Linksys EtherFast® BEFSR41 Router
- Connectivity: Wired
- Router Functionalities: VPN Pass-Thru DHCP Server
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Ho Hum product
Pros
Easy to setup Documentation stored on router
Cons
Drops outgoing connection, often Does resolve names properly Annoying buzzing.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
It does not resolve names properly, therefore it sucks.
I purchased the EtherFast Router to connect a home network of three machines to the internet over a cable modem connection. The router allows the machines within the home network to share a broadband connection. It provides local addresses to the computers within the home networks, and then translates request going to and from these machines.
The EtherFast routers comes with everything required, except network cables. The instructions are relatively straight forward, except for the ordering of power up (Router before Modem before PC). The basic operation of the router is straightforward, and I had no problems getting up and running. The documentation is another story, glossy and idiot proof for people who don't read manuals. So to get a basic Windows network up and running is a 10 minute job.
The problems start when you try to configure the router to support more exotic networks. Mixed operating systems, static IP addresses, anything different can cause 'issues'. And the documentation is not much help here. The router also supports IP filtering, and the documentation while complete is not helpful here. A cynic might suggest the Zone Alarm association may be responsible.
Once you get the router working, mine runs as a DHCP server which is the default, the fun begins. Ever so often the router loses connection to the modem, and needs to be powered off. I also power off my modem, because of the power order I mentioned. Unfortunately, this little boogie is not as reliable as I would've hoped.
On the upside the router provides 4 ports, and support for 256 hosts. This means it can support a small network or be used on a larger one provided a switch is also used. The speed over the router is comparable to that of a standalone 100/10 switch, and even when the external connection fails the computers within the network can still communicate.
While the router provides addresses, I am not sure about its name resolution capabilities. On my mixed network it doesn't work, I can ping by address but not names and this is a big problem. Aside from being difficult to remember, these IP addresses will change often. This makes sharing of network resources more difficult than it has to be, a constant and never ending pain in the ___ to be blunt. There is probably a way to fix this, but I have yet to find out the way to do so.
Also this router is hot and loud, I initially thought it was malfunctioning. But the loud buzzing is just part of its operation
So what we have is a flawed product, one that does the job but not exceptionally well. I have no first hand knowledge but I think there are superior routers, they have to be.
The EtherFast routers comes with everything required, except network cables. The instructions are relatively straight forward, except for the ordering of power up (Router before Modem before PC). The basic operation of the router is straightforward, and I had no problems getting up and running. The documentation is another story, glossy and idiot proof for people who don't read manuals. So to get a basic Windows network up and running is a 10 minute job.
The problems start when you try to configure the router to support more exotic networks. Mixed operating systems, static IP addresses, anything different can cause 'issues'. And the documentation is not much help here. The router also supports IP filtering, and the documentation while complete is not helpful here. A cynic might suggest the Zone Alarm association may be responsible.
Once you get the router working, mine runs as a DHCP server which is the default, the fun begins. Ever so often the router loses connection to the modem, and needs to be powered off. I also power off my modem, because of the power order I mentioned. Unfortunately, this little boogie is not as reliable as I would've hoped.
On the upside the router provides 4 ports, and support for 256 hosts. This means it can support a small network or be used on a larger one provided a switch is also used. The speed over the router is comparable to that of a standalone 100/10 switch, and even when the external connection fails the computers within the network can still communicate.
While the router provides addresses, I am not sure about its name resolution capabilities. On my mixed network it doesn't work, I can ping by address but not names and this is a big problem. Aside from being difficult to remember, these IP addresses will change often. This makes sharing of network resources more difficult than it has to be, a constant and never ending pain in the ___ to be blunt. There is probably a way to fix this, but I have yet to find out the way to do so.
Also this router is hot and loud, I initially thought it was malfunctioning. But the loud buzzing is just part of its operation
So what we have is a flawed product, one that does the job but not exceptionally well. I have no first hand knowledge but I think there are superior routers, they have to be.
