Customer Reviews for Cisco-Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router

Cisco-Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router
by Linksys

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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router

Customer Review: Out of the box bliss...read below for how
Summary: 5 Stars

BACKGROUND:
Those of you who are looking to get into the wonderful world of wireless networking should freshen up on the good, the bad, and the ugly of what the 802.11 standards are. A good resource is 80211-planet. This site has several articles (search for "Jim Geier" or "Minimizing 802.11 Interference Issues") to help explain why you can potentially expect interference depending on the location and conditions around either your router or your network card. Bottom line = there are many variables that can affect performance of any 802.11 product, but you won't know unless you dive in and give it a go.

INSTALLATION:
I'm running a Thinkpad T21 laptop with W2K, and have RoadRunner for cable modem service (Toshiba modem). I popped open the box for the Linksys router, briefly skimmed through the long booklet directions, and then carefully followed each step of the 1-pager quick-installation instructions. The router connected to the cable modem without a hitch (note that RoadRunner uses DHCP...what's DHCP you ask? Go to webopedia and do a search on DHCP for details). Please note that I used all of the default settings. Time to connect cable modem to router and router to laptop = 11 minutes.

I then popped open the box for the network card, and again followed the directions line-by-line on the quick instruction sheet that came supplied with the card. Once again, I used all of the default settings, and lo and behold, the card began communicating with the router without a hitch. Time to connect the card to the laptop and the now 'networked' laptop to the router = 7 minutes (including software installation).

PERFORMANCE:
I live in a duplex in lower Manhattan, and so at first I was skeptical in light of the reviews I had read before about performance relative to distance from the router, etc. However, I am able to move anywhere on either floor and get a consistently good signal (the router is upstairs and I'm writing this downstairs, whilst streaming music...no lags). I have downloaded hundreds of MBs worth of data thus far without any problems, streamed music and videos, emailed, surfed the web, uploaded files, etc. I've connected another wired computer to the router and it connected without a hitch (again, make sure you're familiar with DHCP...makes things a lot easier). The signal did fade to a whisper when I went outside, but I'm not entirely surprised, given that the router was 3 floors away, and trying to communicate through several walls of brick, wood, and steel. I'll probably toy with the position of the router in the house to see if I can boost my response outside. I haven't tried a network game yet, but then again, I'm not using the laptop for that purpose. I also haven't attempted to update the firmware of the card (as it prompts me ever so often to do) yet, as it is working now. Instead, I have placed an email to Linksys for their recommendation, and will post an update to this review when I have an answer.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
If you're ready for the wireless world, the Linksys set of products work very well, especially now that they (and Amazon) ship the latest version of each. Some helpful tips:
- Don't install the router next to a 2.4GHz phone or a microwave
- Placement and positioning of the router and antenna are key. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, getting your wireless network up and running smoothly may take a bit of fine-tuning.
- If you find unbearable interference, change the channels. Just like on your portable phone, you can potentially see dramatic improvement.
- Make sure you have an extra CAT5 cable around for the installation. You'll need one to connect your DSL/cable modem to the router and then another to initially connect the router to your computer.
- Tinkering can get you into trouble! If you don't know what a configuration is, then don't tinker with it...a classic way to burn your fingers on the hot stove of curiosity.
- READ THE DIRECTIONS! Following each step slowly but surely in the short-run can significantly reduce your headaches in the long-run.

If you've done your research, you should know by now that no 802.11 product is a panacea for every possible wireless situation. It simply may not work for your home or office, given the variables in play. But like the intrepid explorers who found the new world, you too can find happiness--and new working freedom--with a wireless network....

Customer Review: Quick and Easy
Summary: 5 Stars

After reading numerous Amazon customer reviews on wireless routers and adapters, I decided to buy the following:

Router - Linksys Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL router (BEFW11S4 v.2)
Wireless network adapter - Netgear MA401 802.11b Wireless PC card
10/100 Lan card - Linksys LNE100TX 10/100 Lan card
Total Cost - about $210

I chose the router because Linksys seemed to have less problems than other brands. I chose the Netgear wireless PCMCIA adapter because users reported excellent signal strength over varying distances and it had a built-in antenna. I also didn't want to use my one USB port on the notebook for a network adapter. The Linksys 10/100 Lan card was just a great buy for under $20.

Setup was relatively straightforward. I installed the 10/100 Lan card first into my desktop PC and then connected it to the cable modem just to make sure the card worked properly. Next, I followed the quick start instructions for connecting the router to the cable modem and to the desktop PC. Then I used the setup wizard on the CD to guide me on configuring the router. At one point during the router configuration, I had to power off and on the cable modem before the router detected the Internet. Once it did, it automatically picked up the information it needed to configure the router with my ISP's assigned addresses. Note: the network patch cable that came with the Linksys router is only about a foot long, so you may want to get a longer one.

Once I verified the desktop was accessing the Internet through the router, I setup the Netgear wireless PCMCIA card for my Dell notebook. Again, I just followed the setup instructions and it connected to the router without any problems. I placed my notebook PC on the first floor of my condo and the Netgear utility program showed the signal strength and link quality at 100% or Excellent. The router is on the second floor approximately 30 feet away and about 3 feet off the floor.

Once I set up file and print sharing on the desktop PC, I was able to print easily from my notebook to the HP Officejet K80 connected to my desktop. The only quibble here is that the desktop PC has to be on for the remote printing to work. I may invest in a Linksys Etherfast Wireless USB Print Server (about $80) if it gets too inconvenient.

The last thing I did was read the Router's user's guide to set up the WEP security for 64 bit encryption. I used a passphrase for both the Linksys router and Netgear wireless adapter and it worked without a hitch. I also changed the router's web-based utility default password for additional security.

All in all, I found the setup to be straight-forward and I did not need to talk to any technical support people. Every product I purchased lived up to the reviews that I had read, so I hope this review will help someone, too.

Customer Review: Contrary to what others say, this router works well
Summary: 5 Stars

After getting the Packard Bell system set up, the MA 301/401 would not link up with the Linksys router. I called Netgear tech support and discovered that the SSID on the card must be identical to the SSID on the router. I discovered that the Linksys SSID was "linksys" and the SSID on the card was "Linksys." When I changed the "L" to an "l", the card connected to the router immediately and I was in business.

The Packard Bell machine is on the 2nd floor of my townhouse and the Linksys router is in the basement. The signal, therefore, is passing thru 2 floors and 2 walls. The link quality and signal strength are consistently in the "good" category and sometimes they are "excellent." These are qualitative measures reported by the Netgear card's software.

As for performance, I downloaded a 19MB file off Microsoft's web site and it took less than 5 minutes via the wireless connection.

I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about buying the Linksys router. The reviews are mixed and some people have totally trashed it. I decided to give it a try, figuring that I would return it if it didn't work well. The same thing for the MA301/401 card; some loved it and some hated it. I was also concerned that having a router and card from different manufacturers would cause problems. It turns out that I didn't need to be concerned at all because both pieces are working perfectly.

Contrary to what others have said, my connection has not been lost and it takes only a few seconds to establish the wireless connection on startup. I have found that the documentation provided with both items was adequate. However, I wish each of them would have mentioned the importance of having the same SSID on the router and the card. I have not talked with Linksys tech support, but the two calls to Netgear went well.

Things to watch out for: 1)The Netgear MA 301, which is the PCI card that plugs into the desktop computer must be used with the Netgear MA 401 wireless PC card. This PC card will also fit in a laptop. 2) As I mentioned, the SSID must be the same on both pieces of hardware. 3)I have not activated the WEP encryption so I have no idea how it will affect performance.

The bottom line: I highly recommend the Linksys BEFW11S4 V.2 router and the Netgear MA 301/401 interface card.

Customer Review: My first Wireless Router, and I'm happy with it
Summary: 5 Stars

My wife wanted to be able to use her laptop from her job, with our broadband connection at home, so I started shopping around. The problem I was coming across though, was that wireless routers made by other companies only accepted wireless connections. Which meant I would have to buy a wireless PCI card for our desktop computer, in order to still receive the high speed connection it already had. In addition to the wireless card for the laptop, and the router.

Linksys has the answer though, the BEFW11S4 is capable of connecting up to four computers through RJ45 cables, in addition to sharing a wireless signal. Everything you need comes in the box. There is an RJ45 cable to connect the Router to your computer, and the current RJ45 you are using can connect the modem to the Router. The instructions are very easy to follow with photos to show you exactly what to do.

Be careful not to make the same mistake as I did though, and instead of jumping in, read the instructions fully before you start. There are two things that you will need to do to make installation speedy and simple. The first is to contact your ISP before starting on the installation, just to make sure you have all the relevant information you need. The Fast Start guide includes a list of the questions you should ask, and what information you should have before you start. I just wish my ISP had been as helpful at giving me the required information as the guide for the Router was.

Secondly you need to make sure that you start running the installation CD before you connect the router to anything. This way the setup program will start gathering the information about your current settings that your computer is currently using, so that it can transfer it to the router later on when you connect it.

Configuring the Router was an extremely easy task. The instructions are fool proof so it was nearly impossible to go wrong with them, with detailed screenshots showing you what to do. There are also seperate instructions for each Operating System, with screenshots showing exactly what to expect during installation. I had the router up and running within 15 minutes and had I read the instructions first and gathered all the information I need first, I have no doubt that I could repeat the process in even less time.

I have not had any problems with the Router at all and it was definitely money well spent as far as I am concerned. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a way to share a high speed internet connection between computers with wired ethernet connections and wireless connections.

We also used a Netgear MA401 802.11b Wireless PC card for the laptop, just because some of the reviews for the Linksys equivalent gave me the impression that installation was going to be a pain. There hasn't been any problems with compatability and we're now enjoying a broadband connection on two computers in our home.

Customer Review: Excellent product at an excellent price!
Summary: 5 Stars

INSTALLATION
Wired-LAN:
1. Opened box.
2. Plugged in power supply, patch cables to cable modem and server.
3. Four seconds later, I was online!

Wireless LAN:
1. Configured wireless settings (all found on the "home page" of the router's "web server").
2. Installed wireless NIC on laptop, matching configuration settings.
3. Seconds later, I was online!

PERFORMANCE
Truth-be-told, wireless networking is like marriage: it takes two. I've witnessed three wireless nuptuals with this router:
* Linksys Router + Linksys PCMCIA Adaptor: should have signed a pre-nup. The range was much shorter than the 802.11 spec (lost connection at ~100ft in an open-air office). My guess is that the antenna on the Linksys card is of poor quality.
* Linksys Router + Netgear PCMCIA Adaptor: great consistent sex, fantastic communication skills. The range on this card was superb (5.5Mbps at ~1000ft). The signal was consistent, but the antenna is clearly directional (you point the card toward the router).
* Linksys Router + Netgear USB Adaptor: gorgeous looks, low-maintenance, and fantastic conflict resolution. The USB antenna swivels, so you can get the best connection quality without having to sit in a certain position like the PCMCIA cards. The antenna is high quality on this one as well.

FEATURE SET
The Linksys WIFI Router comes with a surprising rich set of features including: an easy-to-use web-interface to the router, Universal Plug & Play; DHCP server (dools-out IP address to your private network, you can specify the last starting octet and the total number of IP addresses and lease time in minutes); NAT; traffic logging (sends log record to a computer on your network, where you can view all incoming and outgoing IP traffic); easy 802.11 config (specify SSID, WEP (40/64/128-bit), choose your 802.11 channel, simple key generation using an english passkey, specify transmission rates, configurable per antenna, MAC address filtering(!)); multiple WAN connection types: DHCP client, static IP, PPPoE, RAS, and PPTP; IP and port filters (preventing specific computers on your network from getting out to the I'net); port-forwarding (specific which host on your private network services a specific IP port (necessary when you need to run a publically-addressable server); static and dynamic routing (for both LAN and WAN connections); DMZ-Host feature (puts host on the outside of the firewall); user-configurable MAC address for the WAN interface...

I am quite pleased with my Linksys routers (I also have the wired 4-port) and highly recommend them.