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 for Pacbell (SBC) users.
Summary: 5 Stars
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)
Customer Review: Easy setup; no problem with PPPoe or VPN
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm sorry to see so many people complain about the Linksys router with PPPoe. Before this, I knew absolutely NADA about hardware or networks. I got DSL from Earthlink/Mindspring, which uses PPPoe, and I had no problem with installation or setup of the router (it has 1.30 version software, too). It was a breeze. I also had no problem installing my company's. I connected a Windows NT machine and 2 Win98 machines to the router with no problem. But also, I didn't need any of the advanced capabilities.One time I had a problem where everything was locked up, but it turned out to be in the DSL line. When I removed the router & connected one computer directly to the DSL, it still didn't work. But after powering everything, then restarting everything from scratch, it was fine. The only other time I've had a problem was when I was using the VPN from more than one machine. Once I stopped doing that, everything has been fine since.
I wonder if some of the problems could be from inferior NIC cards? Just a thought... I don't want to start a flame war or argument over that. The Linksys router was recommended to me by my company's network/hardware/WNT guru, who also recommended that I spend the extra money for 3COM NIC cards for my computers (the WNT machine belongs to the company and already had a NIC card). Our company networks just about every commercial version of Unix on workstations, plus Windows NT, Windows 98, and Windows 2000. There are probably close to 800 different computers just in the one building; and that doesn't count the numerous other locations around the world that are all connected via the Intranet.
I think that not including a cable is not a drawback; as another person mentioned, Linksys has no way of knowing how much cable we will need; even though my computers are in a fairly small room, I needed a 50' cable for one computer so I could run it up the wall and across the ceiling & down the other side.
Customer Review: Step-by-Step for Cox @Home
Summary: 5 Stars
5 minutes to hook up and about 90 to get working. On the set-up page (DHCP), change the starting IP address to 192.168.1.2 (why it defaults to .100 is a mystery). I have COX cable and set my Linky and computer as follows:Linky: Host Name: cxXXXXXX-x (your Cox machine address) Domain Name: @home Firmware Version: 1.36 Oct 05 2000 LAN IP Address: 192.168.1.1 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 Specify an IP Address: On your Cox paperwork (IP ADDR:) Default Gateway: Should be on your Cox paperwork DNS: See below Leave the rest alone.
MSIE (Tools>Internet Options): Dial-up settings: I have none LAN Settings: Nothing checked (no proxy, nothing)
Network: Client for MS Networks Linksys LNE 100TX (whatever your NIC is) TCP/IP That's it...No bindings in the config tab, but the NIC is bound to TCP/IP and TCP/IP is bound to Client for MS Networks (properties bindings).
If you lost your paperwork or need the DNS IPs, go to the Cox@Home homepage, then Member Services>Home Networking>Additional IP Addresses>log in here>View current addresses>Manual Configuration (at the bottom of the page).
This will give you all the info you need.
You may want to keep your proxy server enabled. I've gotten a lot better speed here in NW Florida with it turned off.
Assuming Cox uses pretty much the same rules throughout the country, this should work for you. If not, I hope you wrote down all of your old settings and remember how to get to them.
Oh, and before you start, RTFM...especially the part about pinging your ISP in the appendix. You HAVE to do this to get the right addresses for your mail (and don't forget to ping "news" if you use NNTP). You need to do this BEFORE you connect the router.
I'll *try* to answer questions sent to the above e-mail (rums_n_cokes@yahoo.com), but my time is limited. Read through this and make an attempt. You can let me know if it helped.
Customer Review: Reliable, cheap, secure, flexible .....
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this wireless router for use with my RoadRunner cable services. I work from home and run a variety of network intensive tasks, throw in a wife and a Wii and this router has taken care of everything with only a minor quirk or two all year.
At home my network consists of CentOS 5.2 servers, a Windows Vista Home Premium Desktop, two Vista laptops (Business and Home Premium), a MacBook, a Windows XP machine, and Virtual Machines up the wazoo. The 4 ports are full, everything else is run through the wifi including the new Wii. I port forward HTTP, FTP, SSH, Oracle, and Terminal Services through to statically assigned IP addresses and everything else is making use of the routers DHCP services. In short -- I think it is getting a pretty good test!
Setup was a breeze, but that is standard for Linksys routers I have found. The instructions were clear and would allow an absolute idiot to set this up although I didn't need them being familiar with their other routers.
I live in a largish apartment, and rather than being in a central location the router is squirreled away in the corner office on top of a desktop and below my TV - not ideal I know but the coverage throughout the apartment is always at maximum strength, is as fast as can be expected and I am happy. I often play online games in my living room on the opposing side of the apartment without problems of laggyness.
I first turned on the router in July 2007. It is now November 2008 and it has been reset maybe four or five times during that period. Wi-Fi services disappeared forcing me to power off and on again however considering that this is a router based on home usage rather than a fully fledged commercial enterprise I can handle that. So yes, I don't get my 99.9999% uptime, but I think the five minutes this router has cost me over the last 16 months is rather trivial.
Customer Review: Must have for Cable/DSL users
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want to squeeze the bandwidth from your Cable/DSL to use it on all your computers, try this toy. Amazon sells them cheap - they just dropped the price after I bought it. It worked right out of the box on my 3 computers (1 Mac). I could not believe it. After sweating to get NetBEUI to run my internal network, I would never think that setting up a network could be this easy. As long as you have Networking and TCP/IP enabled (you have to have it to read this), it should work. If you can, get the version with the 4-port switch - it is fast and replaces the need for hub/switch. This device has a basic functionality of a router without expansive gear and complicated setup. Those of you who had a chance to program a real router know what I am talking about . If you do not feel comfortable setting up filters and ports, do not use the advanced setup. If you want to learn, read about it on Internet and try. This is a great networking tool. It is very easy to use - you don't even need to know what the router is.
My advice is, download the newest firmware upgrade as soon as you feel comfortable with the device. The new version has some fixes. Ping and tracert now works correctly. The firewall is foolproof by default (make sure that the "Block WAN Request" is enabled in Advanced setup). Before getting Linksys Router, I was using a free ZoneAlarm firewall, which worked well on the stand-alone computer. It always came up "Stealthy" on Gibson Research "Port Probe". Right out of the box, Linksys Router did not come "Stealthy", but showed the ports closed. I guess "Block WAN Request" was not enabled. I would not like any hacker who is scanning addresses for fast Cable/DSL starting in the 24. range, to know that I have any ports. The update takes care of this and it seems to speed up downloading.