Linksys BEFSR41 Wired Router

Rating:
Summary: Good Product
Review: This router was very easy to install, and it has all the features available for regular networking.

Rating:
Summary: Great Product
Review: As the other reviews have revealed, this is a great product. The thing I liked most about it was the Linksys installation cd that comes with the product. It made setting up the router much easier than it use to be.

Rating:
Summary: Fast, easy & worked right out of the box
Review: This unit worked as advertised right out of the box. I use it with a Toshiba cable modem and I have no problems. It even supports VPN! The IT dept. at my office tried to tell me I needed a special VPN box that costs $475 to be able to connect to the office network. I configured the router to use VPN and got connected to my office network in just a few minutes and saved $415. Hmmm, a cable router with 4 ports and VPN for around $60? This is a bargain.

Rating:
Summary: As Good As Advertised
Review: I was skeptical at all the reviews of how easy this router is to set-up and use. Well it is true. My two computers were set up in minutes and it could not have been easier. I'm very impressed with this product.

Rating:
Summary: It's not compatable with the newer modems....
Review: I bought the BEFSR41 to connect 3 computers to my new Motorola Surfboard Modem SB4220. They are not compatable.

After 5 HOURS on the phone with 4 different "tech support" experts, they had me upgrading firmware, then downgrading firmware, and finally running my cable from the modem thru a 10base-t hub. This slowed the signal to a managable rate and allowed the modem to function. But not at the speed the modem was designed for.
Very frustrating Tech support.
Very unhappy with the product.
I will replace it soon, RMA is next.
My cable company upgraded it's modems and have left this relic behind.
Buyer beware.

Rating:
Summary: Great Product
Review: The Linksys 4-Port Cable/DSL Router has always been my top recommendation to friends, family, and co-workers needing to setup a small home or office network. It has more features than what most small office networks need, and is still very intuitive. The web interface makes changing options a pleasure. A pleasure, that is, unless you are an advanced user. This is my only complaint. There are times that having a remote logging shell (rlogin, telnet, ssh, SOMETHING) would ease many administrative pains. This especially goes for unix lovers who live under the wing of the bourne shell. But, again, this is for small home/office networks. Both DHCP and static IP's can be utilized. Port forwarding is another great feature, for anyone wishing to run a server that can be accessed outside of the network. For example, you can have all requests to the router on port 21 (FTP) to be forwarded to an adminitrator-specified machine. And all requests to port 25 (SMTP) to go to another machine. There is also an option for DMZ Host, which allows all ports to be forwarded to a single machine (in other words, all ports are open). You can even define the MAC address for the WAN. Another cool feature is filtering certain computers from getting internet access. Great for parents not wanting their children to get on the internet in the privacy of their own room, or an office computer that general clients/public can use. Also has an extension port, so if your network keeps growing, you can always buy a small switch (or hub if you're cheap) and there you go! More ports!
One more thing. The uptime is good. Only once have I had a problem, which I never had the chance to really troubleshoot because it stopped occurring. What happened was this: About every 5 minutes I would lose internet access, but upon logging into the router and checking the status, it would say it was connected. Not until I would manually reset the router would I have internet access again. This happened repeatedly for about a full day, out of the blue. But then the problem stopped, just as quickly as it came. I haven't had the same problem again. My own linksys is about a year old and is still in great shape. So, to sum up, for the price this is a true bargain. A great quality product that has won my loyalty and the loyalty of many friends and relatives.

Rating:
Summary: Not a good product
Review: I purchased this product with the expectation that it would provide at least the level of operation stated it the description. Unfortunately, this is not the case. This device will either operate as a poor interface with the internet or will allow limited operation between connnected devices, but NOT BOTH. After spending many hours (6) with their Phillipines based support group, it has been determined that this is the way it works. I would suggest that anybody who purchases this device to do so at their own risk.

Rating:
Summary: Great Router for Broadband Networks
Review: When i first bought this router I had mixed ideas, my isp wants to charge you to have an extra computer hooked up and i figured that they had taken mesures against routers and proxies. Well this router was so simple to set up. Im only 14 but i was done in 15 min. Since i already had a 2 computer network setup i had to go into tcp configs and check get ip automatically etc. Then all i had to do (since my cable like amny of yours is dhcp) was go to ipconfig/all and write down my host, and dhcp server (winipcfg in win9x). I just popped in the disc that came with and followed the steps. In no time i had setup up teh router on the first computer. Then i headed over to my win 9x machine and popped the cd in and chose setup additional computers and it worked flawlessly aswell. The firewall appears to be working good too, ive been running zonealarm since i got the router (3 days) and so far no blocked intrusions have been high rated. The same day i had all teh computers online and was playing ps2 and xbox online aswell. I would recommend this to anyone!

Rating:
Summary: Tech Support Was Great
Review: I just purchased this router and found the technical service to be excellent. I needed some help configuring my pc to the router, and despite the Christmas busy season the Linksys technical department answered the phone within two rings. The technician was very responsive and within ten minutes she was able to fix the problem. I never received such quick and competent service from other computer companies. I would recommend Linksys technical department above all others.

Rating:
Summary: The best SOHO router available!
Review: I have a Linksys BEFSR-41 at home and it works beautifully. I use SBC DSL and they have a tendency of constantly disconnecting me. I am on a dynamic IP address via PPPoE. With PPPoE, SBC can have more available IP addresses for other customers when you are not logged in. With a little bit of tweaking in the router I managed to not get disconnected for several days even when NONE of my computers were on in the house. So the long and short of it is this router is great for SOHO use for both techno and non-techno savvy computer users. Linksys also had updates for the router's firmware quickly when a security vunerability becomes known. Hands down this is best Small Office/Home Office(SOHO) router that I have had the pleasure of working with.