DrayTek’s new Vigor2926 is a business-focused and fiber-ready Wi-Fi router that packs in a great deal of superior performance. Key amongst these options is having the ability to hold the web linked always, with twin Gigabit WAN ports and the power to deal with USB-based mobile connections if you wish to BYO mobile modem (Mi-Fi routers).

It is a gadget that’s primarily geared toward small to medium-sized companies, and may very well be a good selection for firms who assume they may want room to develop sooner or later. It’s additionally doubtlessly appropriate for dwelling customers with extra particular wants — particularly, those that have a bigger cryptocurrency mining setup and wish a 3G/4G failover connection to keep away from any potential downtime.

DrayTek Vigor2926 worth and availability

Slightly than a single spec, the Vigor2926 collection is available in quite a few totally different fashions. 

The costliest is the Vigor2926Vac, which is able to set you again $395/AU$550. (It’s presently not accessible within the UK.)

The Vigor2926ac ditches the VoIP and prices $399/£262/AU$500, whereas the decrease spec Wi-fi-N 2926n mannequin is $300/£210/AU$420. 

There’s additionally a plain 2926 with no Wi-Fi in any respect: that’s simply $206/£199/AU$369.

Design & options

Of these a number of totally different Vigor2926’s on supply, we examined the top-tier mannequin for this overview, which has 4×4 MU-MIMO 802.11ac spec Wi-Fi, capable of ship speeds as much as 1,733Mbps. It additionally has twin WAN ports, two USB 2.zero connections, in addition to 4 Gigabit LAN ports and VoIP performance. Twin USB 2.zero means you’ll be able to add two mobile modems, or join a number of storage units. The router itself can also be rack-mountable to slot in your server room and may even be geared up to watch the temperature of different tools through an non-compulsory USB probe.

Most companies lately can’t afford any web downtime, and the Vigor2926 makes an attempt to take care of that through an enormous concentrate on redundancy and connection duplication. For a begin, the twin Gigabit WAN ports can mix two fastened connections into one, with built-in load balancing or failover. As an additional backup choice, it may possibly additionally deal with two mobile modems through USB in case your predominant web line (or traces) goes down. Whereas that’ll be overkill for a lot of customers, it’s a flexible featureset for individuals who want high notch redundancy.

For a really small enterprise, the Vigor2926 may present sufficient options to ship every little thing you want, networking-wise, however it’s even perhaps better-suited for firms with a community with many units to handle. With 4 LAN ports whole, nevertheless, it’s primarily supposed to be the central hub between different units, reasonably than connecting on to customers’ computer systems – it’s designed to take a seat in the course of a enterprise community that consists of switches, wi-fi entry factors, and even perhaps different routers. 

To assist make life simpler for the IT employees, the Vigor2926 can remotely monitor and handle your community from a built-in console that is accessible through an internet browser. After all, it may possibly solely present detailed monitoring for different DrayTek units, so it’ll work finest when built-in as a part of a brand new community setup, reasonably than being added onto an present one. The router can fortunately deal with a rising or fairly giant enterprise although, with the power to handle as much as 20 DrayTek wi-fi entry factors and 10 Vigor community switches. DrayTek additionally consists of Good Monitor – a free community site visitors analyser which can assist troubleshoot any points. 

With many firms more and more unfold out, bodily, they usually have folks working from dwelling or in numerous workplace places. The Vigor2926 helps hold everybody linked but safe, with a built-in firewall that may filter net content material, prohibit entry to sure sorts of site visitors (like P2P) and block many different on-line dangers. It will probably additionally assist divide and handle your community, with assist for as much as eight LAN IP subnets, which could be assigned to an additional 16 digital LANs. The 2926 is provided to deal with distant employees’ VPN wants too, with as much as 50 VPN tunnels.

Setup & net interface

DrayTek has a strong fame with regards to the standard of its , and extra not too long ago, it’s been working arduous to shake off a number of the interface impenetrability — and that exhibits with the Vigor2926Vac, which is a bit more beginner-friendly than a few of its earlier merchandise. That stated, it definitely nonetheless focuses perform over kind, and the interface just isn’t as slick or showy as what many dwelling routers now supply. 

For anybody who desires to poke round in that interface earlier than committing, DrayTek has a web based demo of the 2926 the place you’ll be able to have a look by all its ins and outs at http://eu.draytek.com:12926. It is a nice technique to get a really feel for the router and its options.

The Vigor2926 makes use of a regular net browser interface for entry, and at first look, the format ought to look pretty acquainted to anybody that’s configured a router earlier than. The principle dashboard will get throughout all of the pertinent info, and has a fast entry tab for key options. As you delve in deeper although, it rapidly turns into obvious simply what number of sub choices there are. That’s not a foul factor, because it provides the choice for very detailed management over your community and means it may possibly go well with fairly complicated and assorted enterprise wants. All the pieces’s very clearly labelled, however for these unfamiliar with most of the options, it may possibly nonetheless look just a little daunting. 

To assist ease the transition for complicated choices equivalent to organising VPNs and even simply configuring the Wi-Fi, the router does embrace a spread of Wizards. These nonetheless are likely to really feel like they’re at extra of an intermediate stage although, so the actual assist comes from the superb assist pages on the DrayTek web site. The latter begins off with fundamental guides to getting began and enhancing safety, and has articles throughout to protecting particular complicated options. The assist web page additionally has a search perform, in addition to additional e mail assist in the event you’re really caught.

Web redundancy options

When organising the web connectivity redundancy utilizing the aforementioned dual-WAN and dual-cellular connections, the interface choices do initially look a contact naked… till you realise that clicking every WAN choice within the index takes you thru to the deeper settings, which are literally very simple to make use of. Whereas every little thing could be set to simply present load balancing throughout the assorted web connections you’ve bought arrange, the true flexibility is within the in depth failover choices. 

For instance, what you are promoting may need a single WAN web connection, alongside a USB mobile modem as a backup. It may be configured so if the WAN disconnects, the mobile connection instantly kicks in. However you too can specify that if the WAN site visitors reaches a sure threshold, the mobile connection is then added into the combination to offer further bandwidth. It’s even potential to attach a second 2926 router to the community that is configured as a redundant backup gadget, and which is able to take over if the principle router ever experiences issues. 

Superior administration & VPN options

The Vigor2926 has a great deal of configuration choices within the administration console, however when you get it up and working with different units, it may possibly truly be used for performing upkeep duties on different DrayTek units on the community, equivalent to firmware upgrades, config backups and restores, in addition to ongoing monitoring.

As we talked about earlier, the Vigor2926 is well-equipped to deal with companies unfold throughout a number of websites – whether or not that’s simply totally different flooring in the identical constructing, or complete workplaces in numerous states or international locations. Leaping into the LAN settings, you’ll be able to set as much as eigh IP subnets, and create as much as 16 digital LANs. It appears to be like just a little complicated, however the configuration web page does make it easy to configure your wider community – albeit, so long as you vaguely know what you might be doing. 

At a fundamental stage, this functionality may permit a enterprise to separate out totally different departments or customers into their very own LANs without having further bodily . The advantages embrace higher community management, safety, efficiency, and doubtlessly lowered cabling.

For non-local connections, the router can deal with as much as 50 VPN tunnels, permitting the creation of safe hyperlinks to offsite networks. For instance, these may very well be used to connect with department workplaces, suppliers, or permit employers to attach remotely when working from dwelling, or out within the discipline. Whereas the precise choices and format (together with the aforementioned Wizards) for organising VPNs are good and logical, truly understanding which settings are wanted will nonetheless require some higher-end networking know-how. 

It’s simple to be overwhelmed by the depth of choices accessible within the Vigor2926, however the steps wanted to navigate the interface and options are pretty logical and intuitive. And simply as importantly, there are many choices accessible for assist in understanding and organising the router.

Efficiency & testing

For this overview, we carried out intensive testing with the top-end mannequin, the Vigor2926Vac. For core administration and VPN options, that included organising distant connections with a DrayTek Vigor2860Ln.

We examined the wi-fi community utilizing a Netgear A6200 USB Wi-Fi dongle, rated for 867Mbps on the 5GHz band. Remember that final wi-fi speeds you are capable of obtain will rely on the gadget and antennas used.

For the latter wi-fi assessments, we managed a typical however not excellent throughput of 612Mpbs at a distance of 1 metre. At 10 metres, that velocity dropped off to 336Mbps. That’s not a very stunning or regarding consequence, because the 2926 is de facto designed to hyperlink into a spread of wi-fi entry factors, reasonably than get the utmost vary itself.

The 2926Vac had no downside opening and sustaining steady VPN connections throughout our assessments, or utilizing its failover and cargo balancing options to keep up and handle (respectively) an web connection.

Ultimate verdict

Whereas the Vigor2926 does every little thing it says on the field with out criticism, it’s a sophisticated gadget so it’s value ensuring you want its particular featureset. Consider, as properly, that whereas the router is comparatively simple to make use of, the in-depth performance does will get complicated and requires some networking information to make use of. If it meets your necessities (and also you meet its!) nevertheless, the Vigor2926 is a wonderful choice for a small to medium enterprise that wishes a wise, versatile community improve.