Rating: 
Summary: Bad experience
Review: I purchased this because it seemed well-reviewed in networking a PC to an iBook. We had problems with it -- we had reset it all the time and Linksys didn't provide any help there. Since it was mostly a minor annoyance, we put up with it. Then after about 5 months, the router just died. It appeared to be working (all the lights were on and a connection the modem was being made) but was not sending out a signal. I upgraded the firmware, tried different cables, moving it to another location, everything, and nothing worked. I called Linksys and was told there was going to be a 45 minute (or longer) wait to talk to someone and to email instead. I did so, and after 3 days of not receiving a response, I went and purchased a D-Link router instead, which we have had no problems with.I understand that this is just my experience, but I am disappointed in the lack of support which Linksys provided and the lifespan of this router. I'm sure plenty of people have had no problems with them, but I wish I had done a bit more research before I purchased mine.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawless
Review: I use this setup with a wireless card and 2 usb units. I have been using this system for 2 years and the only problems I have had have been traced to my cable modem. Yes the signal strength does vary but it doesn't affect your internet browsing...
and who wants to run wires through your house or office anyway
Rating: 
Summary: Good at first, but shows weakness over long haul...
Review: When I got the router it was easy to setup and use. I bought a wireless card for my roomate and I connected directly to the unit with a cable. Everything was fine for the first week or so, or perhaps we just didn't notice. After that, the signal strength fluctuated wildly. Her indicator would go from 100% to 0% and back again everyday, all day. She was only 9 feet from the wireless antenna, with "almost" direct line of sight. We finally had enough and after two months we bought her a long wire to connect driectly to the unit. Service was again splotchy. We know it isn't the Cable company because sometimes she has the internet and mine is down, and sometimes vice versa. The router frequently drops connections, and if you use AIM or any instant messenger this becomes rapidly annoying to you (having to see the reconnect box 3 times an hour) and to all your friends (having to watch ur name sign on/off at the same rate). I upgraded the firmware, but that did not help. In doing so I came across many, many reviews that stated the same problem. Buying this is taking a gamble it seems - some people never have a problem with it, others (like myself) are nearly driven mad by the constant dropout of webpages. Customer Support is useless. All in all, it's a sham. It works out of the box, but won't serve you well over time. I highly recommend looking elsewhere for your router. (I haven't tried NetGear, so I won't recommend them instead, but they are another option). I hope this review has helped you.
Rating:
Summary: Drops all connections every 30 minutes
Review: Purchased this device Dec 2003. This device was easy to set up however consistently after 30 minutes it will drop all connections. It requires that you power the device down, then power it back up every 30 minutes for it to work. During that 30 minutes it works just great never drops connections, great connectivity. I have gone through multiple iterations with Linksys support. They were all focusing on reducing the speed at which the connection worked on. To no avail. Tech support is useless. They are aware that this is a problem in a huge portion of the items that they ship, but have no solution to it. I have a standard Linksys cable router as well and it has worked flawlessly for 3 years. I am very dissapointed in this product. When I search on the web for other people with this problem it looks like there are thousands in the same boat.
Rating:
Summary: Steadily went dead ... awful experience.
Review: Re: Linksys BEFW11S4, // POOR customer service: This product worked fine for about 11 months.
After that it would drop the connections (cat5 & WAN)
with increasing consistancy. We had to perform the "reset trick"
(hold reset button for 60 sec. [30 sec doesn't work] and
disconnect the power cord) more and more often.
Now the unit won't connect at all. Updating to the newer
firmware is of no use as the router won't connect. This seems to be the norm. Look to "DSL Reports.com" and you'll see that humdreds of others have had very similar problems. From the posts over there, sometimes updating firmware works but
often doesn't.
When it gets to the point of this one your only recourse
is to replace it. And if it's over one year old forget
any sympathy from Linksys. Did I mention the EXTREMELY poor customer service at Linksys?
Not even worth the trouble. The person on the phone
always had a VERY hard time speaking/understanding English
and they would keep repeating the same old stuff and ignore what
you say as if they are just reading from a book.
This all too common an experience it seems. :( Only reason we gave it two stars is because it did work
fine for a while. How do they perfectly design these to
go bad just after the warranty has expired.
Absolutely uncanny!! :(
Rating: 
Summary: Good little router for the price
Review: I've had this router for nearly a year now and it's given me no problems from the start. It was pretty easy to set up and the signals are pretty good from the computer downstairs. It isn't as fast as 802.11g but it gets the job done if your just looking for simple router for internet access and simple networking. The 4 Ethernet ports on the back are also a plus for those looking to create a wireless/wired hybrid network. I highly recommend this as it'll do the job for most people.
Rating:
Summary: OK for surfing, but wireless signal is perpetually weak
Review: I purchased this over a year ago and have had the same problems from day-one. Setup takes some time and I spent several hours with Linksys tech support to get it working properly. Even after fine-tuning it, the wireless signal was faint at best. Today, I am having the same problems in a new and much smaller apartment. I would avoid this router.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible.
Review: I have struggled with this router for several months, and the same issues that I had from the beginning are still present today, even with upgraded firmware. I find this fine for general web-surfing, but it is basically impossible to use any messaging service or to make any sizable downloads. In other words, using this piece of equipment has crippled my internet capabilities. Avoid buying this product, and save yourself the headache.
Rating:
Summary: Decent product for a decent Price
Review: at the time i ordered this Linksys Router, Wireless-G was a bit out of the price range for a scavenging college student. i figured that my file server and normal-use PC were rigth next to each other and thats what i mainly use so i could hardwire them. My laptop with a D-Link card is used at home for only special occasions so the bandwidth difference wouldnt be noticed. I would consider myself a computer geek, and everything setup fine. port forwarding setup was painless, and i now run a FTP server as well as forwarding for VNC, gnutella, and i used to have my own mail-server running. Its been almost a year now and this unit has been working fine with no problems. i did have a problem with my internet service provider (SBC DSL), but the service issue was corrected by them free of charge. recent firmware have changed the web-based setup screen and added a few good options. the unit is fast, takes up very little space, was relatively cheap and my laptop works anywhere at top speed in my modest apartment (with WEP and some other stuff running of course). a good product from Linksys. BTW, I have the BEFW11S4 v4.
Rating:
Summary: Does the job
Review: I bought this router a few weeks ago when I purchased my new G4 iBook, on the recommendation of a co-worker. I was originally planning to buy an Airport station, but its additional features (such as a built-in modem) are really of no use to me. So I decided to save the $100+ and go with the Linksys. I also went for b over g since the speed of my connection is limited by my DSL line, and I'm not going to be doing a lot of filesharing among my computers, so there didn't seem to be much sense to spend the extra money. I've had the router set up for a couple of weeks now and everything is working like a dream. I have an iMac and a PC connected to it with ethernet cables, and then I have my iBook with an Airport Extreme card. Setup was fairly easy -- it's done through your internet browser (I did not install any of the included software). My iBook immediately recognized the network when I fired it up, and reception appears to be fine throughout my 2-story house. A word of caution: the router runs on a 2.4Ghz frequency, so there is interference with cordless phones that run on the same frequency. I've given the product four stars because a day or two ago none of the computers were recognizing the internet connection, but plugging and unplugging the ethernet cable out of the back of the router seemed to fix that problem, oddly enough. It's not a huge inconveniece, but I hope it doesn't happen often. I'm also thinking about purchasing a wireless USB adapter (the Linksys WUSB12) for my TiVo to add to the fun -- no more slow phone downloading of program info!
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