Instead of needing to buy several PCMCIA cards, the one Netcomm N3G001W allows you to use only one card to share the Internet between several users' PCs and notebooks, NetComm says.

The router uses a regular Optus, Vodafone, Hutchinson, 3 or Telstra NextG PCMCIA card and relays the 3G into an 802.11g (54mbps) wireless connection. NetComm says the difference with its product compared to competitors is that it is compatible with all four networks.

"It's particularly appealing to those people who are on the fringe areas of the ADSL network," said NetComm Managing Director, David Stewart. "These people will now be able to receive a reasonable if not higher-quality data network where they haven't previously been able to get ADSL. It will also appeal to renters who have not previously wanted to pay the costs and make the commitment to ADSL. Of course it will also appeal to users in the huge bush market who are still waiting for any form of broadband."

The router is also equipped with wireless LAN 64/128-bit WEP encryption security, and WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK authentication and TKIP/AES encryption security. It also supports VPN pass-through for sensitive data secure transmission, the company says.

RRP: $229

See: www.netcomm.com.au