Cisco-Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch
by Linksys
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Our Price: $78.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch
Customer Review: Great product, can save you money.
Summary: 5 Stars
Though my review below is specifically for the single port system, the only reason, I did not go to the 4-port system is that we have 5 computers that needed to be on it. If you only need 4 this is the way to go, then you have a $20 hub eliminated. According to the computer guy that sold it to me the only difference between the 1 and 4 port systems, is just that.I bought the DSL Router on the suggestion of the local computer company that sold me my computers. I know nothing about networks. I was told by the local cable internet provider that I could only support 3 computers simultaneously on my cable line at one time. If I wanted 5 computers hooked up simultaneously and I did, I needed to pay for 2 separate cable lines plus 3 additional IP addresses. This is because they said they could only support 3 computers per line. This would be about $95 per month.
The local computer company guys told me I could use this DSL router to create my own IP addresses. All I needed was a hub that would support all 5 computers and a network card in each computer. I would need the hub and the network cards anyway for the cable connection, so this only cost me about $100 more to reduce my cable cost from $95/month to $40/month. This is a $55/month saving. On top of that I have a hard firewall and it is 100% legit. This I checked out.
As my family is hard core gamers (Everquest mostly) and my daughter and I surf the net, it is not unusual for us to have all 5 computers on at once. We have not noticed any degradation in our connection. Three of the computers are on Everquest most of the time.
As for hooking it up, I found the instructions to be a bit sparse, but complete (in retrospect) for what I was trying to do. I routed my cable connector directly to the DSL box and then the DSL box to the hub and the hub to the individual computers. Routing to the individual computers was the hard part. This was only because of the location of the computers and the fact I live in a center-split house.
When it was time to enable it, I did need help. However, I called the local computer company that sold it to me, for assistance. I can't speak for Linksys support. But, the things I had to change were pretty easy. If you try and change the input port location on the hub and corresponding switch orientation on the DSL router you should be able to get it right, by process of elimination. There are only 2 of each. This is really all I had to do to resolve the problem I had.
For usage, since we have had it up and running for about 1-1/2 months now, we ocassionally crash it. I wish I could say why, but I think it is due to a loose connection. In this case we turn off all the computers and reboot the DSL box, by turning off power to it. It has fixed it every time. The reset does not seem to fix this problem. If I was more knowledgible, I could tell you why.
I can't speak for the firewall, as I have no clue how it works.
All in all, this was a very good investment.
Customer Review: Linksys gets it right
Summary: 5 Stars
There are several things that I really like about this device.1) It actually works.
2) There are lots of lights on the front to tell you what's going on at a glance.
3) Good documentation.
4) The case is designed for stacking. Stacked units are stable, and have enough space around them for good air flow to keep the devices cool.
5) All the wires plug into one side of the device. This makes it much easier to hide the ugly wires and position the Linksys on your desk without taking up more space than necessary.
6) Web based configuration is intuitive and easy to use.
If you are looking to distribute your cable/dsl connection to multiple computers, please save yourself a great deal of grief and buy a Linksys, NOT a DLink.
DLink makes a similar device, called a DI-704. They have major quality assurance problems. I bought two, one in Pittsburgh, PA, and one in Charleston, SC. Both were flaky. They would work for a while, then just die. See my review of the DI-704 for more details. So far, the Linksys unit is working flawlessly.
The DI-704 also has terrible documentation. Just a few pages of poorly translated text. I had to go to their web page to get enough information to make the thing work at all. The Linksys comes with a manual that tells you everything you need to know, including how to get certain popular multiplayer games to work without having to drop firewall protection altogether. It even includes an appendix that shows you how to wire your own RJ-45 straight-thru and cross-over connectors, complete with diagrams!
The DLink provides very little information via the lights on the front. The lights indicate whether or not a computer is connected to the port, period. The Linksys unit tells you that a computer is connected, whether or not it's running in full or half duplex mode, whether it's operating in 10Mbps or 100Mbps mode, and it also reports collisions, all with a few lights on the front of the unit. Sweet!
The DLink case is pretty boring; it's just rectangular. Stacking them gets unstable fast, and blocks the ventilation holes. It also takes the WAN connection on one side, and the LAN connections on the other side, making it hard to position it on a desk so that the wires are not in the way, and making it completely impossible to hide the wires. The Linksys has none of these problems.
Both the Linksys and the DLink have good web-based configuration mechanisms, however the Linksys one is superior. It is easier to use, and the status page refreshes itself periodically; with the DLink you have to manually refresh the status page.
Given the tremendous differences between these two cable/dsl router/gateway devices, it's just amazing to me that they cost almost exactly the same amount. There's simply no comparison; get the Linksys and keep your hair.
Customer Review: Fast, Simple, and Affordable
Summary: 5 Stars
Linksys has become one of the most popular names in home/small office networking. Linksys has produced a series of broadband routers that are versatile and easy to configure.The router will work out of the box without any setup in the ideal DSL or Cable Internet setup. Plug the broadband modem into the WAN port, the computers into the numbered ports, and the power adapter into the wall.
Unfortunately, the ideal situation is rarely the most common one. Thanks to Linksys' knowledge of providing ease of use, setting up the router to work is a breeze. You have the option of reading the included manual, which is printed not electronic, watching the CD-ROM video, or setting up the router without instructions. Any three of these options are available, and none are better than the other. Though, I would recommend reading the instruction manual at one point or another.
Setup is achieved by visiting the router's homepage on the network with an Internet Browser. The first step is the most important one. Change the router's password. If this doesn't happen, anyone with knowledge of your broadband IP address can access and reconfigure the router remotely.
The most important options second to changing the password are all located on the main page in a logical order. Once the values are entered into the router's memory, any computer connected to it will obtain necessary connection information via DHCP without additional setup. The data for the various blanks can be obtained from your ISP.
The router comes with a variety of more advanced features. By default all ports are blocked, so no outside access to the internal network can be achieved. Port Forwarding allows requests to specific ports (i.e. port 80 for a web server) to be forwarded to a computer on the network. Setup of this feature is necessary in order to run servers or host games over the Internet.
The router can handle a maximum of 253 computers connected to it. This is a limit set forth by standards, not by the router's capabilities. I set my Linksys router up to connect to a web server, and a pair of hubs, which link all of the computer nodes together.
The router performs well when four to six computers are accessing the Internet simultaneously, although it can get lagged and not process requests from new computers requesting DHCP (auto configuration) info from it.
Overall, the router is a great buy for anyone looking to share a DSL or Cable connection amongst multiple computers. For those who do not want to install network cabling, a wireless model is available from Linksys also.
Customer Review: Wow. Linksys has a hit!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know where to start. First, this unit replaced WinGate running on an old 486/66 w/16Mb RAM, which was acting as a software router between an InternetConnect ADSL line and a. I was having timeouts every evening. I don't believe it was WinGate's problem, it was that I was running it on old 486/66. (You get what you pay for, which wasn't much. GRIN!) [Nothing against WinGate, I wished I had a better machine to use it on.]Anyhow, I wanted a replacement and found this Linksys Switch/Router. It truely was Plug and Play! I plugged it in, replacing my old Linksys hub, and the 486/66. We haven't had a timeout since then! It's been very reliable.
We have had this switch for several months, and early on, my brother couldn't on the MSN Zone. We upgraded to the latest firmware, 1.22(it was very simple to install!), and then he could play on the MSN Zone, specifically Asheron's Call. Note: he has to be in the DMZ zone on the router (an advanced option), and we have protected his computer by using the suggestions on Steve Gibson's website, ... . If you haven't been there and you are thinking about buying this product, you MUST, repeat MUST, go to that site to protect yourself (and the Internet for that matter). Once there, read everything about ShieldsUP!
Finally, this is very simple product to install, especially, if you let it be your DHCP server, the default. Don't try use static IP's on your computers unless you know what you are doing. There's no phone support, but your neighborhood teenager would love to help you set this little gem of a box! Note: this product works perfectly fine with static IP's from your provider, either the cable system or the DSL provider. I'm trying to distinguish between static IP address for the DSL/Cable line versus the static IP addresses on the computers in your network. If the previous sentence doesn't make sense, please find your neighborhood nerd/teenager for help.
I've never used Win98's ICS so I can't compare that to this product. Sure it's free, but that computer has to be up before the other computers can access the Internet.
Also, I am using firmware 1.22. Have had no problems with it. I've downloaded large files (1-25MB) with no problems. My brother and I have had no problem sharing our ADSL line to four computers simultaneously. Good luck and Happy Surfing!
Customer Review: Great Product
Summary: 5 Stars
The Linksys 4-Port Cable/DSL Router has always been my top recommendation to friends, family, and co-workers needing to setup a small home or office network. It has more features than what most small office networks need, and is still very intuitive. The web interface makes changing options a pleasure. A pleasure, that is, unless you are an advanced user. This is my only complaint. There are times that having a remote logging shell (rlogin, telnet, ssh, SOMETHING) would ease many administrative pains. This especially goes for unix lovers who live under the wing of the bourne shell. But, again, this is for small home/office networks. Both DHCP and static IP's can be utilized. Port forwarding is another great feature, for anyone wishing to run a server that can be accessed outside of the network. For example, you can have all requests to the router on port 21 (FTP) to be forwarded to an adminitrator-specified machine. And all requests to port 25 (SMTP) to go to another machine. There is also an option for DMZ Host, which allows all ports to be forwarded to a single machine (in other words, all ports are open). You can even define the MAC address for the WAN. Another cool feature is filtering certain computers from getting internet access. Great for parents not wanting their children to get on the internet in the privacy of their own room, or an office computer that general clients/public can use. Also has an extension port, so if your network keeps growing, you can always buy a small switch (or hub if you're cheap) and there you go! More ports!One more thing. The uptime is good. Only once have I had a problem, which I never had the chance to really troubleshoot because it stopped occurring. What happened was this: About every 5 minutes I would lose internet access, but upon logging into the router and checking the status, it would say it was connected. Not until I would manually reset the router would I have internet access again. This happened repeatedly for about a full day, out of the blue. But then the problem stopped, just as quickly as it came. I haven't had the same problem again. My own linksys is about a year old and is still in great shape. So, to sum up, for the price this is a true bargain. A great quality product that has won my loyalty and the loyalty of many friends and relatives.