If moving office leaves you temporarily without broadband, D-Link's DIR-451 mobile broadband hot spot could be a lifesaver. The DIR-451 is a four-port wireless router that also lets you connect to a mobile phone network to access UMTS and HSDPA wireless broadband.

We put it to the test recently when we relocated the Upgrade Research Lab, a painful process that left us broadbandless for a week as we moved to the next suburb and switched from cable to DSL. The first generation of such routers only featured PCMCIA card slots for connecting wireless broadband adaptors.

D-Link's new DIR-451 features a PCMCIA slot as well as a USB port for using USB wireless broadband modems, allowing you to take advantage of the cheap mobile broadband deals from the likes of Vodafone and Hutchison's 3 network.

The router is very easy to configure via a browser from a computer connected using the supplied Ethernet cable. We tested it with our standard Huawei E220 "soap on a rope" USB modem from Vodafone, which offers 5GB a month for $39.

It was very easy to set up - after inserting the USB wireless modem at the rear of the router, we just followed the set-up wizard and selected our wireless ISP and modem model. The router is pre-configured for Telstra, Optus, Bigpond, 3, Vodafone - with the choice of modems including those from D-Link, Huawei, Sierra Wireless, Option GT MAX and Novatel Merlin.

Unfortunately it doesn't work with Three's new Huawei E169G USB stick modem (which we'll review soon), although D-Link assures us the DIR-451 should be compatible with the E169G before the end of the year. After selecting Vodafone and Huawei E220 USB, the interface gave a signal strength reading and, after rebooting the modem, we were up and running.

We now had a Local Area Network and 802.11b/g wireless network offering high-speed internet access. We're using the term "high speed" loosely when it comes to Vodafone, as we've never seen its HSDPA wireless broadband network come close to achieving the promised speeds. It regularly sits around 160kbps download speed - barely fast enough for email and basic web browsing. We've seen it peak at 320kbps in locations where we've seen Next G and Hutchison's 3 modems surpass 2Mbps.

Still, Vodafone is much cheaper than Telstra and offers much wider coverage than Three, making it the best choice for some people. Vodafone's woes aside, the DIR-451 performed admirably, offering a stable network over a decent range. On the rare occasion we couldn't connect to the internet, a check of the router revealed low mobile broadband signal strength - so again we'd point the finger at Vodafone.

When the wireless broadband signal improved, the DIR-451 happily resumed its duties without the need for intervention on our part. The router offers WEP, WPA and WPA2 wireless encryption as a SPI firewall with NAT. Whether you're in the middle of a relocation or setting up a temporary site office, the DIR-451 would be a godsend - although Vodafone could be the weakest link in the chain. The DIR-451 combined with a reliable wireless broadband service could even offer a wallet-friendly permanent broadband solution if you tend to move regularly, if you're renting or if your home/office is too far from the exchange to get decent DSL speeds.

D-Link's DIR-451 3G mobile router retails for $299.95. For more details call 1300700100 or visit dlink.com.au.

Multiskilling

Lexmark's X6575 is an 802.11gram wireless colour ink-jet multifunction device offering printing, scanning, copying and faxing. It offers 28 pages a minute monochrome printing and 24ppm colour, at up to 4800 x 2400dpi resolution, and can print directly from memory cards and USB sticks as well as PictBridge-compatible digital cameras. The X6575 is also a flatbed scanner offering up to 600 x 1200dpi resolution with 48-bit colour depth, as well as a 33.6kbps colour and monochrome fax machine with a 25-page capacity auto document feeder.

Lexmark's X6575 Professional retails for $299. For details call 1300362192 or visit lexmark.com.au.

Drive power

Western Digital's new Mac-formatted My Passport Studio Portable Drives are equipped with FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interfaces and available in 250 and 320 GB capacities. Weighing under 140grams, the slim USB-powered drives feature a LED capacity gauge.

Western Digital's My Passport Studio Drive retails from $229. For details contact Achieva Technology on (02)97423288 or westerndigital.com.