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Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router

Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router

List Price: $69.99
Your Price: $49.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A snap to install!
Review: I purchased the BEFW11S4 (I rec'd version 2), along with a WPC11 Card for a laptop, and a WUSB11 USB for a 2nd desktop, soas to be able to share internet access via our cable modem (with one IP address). The setup and installation could not have been easier using their step by step "quick set-up" instructions. There is alot of data required for setup(such as IP address, DNS, subnet Mask, default Gateway, etc.), but this is easily found by accessing the IP Configuration on your PC: Click "Start", "Run", then enter "WINIPCFG". All the information you will need is listed.

In sum, all three products came with easy to follow instructions, and set up quick and easy. I believe my internet speed has been increased as well! Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nice and Easy.....
Review: Great range! I have mine in an upstairs bedroom, and have yet to find a place in my home where I get a falty signal. It was easy to setup and configure. Can't go wrong at this price!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great and simply reliable
Review: I'm not sure what some other people talk about installation problems etc. The guide is OK and after wiring and putting the DSL account information in it, it just works great. I build a home net with a p2p server which is online 24/7. You can configure everything to your special needs and the firmware upgrades are very easy. I let the system beeing attacked from several test pages and the firewall works great! I'd never thought I'd get a WLAN with a Firewall for that price. I have up to 5 computers on the net, two of them with WPC11 cards. The latter are easy to install in XP: Plug them in with the CD in the drive, that's it. The only drawback is that it can handle "only" 520 connections. My DSL / p2p server could easily take a 1000. But that's me. The average user will stay well below 50 connections ...

Summary: I love this stuff.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wireless is Mature Technology - Go for It
Review: I purchased the Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless 4-Port Router and the WPC11 Laptop Card in June 2002. Both are working well after an easy setup.

Based on my admittedly small sample, plus other reviews here and elsewhere, I think wireless technology (802.11b) is mature and most prior problems people have complained of here are resolved now. This applies to these Linksys products and I suspect to those by other vendors too.

I recommend doing as little as possible during setup and let the devices attempt to figure out basic issues.

The Router worked out of the box with no setup, nor need to load drivers or such. Configuration of the router via a web-based interface is easy for basic operations. I was able to change the wireless network identifier and enable encryption with no trouble.

The Card was a bit more of a hassle on a NT 4.0 Laptop, which according to the Linksys doc is because 4.0 is not plug-and-play. After installing the Linksys config software, the Card works, though it does ask after each boot up to upgrade the Card's firmware, then crashes NT when I tell Yes. Giving it a No prevents that problem.

Wireless speed and connectivity are excellent to very good, in fact I've not seen speed drop below the 11mb max anywhere in the house.

Regarding complaints about doc, yes the Linksys doc doesn't cover how Networking works and the Help info is often skimpy, but, neither does a car owner's manual explain how to overhaul an internal combustion engine. Both tell you what the switches do; if you want more you must consult other sources.

So, I suggest ignoring any negative review here older than 6 months - the issue is likely fixed in current models. Wireless works well and if you're considering it, go for it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome Product
Review: I live in Bay Area California and have Earthlink DSL. Also used the Linksys PCMCIA wireless card for my laptop. Had it working in less than 25 minutes. The wireless signal strength is excellent inside the house, and adequate in the yard. Highly recomended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very easy to set up, worked like a charm out of the box
Review: After worrying for months about which Cable/DSL router to buy and whether it would work with my system, this router was a pleasant surprise. I have cable net access, and the hardware and software setup was just about idiot-proof. I get excellent signal reception at another PC 2 rooms and about 40 feet away, I don't have it hooked up to my laptop so can't comment on dead spots or maximum range. If you are looking for an easy installation this is the one for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Clear connection and great speed
Review: Setup was simple and quick with easy to follow directions. Performance was better than expected with clear 100% signal and 100% promised speed.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: You will need your own ISP other than AOL
Review: At this time no router will work with AOL-DSL. Yet it will work
with Verizon or other DSLs. Though AOL says they'll come out with their own router within 4 weeks(late July 2002). yET NOBODY WILL TELL YOU IT WON'T WORK WITH AOL. It's AOLs fault yet they should tell you anyways before accepting your money.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: When it works... it's Great
Review: Installation was quite easy. And it worked great.

Then the next day it stopped working... called customer service... they got it to work... the next day it stopped working again... and called cutomer service again... after about a week of this nonsense I was told my unit had a problem they referred to as the 'cache of death'... they said to return it... so I did... and this new unit still has problems.

When the product works, it's outstanding. But it's as reliable as a Fiat.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Linksys BEFW11S4 routinely exceeds my expectations!
Review: Even after owning and using the Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless Access Point for over three months, I am still amazed at what an amazing piece of hardware it is. It is a four port fast Ethernet switch, a wireless access point, a router, a firewall, a DHCP server, and much more. What is most amazing is that it does many of these complex tasks right out of the box with minimal configuration, all from a box the size of an average book.

Despite being an electrical engineer by trade and a chronic gadget geek, I am not a big fan of electronic toys that fail to meet expectations or require enormous amounts of time to learn how to operate or install. This happens so often, however, I have grown to rarely expect things to work the way I intended them to. Nevertheless, I have been thoroughly surprised how well this router works and how remarkably simple it was to setup and maintain. Of all the electronics I deal with on a daily basis, both at work and at home, this is among the most amazing. In terms of value, I can not think of anything else I use on a regular basis that comes close....

I use the Linksys router with a Motorola SURFboard cable modem and Cablevision's Optimum Online service in New York without any problems. The setup was a breeze. I have a Tek Phaser 740 color laser printer plugged into the hub and use Orinoco Gold PCMCIA Wireless Ethernet cards in my IBM Thinkpads running Windows 2000. WEP encryption, DHCP, and IP masquerading all work as expected. A testament of the hub's ease-of-use, a friend of mine brought over his IBM Thinkpad running Linux and within ten minutes we had him configured and up-and-running with WEP on my LAN. Most of the time spent was just figuring out how to load the Linux drivers on his PC. No additional configuration of the hub was necessary.

The Linksys BEFW11S4 really is a remarkable device, exceeding all of my expectations. I wish more primitive devices like my DVD player or answering machine were this easy to use.


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