The D-Link DKT-810 All-In-One ADSL2+ modem router starter kit consists of a DSL-2740B router which costs £89 and a DWA-140 USB adapter that will set you back £45, both including VAT, so the boxed set saves you a whole £2.

In addition to the ADSL kit, D-Link sent us a £46 DWA-643 ExpressCard adapter which caused us some grief as it resolutely failed to make a wireless connection to the router. We had no such trouble getting a connection with the USB adapter. However, the strength of the connection was rather weak.

The adapter measures a chunky 27mm wide, so you might have trouble plugging it in next to another USB device. In the case of our Lenovo T61 laptop, we suffered a different problem as the USB ports are arranged on the edge to save space, so the D-Link adapter lifted one side of the laptop off the surface of the desk.

Sturdy Construction

The styling of the router is under-stated with a matt-black casing that has a silver joining strip that connects the top and bottom together with a brushed metal fascia. Although the router looks good, it feels rather light. However, the construction was sturdy. There's an on/off button at the back alongside the four 10/100 Ethernet ports and DSL phone socket, but sadly no Gigabit on this model.

D-Link supplies the log-in details that you need on a handy set-up sheet, but the configuration screen is a bit of a nightmare. It's arranged with five tabs across the top and a list of options down the side that change depending on which tab you display. The information isn't presented very clearly so, for instance, it took us a few minutes to work out that we were using firmware 2.24, which happens to be the current version. It also took a short while for us to realise that WPA-Personal security is enabled by default.

Finally, the D-Link wireless connection manager is basic and offers nothing over the standard Windows utility. Overall, this is an expensive and slightly uninspired piece of wireless kit.