will be able to change the default administrator password:
The Timezone tab is self-explanatory:
From the Remote section, we can specify the details of WAN stations which we will allow to be connected directly to the router:
The firmware can be upgraded from the next section; the automatic firmware update function can be also enabled here:
From the Backup tab, we will be able to reset the router to the factory defaults, backup the settings to a file or restore:
The Reset tab practically allows us to reboot the device:
A DDNS service can be specified and enabled from the next tab:
A new feature is the ability to turn off the activity LEDs for Power, LAN and WAN:
The router also supports WOL:
CPU: Intel I5 3570K Retail
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional
RAM: GeIL Black Dragon 2x4GB DDR2133 (@1600)
Video: Sparkle X560 Calibre
Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200.10
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840
For testing the router on wireless, we have used a Dell 7520 laptop on which we have connected two different TRENDnet adapters, the trusty TEW-684UB, but also the latest TEW-805UB, which also supports the AC standard. The throughput was measured both ways, first by setting the wired station as a server and uploading data from the laptop and then setting the laptop on wireless as a server and uploading data from the wired station.
For the wired client tests, both stations were linked to the router via UTP wire.
The application used was PerformanceTest 8.0, fully compatible with Windows 8.
When the role of the server was set to the wired station, we will consider download, while when the server was the laptop, we will consider upload. Here are the results:
The Sitecom X6 N900 (WLR-6100) is another solid router with the 450Mbps standard supported on both bands and features 6 months of protection via Sitecom Cloud Security. Besides that, the router also includes a firewall and DoS protection via the web interface.
The X6 N900 also comes with two USB ports which can be used for storage in two different modes, but also for connecting printers. Talking of the hardware, the chassis of the router has been completely redesigned compared to the previous routers we have reviewed from them in the past and can be installed vertically in two modes (on the table, on the wall) or horizontally, on the table, without using the supplied dock. The usual Reset button hole is not present, but the same functionality can be achieved by long presses of the WPS buttons for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
Regarding the overall router performance, we have obtained decent speeds on the 2.4GHz band and very good results on the 5GHz band, which is considerably less congested. The speed measured between two wired stations is average.
The Sitecom X6 N900 router can be found on the manufacturers’ website for about 139.99 Euros, which does not make it very affordable.
We would like to thank again to Sitecom for making this review possible!