Zyxel giga 2 command line. Setting up dynamic and static ip - addresses, cloning mak - addresses. Connecting to the Zyxel Keenetic Giga II web interface

It just so happened that this spring was fruitful for all kinds of "remakes" and "second series". Either the manufacturers' imagination is exhausted, and it is not enough to come up with original names for their products, or there are not so many changes in them that it would be drawn to a new model. However, one well-known company has been selling the same mobile phone, simply increasing the version number by one, and even then not every time - and this approach does not prevent her from doing it quite successfully.

Review of the ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II router: ZOOM recommends

The Keenetic Giga II wireless router from ZyXEL Communications, despite the apparent continuity of the Keenetic Giga model, differs from it so much that it could well claim a unique name. As part of an updated product line consisting of three models - Keenetic II, Keenetic Giga II and Keenetic Ultra, it received a new hardware platform and a new software... And the design has changed. Only the power supply has not changed, which looks like a weak argument in favor of keeping the familiar name. But apparently, the success of the Keenetic brand was so great that the company decided to preserve the brand that had won good fame, while leaving the principles underlying these models unchanged.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II

The first thing that attracts the attention of the buyer is, of course, the design. Unlike previous generation Keenetic, made in white, the style of the new models is gloss black. In addition to the subjective impression of solidity, black is not only less easily soiled, but also does not fade over time. After all, a router is not a mobile phone that becomes obsolete before the money on the account runs out. It may well work imperceptibly for several years, and a yellowed body with ingrained dust is not the best interior decoration. Other innovations include connectors for removable external Wi-Fi antennas, allowing, if necessary, to connect long-range highly directional vibrators to improve signal quality. All network connectors, as well as the power supply socket, are located on back paneland two uSB port - on the side. Among the "useful little things" can be noted a large control key for the Wi-Fi module, located in a small niche on top.

A short press on it starts WPS authorization, and a long press, for more than three seconds, enables or disables the Wi-Fi module. Generally, the new kind the router looks more stylish and "expensive", although the case has retained the same compactness.

Color marking of ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II connectors will help not to get tangled in the wires

The main approach of the developers of the Keenetic series - to choose a reliable platform for minimal money and "squeeze" everything that is possible from it deserves praise, because this is the principle that is used by so popular groups of enthusiasts who release so-called "custom" firmware (there are people among them , crawling inside with a soldering iron, but this is aerobatics, besides, it violates the warranty). Add as many features as possible to factory firmware - is also a good idea, which does not cost much to the developer of the device, but it significantly improves its consumer properties, because not everyone can or want to reflash the device immediately after purchase.

Keenetic Giga II specifications

Device type	Wi-Fi router
CPU	Mediatek RT6856
Processor core	MIPS 34KEc
CPU frequency	700 MHz
RAM, MB	256
Flash memory (OS busy), MB	16
Wireless network	IEEE 802.11 b / g / n
Frequency band, GHz	2.4
Maximum speed, Mbps	300
External antennas	2
Internal antennas	no
Antenna gain, dBi	5
Antenna connectors	2 x RP-SMA
Number of LAN ports	4
Number of WAN ports	1
Ethernet speed, Mbps	1000
Connection to the provider	PPTP, PPPoE, L2TP, Static IP / DHCP
Authorization protocols	PAP, CHAP, MS CHAP, MS CHAP v2
Additional protocols	802.1X, 802.1Q, 802.11i
Network services	FTP Server, DLNA Server, BitTorrent Client, DynDNS Client, IGMP Support, IP TV
USB interface	2 x USB 2.0
Built-in firewall features	SPI, NAT, DDoS protection, URL filter, IP, MAC
Security protocols	WPA / WPA2 (-PSK), WEP-64/128
Supply voltage, V	100-240
Power consumption, W	18
Dimensions, mm	158 x 110 x 32
Weight, g	270
Equipment	router, power supply, Ethernet cable, CD, manual
Estimated price, rub.	4 000

Keenetic Giga II uses the new Mediatek (formerly Ralink) RT6856 central processor, clocked at 700 MHz, and as much as 256 MB random access memory - a huge volume by the standards of products of this class, often costing eight times less. Note that the "progenitor" of the Giga II, Keenetic Giga, has 64 MB installed, and the processor frequency is 384 MHz. The size of flash memory used for the needs of the OS has doubled, to 16 MB. For the user, these abstract numbers mean that they will no longer experience any performance shortfall. For example, the throughput of a VPN channel from the provider to the subscriber reaches 200 Mbps. So far, the only opportunity to try a channel of this width is provided by MGTS with its legendary GPON, and even then only in the Moscow region. It will pump 20 or 50-megabit channels of the overwhelming majority of LANs without even breaking a sweat.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II USB connection has become faster

Read / write speed external storageconnected via the USB interface has increased to 15 MB / s - a seemingly modest value, but let's not forget that the main purpose of the router is to route packets, and not at all to perform the NAS function, where work with disks is carried out at the hardware level. For comparison, recall that the previous generation routers had this figure at the level of 3-5 MB / s. And the performance of the BitTorrent-client Transmission, built into the default firmware, is about 5 MB / s, which allows you to download a movie in 1080p resolution in about half an hour.

Interface and firmware

The software has undergone not just cosmetic changes, but an evolutionary leap, which resulted in the use of a new generation of embedded OS, NDMS version 2. The main difference from previous version now it is possible to add custom applications, the prototype of which are plugins.

There are two of them in this device: SkyDNS and Yandex.DNS, which are essentially Internet filters that protect our fragile inner world from unsafe network content... Their use allows you to kill two birds with one stone: transfer the access settings to the "cloud", increasing the convenience by providing the possibility of unification, i.e. using them on several different devices, and simplifying the firmware code, getting rid of the need to implement such a rather resource-intensive functionality in it.

Other important changes in NDMS 2.0 include full-featured NAT support (with the ability to use multiple external IP addresses), support for multiple PPP tunnels, and the ability to assign additional physical WAN interfaces to internal switch ports. Simply put, this means the possibility of "hot backup" of the Internet connection, with the possibility of switching to a fallback option if the main provider fails. Very interesting is the new possibility of using the command line interface, which was previously encountered mainly among the mentioned custom assemblies. This allows, by connecting to the router through the Telnet program, to make various fine settings (and basic ones too) of the equipment, which are not available in the shell of the web interface, and easily save and restore them through a text file.

But the most interesting innovation, which even the most advanced enthusiasts have not yet mastered, is an independent firmware bulkhead. The bottom line is that ZyXEL offers a considerable range of possible functions, among which there are quite voluminous ones, such as a DLNA server or a SIP client, and it is not possible to push everything into a limited amount of internal memory at once. Therefore, the user himself chooses those modules that he really needs, and can refuse unused ones, both to save space and to somewhat increase the performance of the remaining ones. This is implemented in the same way as working with repositories in Linux systems, which does not require special skills: the available modules are displayed in the form of a linear list, one of the columns of which shows the current versions of the modules in the router's memory, in the other - those available on the ZyXEL website.

All that is required from the user is to tick the necessary ones and uncheck the unnecessary ones. The missing modules are downloaded automatically, after which the firmware is rebuilt and written to the designated place in the internal memory. The only disadvantage of implementing this incredible convenience is the lack of "foolproof" blocking the ability to remove vital parts of the firmware. Therefore, this process should be approached extremely thoughtfully, since the only way to restore the device's performance after an unsuccessful operation is to record the default factory firmware, which will have to be downloaded from the site in any other way (and it is better to do this in advance).

In operation, this device differs little from similar devices, so its connection and configuration should not cause difficulties. In case of connection problems, you can always reset all settings in the initial state long holding the "reset" button, then use the standard login and password suitable for any ZyXEL network device: admin / 1234. You just need to make sure that the range of IP addresses network card computer and router are on the same subnet.

After the initial download, open your favorite browser and get into the familiar interface of the web configurator. At the first moment we are offered to go through the master quick setup, but you can refuse this, and go straight to the advanced interface. All settings are divided into sections and subsections, the first of which are switched by buttons with large icons at the bottom of the screen, the second - by tabs at the top.

It looks nice, but not very ergonomic, due to the need to constantly move the mouse cursor back and forth. The classic tree menu is much more convenient in this sense. The first page contains a status screen that visually displays the state of the device on a schematic picture with ports. On adjacent tabs, you can see the routing table and a list of active connections, as well as the state of external USB ports, for example, the amount of free space on drives connected to them.

The next group of tabs allows you to customize network connections... Supported as PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP and other delights for connecting over Ethernet, as well as direct connection via a DHCP client to providers using IPoE or external ADSL modems. One of the USB ports can be used to connect a 3G or 4G modem, including Yota modems, for both the primary and backup connection. This is where the new NDMS 2.0 features came in handy!

After setting up the priorities of each connection on the first of the tabs, you can achieve the fact that if the connection via the "twisted pair" is lost, the USB modem will be automatically activated, or this happened only when the cable was physically disconnected. In general, the choice is up to the user. There you can also use the DynDNS service, which allows you to open external access to a computer that does not have a "real" IP address.

The next tab is the configuration of your local network... You can set the range of IP addresses, the nuances of the DHCP server installed on the router, the NAT “port forwarding” table, or the IGMP proxy. Next, go to the group of tabs that regulate the point wi-Fi access... One of the tabs is entitled "Guest network": the organization of such a "network within the network" has been especially popular lately, when, in addition to regular users, the owner of such a network is often visited by friends and acquaintances who are also desirable to be given access to the Internet, but with less privileges and bandwidth transmission.

This option is also suitable for small offices or "eateries" that attract visitors "free Wi-Fi". There are not so many radio module parameters, and there is neither the usual frequency band switch, nor the choice of active channel numbers, nor the time to update the encryption keys and other settings that are present in other wireless routers. However, they are usually always in the same optimal position, so it is not necessary to constantly change them. Remember that you can always use the command line interface if you need to change them.

The "Security" section contains settings for the built-in firewall, or firewall, as well as NAT tables and the mentioned additional content filtering modules. Their unification in one group is useful because when creating rules for interfaces in NAT, we will not forget to open the corresponding port in the firewall configuration.

The next group of bookmarks, marked with a gear stylized icon, hides service settings... On the first of them we see the event log, or log. Then there is a small page where we can run the ping utility, which is sometimes more convenient than doing it from a PC. Here we see a primitive file manager that allows you to write settings or firmware files from any media directly to the router's memory.

Neighboring bookmarks make it possible to change the name of the device on the network, set the internal clock, and manage the list of users. The tab on the far right contains the previously mentioned list of firmware components and allows you to immediately change this set and rebuild it. And the last group allows you to configure additional modules from among those selected for building the firmware. Initially, it includes the Transmission BitTorrent client, FTP server, SMB server for accessing files from windows networkingand dLNA server... As stated in the previous paragraph, this list is subject to change. You can also use any of the USB drives as a swap file there if you notice that the available 256 MB of memory is no longer enough. However, it is rather difficult to imagine such a scenario.

The overall impression of the interface is extremely positive: on the one hand, it is laconic, intuitive, but at the same time contains the entire set of minimum necessary parameters, and on the other hand, it provides the broadest possibilities of customization.

Test results and conclusions

But the most interesting thing is how well the modern filling copes with its task? To clarify this, we tested Keenetic Giga II in conjunction with an HP TX2-1210er laptop equipped with a Broadcom BCM94322MC miniPCI-Express adapter. Testing was carried out both by the IxChariot program, which is an unspoken measurement standard of this kind, and by a simple transfer of a large file using Total Commander... During the measurements, the laptop and the router were first in the same room on short distance from each other, and then carried to different rooms, separated by two walls of a standard panel building. In the measurement area, with some attenuation, signals from several more base stations, creating a typical for a modern megalopolis picture of radio frequency interference with a moderate degree of noise.

The details can be found in the results table, and in short, we can conclude that, surprisingly, the advertising statements are completely true. In terms of performance and communication quality, Keenetic Giga II is at the level of competitors' products of a similar level (that is, the standard 802.11n 300 Mbit / s bandwidth). File transfer rates in the 115 Mbps region are not only sufficient for any imaginable task, including watching Full HD video over a network in real time, but also surpasses the bandwidth of a 100 Mbps Ethernet network. In principle, this value is approaching the theoretical maximum of the Wi-Fi standard of 300 Mbit / s, and a further increase in speed is possible only by increasing the number of channels (i.e. switching to 450 or 600 Mbit / s), or using the latest standardssuch as 802.11ac. But this standard is not yet as widespread as 802.11n, and the need for such a bandwidth is highly controversial. Therefore, today, and for a couple of years to come, the purchase of Keenetic Giga II seems to be the most reasonable purchase, covering not only the current needs of most users, but also having good potential for the future. And ZyXEL can only wish to continue to develop other equally interesting and affordable devices like Keenetic wireless routers.

Per high productivity, reasonable price and excellent functionality ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II receives an award from our editors

The Network Device Management System, or Network Device Management System, is a Linux kernel-based software platform that enables development user interfaces and service functions separately from hardware drivers that "communicate" directly with the "hardware". This allows you to divide tasks for programmers into different levels, which makes it easier to write applications and increases the reliability of the system, and allows you to get a finished product faster.

It consists of a Vendor Adaptation Layer, which includes a Linux kernel that works directly with the hardware, and a Hardware Adaptation Layer, which allows the hardware to be addressed independently of a specific implementation through standardized calls.

Access to the HAL layer from applications (which includes the provider connection program, implementation of the settings interface, management of the built-in firewall, etc.) is done through calls to the open API provided by the NDM core and related libraries. They can be addressed as system servicesand additional applications (3rd Party Applications) such as BitTorrent client, DLNA server, fTP server etc.).

Keenetic Giga II test results

Modular implementation allows manufacturers of off-the-shelf products to easily develop their own, unique applications, or integrate existing ones, bypassing the transition to a new hardware platform without the tedious modification and debugging associated with the changed physical implementation of the available functions.

A similar approach is currently used not only in the development of routers, but also voice gateways, network drives, IP cameras, ADSL modems and many other products.

At the beginning of 2012, we carried out, which showed decent speed results, the new generation promises not only an expansion of functionality, but also a significant increase in speed indicators.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II specifications (manufacturer information)
Products webpage	ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II
Retail price	From 3.2 thousand rubles
Ethernet	5 RJ-45 connectors (1000BASE T / 100BASE T / 10BASE-T) with auto-sensing cable type
USB	2 x USB 2.0 Type A
Antennas	2 RP-SMA connectors for external Wi-Fi antennas
Indicators	7 status indicators
Wi-Fi wireless network control button	there is
Flexible Button (FN)	there is
Power off button	there is
Reset button	there is
Dimensions	158 x 110 x 32 mm excluding antennas
Weight	0.27 kg without power adapter
Working temperature range	From 0 to +40 ° С
Relative humidity	20% to 95% non-condensing
Power supply voltage	Variable 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz
Web configurator in Russian	there is
Command line (CLI) over TELNET	there is
External network management (web configurator / CLI)	there is
Configuration backup and restore	there is
Software update of functions	there is
System log	there is

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II | Internal organization

Of course, we got to the insides of the router, by the way, it was quite simple: you need to unscrew the two self-tapping screws available from the bottom side and gently squeeze the latches in the front of the device. Having opened the case, it will not be difficult to get the board. If in the first generation, during disassembly, it was necessary to carefully monitor the buttons that could fall out and get lost, then there is no such problem.

Keenetic Giga II board

Keenetic Giga II board

Front side of the board

Bottom side of the board

The hardware of the new series is based on the 700-MHz MediaTek RT6856 processor, recall that the first generation used the MediaTek RT3052 platform, 320 MHz. The differences between the models within the line are in the amount of memory, the speed of the Ethernet switch and wireless network Wi-Fi. The Ultra version has a dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi access point with a performance of 300 + 450 Mbps, operating at 2.4 and 5 GHz. Keenetic II and Giga II received a proven and completely relevant solution in the form of a 300-megabit 2T2R 802.11n radio interface for the 2.4 GHz band. The table below shows the differences between the models in the new line.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II | Configuration and administration

As we mentioned earlier, there are two ways to configure the new product: the web interface and the CLI interface, familiar to many NetFriend, is now available not as a separate application, but as a setup wizard within the web interface.

To access the Keenetic Giga II interface, you need to go to the address http://192.168.1.1. at the first login, the setup wizard will automatically start, in which you can set a password for accessing the interface and set all the necessary parameters.

Functionally, in the second generation of the firmware there were quite a lot of changes, such features as support for backup Internet connections, the ability vPN connections for access to corporate and home networks, support for the growing IPv6 and many other features. Of course, the ability to create a guest network is supported, in which there is Internet access, but no local network access. Possibilities of sharing the USB-connected drive via FTP and CIFS protocols are available, as well as using the built-in DLNA server and the Transmission torrent client, and the speed limit of 1 MB / s is now raised to 5 MB / s by default, if necessary, you can set and higher speed. Note that to uSB ports you can connect USB hubs and mix drives, modems and printers. Of the interesting functions, we note the ability to simultaneously connect via Wi-Fi to the provider and work in the access point mode.

So that you can evaluate the capabilities of Keenetic Giga II and get acquainted with the web-interface, we provide screenshots of all its pages below. Click on the picture to enlarge.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II | Command line interface

Keenetic Giga II supports command line configuration. To access this interface, you need to go to its address, for example, through Putty. The command syntax will not cause problems for those who are familiar with network equipment, and it can be called quite logical and understandable, reminiscent of the CLI interface of Cisco equipment.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II | Testing

We tested the novelty on our test bench, evaluating the routing throughput with a wired connection, and we also evaluated the speed of the wireless interface. We did not pass by the NAS functionality that the new generation of Keenetic assumes, but let's talk about everything in order.

For testing, we used a stand from the following platforms:

In addition to two stationary platforms, the ASUS ZenBook Prime UX31E ultabuk took part in the tests, in which we used the built-in Wi-Fi adapter to test the speed of the wireless network, as well as external adapters with USB interface.

Testing routing

First, we ran the routing tests of the Giga II, measuring the throughput for incoming traffic using one and five streams. So, over the IP puncture, the data transfer rate in one stream reached 740 Mbit / s, with an increase in the number of streams to 5 - 850 Mbit / s. If you use pPTP protocol, then the routing speed decreases to 170 Mbps, L2TP connection loads the system even more and the speed drops to 140 Mbps. Considering that most tariff plans does not imply a speed higher than 100 Mbit / s, such a margin can be considered a reserve for the future, rather than a time requirement. Interestingly, the hardware platform itself has a performance margin to further increase the speed, this can be seen from the processor load, which is far from the maximum.

Routing speed for five streams

Testing the wireless network

To test the speed of the Keenetic Giga II's wireless network, we used the built-in adapter of our ultrabook and external adapters Netgear WNA3100 and Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205, which were connected to the laptop and the second test platform during the tests. During testing, we chose the least loaded channel, judging by the information from the WiFi analyzer, in our case it was the twelfth one.

As you can see, the speed test results were the maximum when using the Netgear adapter and reached 135 Mbps. On other models, the speed was lower and was in the range of 80-90 Mbit / s.

NAS testing

If the first generation Keenetic Giga has performance in the role network storage was relatively low and did not allow full-fledged viewing of Full-HD video from the connected disk, then new model made a significant step forward. For testing, we used the first test bench, connected to one of the local ports of the ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II, the connection speed is 1 Gbps. As a disk, we chose the Plextor M5 Pro model (test and review) (http: // site / archives / 3318), with a capacity of 256 GB, connected via a snap-in with a USB 3.0 interface. To evaluate the performance, we used CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 x64. Note that we ran tests for two file systems: NTFS (Windows) and EXT3 (Linux).

In addition to the synthetic test CrystalDiskMark, we evaluated the data transfer speed via CIFS and FTP protocols by simply copying large files.

In the NAS scenario, the Giga II performed impressively, close to the performance of a full-fledged NAS three years ago. The disk read speed reached 15.5 MB / s via CIFS, and 18.1 MB / s via FTP. This speed allows you to use it as a small NAS for your home network.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II | Zyxel Keenetic Giga II stability

In addition to testing at the stand, we used a router in the home network when connected to the Internet through the Onlime provider, and also tested the operation of the router in 3G and 4g networks. During operation, the case heated up slightly, so the surface temperature of the case was kept at around 32 degrees at an air temperature of 24 degrees. If we talk about stability, then in two weeks of rather hard use of the Giga II, we did not encounter arbitrary reboots and freezes of the device.

ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II | Conclusion

The ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II Internet Center turned out to be noticeably faster than its predecessor, especially in tasks that load the processor. It is pleasant to note that ZyXEL has done a good job and created the second generation over the two with a little years, during which the first generation of Keenetic won the hearts of customers, expanding the functionality and significantly increasing the performance of devices.

In addition to the high-speed performance of the new product, ZyXEL also pleased with the pricing policy, leaving the price level comparable to the first generation models. In fact, any of the models of the updated line, even the younger Keenetic II, will cope with a speed of 100 Mbit / s with any available connection option.

Benefits of ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II

• High speed internet connection
• High speed of work with the disk
• Modular OS with a choice of only the required components
• Stability of work
• Two USB ports

Disadvantages of ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II

• No SSH connection
• Only one WLAN band (Ultra model has two)

The Zyxel Keenetic Giga II Internet Center is multifunction device, with which you can build a home or office network with Internet access and Wi-Fi access. In addition to basic functions, it has a number of additional opportunitiesthat go far beyond the usual router, making this device interesting for the most discerning user. To realize these possibilities as fully as possible, the router must be able to properly configure. This will be discussed further.

Before starting the configuration, you need to prepare the router for the first time. This preparation is standard for all devices of this type. You need to choose a place where the router will be located, unpack it, connect the antennas and connect to a PC or laptop, and connect the cable from the provider to the WAN connector. In case of using a connection to a 3G or 4G network, you must connect a USB modem to one of the available connectors. Then you can proceed to configure the router.

Connecting to the Zyxel Keenetic Giga II web interface

No special tweaks are required to connect to the web interface. All you need to do is:

After completing these steps, the first time you connect, the following window will open:


The further course of the setup will depend on which of the two options offered in this window the user chooses.

NDMS - Operating System of the Internet Center

One of the features of Keenetic products is that their operation is controlled not only by firmware, but by the whole operating system - NDMS. It is its presence that turns these devices from trivial routers into multifunctional Internet centers. Therefore, it is very important to constantly keep the firmware of your router up to date.

NDMS OS is built on a modular basis. It consists of components that can be added or removed at the discretion of the user. You can view the list of installed and available components in the web interface in the section "System" in the tab "Components" (or on the tab "Updates", the location is affected by the OS version).


By ticking the required component (or unchecking) and clicking on the button "Apply", you can install or uninstall it. However, this must be done very carefully so as not to accidentally remove a component necessary for the normal functioning of the device. These components are usually marked "Critical" or "Important".

The presence of a modular operating system makes the configuration of Keenetic devices extremely flexible. Therefore, depending on the user's preferences, the web interface of the router can have completely different subsections and tabs (except for the basic ones). Having understood this important point for yourself, you can proceed to the direct configuration of the router.

Quick setup

For those users who do not want to delve deeply into the intricacies of configuration, the Zyxel Keenetic Giga II provides the ability to set the basic parameters of the device in a few clicks. But at the same time, you still need to first look into the contract with the provider and find out the necessary details about your connection. To start the quick configuration of the router, you must click on the corresponding button in the settings window that appears next after authorization in the device's web interface.


Then the following will happen:

As you can see, setting up the device really happens very quickly. If the user needs additional functions of the Keenetic, he can continue it in manual modeby pressing the button "Web configurator".

Manual setting

Those who like to delve into the parameters of the Internet connection do not need to use the router's quick setup function on their own. You can directly enter the device's web configurator by clicking on the corresponding button in the initial settings window.

Then you need to:

After that, you can start creating an interface for connecting to the Internet. To do this, you need to select the required connection type (according to the agreement with the provider) and click on the button "Add interface".


Then you need to set the necessary parameters for connecting to the Internet:

After entering the parameters, click on the button "Apply", the router will receive new settings and will be able to connect to the Internet. It is also recommended to fill in the field in all cases "Description", for which you need to come up with a name for this interface. The router's firmware allows the creation and use of multiple connections, and thus you can easily distinguish between them. All created connections will be displayed in the list on the corresponding tab in the Internet settings menu.


From this submenu, if necessary, you can easily edit the configuration of the created connection.

3G / 4G network connection

The presence of USB ports makes it possible zyxel connection Keenetic Giga II to 3G / 4G networks. This is especially convenient if the device is planned to be used in rural areas or in the country where there is no wired internet... The only condition for creating such a connection is the coverage of the mobile operator, as well as the installed necessary NDMS components. The fact that this is so is evidenced by the presence of a tab "3G / 4G" In chapter "The Internet" the web interface of the router.


If this tab is missing, the necessary components need to be installed.

The NDMS operating system supports up to 150 models of USB modems, so problems with their connection are rare. You just need to connect the modem to the router for the connection to be established, since its main parameters are usually already written in the modem firmware. After connecting, the modem should appear in the list of interfaces on the tab 3G / 4G and in the general list of connections on the first tab of the section "The Internet"... If necessary, the connection parameters can be changed by clicking on the name of the connection and filling in the appropriate fields.


However, practice shows that the need manual setting connecting to mobile operator occurs infrequently.

Configuring a backup connection

One of the advantages of the Zyxel Keenetic Giga II is the ability to use multiple Internet connections at the same time through different interfaces. In this case, one of the connections acts as the main one, and the rest are backup. This function is very handy in case of unstable connection with providers. To implement it, you just need to set the connection priority on the tab "Connections" section "The Internet"... To do this, you need to enter digital values in field "Priority" list and click "Save Priorities".


Larger value means higher priority. Thus, from the example shown in the screenshot, it follows that the main connection is via a wired network, which has a priority of 700. If the connection is lost, the router will automatically establish a connection to the 3G network via a USB modem. But at the same time, he will constantly try to restore the main connection, and as soon as this becomes possible, he will switch to it again. It is possible to create a similar pair from two 3G connections from different operators, as well as setting the priority for three or more connections.

Change wireless settings

By default, the Zyxel Keenetic Giga II already has a created wi-Fi connectionwhich is quite workable. The name of the network and the password to it can be found on the sticker on the bottom of the device. Therefore, in most cases, setting up a wireless network boils down to changing these two parameters. To do this, you must:

After saving the settings, the network will start working with the new parameters. They are enough for most users.

At the end of the review, I would like to emphasize that the article only touched on the key points in setting up the Zyxel Keenetic Giga II. but operating system NDMS provides the user with many more additional options for using the device. A description of each of them deserves a separate article.

It has become quite common for companies producing advanced technology to release new product series from year to year, making the necessary minimum changes.

Modern phones of recent years are practically copied from each other, and useful upgrades are practically not noticeable.

Against this background, the products of a large Taiwanese company ZyHel Communications Corp compare favorably - basically by the fact that they do not pursue an annual model update, and try to improve their subsequent creations as much as possible.

Here is their brainchild - Keenetic giga II - differs from its predecessor so much that it was worthy of a separate series and name.

But in the company's presentation, this product is part of the Keenetic II, Keenetic Giga II and Keenetic Ultra line - and in addition to many updates, it has a completely different software and hardware platform.

Apparently, the company wanted to present a new device under the well-known Keenetic brand - and at the same time completely remained faithful to its previous positive principles.

Key features

Unpacking and packaging

The dimensions of the router are 158 x 110 x 32 mm, weight is 270 g.

For those who are familiar with the previous Keenetic models, the first thing that catches your eye is a sharp design change.

If previous models were made mainly in white, then this one - in gloss black.

It is definitely also beautiful - the black color suits almost any interior, is invisible and not striking; and besides, it is not so sticky to dust - you must agree - not everyone will be happy to change a properly working router just because its body has turned yellow from the settling dust.

On the underside of the device, also made of glossy black plastic, there is information about the manufacturer, series and rules of use (you can read more about this in the Russian-language part of the manual).

On one side, you can see the ears for mounting the device vertically to the wall, on the other side - a pair of anti-slip rubber feet.

With this functionality, you can attach the device only in one position - antennas and ports down.

Also added connectors for external antennas - external antennas that look like sharp spokes are connected to them.

They can be directed in different directions (see Fig. 5), which can significantly improve the signal quality.

As you can see in the photo, the connectors for connecting the antennas are located on the rear panel, and on the side panel (see Fig. 6)

The device has a beautiful corrugated top panel made of glossy black plastic, rounded edges.

There are also small ventilation holes on the sides to cool the device.

Configuration buttons are located on the front panel.

On a small niche above and closer to the right corner, a noticeable large control key is also one of the latest useful innovations.

In addition, multicolored marking of connectors for wires of different colors was made convenient - this will help not to get confused when connecting the connectors. As you can see in the figure below (see Figure 7), two colors are applied - yellow marking for four connectors in order to connect a home network with numbers from 4 to 1; and blue - for the Internet connection at number 0. On the right, there is a round socket for connecting power, and on the other side - a click for reset and reboot the device. The ports are separated from each other so as not to interfere when connecting to the device

Fig. 7: rear panel

As you can see in the picture (see Fig. 8), there are also indicator lights on the front panel of the device, which practically correspond to the connectors connected to the rear panel.

From left to right - device operation indicator (on / off), Internet network, four home network connectors, power wi-Fi signal, USB connection icon.

Of course, the black color, the sides made of matte plastic and the stylish design added elegance to the device, and it looks much more expensive than its price (and, of course, fully justifies it).

Kit when ordering

What do you get when you order?

The set with the router includes:

The cost

How to setup

Preparing for setup.

Before starting work, turn on the router electrical network using an outlet. Connect one end of the cable to, and connect the other to the computer.

You can see where each of the connectors is in the picture below.

The button on the top panel is the Wi-Fi setting button. If you press it briefly, authorization will start, and a long press for more than three seconds enables or disables the Wi-Fi module. Long press on it and turn on the device.

You are now ready to start configuring your network.

Setting up access to the Internet on the operating system

Setting up Internet access via LAN cable

Login to the Zyxel web interface:

• Turn on your personal Computer or the laptop to which you previously connected the cable from the router.
• Open any available browser (this can be Opera, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox) - which one does not matter in principle.
• at address bar above enter: http://192.168.1.1, as shown in the photo:

• enter a username, set a password, click "OK"
• log in with the previously specified username and password
• when you enter, you will see the following picture (pay attention to the upper right corner - there should be Russian language, if you have another language - click on the language icon - see Fig. 13, and select Russian):

Setting up Internet access

• start configuring the network - press the network button where it is shown in the figure below:

• select iPoE tab

• select iSP option

• the following window will open, in which it is necessary to set the following parameters: 1.configuration of IP parameters: “Automatic”; 2.MAC address: “ Take from your pc”.
• click the "Apply" button.

That's all - this completes the setup of the Internet connection via the cable.

Setting up Internet access via Wi-Fi wireless network

• follow the 7 previous paragraphs from the text above (column “ Login to the Zyxel web interface”)
• select an icon wi-Fi networks, it is circled in red in the photo:

• a new window will open. It will contain several graphs. Check the box next to "Enable"
• The name of the network (SSID) you give any you want. It will be visible to people trying to connect Wi-Fi. Use Latin or numbers.
• Below the Network protection field - select.
• create a password and enter it in the “ Security key”. Write down and save your password in a secluded place.

• click the "Apply" button

All - you have completed the configuration of your Wi-Fi wireless network and can enjoy the vastness of the Internet and surfing the network.

Testing

The router was validated using tests evaluating wired routing throughput, wireless speed and NAS functionality.

According to the test results, the ZyXEL Keenetic Giga II turned out to be much more productive than its predecessor, especially in tasks that heavily load the processor.

Also, the speed of reading and writing connected via USB has increased to 15 MB / s - from the outside it can be said - a modest value, but let's not forget that the main purpose of the router is to route packets, and not at all to perform the NAS function, where work with disks is carried out at the hardware level. As a side note, the previous generation devices had this figure of 3-5 MB / s. And the performance of the BitTorrent-client Transmission, built into the default firmware, is about 5 MB / s, which allows you to download a movie in 1080p resolution in about half an hour.

Also other important changes in NDMS 2.0 - full-featured NAT support is implemented here (it is possible to use several external ones), it supports multiple PPP tunnels and the supply of additional physical WAN interfaces to the ports of the built-in switch.

If you try to explain it simple language, this determines the possibility of "hot backup" of the Internet connection, and the possibility of switching to another option if the main provider malfunctions.

A very useful opportunity to use the command line interface that has appeared - this helps, by connecting to the router using the Telnet program, to perform various fine-tuning (and basic ones too) of the equipment that are not available in the shell of the web interface, and it is easy to save and restore them through a text file.

In using the Zyxel keenetic giga II, it differs little from similar devices, and its connection and configuration is usually not difficult. press the "reset" button, and then use the standard login and password (admin / 1234 - it fits any Zyxel products).

You just need to make sure that the range of IP addresses of the network card of the computer and the router are on the same subnet.

The Keenetic Giga II was also tested in conjunction with a laptop (we used an HP TX2-1210er laptop and a miniPCI-Express adapter Broadcom BCM94322MC, IxChariot testing program).

The mentioned program was chosen as an unofficial measurement standard of this kind.

During testing, both were first in the same room in close proximity to each other, and then were referred to different corners of the rooms, between them there was a wall of a standard panel building.

Also, which is typical for a metropolis, signals from other sources and base stations were recorded in this area, which created a level of average noise level.

Briefly, the test results are visible on the table:

Comparison with other models

This router was compared with three random routers of one price categoryavailable for purchase in the online store.

Three routers operating in the same frequency range were selected.

See their photos in the picture above.

• Upvel UR-515D4G
• MikroTik RB941-2nD-TC
• ZyXel Keenetic Giga II

As can be seen from Fig. 22, the keenetic giga II model we are considering in the article, released a few years ago, retains its advantages over modern routers:

• there are 4 LAN ports (one more than in MikroTik RB941-2nD-TC) - this number of ports is used by manufacturers in routers on average;
• high speed (1Gbit / s - more than the other two models under consideration);
• 2 USB connectors (there is only one in the Upvel UR-515D4G model, and none of the MikroTik RB941-2nD-TC);
• there are also external detachable antennas for signal amplification;
• complies with four security standards (802.1x security standard is present only in keenetic giga II).

• Upvel UR-515D4G has a Web server and, in other respects, the characteristics of the Upvel UR-515D4G and ZyXel Keenetic Giga II are identical in functionality. ZyXel Keenetic Giga II supports CLI (Telnet) function. The MikroTik RB941-2nD-TC router is far behind the other two in its functionality.
• the dimensions of the devices under consideration are practically the same.

Pros and cons

• guaranteed stable internet, good signal,
• external detachable antennasamplifying the signal if necessary,
• excellent functionality of the device,
• ergonomic design,
• intuitive interface, availability of customization in Russian and ease of customization,
• responsible and really helpful online support and free technical assistance,
• a company with a positive reputation in the past,
• the device is beautiful in performance and design,
• fully pays for the money spent on it.

• some users mention that the power of the Internet is not enough for a multi-room apartment - but we believe that this is the subjective opinion of some users,
• the position of the mounting tabs on the back of the device allows you to mount it in only one position,
• only available in black,
• the grooved corrugated top cover can collect dust.