Wrap Up

As with any first-in-class product, the SMC2870W has its share of rough edges and work left to be done. I was really annoyed by the slowness of the admin interface throughout most of my testing, but glad to see that this problem was solved by using Internet Explorer - though I don't consider that a "fix". And the confusing product nomenclature and lack of support for both Normal and "crossover" based connections also need work.

But Job #1 should be improving WPA-enabled performance in Bridge mode, since that's the product's chief claim-to-fame. Though it currently does work, my experience with it says it's not robust enough for heavy use.

What's not likely to be fixed, however, is the firmware-load-to-change-mode "feature". If this really is due to memory mis-sizing, then only a follow-on product (with larger memory) or major rewrite of the firmware will fix something that I think will generate a fair share of Tech Support calls.

Although I give SMC points for pushing the wireless product envelope, there are just too many quirks for my taste. But that could just be me...