Networking Reviews

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Ok, I am a little strange. How many people have 24 port full duplex 10/100 hubs in their homes? I do, because that is what I did for a living for many years, and I still mess around with computers on a daily basis.

I commonly backed up data across my network. I wasn't happy with slow file transfers between my three servers. 10BaseT speeds didn't cut it.

I also use computer games to benchmark the performance on my network. With my 10BaseT network, I found some games started to slow down. I finally realized my network was functioning optimally, but the hardware was the bottleneck. It was time for a new hub.

Being in the industry, I have plenty of opportunities to pick up older hardware at bargain basement prices--like a 16 port 10baseT hub. But, with the recent price drops on 10/100 products, I finally decided it was time to upgrade my home system. I've had this new Linksys 24 port hub running in my home without a hiccup for 3 months.

I picked this hub because it was full duplex and had lots of jacks. Full duplex means it can operate at 100 Mbps in both directions at the same time. That's like 200Mbps bandwidth. That's twice as fast as half duplex 100BaseT hubs.

If you are shopping around, compare apples with apples. Full duplex is a two way street, half duplex is a one way street with a traffic cop controlling who gets to go in what direction.

One caution. You cannot hook-up two of these hubs if they are spaced more than ten meters apart and get full speed out of them unless you add on modules or know a few tricks.

Linksys makes an add-on module that will increase this to 100 meters. They also make another hub, that if, and only if, every port is operating at 100Mbps, it will connect to this hub over a 100-meter distance.

There is also another fiberoptic module that you can install to get fast interconnect speeds between hub separated by more than 10 meters.

Note these interconnect characteristics are common to all 100BaseT hubs--not just Linksys.

All in all I studied the industry, called manufacturers to confirm information and this is what I decided to purchase.

I'm very happy with it. I think it is an ideal hub for a small business. It can be expanded to support larger businesses.

Coupled with full duplex Linksys network cards, you can have a blazing fast, reliable, and inexpensive network.

Buy one and you won't regret it.

A fine, little, no nonsence hub. Named him the echo chamber as we are using for our surf control system.

I use this compact Wireless G bridge to connect my ReplayTV and two laptops in my home office to a Linksys Wireless G router (WRT54GS) in the living room. Installation was easy and it works beautifully, even when streaming video between my two ReplayTV units.

The Bridge itself is quite small: about 5" wide, 4" deep, and 1" tall--about half the size of my wireless router. The case is metal, not plastic, and seems built to last.

If you just need to add wireless connectivity to a single component, a wireless G adapter would be cheaper. But to network several co-located components (and leave USB and PC-card slots free), this Ethernet bridge offers a great alternative.

Hey, it connects the computers, and it works, so what more could I want?

I installed one of these for an elementary school that I do a little work for. For starters, content filtering AND VPN for ~$700 is way cheap. Also, the SurfControl filtering subscription costs $240/year with your first year free.

Granted that websense is more powerful, MultiTech still saves about $1000 from the Websense options that Cisco offers in subscription charges alone, and you'd still have to pay an extra chunk 'o' change to add in a separate server for Websense filtering - no thanks!

Best of all, MultiTech has one of the best & most responsive email/phone support teams you can find. I already knew this with my current business's use of MultiTech's cheaper RF550VPN routers, which are also great for the money. So I think that this offering is perfect for small businesses & small schools. I dare anyone to find this kind of value anywhere else.

The key word in this review is easy. In 5 mins I was all hooked up and ready to go. Sharing files, internet, and printers all of it was very easy. So far it is working great with my DSL internet connection providing speed to both computers.

this is very simple installation in linux (uses tulip_cb)
just plug in, and works
and no gripe at all for months running 24/7
that's all

With the advent of blazing fast network speeds and the ability of Windows 2000 Server to deliver large files on the LAN with an appetite for more who wouldn't want to add a gigabit port (1000Mbps) to the switch at the office! Thanks to the Netgear FS517TS there is an affordable solution.

With 16 ports for 10/100 Mbps clients an a gigabit port for the server there is no longer the huge bottleneck that many LANs experience when multiple clients all try to access network resources on the server at the same time. Set your clients to full duplex and see your network speeds double!

I can't say enough good things about this component, speed, easy of use, and practicality are just a few. But the part that got me hook was the price!

Be sure to use a gigabit server NIC to take advantage of the gigabit port. I recommend the 3Com 3C966B-T and a quality Cat6 ethernet cable.

This switch is exactly what I expected it to be: solid. Just like the other Netgear equipment I've used, the GS108 is completely hassle-free. My whole house was literally wired for gigabit Ethernet in no more time than it took to plug in the cables. I took it out of the box, plugged in the power cord, and plugged in connections (including a router and the patch cables to the rooms in my home), and went about my networking. It's completely idiot-proof, since all 8 ports automatically detect connection speed and uplink/downlink (meaning that no special cables are needed to hook up additional switches or routers). Plus, the indicator lights show which ports are in use, and at what speeds (10Mb, 100Mb, or 1Gb).

The form factor is great, too: At about 9 inches wide by 4 inches deep by 1 inch thick, it's small enough that I was easily able to place it inside the structured wiring panel, and so light that a little heavy velcro holds it fast. Plus, it doesn't put out a lot of heat; even with the door to the panel closed, it feels warm but never hot to the touch.

I bought this with its matching access point NetGear WAB102 and could not be happier. Set-up took less than five minutes, although configuring the security and access settings took about an hour. The card and access point also include 3-yr warranties, 24/7 support and all that jazz. Excellent for those who don't wanna spend too much time figuring out how to connect Wi-Fi. A co-worker of mine has the Microsoft solution that claims total simplicity and zero uptime, but I fought the NetGear solution much easier.