Sometimes you just like what you see by the picture on the box. It's even better when you find that once the box is opened, things keep going your way. The new ZoomAir IG 4165 Wireless Internet Gateway was exactly this for me. Before I tell you why it is so good, let me just say that it is good. That's right, if you trust the opinions expressed here at cablemodeminfo.com, then read no further because this unit rocks! The latest offering from Zoom in their "ZoomAir" line of wireless products does not fall short in any category. It is packed with features and is very easy to setup and administer. Need security? Firewall?..this unit has all of that and more!

Packaging of the ZoomAir is well thought out. Everything you need is right at your fingertips. Included in the retail box is a printed manual (nice and beefy too..will not be destroyed very easily), a quick start guide and CD-ROM with software and all the documentation provided in PDF format. The wallwart for the ZoomAir is a two piece construction with the last part (before the voltage converter) being a standard PC type power cord. The unit itself is small and sleek. It has no real feet, and as a result is a bit slippery on any flat surface. I'd recommend getting some rubber pegs for the bottom (available at any hardware store). If it were to take a dive, as so many of our test units seem prone to, its plastic construction may not hold up.

The LEDs on the front of the device are small, but very bright and easy to see from just about any angle. One would think that may not be saying much, but it is something that most other SOHO networking product manufacturers have yet to figure out. The rear of the unit features two switched 10/100 LAN ports, one WAN jack, a COM port for your modem/ISDN line and a printer port.

Now, on to the features. Of course, you get your basic gateway/routing characteristics. NAT and DHCP support for 253 clients will make device hungry users happy. Also supported is PPP over Ethernet and a range of VPN protocols that will enable you to tunnel directly into your corporate network from home. Security wise, the ZoomAir has a little more to offer than your average home gateway. On top of the basics (NAT), it also does port redirection, stateful packet inspection (SPI), special applications exceptions as well as a range of different access control options managed via client MAC addresses by group as well as globally (allow, deny options). One thing that bugged me a bit was the inability to change the IP range from the default 192 non-routable addresses. I tried, and it crashed the IG 4165 resulting in a hardware reset to get it back on its feet.

The ZoomAir's web based interface is as nice as we've ever seen..

Other features worthy of mention are it's ability to function as a wireless access point and bridge, providing seamless roaming from one point to the other. Ranges of 300' are supported. Actual performance may vary depending on the environment. 128bit WEP support adds a little comfort to the security conscious. The built in printer port/server is simple to set up. The COM port allows you to attach a dial up or ISDN modem. You can count on being able to maintain your connection to the Internet even if your cable modem or xDSL lines goes down. There are a ton of options for you to play with here as well. Auto connect/reconnect functionality as well as connect on demand (triggered by data requests) make for a painless modem surfing experience. A full line of ZoomAir products outside of the IG 4165 provide great opportunities for making any PC wireless ready via USB or even connecting separate buildings with a LAN to LAN bridge/antenna rig offering 2.5mi line of sight range (sold separately).

Setting up the print server requires you to install the ZoomAir software provided on CD. Mac and Linux printing is a little more in-depth, please see our info on MAC and Linux printing with the Zoom Gateway. Also included on the disc is a free copy of ZoneAlarm and/or a 30 day trial version of Zone Alarm Pro. This is yet another added layer of security available to the user.

The "Advanced" setup page contains links to even more advanced routing options.

The web based interface for configuring the ZoomAir is very nice. In fact, I may be so bold as to say it is truly slick! Configuring the advanced features is simple even for the novice, thanks to the intuitive layout and well written documentation. There seems to be endless ways to configure the security options, which is good. I'm of the opinion that there can never be too many configuration options. Network administrators definitely will like having the ability to exert so much control over client access both to and from the Internet. While the interface looks very nice, I found that it is prone to crashing after making any changes that require you to "reboot" the router. This happened on our test unit several times and required a hardware reset. I'm sure a firmware upgrade will solve this.

Zoom seems to have a winner here with the IG 4165. Not only this, but the entire wireless family of ZoomAir products ensure that whatever your wireless needs may be, there is ZoomAir hardware waiting to satisfy.

Features of the ZoomAir IG 4165 Internet Gateway:

- Internet Gateway/Router
- 2 switched 10/100 RJ-45 jacks
- Print Server / dial up or ISDN compatible via COMport
- Rich security features
- Added software for more security
- Easy web based configuration

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars.
Pros: Great amount of options in a small package. Many security features, extensive routing control. A great option for wireless users, external antenna's cam be added as well.
Cons: Web based configuration crashes the router at times.

ZoomAir IG 4165 Wireless Internet Gateway
Current Street Price: $199.95

Zoom Telephonics Inc.
207 South Street
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423-1072
http://www.zoom.com