Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router

Rating:
Summary: BEFW11S4 ver. 2
Review: The linksys wireless router is a wonderful piece of equipment. Be careful to only flash the firmware through the "help" page on the router's config, or it gets [messed] up. Placement is everything. I had it on a table 3 feet off the ground, and the signal was terrible. 10 feet away, 40%. I moved it 2 feet higher on a shelf in the same place, and now it is perfect. 100% from 10 feet away, 70-60% from 30 feet away. If you choose this, place it high. I have 2 wireless desktops, and 1 wireless laptop.

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: linksys quickly made a name for itself for innovative high quality consumer routers. this one is no exception.
i use this wireless AP/broadabnd router with my new iBook, kudos to linksys for using web based administration interface, so i am not locked into a MS-only solution.

Rating:
Summary: Working after 2 days of setting up
Review: When first set this up seemed to work great out of the box but then the signal from my comcast cable modem kept dropping. Since I know relatively little about routers and I've read that Linksys tech support is pretty bad I unhooked the router and plugged the modem directly into my computer and searched the internet for someone with a similar problem. After I cloned the MAC address this thing works like a champ.

Rating:
Summary: Easy setup, works great!
Review: I had my wireless laptop, 2 hardwired desktop PC's and X-Box (bring on X-Box Live!!) up and running in less than 30 minutes. This product is great. Wireless range throughout my home was excellent. Read the instructions, and for most users you'll have no problems.

Rating:
Summary: Can a product get one AND five stars?
Review: Bought the router and wireless cards, both for PC and laptop. Couldn't get the hard-wired PC to talk to the router. Called tech support. Other reviewers are right, tech support is not very helpful. (But to be fair it is hard to diagnose problems over the phone.) Anyway, tech support told me my router was bad. Called Amazon for replacement. Same problem with replacement. I figured out for myself that the problem was that the router does not communicate very well with, get this, a 3COM PCI bus mastering 10/100 LAN card. Isn't 3COM pretty much the standard in ethernet? So I went to Be[local store] and purchased a Linksys 10/100 LAN card for [dollar amount] (after rebate) and everything works like a dream. A One Star rating for networks that have ANY non Linksys parts. And a Five Star rating for networks that have ALL Linksys parts. In conclusion, if you are building a network from the ground up and plan to purchase everything from Linksys this network is a breeze to set up and get up and running. I can even use my laptop outside on the front lawn. (Approx 40 ft from router, haven't tried any further.) For those of you that want to upgrade and have non Linksys cards, etc, stay away! Try networks from whatever supplier that you have current parts from that you want to reuse. Finally, tech support is like any other tech support that I've had to call, usually you'll get someone who has less knowledge of what the problem could be than you probably do if you're even half way computer literate. (Not sure if that is a reflection on tech support or that it is simply very difficult to help someone over the phone. I've tried with friends and have given up since not being able to see the screen and poke around really reduces effective thought.)
Hope this helps.

Rating:
Summary: Can't be beat for the price - but you get what you pay for.
Review: If you want wireless, this router will do the job nicely. With 128-bit WEP, it's minimally secure enough to deploy in a home environment. However, contrary to company literature and the users guide, it will NOT allow the designation of MAC addresses as 'go/no go.' All it will alllow is "no go." So the MAC filtering that is advertised only works to cut off a networked computer from accessing the Internet. Fine if you're controlling your kids, but not so fine if what you want is to positively designate the computers that are allowed to use the wireless system in your home (to avoid hacking).

Rating:
Summary: Fair product, horrible support after it died
Review: The router was simple to install. It worked well for 3 months and then died. It took 2 days to get tech support to tell me it was dead, then an additional 5 days to get an RMA number. They then make you pay shipping back to them so they can replace it. They claim to return ship it in 3 days but it is now over 4 WEEKS and I still do not have it back even after 5 phone calls.

Rating:
Summary: It works!
Review: I just bought this item along with two wireless network cards and a USB wireless access point from the same manufacturer. I have read some disturbing reviews of problems with the installation so I thought I should report on my success. I hooked them all up to their respective partners (cable modem, an XP and a 98 notebook, and a 98 desktop) and everything works! All three systems cruise along at 11 mbps in three corners of the house with no perceptable effort. I realize that it's early days yet but so far I'm sold. I will give 5 stars if everything is still working in 6 months.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic... What a great product!
Review: Initially I hard wired the Linksys BEFW11S4 to 3 computers with no problems, not even a glitch. It only took me about 5 minutes to set up all 3 pc's. A week later I purchased wireless cards for 3 computes and a laptop. Again everything worked smoothly with no problems. As it turned out the company I'm employed with sent out a memo recommended this same product for employee home use with dsl or cable internet connections. I've already recommended this product to my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Mac users beware--but don't be frightened
Review: After getting dismal range with my Airport Base Station, I finally decided to go with a top-rated wireless cable/dsl router and settled on the Linksys noted above. From plugging it in to having my Macintosh find it, the entire process was an absolute breeze. It's browser-based administration is not platform dependent, so being on a Mac wasn't an issue. What was an issue was not finding any documentation whatsoever on connecting a Mac and setting up printers to work with the built in router. After extensive online searching, I found that Linksys doesn't support Appletalk and that was why I couldn't find my printers in the network control panel. I could print to them using IP printing--you have to know each printer's IP address--which the router gladly gave them, but that was just a little bit too much work for any user. From what I've read, Linksys has said they are going to come out with a firmware update that provides Appletalk support, but it's late in coming. As far as I'm concerned, they are missing a HUGE opportunity with Mac users, since many other wireless routers provide this networking protocol. Apple's base station is almost twice as expensive, has three less LAN ports, and provides a paltry 150 feet of range (if you're lucky!). The Linksys gives 500 feet indoor and 1500 feet outdoor, and it's dual antennas are adjustable to provide maximum connectivity and signal strength. I wish it came with a wall mount, though, and this missing item would have certainly sealed the deal with me as far as giving it five stars. But sadly, with its lack of Appletalk support, horrible lack of Mac support, and omission of any sort of wall mount, I'm detracting a star. But if you're not afraid to set up IP printing, I'd recommend it highly. If you need something more Mac-friendly, you might want to try Macsense or SMC. Just don't get the Apple Base station, because for the price, it's just not worth it.