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Linksys BEFSR41 Wired Router

Linksys BEFSR41 Wired Router

List Price: $79.99
Your Price: $49.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great ... 98% of the time
Review: This is a great product, easy to install, configure, etc. There are some glitches in the setup, such as changing its network address (from 192.168.1.0), but most people won't bother doing that. One serious problem with the router is that it periodically hangs and stops responding. I've sent my cable modem provider off on a wild goose chase (just once) when the problem was this Linksys router. A friend of mine has the same router and the same problem. But, I hope Linksys will find and fix the problem with a downloadable firmware update

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great Idea, Bad Product.
Review: I almost fell in love with this thing when I first got it. It does everything it says it does well, and it's easy to set up. Configuration is done through any web browser so a monkey should be able to do it. Unless for some reason you should get the response "unable to find server" from your web-browser during this process. It's absolutely ridiculous to get a response like that from a box that's just down the hall, directly connected to my computer. This thing locks up constantly and brings my internet connection down every time, something Linksys is obviously aware of because they address it in the users manual -- Push the reset button and things'll clear right up. Unfortuantely this rarely clears anything up, the real solution is to turn it off then back on, but there's no power switch, so you have to reach around the back, unplug the cord, then try to blindly plug it back in. I eventually plugged it in to a power strip so I could just flip the switch on the strip, but this turns off everything else plugged in with it. If this thing were sitting next to my computer instead of in another room with my DSL modem, and I didn't have to move from my chair to make it work, I might be satisfied. But leaving my computer to turn on my internet connection is a little like going to the kitchen to turn on the bedroom light -- Just plain stupid, and definitely not worth the money.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Easy to install, even work with half-life
Review: It is very easy to install. No software required. And my girlfriend can chat and email while im playing Half-Life on the other machine. This piece of hardware is a real conflict solver.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Works Great But Sounds Annoying
Review: This router worked great for me right out of the box with no changes to the built-in configuration options. My Internet connection seems just as speedy as before, and I feel secured by the built-in network protection.

I have one problem with it, though. It produces an annoying high-pitched electronic buzz. It's not audible when my computer is on contributing its own noise to the room. But when the computer is off, the whine can be annoying. I've tried several, and they all produce this noise. It would be completely forgivable if it was going in a network closet. But the four-legged unit was clearly made for the desktop.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hassle free setup.
Review: This router/switch was easy to setup and the firewall functionality has been so good that after a few months I uninstalled BlackICE (my software firewall).

The only complaint that I have is the unit has recently developed a bad switch port. Fortunately, I only need three ports.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Rounter/Switch!
Review: I got this rounter/switch for my home network, and it works great. Took me 30 minutes to have everything running, and it browses other peoples hard drives and prints just as fast as if you were browsing or using your own. I would highly recommend this to any use expert or advanced.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Installed no problem - works great
Review: I read nearly all the reviews here on amazon while researching this product. The flames of their tech support nearly scared me away. I am a network neophyte, and was afraid of fouling my notebook. After the fiasco installing the cd-writer on my Dell running NT, now W2K. So I was very leery of adding hardware to it. I unpacked the box, followed the directions, realizing, that although the 2000 directions don't ever mention the disk, you do need to insert it to find the drivers. And where they do mention the disk they call it a floppy even though it is definatly a cd.

Followed the directions, booted my two notebooks, the Dell and an IBM thinkpad from work. Both running w2k and it has been flawless. The one caveat may be that both computers already had network cards. And I did the install on the IBM which had been part of a network.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Product, but ya better know what you are doing.
Review: I purchased this router, along with the WAP, and am very satisfied with both items. There was no impact in speed going thru the router, and now I'm able to see all machines on the network and print from any machine on the network. Only downside is that it was a difficult installation and Linksys is of no help - it took me 7 hours to get everything configured...I even sent Linksys an email, and I still haven't gotten a response. Other than that, its a good product.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good product for DSL/Cable Modem users who have > 1 PC
Review: This product is excellent for those people who have more than one computer at home. It acts as a protection buffer between you and the internet while acting as DHCP server for your internal hosts. (Great for those with Laptops). I don't know if I'd call it a firewall (it has LIMITED firewall capablity), but it does have a lot of useful "firewall-like" functionality such as: Port forwarding (inbound), Filtering (outbound), and the DMZ function is nice for those users who want to disable the protection temporarily (gamers?). The port forwarding is very useful for redirecting inbound traffic to an internal computer of your choice. [ that way the crackers don't know WHICH computer they're scanning :) ] If you have a static IP, you no longer need to share a connection or configure you're own router. If you have dynamic IP and only got ONE IP from your DSL provider, it does PPOE for you. Very useful product, but I gave it 4 out of 5 for claiming to be a firewall. It is NOT a firewall.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great product for Pacbell (SBC) users.
Review: I was motivated to get this product because the PPPoE software my ISP (PacBell - SBC) uses is completely worthless, and I wanted to impede the access of hackers to my computer (at a rate of one hack a day from places as far off as Denmark)

So, I just want to say that I have everything up and running and working great. I did have a little bit of trouble with the configuration, but that was because of the Zone Alarms Pro software firewall I had installed. For this I did have to call their customer service, but I'm pleased to report that, at least on a Saturday morning, my wait time was LESS THAN A MINUTE (hard to believe, but true). When they suggested my problem was due to a firewall, it was obvious what the fix was. I have to say that I am *very pleased with the performance* - my old and new computers talking to one another at 100 Mb speed, and simultaneous web access (streaming video) is working flawlessly.

So, here's what you fellow SBC'ers need to do to get this up and running (assuming you have the Westell ADSL modem):

1) Remove the WORTHLESS Enternet 300 Software 2) Disable any virus software and firewall software 3) If you're using the Zone Alarm Pro firewall software, just turning it off will not do. You'll need to configure it to keep it from loading at startup and reboot. 4) Hook up your computers, router, and modems as instructed (you won't need a crossover cable between the modem and the router) with everything turned off. 5) Startup your computers, linksys, and modem. 6) Configure your Linksys to do PPPoE via your browser. 7) Your done!

I would also suggest upgrading your firmware to 1.37. You can get the upgrade from the web and use TFTP to install it. (Remember, keep your software firewall/virus software off when doing this). All of this is explained from a .doc file that is zipped together in the firmware upgrade download (you'll need an unzipping software utility program, and MS word to do this. Personally, I think they should have the documentation in .html, and that the firmware upgrading should be done by a self-installing program so I do have one complaint)


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