Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Value, performs well
Review: I have 30 of these units at customer locations who connect to our head office to sell a service through the encrypted VPN tunnel. Easy to setup, connects to any standardized VPN box, remotely manageable, good throughput and the price is bar none the best out there. Go with Sonicwall and you have to buy licensing for every feature you want to use. No licensing on the LINKSYS. For the guy who was complaining about the port forwarding and the port triggering, you probably were doing something wrong as I have both port forwarding and port triggering enabled on my boxes and doing more than one address. It helps if people read instructions. The port forwarding info is in the help file on the router."Port Triggering
Some Internet applications or games use alternat ports to communicate between server and LAN host. When you want to use those applications, find out the ports used by them and fill the triggering(outgoing) port and alternat incoming port in this table. The router will forward the incoming packets to LAN host
" So if you wanted to setup a VPN tunnel and use a application that you wanted going through port 5000, outbound on the Linksys and Inbound on another VPN router, that's what it's purpose is. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Works perfectly if used within its limitations
Review: I have a small office network that I wanted to be able to access securely from home. I did a TON of research to find the most robust and cheapest solution. Those searches lead me to the BEFVP41 for the office and the FREE SSH Sentinel 1.3.2.2 VPN client for home which can be downloaded at http://www.olin.wustl.edu/computing/reference/wireless/ipsec.cfm . A tutorial on how to set this whole thing up can be found at http://www.homenethelp.com/vpn/router-client-v13.asp . It is very important that the BEFVP41 have a static ip address for the wan side. If you don't have one, ask your ISP for one, otherwise forget about doing VPN. Also, make sure the office subnet address is different than the one at home. SSH Sentinel doesn't appear to support netbios broadcast, so you won't be able to browse the office network when you connect. However, you can access each computer by their ip address. If you have a dhcp server that can allocate static addresses, then this is not a big problem as the address won't change on you. I was able to set the whole thing up in one hour by carefully following the tutorials. However, I am VERY experienced with networking so your mileage may vary. What is great about this setup is I can log into my office securely from my laptop from any hotspot. The next time I visit Starbucks, I'm bringing my laptop. By the way, you can buy a second BEFVP41 or the cheaper BEFSX41 for the home. This way you can log onto your home network from the office. I didn't need to do this so there was no point in spending the extra money. However doing it this way will allow you to browse the computers on the network. Also, don't waste your money on the USBVPN1 USB adapter. If you can't hook to an ethernet port, it won't work(i.e. any hotspot). Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: Works perfectly if used within its limitations
Review: I have a small office network that I wanted to be able to access securely from home. I did a TON of research to find the most robust and cheapest solution. Those searches lead me to the BEFVP41 for the office and the FREE SSH Sentinel 1.3.2.2 VPN client for home which can be downloaded at http://www.olin.wustl.edu/computing/reference/wireless/ipsec.cfm . A tutorial on how to set this whole thing up can be found at http://www.homenethelp.com/vpn/router-client-v13.asp . It is very important that the BEFVP41 have a static ip address for the wan side. If you don't have one, ask your ISP for one, otherwise forget about doing VPN. Also, make sure the office subnet address is different than the one at home. SSH Sentinel doesn't appear to support netbios broadcast, so you won't be able to browse the office network when you connect. However, you can access each computer by their ip address. If you have a dhcp server that can allocate static addresses, then this is not a big problem as the address won't change on you. I was able to set the whole thing up in one hour by carefully following the tutorials. However, I am VERY experienced with networking so your mileage may vary. What is great about this setup is I can log into my office securely from my laptop from any hotspot. The next time I visit Starbucks, I'm bringing my laptop. By the way, you can buy a second BEFVP41 or the cheaper BEFSX41 for the home. This way you can log onto your home network from the office. I didn't need to do this so there was no point in spending the extra money. However doing it this way will allow you to browse the computers on the network. Also, don't waste your money on the USBVPN1 USB adapter. If you can't hook to an ethernet port, it won't work(i.e. any hotspot). Good luck!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I have and still use this product, but the problems with it are serious for the non-technical user and technical user alike. There are problems with the firmware and the DHCP on the WAN side (for those who don't know, if you get your IP assigned to you on the fly by your ISP when you log in, you're getting a Dynamic IP using DHCP.)It will cease to update properly after a few days. The only way to fix this is to reset the router either by powering it off and on, or by forcing a soft boot of the router. Neither is a good option. The VPN software will work with XP & Win2k but only if you have a static IP to go to. This too is a firmware problem. Also the event logging and SMNP reporting ceases to perform after only a couple hours at most. The Linksys service people will not acknowledge there is a problem unless you point to the Broadband webside and all the regularly reported problems from others. Their immediate response is that it must be you or that specific box (it's not, it's the firmware). I got this router because I'd had good experience previously from Linksys. Their other products are decent, but this one is heading towards the lemon pile fast. I AM connecting still using this product, and the features for port triggering and other aspects of the products features do work, but I had to do a dramatic workaround to make one of my computers force a reset every 8 hours to keep it working all the time. Look at other products first.
Rating:
Summary: Worked for a month -- then died
Review: I installed one BEFVP41 at the office, and one at home, with a VPN tunnel connecting the two. At first, I thought I won the lottery: setup was easy and it actually worked fine. After one month, one box is acting up. It died, and I cannot get it to work with the VPN feature. As soon as I configure a tunnel the whole router loses all settings and needs a factory reset. Phone support cannot help beyond the factory reset. Don't have an alternative right now, so I will buy another one in the hope that I keep 2 out of three working.
Rating: 
Summary: Be Aware of Terrible Customer Service
Review: I own few Linksys products and have to admit that when they work, they do perform well in SOHO environment. (Unfortunately my last BEFVP41 unit wasn't too long lived, it died 6 months after I have purchased it.)
However if you are anything more than just casual internet surfer and you heavily depend on reliable access to the net I would highly discourage you from purchasing it due to very poor customer support system Linksys has in place.
If you need to replace your defective unit be prepared to cope with the incompetence of their RMA system ("sorry sir, our database is down again") and long wait for the replacement unit, even when using the advance replacement option. Unless you can afford the downtime, or have a spare router, do not bother buying Linksys.
If you live in Hawaii or Alaska Linksys will make you pay for half of the shipping cost back to you! It's clearly a company that doesn't particularly care for its image and neither for truly satisfied customer.
Oh, and did I mention to be prepared to shell out money on long distance calls (no 800 number) every time when you attempt to contact their customer service.
Sorry Linksys, you do not deserve anything more than one star with such lousy customer service.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment all around
Review: I purchased a pair of Linksys BEFVP41 units to connect two office networks, and to provide for secure remote network access through VPNs to mobile users. While the units performed the former job adequately, the latter left a lot to be desired. I should have known better when presented with Linksys' confusing marketing information. In one breath (from their web site) they say, "No IPSec VPN Client Software Needed," while in another say, "Mobile workers can also connect to a corporate network using an IPSec based VPN client software solution." As usual, there's a slight gulf between marketing spin and reality. For PC-to-box connections, such as those with mobile users, it's true that no special client software is needed. Windows 2000 and XP users can, in fact, connect to the BEFVP41 without special software, but only if the computer has a static IP address. Whether on local networks or in a coffee shop hotspot, it's unlikely the typical desktop user will have a static IP address, which translated means that, in fact, VPN client software IS needed to make these units useful in that remote network access role. That's because the BEFVP41 supports only IPSec. Commonly used Windows-based VPNs use PPTP or L2TP, both of which are built into Windows. But this unit (and most others) doesn't provide PPTP or L2TP support. Back to the requirement, then, for aftermarket IPSec VPN software. The software is not inexpensive, and it adds considerably to the total cost of this Linksys solution. I tested the IPSec client from French company TheGreenBow, and it does work. The problem is that there is no DHCP or other types of dynamic addressing or DNS support; it's merely a "raw" network pipe. For most mobile users, this isn't going to be particularly functional, and that's especially true for users of networks that use Windows Active Directory. (Perhaps the other recommended option, the SoftRemote VPN client, addresses this, but either way, it's a costly add-on.) All of this left me searching for ways to get PPTP support without buying other hardware. The suggestion widely made was to merely configure a Windows server behind the firewall to offer PPTP, and configure the Linksys BEFVP41 to pass PPTP through. Simply put, this doesn't work. Linksys' web site features a tech note on how to configure this very scenario. However, had anyone at Linksys actually TESTED the tech note, they would have discovered it doesn't work. The tech note suggests port mapping ports 1723 (PPTP) and 47 (supposedly for GRE, a protocol necessary for PPTP to work properly). The problem is that "47" is NOT A PORT NUMBER, it is the PROTOCOL number of GRE. Mapping port 47 in the firewall has absolutely NO IMPACT WHATEVER on the GRE protocol. Whoever wrote the tech note clearly has very little understanding of the subject matter. It is possible that some Linksys firewalls will work with PPTP pass-through, but the BEFVP41 clearly does not. Empirical evidence suggests that the GRE protocol is not properly handled internally to support the pass-through scenario. The connection can be made to port 1723 on a Windows server behind the firewall when passed through the Linksys, but without proper GRE handling, the VPN connection can't actually be established. When you add to all of this a remarkably clunky web management interface, the Linksys BEFVP41 is a non-starter for me. Both units are on their way back to Amazon.com as I write this review. After a previous experience with the company where they took forever to update drivers to fix a compatibility issue; after seeing technically inaccurate tech notes on their support web site; and after adding-in this experience, I'll think twice before bothering with anything Linksys again. My chosen replacement for the BEFVP41 (a pair of CyberGuard/SnapGear SG300 units) have already arrived, and have proven themselves to be far more flexible, more configurable, and more powerful than the BEFVP41. Along with their configurability, the SG300s provide PPTP and L2TP support directly (in addition to IPSec), making a total solution that (unlike the BEFVP41) TRULY doesn't require special software clients to offer a total office-to-office and mobile-to-office network solution.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware
Review: I saw this router recently at a local computer store and was excited to find a device that would enable VPN connections. So, I bought the Linksys BEFVP41 EtherFast Cable/DSL VPN Router w/4 port Switchrouters and brought it home in anticipation of a faster connection and establish a VPN connection to my office. Disappointment followed, after four hours of struggling with the installation, which included loading the latest software within the router, I called the help desk. I was informed by the help desk that the reason I was unable to make configuration changes to the router was due to a software defect within the device. I exchanged the device for another one. This one had the exact same issue. I exchanged the router for a flat screen and more basic router that I am pleased with.
Rating: 
Summary: Great solution for small business'
Review: I set a small business up with 3 of these routers. The two remote branches initiate tunnels back to the main branch and they all operate as if on the same LAN. They are able to map drives and have an inventory program running that uses a distributed database. This is a great, low-cost solution for such an application!
Rating:
Summary: Cheap VPN
Review: I've been lookiing for a solid, inexpensive VPN solution for quite some time so I was pleased to find this little router. I had no problems configuring the unit to connect to a Watchguard Firebox II and a Nortel Networks Contivity 100S, both of which inhabit my equipment rack at the office. Configuring VPN's can be frustrating if you are unfamiliar with the technology but this product has a very simple interface and a bit of time spent educating yourself about IPSec will ease the setup. Highly recommended.
| 
