SMC SMCKAR11U 2.4 GHz router review, is it worth it?

The SMC SMCKAR11U (SMCKAR11U) router released in 2015. It is powered by Atheros AR9331 @ 400 MHz chipset, 32 MB of RAM and 4 MB of flash. The N300 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with SMCKAR11U is 300 Mbps. The router has 1 x ADSL WAN and 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN ports.

The SMCKAR11U is an affordable and reliable router designed for basic networking needs. You can connect supported USB devices to the SMCKAR11U router. The external storage devices such as USB flash drives or external hard drives add file-server functionality to this router. SMC routers are generally known for their user-friendly design and easy setup process.

Table of contents:

• SMC SMCKAR11U specifications
• SMC SMCKAR11U pictures

SMC SMCKAR11U (SMCKAR11U) specifications

Body

The dimensions and design of a router can impact its cooling capabilities. Routers with larger dimensions may have more space for internal cooling mechanisms, such as larger fans or heat sinks, which can help dissipate heat more effectively. If you purchase a router online or have it shipped, the weight may affect the overall cost. Heavier routers can result in higher shipping charges, especially for international deliveries.

System

The SMC SMCKAR11U router is equipped with Atheros AR9331 @ 400 MHz processor. The SMCKAR11U has 32 MB of RAM. Some advanced router features and software functionalities require a certain amount of RAM to operate properly. For example, routers with more RAM can support advanced security features, VPN services, or QoS (Quality of Service) prioritization more effectively. The SMCKAR11U has 4 MB of flash memory. A larger flash memory allows for more storage space to accommodate future firmware upgrades.

The process of upgrading the firmware on routers has become relatively simple and user-friendly over the years. The SMC provides easy-to-use interfaces and instructions to guide users through the firmware upgrade process. The SMC SMCKAR11U router comes with 12 V / 1 A PSU. This unit is responsible for providing electrical power to the router, and if it becomes faulty, it can be replaced with a new, compatible one.

Network

The SMCKAR11U router offers built-in security features to protect your network and connected devices. The IPv4 is the fourth iteration of the Internet Protocol (IP) and is the most widely used version of IP on the internet today. The latest firmware supports IPv6 protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. The SMC SMCKAR11U has 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN and 1 x ADSL WAN ports. LAN or Ethernet ports (RJ-45) are used to connect devices to the local area network (LAN).

WAN ports often require specific configuration settings based on the type of internet connection provided by your ISP. The WAN port on the SMCKAR11U router is a Fast Ethernet port, not a Gigabit Ethernet. The Fast Ethernet ports are capable of supporting speeds up to 100 Mbps, which is still suitable for most internet connections.

Wireless

This router has 2 x 5 dBi, RP-SMA antennas. Antennas play a significant role in Wi-Fi performance and coverage. They are essential components of wireless routers that transmit and receive radio signals to establish wireless connections with devices. The SMCKAR11U supports the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. It is one of the most common frequency bands used for Wi-Fi networks. The SMCKAR11U is a Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) router. Wi-Fi 4 improved the range and coverage compared to previous Wi-Fi standards. The use of MIMO technology and other enhancements help to mitigate signal degradation and provide better coverage in larger homes or office environments. This allows devices to maintain a stable connection even when located farther away from the Wi-Fi router.

The N300 refers to the maximum combined data transfer rate supported by the router across all Wi-Fi bands. The SMCKAR11U is capable of a maximum throughput speed of 300 Mbps. The real-world speed of a SMCKAR11U router is typically lower than its theoretical maximum speed. The TX power (19 dBm) of a router refers to the transmission power or signal strength at which the router broadcasts its Wi-Fi signal. It determines the range and coverage area of the wireless network.

The SMCKAR11U router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2. The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure.

Connectivity

USB ports can offer additional functionality depending on the router's capabilities. The USB 2 port has a maximum theoretical data transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps), which is equivalent to 60 megabytes per second (MB/s). You can attach a compatible USB printer to the SMC SMCKAR11U device. USB print servers allow you to connect a USB printer to your network, making it accessible to multiple devices. This eliminates the need for each device to have a direct USB connection to the printer. It has built-in NAS functionality. You can connect external storage devices such as USB flash drives or USB hard drives to your router. This allows you to share files, documents, photos, and media across devices on your network. It can be convenient for accessing and sharing files without the need for separate file servers or cloud storage.

Features

The RJ11 port on the SMCKAR11U router is used for connecting a telephone line.

Administration

The default IP addresses of the SMC SMCKAR11U device is 192.168.2.1. These address allows you to access the router's console login page. If you are unable to log in to the setup panel of your SMC router, performing a reset can be a helpful troubleshooting step. It is highly recommended to change the default password of your SMCKAR11U router after the initial setup. If you forget the new password in the future, you may need to perform a factory reset on the router to revert to the default settings.

The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the SMC SMCKAR11U, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

SMC SMCKAR11U (SMCKAR11U) pictures

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