Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G Wi-Fi Router deals with simple connectivity and powerful security features. The router belongs to Zebronics, Netwiz product line. It features easy connectivity options with security features that are simple to manage. Not a complicated device, Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G comes with outdated look, but new features. The router features NetWiz utility. Developed by Zebronics, NetWiz is a platform where you can easily connect a router on your modem with other devices. You might be thinking this is one of the most common features with many routers. It is. But in Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G it is much more simplified. Zebronics has created a straight forward product at a very budget price. Every router comes with an installation media. But in Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G you will find an old windows message type box that gives you minimum option to begin. We will discuss in detail about that further. Now we will check out some of the most common features that this router delivers. The unique feature added is a 3G dongle connectivity. The router price lies between Rs.1300 to Rs.1400. At this range Zebronics is giving a USB 2.0 3G dongle connectivity with internet sharing. So even if you are using a 3G dongle your investment on Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G is not waste. There are very few models in the price range that offer you a 3G dongle connectivity.
NetWiz deliver you a simple interface to manage many settings. Like creating your own Virtual Server at your home to share files and play games, domain filtering, URL blocking, etc. The router has a WPS button on the front side to enable a protected network. Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G also allows you to scan emails. There are new possibilities Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G router but also a number of bugs which might irritate a lot. This router is a kind of device that you have to configure and leave it. Do not touch the settings or else you will have to work with the installation from scratch. I faced trouble while turning off the wifi from the router web based control panel. After turning off the Wi-Fi the router stopped working. The network notification icon says no connectivity. Later on after resetting the router settings back, and install it from the CD it started working. This happen a multiple time. So it looks the router lacks some good internal wifi management tool. While other settings like URL blocking, domain filter, etc works well. Zebronics tried to add ample of features, but the co-ordination lacks. Due to which sometime the settings are wiped out instantly.
Features:
- USB 2.0 for 3G External Modem
- Browse Safety Features
- Demilitarized Zone
- Domain Filtering
- Extended Wi-Fi Security
- WPS
- Scheduled based Wi-Fi Security
- Non Standard FTP
- Email Log
- QoS rules
- Smart Setup
Specification:
- Ethernet WAN / LAN: 5xRJ45 (10/100mbps)
- USB: 2.0
- Antenna: 3 dBi fixed Antenna
- Standard: IEEE 802.11b/g/n (1×1) compliance.
- SSID: SSID broadcast or in stealth mode.
- Channel: Auto selection, Manual
- Security: WEP, WPA,WPA-PSK,WPA2,WPA2-PSK.
- WPS : WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup).
Design and features :
No after checking out the short feature list above you can get a small glimpse about the router’s quality. Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G is a good device but it looks many things are not properly arranged in that. First we will talk about the design, its features and some connectivity options. Later on we will test the functionality and performance. Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G looks a bit outdated in design. It has a simple while plastic body that looks very common. The front led is also not so vibrant. There is a single wps button on the front side and a reset switch. The LED indicators work for Power, WAN, Wi-Fi and 4 LAN connectors. In many router the power led is on until the router is working. While in Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G it is a indicator only for restart or power at start. The wifi led only blinks when you are using the router wifi. It is turned off and that is reason a number of time I am confused whether it is on or not. In a similar price range I had also purchased a netgear router that has far more better indicators. First I had tested the wifi by disabling all the Wi-Fi security. There was no password and it was connected to my Smartphone instantly. But after adding the password, the Smartphone stucked on obtaining IP address.
Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G Wi-Fi Router may be loaded with good features, but as I said before a co-ordination among the functions are messing. First at looking on the body you will find it as a very low budget device. The design is really working well. But it is decent for personal use. The router comes with a fix antenna on the backside. It is a 3dBi Wi-Fi antenna which is mid range and enough for home or office area. Not much bigger. The connection is simple. The router does not collect the settings on its own. You have to use the installation CD to configure it first. Due to 4 LAN port connection on the back it is easy to hook multiple devices. The front led shows you whether the device is active or not. One of the biggest drawback of Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G Wi-Fi Router is that it does not have a Wi-Fi button on it. You have to type 192.168.123.254 in the web browser to access Router Control Panel and disable it from there. A dedicated Wi-Fi on/off button is a very important feature of router that Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G Wi-Fi Router is missing.
Performance and Functions :
Connectivity is simple. The router comes with only single RJ45 cable. You have to connect the router with the PC and then hook the lan/wan/modem port to the green port on the backside. After connection the router needs CD Wizard so configure the entire connection. It is simple. First after inserting the CD you have to run the setup file and click on Start. To connect instantly use the Wizard mode and follow the screen instruction. The CD offers you a easy way to configure your LAN/WAN. At a point when the router unable to collect appropriate settings it ask you to configure the same manually. Now you can see the image below it allow you two easy options. First is Ethernet Wan and Wireless Wan.
When you click on WAN, you can find more number of options here. If you want to put in auto settings you can simply click on Dynamic IP. It takes the configuration settings and puts your system on the network. While you can assign Static IP also. The PPPoE is for ADSL connection and so on the other settings. So in this way it becomes much easier to use different type of connection on NWZ-WR150A-3G. Once the settings with login credential are added the router is configured and it will work properly.
And if you go with the Wi-Fi you can find 3G and iBurst option. You can choose the one that you want and configure the connection. With 3G you can just connect the dongle to the router and enable the network sharing. It will be available on all other devices. While iBurst is provided for PDA and other OS platform. The wifi range is good enough to work at home and office. You can use number of devices on it. To find out more options about the router you will need to go inside admin panel by typing the router IP address (192.168.123.254). In that click on Advance setup and there you can find a list of various functions. It is separated in 5 tabs. The first is basic setting, forwarding rules, security settings, advance settings and toolbox. NWZ-WR150A-3G also features a Combo Mode. In this you can hook more than one WAN connection on it. In case of problem with any line, the router itself manages other active connection. You just need to choose the Primary and Secondary Wan connection under Combo Wan Settings. You can also keep a 3G USB dongle on the Secondary channel. While security features like Domain filter, Mac Proofing, etc are enough strong to protect you from unwanted threats. There is a dedicated panel provided under Security Settings > Miscellaneous. You can see those settings in the image below. You can activate DoS attack detection, and many things here to find out any threat on your network.
Conclusion
Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G Wi-Fi Router offers you a common platform for various type of connection. Whether you are using internet through 3G, ADSL, Dialup, WAN, etc you just need to choose the right type of connectivity and configure the router. It has very less complications in setup. Even due to number of drawbacks the router is capable of giving you a optimum solution for office use. The router is loaded with all required options. After applying each settings you have to reboot the router. Like if you had disable Wireless the router settings will be applied only on reboot. That makes it slow. So that is one of the most annoying thing I found on it. Second as I had mentioned in the design section that there is no Wi-Fi button on the body. To disable wifi you have to login in the router admin panel and then turn it off. The settings will be applied only after rebooting. After using Zebronics NWZ-WR150A-3G Wi-Fi Router I found it easy to operate but the problem lies with some internal functionality.
It might not be having a catchy design, but the internal features are enough to secure multiple devices. It looks Zebronics tried to manage the router quality by stuffing with many things that will be never used. And if we talk about a wide LAN network then it is not the device that offers you performance and durability.
Pros :
- Easy Setup.
- Ample of Security Features.
- Easy to use.
Cons:
- Poor Body
- Reboot require to save settings
- No Wi-Fi On/Off button
