Rating: 
Summary: Instuctions not precise
Review: I'm no novice with stand-alone computers, but I'm new to networking. So when the instructions didn't exactly match what I was seeing on the screen when I was going through the setup routine, it was a bit frustrating. The main difficulty I had was getting the web browser to "see" the router. Fortunately, I was able to reason my way through and I eventually got it to work. After that, setup was a breeze. An additional plus: I have Earthlink DSL (which uses WinPoET) thru Verizon. Before I got this router, I was having great difficulty maintaining my connection (I don't know why). "Always on" wasn't exactly true. After I installed this router, I never once had a disruption in my DSL connectivity. In fact, not all routers support PPPoE. This one does, and I am glad I bought it.
Rating:
Summary: Networking in 5 minutes
Review: I was concerned that wireless would not work in my two story house and I wanted to save money. Therefore I had decided to run cables and had purchased the SMC SMC7004ABR Cable/DSL Router as a part of that plan. I was really surprised at the tiny size of the unit when the box arrived. I updated the firmware and had it running within minutes. I did plug-in one other system and it received an IP address w/o problems. I soon decided that wireless was the way to go after all and attached an SMC2655W Wireless Access Point to the router. So far, it's worked like a charm. One quirky issue to an otherwise flawless installation is that the printer driver program doesn't execute on my Windows 2000 system. After I click on setup.exe I see the hourglass for a moment, but that's it. This is not a big concern to me, but a little strange. I sent an email to the tech support group at SMC but have yet to hear anything. Any feedback on this issue would be appreciated.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not Excellent
Review: Installation was a breez. Instructions are easy to follow (though I could have done a better job). Printer port has the problem that it will not match well with all printers specially the multi task printers. This is not mentioned on the box nor in the features listed here in Amazon and you won't find out until you dig into their site to solve your problem(after wasting time). I selected this brand for its printer port but I was disappointed since I have lost my HP Officejet printer interactive capabilities, scanning, faxing, maintenace, etc. I have ended up with an ordinary router and a dumb slow printer.
I don't know how others measure up, but I feel betrayed.
Rating:
Summary: Good for basic use
Review: I use my SMC Barricade extensively as a SOHO user. I VPN into my corporate network for hours on end. In the evening I like to play zone.com games. I have 5 PCs I use on my internal network. I find the SMC Barricade adequate but with some serious shortcomings for my use. I'll attempt to outline where the Barricade falls short, but first let me say that if you plan on using this product simply for web or email it will probably do everything you want perfectly. If you are a more advanced user or a SOHO user please take the following into account. 1. VPN works great. Once or twice. Then the initial connection slows considerably. Then it stops working until you reboot the router.
2. DirectX or zone.com games will work great a few times. Then it stops working until you reboot the router.
3. DHCP works great until you reboot the router. The Barricade does no conflict detection before hading out addresses so every time you reboot you will get IP address conflicts.
4. You can not host DirectX or zone.com games internally despite the "DMZ" feature.
5. I find the best way to cope is to proactively reboot the router every morning before I start using it. Then I turn on my machines and everything usually works the reset of the day. But not always.
6. Multiple email to SMC support has returned not one word. The silence is deafening. I can repro every single problem every day with network traces for them, still no response from SMC. Like I said above, if all you want is to do simple web browsing this is a great product. If you plan on using any of the more advanced features be prepared to do some configuration work and to reboot this thing at least daily.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid router
Review: I initially purchased a version of this router that was incompatible with my cable modem. It was frustrating, dropping a lot of packets and resulting in super slow transfer rates. A call to tech support (answered within 20 minutes on a Saturday, not bad) diagnosed the problem, and on the next business day they had a new box shipped out to me. The new one works as advertised, very elegant solution. The security is robust and there is no detectable deterioration of speed. I would recommend it to anyone. FYI I use AT&T Broadband, and the thing worked without any special configuration or information required from AT&T.
Rating:
Summary: Great little box
Review: I used one of these boxes to interconnect a DSL Modem to a 10 computer LAN and it works great. Setup of the router to the DSL modem took less than 10 minutes, and it worked the first time. I had a configuration problem with some of the LAN machines (NOT SMC-related) and their tech support person was able to fix it in 5 minutes. Very good support other than a long wait to talk to someone. The printed documentation isn't the greatest but there is a more extensive manual in Acrobat/PDF format on the CD that comes with it.
Rating:
Summary: Good product, poor support
Review: This router is impressive at the number of attacks it blocks. I've tested it with numerous security websites and it consistently achieves a perfect score. The web-based interface is easy to use but not very intuitive. The documentation is designed for someone who is already familiar with networking lingo and procedures. For somebody (like myself) who has not set up a network before it can be a big challenge to muddle through all the requirements. The tech support is lousy. I've tried the telephone support but get tired of being on hold. E-mail inquiries take a few days for a response and even then they have only answered my question about half the time. Configuring the router to work with different applications is something you'll have to figure out by yourself. I was having problems using Outlook and Tech support stated that "Outlook is a NAT unfriendly application" and that I would essentially have to live with quirky e-mail connectivity. The manual explains how to open up desired ports but not which ports to open for common applications. They provide an example of opening port 21 for an FTP server but don't tell you that you also need to open port 20. I had to go to the Linksys website to find that info. Their instructions for configuring to operate with applications such as MSN Messenger essentially tell the user to "try this and don't come crying to us if it doesn't work" Not very impressive. I was attracted by the low price and good support reputation of SMC. Apparently that support is a thing of the past. Additionally, the [...] rebate that I submitted back in November has yet to arrive.
Rating: 
Summary: Lowered my rating
Review: I originally gave this product five stars, but I have to lower it to two. This router has a problem that slows it down considerably after several hours of use. This requires frequent resetting or restarting, which is quite inconvenient. And even worse, SMC's technical support department has completely ignored four email requests for assistance that I have sent them over the last three weeks. All I have gotten from them is a couple of auto-responses telling me how important customer service is to them. Overall, this product is disappointing, and I wish I'd bought one from a different manufacturer.
Rating:
Summary: Great Router!
Review: The SMC7004ABR has provided me with a fast reliable network since day one. It took only an hour to configure both of my pc's with this router. Now my wife and I can enjoy our RoadRunner connection at the same time. It also comes with a built in print server and a lifetime warranty. What more could you ask for?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent product, very reliable
Review: I've had my Barricade 7004ABR for 6 months now and am very happy with it. I never have trouble with it. I never need to reset it. Very reliable and makes internet sharing a breeze. If I needed another router I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Barricade. I just started running a server through it also, no problems.
| 
