Cisco-Linksys BEFSX41 EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall Router (4-Port 10/100 Switch / VPN Endpoint)
by Linksys

List Price: $79.99
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details

• WAN Ports - 4 10/100 Mbps RJ-45
• Warranty - 1 year
• VPN Support - Up to 2 IPSec
• Weight - 13.3 oz.

• Windows Live OneCare 2.0 (Up to 3 Users)
• Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard [OLD VERSION]
• Nero 8 Ultra Edition [OLD VERSION]
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 (Win/Mac) [OLD VERSION]
• AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat5e Ethernet Patch Cable (50 Feet/15.2 Meters)

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys BEFSX41 EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall Router (4-Port 10/100 Switch / VPN Endpoint)

Customer Review: Networking: Not just for techies anymore
Summary: 4 Stars

However I had never really done any local area type networking. I knew it was something I could do but just hadn't tried, partly because I was kind of intimidated.

It was time for me to get over it though. I wanted a hardware firewall with "Stateful Packet Inspection" for my home system because I just switched to a Vonage phone and I now have to leave my cable modem on 24 / 7 or the 'net phone won't ring. Knowing that this would mean my computer would be more exposed than I was comfortable with, I decided to pick up one of these routers to put the PC behind, and also to permit me to try building a small home network for fun.

So I ordered one of these bad boys. So what did I learn installing this thing? Hardly anything. Why? Becuase the included CD does the whole thing for you! I really couldn't believe it. You pop in the CD, and it examines your net connection. Then it tells you to plug in the router. Presto, you're networked. Repeat for all computers you want hooked up to the net and you're done.

Now - why have so many people had trouble with this thing? Well, I managed to break (and then fix) this thing in about 10 minutes just "fiddling" with the settings. Since I know nothing about LAN type setups, I started experimenting with the router's settings. Cluelessly, I changed the IP address of the router to the internal IP address assigned to my computer by the router. Ah, this screwed everything up instantly. Having done this I could no longer pull up the configuration utility in the router. So I had to unplug all the wires and hold down the "reset" button for 30 seconds to restore the factory settings, then reinstall.

In short: LinkSys may have made networking seem deceptively simple, but that doesn't mean that a n00b can't break the thing. I broke it without hardly trying, and as I said, I'm no n00b.

Once I stopped breaking the thing with my curious-george type antics, there were no problems, no conflicts, not the slightest bit of a stutter. For the more tech inclined: I left Sygate on my system. You know all the "noise" traffic (ie ICMP) that hits your software firewall if you're hooked up directly to the net? Every drop of it is gone, of course, because the hardware firewall is deflecting it and discarding it if it's not relevant.

Tech specs: I'm using a Win 2K machine, p4 1.5 with 640ram, with a Motorola Surfboard cable modem and a 3Com Ethernet card.

So if a friend called me and said: "I need a firewall router, but I don't have anyone to install it for me. Is there a 'For Dummies' book I can get?" I'd tell them to forget the books and just buy this router.

If a techie oriented friend called me and said "You got a favorite firewall?" I'd say this one - with one caveat. The included firewall, while seemingly sturdy, is very limited in it's configurability, especially when compared to Sygate. (Possibly an unfair comparison - I don't know.) For example it only allows the forwarding and blocking of UDP and TCP traffic. I would have liked a firewall that let me work with ICMP too - the firewall seemingly just "deflects" all ICMP.

Regardless: If you'd like a router and improved PC security, I'd highly recommend this thing. You don't need to know a single thing about networking to both improve your computer security ten fold and get up to 4 PC's hooked up online.

Description of Cisco-Linksys BEFSX41 EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall Router (4-Port 10/100 Switch / VPN Endpoint)

Use the cable/DSL firewall router with 4-port switch/VPN endpoint to create IPSec VPN tunnels, so you can securely connect to the corporate server from your home office--or from any location, when you're on the road. The router provides a dedicated port for DMZ hosting and acts as the only externally recognized Internet gateway on your LAN. With the performance and security features of the Linksys cable/DSL firewall router with 4-port switch/VPN endpoint, your network will take advantage of the Internet while keeping its data secure.

This router is compatible with Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, Me, and XP.

Note: All Linksys routers now include a special edition of Norton Internet Security! Claim your free CD-ROM by calling (800) 814-0180, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific, seven days a week.

See a comparison diagram of the different wireless technologies.

Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Since they don't require cables, you can use the devices anywhere in an office or home, even out on the patio. There's no need to roll out an Ethernet network cable to each room of a house; you can network anywhere -- without wires. Outside of the home, wireless networking is available in hotspots at coffee shops, businesses, airports -- great when you're on the road and need to get some work done. For convenience, wireless networking is the answer. What Wireless Standard is Right for Me? Now that you've decided to create a wireless network, the next step is to figure out which wireless standard to use. Basically, a standard is a set of specifications for a device. All devices that follow a specific standard share operating characteristics, such as the radio frequency used and maximum data transfer speed. For wireless networking, there are three standards to choose from at this time: 802.11b 802.11a 802.11g To learn about the differences between the standards and select the right one for your network, click here for an easy-to-understand chart.