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Linksys BEFSR11 EtherFast Cable/DSL Router 1-Port

Linksys BEFSR11 EtherFast Cable/DSL Router 1-Port

List Price: $75.00
Your Price: $46.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: No Problems Here
Review: After all my research on this router versus Netgear, I chose the Linksys due to price and assuming it might be more compatible with my existing 10/100 5 port Linksys hub and cards.

After hooking it up to my Com21 cable modem, it interfaced wonderfully with my system. No problems using it with Comcast@Home service. If you follow the instructions, it installs flawlessly. Of course I didn't follow them, being in network support, and I had to fiddle a bit. Nonetheless, I imagine anyone with little to no experience can have this up and running in no time. Top it all off with free shipping, and it was a no-brainer.

Being a geek, I would have liked a command line interface like that in the NetGear for tweaking; but the advanced features GUI in the Linksys is probably enough for home use. DHCP client and server work great. I've backed up the router firewall with ZoneAlarmPro on individual PCs. I have noticed far fewer hacker intrusions, but ZoneAlarm has still found an occasional one trying to get through.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: easy installation and inexpensive!
Review: This lil' linky does wonders for it's price. I got it up and going in about 15 minutes. First I connected my cable modem [provided by roadrunner] directly to the WAN port and out from the LAN port I connected my already existing HUB with both my computers already connected, and in about 2 - 3 steps and one restart both my computers were prtected by a firewall. It couldn't get any easier. I was prepared by downloading the latest version of the firmware before i even got it in the mail and before anything i upgraded and everything worked perfect.

I recommend this product for anyone with a Cable/DSL connection and more than one computer. That includes beginners and advanced users. A definate plus to anyones home office.

It takes more time to reconfigure applications like napster, webcam32, and ICQ than it does to setup the router. And don't forget a 3' CAT 5, because it doesn't come with the product.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding product for the price!
Review: Having had marginal experiences with the D-Link DI-701, I decided to bite the bullet and get the Linksys to see if I had any better luck! Boy, did I ever! It literally took about 5 minutes for me to get up and running. Of course, I already had a router set up, so it took plugging in two cables and two reboots of my main WinME machine (one with static IP to configure the router, one with DHCP back on). I configured the box then waited with bated breath when I clicked the "Connect" button, but voila! we were on the web. The web interface is both easy and extremely flexible, with a ton of advanced configuration options, including the DMZ option. Of special interest to me is that my outbound socket woes have vanished -- the D-Link would not let me send e-mails or ftp puts greater than 2K or so, which was a real pain. The Linksys didn't even hesitate. Highly, highly recommend this product!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Easy setup, good features, great web-based interface
Review: I just got the 1 port Linksys router to share a Verizon Online DSL connection between multiple PCs. Setup couldn't have been simpler; just connect modem-router-hub, and you're done. The Linksys does all DHCP setup and supports PPPoE.

The web based interface, without a doubt, makes the product. Just navigate to http://192.168.1.1 in your browser, and you can view status, PPPoE settings, DCHP tables, and even do more advanced stuff like prevent certain PCs from accessing the WAN, redirect ports, and set up routing tables. This makes it easy to set up a web or FTP server, for example, on your network that's accessible from outside.

Overall, its a great product with super features for the price. I highly recommended it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cable/DSL Router
Review: Wow. That is all I can say. Right from the box, I plugged in the cables, put in the power connector, re-set my TCP/IP settings to default, with IP address given, and I was set! I just re-booted my computer, opened up IE and did some basic tweaking, and I was set! Instantly, my whole pre-existing network was connected to the internet. The stacking designed helped me minimize my space usage, with a bridge, two hubs, a switch and a print server, I just plugged a straight-through cat 5 cable to one of the free ports, rebooted my network, and was set! (All I had to do was click one button, because LinkSys also makes nifty network cards with WOL capabilities!!! ;-) ) And all my systems, (MAC, PC, UNIX, LINUX, Win2000, and Win98) booted perfectly. With the easy to configure DHCP server, you just tell the router how many computers you have connected or will have connected, and it does the rest! I highly recommend this product to any novice or pro, since it is so easy to use and configure. Just have some sort of network card, plug in (if you don't have a hub or switch already installed, then I recommend you buy one!) or, if you are going to use 1 computer, just plug it in. This is a truely amazing device because of the price, and the expandibility. You can make a computer on your network be a server (DMZ). It just is a great deal for the price. GO Linksys!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Addition to the family
Review: After I brought Linksys Homelink Phoneline 10M Network Card I installed both Homelink series Broadband Network Bridge and Etherfast Cable/DSL Router. I must say they work nicely. Installation was easy. Just connect the cable modem to the cable router and the router to the Broadband Network Bridge and your network is up and running. The instruction are easy except they do not tell you which RJ-11 goes to the to the PassThrough. I connected one RJ-11 from the phone jack and another form my Phoneline Network card. I had to switch them in order for the system to work. I

It has been up and running for a month now and now problems. We have two computers hooked up and both can use the Internet at the same time. Also file sharing is a breeze. Since one computer is using Windows ME as it's OS and the other Windows 98SE I used Windows Home Networking Wizard that's comes with Windows ME. It configure both computers so they can he accessed on my network. It also created a floppy so I could automatically configure systems on my Windows 98SE. So if you're using two different OS and one is Windows ME I suggest using the Home Networking Wizard.

Using both computers are on the Net at the same time causes no problems with downloading and uploading. And I can say file sharing is a breeze. Just click onto the Network or MyNetwork and away you go. I was able to burn CDs using files form different computer that the burner was on.

Using these components far out ways the cost that you will gain back after one year. My cable company wanted to charge $10.00 a month for a separated IP number. Using the cable router is saving me money. Also I do not need to run Black Ice because the router has its own firewall. The reviews I read on Linksys were the best. All I can say if you want to set up a home network Linksys is the one to use.

The only trouble I had was the software that came with the Phoneline 10M Network to use a computer as a server dose not work with Windows ME. And the router was shipped with a defective AC Power adapter. Other than that everything works well. Thumps Up on this product.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A breeze to install and improved security
Review: This little box is a marvel. I've had a DSL line in my home for about a year, and up until now the way I was splitting the feed through my home network was by running an old computer and Linux. Unfortunately, since I'm a Linux newbie, I was not comfortable with the security issues of my home network, because I was not sure whether the network was properly configured for maximum safety.

The Linksys router resolved these issues for me. For starters, installation is really simple. Take the box, hook up the DSL or Cable modem feed into the WAN input, and connect the router to your own hub/router via the LAN output. That's it. After that, fire up one of the computers in the local network, run a web browser, and tweak the router to your own preferences. This little box replaced an old computer, saves electricity, and improves security. At the highest level of security, it puts all the ports in "stealth" mode - i.e. outside probes to your IP address will return no results, leading the person launching the probe to think that there is nothing at your IP address (sounds kind of confusing but its really simple). To see if your broadband connection to the net is safe, go to www.grc.com, where they will actually probe your IP and show what they can find out.

Although the Linksys box by itself is not a total and absolute protection to your home network, at least you can rest assured that nobody is going to put a worm in your computer and use it to launch Denial of Service attacks or other nasty things. That's because these boxes run proprietary code (operating system) that most hackers don't use. Why bother to learn Linksys OS, even if it might be a version of Linux, if most computers connected to the net use Windows? Just remember to read the manual and configure the system properly.

If you have broadband access, this router is definitely highly recommended. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is because my access speed seems to have decreased a tad bit. Using a computer running Linux as my IP router, I was achieving higher speeds in the LAN computers than by using the Linksys router. I'm sure that has to do with processing speeds, etc. Nevertheless, the speed difference seems to be minimal. BTW, I have yet to play any internet games through the router, but I have not heard anything to lead me to believe that the router would interfere with gameplay over the net.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Easy to use router/gateway
Review: Strengths:

Price. Reliability. Ease of use/installation.

Weaknesses:

No command-line interface.

Summary:

I bought the Linksys versus any other brand of DSL/cable router both for it's past performance as well as for the price.

This is actually the second one of these I've purchased. I installed the first in my home network and then purchased an additional one for my brother. The router has performed well and yet to have an issue.

I still install a software firewall behind the router on each of my workstations as the NAT that the router performs is still not enough to block eberything out.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Overpriced and not very useful
Review: 1. For the same money or less, you can get a linksys 4-port wired router, with built-in switch. The router being sold by Amazon one port, and has to be connected to an external switch if you want to connect more than one computer (a hub would work, but not nearly as well). If you're only running one computer, just run cat 5e cable from the cable or dsl modem directly to your computer's pci or usb adaptor.

2. The single star rating is for value received, not for the quality of the router itself. Linksys makes good networking gear. Whoever wrote that this router can connect all your pc's, without reference to needing an external switch needs to go back to school.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Installation turbulent, otherwise smooth sailing
Review: I purchased this router used from an eBay auction. Because it did not come with a printed manual, I had to scour the Internet for information pertaining to this router. This unit is simply not a plug-and-play device, and a background in computer networking is helpful when installing this unit. My setup required me to manually configure the network settings for the TCP/IP protocol in order to first gain access to the router's web-based interface, and then I had to tinker with a few settings on the router itself to get my broadband connection running.

While the BEFSR11 features built-in firewall capabilities, don't be fooled into thinking that this device provides complete security. After testing this unit with the Gibson Research's "Shields Up" and "LeakTest" utilities, the BEFSR11 does not restrict outbound connections and did not pass the "TrueStealth" portion of the test. I suggest that you use the BEFSR11 in conjunction with a software firewall like Sygate Personal Firewall.

With the exception of my installation difficulties and average firewall, the BEFSR11 was a breeze to use. Just be sure to purchase a networking hub if you plan to use this with other PCs or to share your connection with your video game console.


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