Rating: 
Summary: crashes all the time
Review: I bought this router over a year ago. Installation was easy enough, and the print server worked (although it was a little bit slower than simply using one my computers as a windows print server). The main problem, though, is that this thing ALWAYS crashes. Three or four times a day, I'd have to power-cycle it (turn it on and off), because the router would simply lose its wireless connection. This was a pain as I usually work upstairs with my router downstairs, and I'd have to run up and down a few times a day just to keep my Internet connection going. (I don't mind running, but not because of some manufacturer's faulty product...) Furthermore, I suggest you not bother flashing the product with newer firmware, because it just DOESN'T WORK. I always ended up flashing the router back to an older version just so I could use the router.Bottom line: There are a lot of better choices out there. Check out practicallynetworked.com for some recommendations. If you want to share a printer, consider designating one of your comptuers as a print server. This is done easily enough in W2K/XP by installing a local printer and sharing it. By the way, I've recently replaced this router with a promotional one I received for free from 2Wire, and I've had no problems with that. Plus, the 2Wire's software is much, much better. I must say this Linksys is one product I don't miss at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Features Advertized Do Not Work
Review: I bought this router over the BEFW11S4 for 2 reasons:
1) It had the print server
2) It supported VPN Neither of these features worked. The print server seemed to crash every time I printed more than 2 pages. I then spoke to Linksys and they said my printer wasn't certified. However, this isn't listed anywhere of what they vertify until they sent me a document after I log a case about it. As for VPN, it did not work via a DSL connection that uses PPPoE due to the fact that you couldn't set the MTU setting to 1492 as needed. I returned it for the BEFW11S4 - V2 and it's working great for VPN and then decided to use Windows Print Sharing for my Print Server connection. Also don't expect good technical support from Linksys. One out of the 11 people I spoke to was great, 2 were alright and the rest I had more idea about their products than they did.
Rating: 
Summary: Good performance, a few problems
Review: I forgot to mention in my previous review, in my observed throughput of 1 Mbps...that's with my cable modem which gets that speed. If I run the wifi card monitor, it shows that the wireless link is near 11Mbps all the time even at 50 ft
Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this product!!! Read my message!
Review: I got the Linksys BEFW11P1 about a year and a half ago. It is horrible! I had to return it once and still had the same problems--> needs reboot + reset about 5 times a day.
I called Linksys tech support about 20 times and they asked me to do this and that with no difference. They even told me to replace my Cisco cards to Linksys, which I did. It was even worst with the Linksys cards!
Finally I got tried and called again Linksys tech support (probably the 21st time...). There was a nice tech guy who told me that BEFW11P1 is the worst model they have and I should upgrade to WRT54G as it's one of their best. However, he said if I have AOL it might cause some problems (fixable he said). I have BellSouth as ISP so it's not applicable to me. Sure, did... I got the WRT54G and VUALLA! it's working great for several days. NO NEED TO REBOOT OR RESET 5 TIMES A DAY...
It took me about 30 seconds to get it out of the box, set my PPPoE settings, change some security settings (don't need my neighbors to use my xDSL, *LOL*) and here you go surf the web! If you're looking for a reliable router, THIS IS THE PRODUCT FOR YOU!
Rating:
Summary: Do not buy this product
Review: I got this product a few weeks ago. It was regularly crashing. Finally, after working for about 3 weeks, it died. Linksys first issued an RMA and then offered to replace it with a model without the print server on it. However, they are not willing to refund the difference. They specifically told me that this product is being discontinued, because it is defective. ...
Rating:
Summary: Router's Fine, Print Server & Wireless are Marginal
Review: I have owned the Linksys 4-port cable/DSL router and was very pleased with it. Wanting to go wireless and allow all my PCs to print to my one printer (without having my server on) sounded like a great idea. I configured the router (no problems at all) just like the previous Linksys product I owned. Configuring the Wireless system was very problematic. There were inconsistencies in the documentation, the system did not work at all without encryption (ok, I guess), and the range was absolutely abysmal. In my small home, I barely get 15% signal strength in the bedroom 20 feet away & it often fails completely. Additionally, the print server (once you get it working) is VERY finicky. If you are surfing the web and printing at the same time, the print server almost always messes up the print job (partial printed pages). I have three PCs (WinXP) on my network, and we have to tell each other not to surf when one of us is printing. Very poor performance. It's gotten to the point where I think I'll stop using the print server feature and go with a print server from HP.
Rating:
Summary: Works Great, When It's Working!
Review: I have to echo the statement of another user. I used this BEFW11P1 for 13 months, without significant problems (occasional reboot necessary, printer server needed to be reset sometimes). But now that I too have slipped out of the warranty period, my wireless functions have ceased entirely. The router still works if I remove the WPC11 card that plugs into the bag of the unit (giving it wireless capabilities). So far the best response I've gotten from Linksys is that I should make sure it is configured correctly. Seeing as it was working for 13 months, I don't see that as being the legitimate source of the problem personally. And not a big fan of being blamed by a company for a fault in their product. They tried that when I was initially have problems with the unit (freezing often) when I first got it. Eventually I figured out how to find the latest firmware upgrade (available on their ftp site but not the website), and that fixed it. Generally, unit seems mediocre at best. And customer service seems awful. So I guess I'll check out Netgear this time. Linksys has good prices, but I cannot imagine trying them again, even if the problems with the BEFW11P1 are limited only to that unit.
Rating:
Summary: Works Great, When It's Working!
Review: I have to echo the statement of another user. I used this BEFW11P1 for 13 months, without significant problems (occasional reboot necessary, printer server needed to be reset sometimes). But now that I too have slipped out of the warranty period, my wireless functions have ceased entirely. The router still works if I remove the WPC11 card that plugs into the bag of the unit (giving it wireless capabilities). So far the best response I've gotten from Linksys is that I should make sure it is configured correctly. Seeing as it was working for 13 months, I don't see that as being the legitimate source of the problem personally. And not a big fan of being blamed by a company for a fault in their product. They tried that when I was initially have problems with the unit (freezing often) when I first got it. Eventually I figured out how to find the latest firmware upgrade (available on their ftp site but not the website), and that fixed it. Generally, unit seems mediocre at best. And customer service seems awful. So I guess I'll check out Netgear this time. Linksys has good prices, but I cannot imagine trying them again, even if the problems with the BEFW11P1 are limited only to that unit.
Rating:
Summary: Good Wireless Product With Room For Improvement
Review: I installed the Linksys BEFW11P1 to my existing cable modem. Following instructions from the manual, setup was relatively easy. As I use the equipment, I find myself wanting to utilize more advance features, but find the limited information provided by the manual is not detailed enough. Setting up the WEP feature was "tricky", but I eventually got it working. This WAP/Router will mysteriously lockup from time-to-time, the fix is to power down and re-boot the WAP/Router. The WAP Antenna (PC CARD) is installed in the rear of the unit. With my setup, this unit is installed near a wall and since the antenna is mounted in the back of the unit, I have to face the unit towards the wall. Although, this arrangement delivers the best transmission/reception, I can't view the LED indicators on the faceplate. I wish the WAP had the antenna either mounted on the top of the box, or removable (ala WAP11) so that the position of the antenna was independent from the position of the LED indicators. I get pretty good coverage throughout my small home, but I'd prefer better coverage. Since repeaters for 802.11b are not available, this means I'll probably have to install a WEP11 in another area of my home. By the way, the WAP11 will not communicate with the BEFW11P1 via wireless... it requires a CAT.5 ethernet cable connected between the two devices. So much for not having to pull any cables.
Rating:
Summary: good general performance, some problems
Review: I just received the BEFW11P1 wireless router on July 23, 2001. Installation was pretty straight forward. I just followed the instructions. My setup is a desktop PC with CAT5 ethernet, Dell Inspiron 8000 with Dell truemobile 1150 wifi card, & Hawking 5 port hub. Everything works as advertised, except, when I try to move large amounts of data the router locks up and no computer can network (wired & wireless). I have to unplug the router for a few seconds and it will work again. There is a firmware patch on the linksys site. I haven't yet tried it. As for the range, I have used it indoors 50 ft away with 3 walls in between, I still can get about 1Mbps.
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