Cisco-Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch
by Linksys
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Our Price: $78.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.94 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch
Customer Review: Run far, run fast from this product
Summary: 1 Stars
We will NEVER buy another Linksys product again, based on our experiences with this product. At first we thought it was great - set-up was very easy and the router integrated immediately into our home network. After 5 months, the router up and quit working - it appears the WAN port got fried, so we no longer were able to connect our network to the Internet via our cable modem. Called tech support and they were nice, but after their scripted help procedures, essentially clueless, and passed us off to a promised escalation call sometime soon. Call came the next day, by which time we had run to the nearest Wal-Mart and gotten ourselves another one. So far so good. Got the RMA for the original router in a timely fashion and sent it back. (Still waiting for replacement at the time of this review, which we will stick in a closet, if it works, and hope we never need to use it.)
7 days later, the router (same model)that we purchased from Wal-Mart died, same symptoms. Did not bother calling tech support, but took this one back the next night and got a fresh one after work. Dead out of the box. Went to a different Wal-Mart after dinner, took the dead one back, and got another one. Again, dead out of the box.
Hooked up one computer directly to the cable modem and researched this router a bit more, and completely concur with all the negative reviews on this product, after our experiences. Next day, we bought a Netgear RP614 router, and after an initial call to tech support to work out an issue with the router talking to our kind of cable modem (a "telco" or 2 way modem, which needs a cable connection for the downstream, and a phone line dail-up connection to complete the upstream), we were up and running smoothly, and have had no more troubles with the network since then. Bonus on the Netgear RP614 too - it comes with its own ethernet cable, so you don't have to buy one!
Customer Review: Must have for Cable/DSL users
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want to squeeze the bandwidth from your Cable/DSL to use it on all your computers, try this toy. Amazon sells them cheap - they just dropped the price after I bought it. It worked right out of the box on my 3 computers (1 Mac). I could not believe it. After sweating to get NetBEUI to run my internal network, I would never think that setting up a network could be this easy. As long as you have Networking and TCP/IP enabled (you have to have it to read this), it should work. If you can, get the version with the 4-port switch - it is fast and replaces the need for hub/switch. This device has a basic functionality of a router without expansive gear and complicated setup. Those of you who had a chance to program a real router know what I am talking about . If you do not feel comfortable setting up filters and ports, do not use the advanced setup. If you want to learn, read about it on Internet and try. This is a great networking tool. It is very easy to use - you don't even need to know what the router is.
My advice is, download the newest firmware upgrade as soon as you feel comfortable with the device. The new version has some fixes. Ping and tracert now works correctly. The firewall is foolproof by default (make sure that the "Block WAN Request" is enabled in Advanced setup). Before getting Linksys Router, I was using a free ZoneAlarm firewall, which worked well on the stand-alone computer. It always came up "Stealthy" on Gibson Research "Port Probe". Right out of the box, Linksys Router did not come "Stealthy", but showed the ports closed. I guess "Block WAN Request" was not enabled. I would not like any hacker who is scanning addresses for fast Cable/DSL starting in the 24. range, to know that I have any ports. The update takes care of this and it seems to speed up downloading.
Customer Review: Easy to setup and bargain for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the Linksys router for about four months now and I'm still ecstatic with its performance. I consider myself a moderate computer user and set-up was a breeze. I was up and running in about 15 minutes (if you don't include the time it took to go outside and buy a Cat5 ethernet cable, because this router doesn't include one), and I thought the documentation was satisfactory.I've hooked this router up so that two of my home computers can share a cable modem connection, and I was more than pleased with the connection rates. I didn't lose any of the upload/download bandwidth, and I can download from both computers simultaneously at the maximum download rate. Definitely a plus.
Many other reviewers are complaining of frequent lock-ups with the router, but I haven't had such an experience. One of my Win2000 computers has started to freeze considerably at boot-up after connecting with the router, but the other one still works fine so I can't say for sure if the router is the culprit.
The added firewall feature is the greatest perk, I think. I've been using ZoneAlarm Pro before and after installing this router and ever since, I have not received a single hacker alert (I was getting frequent alerts before). I still keep ZoneAlarm on, but I think the router is holding up its end very nicely.
As a final note, a couple of caveats. One, no ethernet cables are included, which was disappointing. You'll have to go out and buy your own. Secondly, the router itself doesn't look as great as the picture on the box. One you see it for yourself, you'll know what I mean. It's extremely light and seemingly made of cheap plastic. Not that it's flimsy, but I definitely wouldn't want to drop it even once. But the price is a steal. Compared to buying a second IP address and getting a retail fireall software package, this router definitely is the better deal.
Customer Review: WOW Ethernet
Summary: 5 Stars
When I found this product to be just what the doctor ordered for allowing clients on my LAN to access the internet through a single cable modem. The physical set-up took about five minutes and the initial software set-up took about ten minutes. Had I not needed Laplink access to one of the computers on the LAN, the default settings would have been sufficient. Changing the settings is easy, through a browser window, to which access can be limited through customizable passwords. A basic understanding of networking principals is helpful but the onscreen help answered all of my questions. I didn't need any telephone or email tech support, so I can't comment on the quality of Linksys' tech support. In full firewall mode the computers on the LAN are virtually invisable to outsiders, yet fully available to the other LAN clients (according to your Windows sharing settings). You can also allow one or more computers on the LAN to open ports to the internet by using Linksys' "DMZ" function, and the administrator can easily monitor the connections to ensure that clients are getting access. I gave up on the software solutions, such as Microsoft's Internet Connection Sharing. They were too finicky and conflicted with the cable arrangement at my office building. With the Linksys Router there is no need to configure a second ethernet card in the connected computer or set the client TCP/IP numbers, unless you want to. The Router acts as the WAN connected computer and provides the router backbone for four direct connected clients. Additional clients can be added by connecting additional switches or hubs to the router, for up to over 200 clients.I didn't do a lot of comparison testing, but I read quite a few reviews and the reviews seem to be true, the Linksys product is easy and quick and probably the best for the money. A great deal at a super price.Customer Review: Pretty gosh darn happy with it
Summary: 5 Stars
I was able to set up this router *very* easily, virtually automatically and instantaneously, and have since been able to use multiple computers via my single broadband IP address at once without my usual deal of unplugging cables, releasing and renewing IP addresses, etc. The built-in Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall is great--though I previously received repeated warnings via Norton Internet Security about port scans, etc., I don't recall having a single one since this was installed.Given the relatively low price, the lessened hassle for connecting multiple computers is wonderful, though I primarily purchased the BEFSR41 for the increased firewall security, which has been enough of a benefit in and of itself to more than justify the investment. On the potential downside, I've simply heard elsewhere of people being moderately confused if they desire to adjust security settings for internet gaming, video conferencing, etc. (though I know this is possible). Admittedly, I also haven't experimented yet with transfers between computers and whether or not using the Linksys for such is much of a hassle.
One of the most worthwhile investments I can recall having made in recent years, I give the BEFSR41 from Linksys a full and thorough recommendation. Only potential lingering doubts have to do with whether or not I should have purchased a model with wireless capability for potential future expansion, but I don't think I could be happier for my current ongoing needs/wants. Outstanding product, and Amazon had the best price(s) I could find. If you don't mind internet searching for how to handle more advanced uses you might have (like the gaming and file transfers between computers), I think you'll find this one of the best tech investments you can come across. Kudos to Amazon, too, for such a great price and immediate shipping.