Networking Reviews

I just purchased this switch and it works great. Here's some of the reasons why I recommend it.

Works great and it's relatively cheap. 5 minutes out of the box and it was up and running. I own several Linksys equipment and have not had any problems.

It stacks well with other linksys equipment. I also have a cable/DSL router and this switch has the same footprint so they stack together. Beware of the linksys 5 port or 8 port switches, they are much smaller and will not stack on top of a Linksys Cable/DSL router or Wireless router. The pictures make them look the same but make sure you look at the dimensions of the item.

The ethernet cables run into the back of the unit. I think this is plus for home use since it keeps the desk less cluttered. You can tell the status of the connection on the front without the cables everywhere like the Netgear switches.

Highly recommend this switch.

Speaking to reliability, our company (one of the DOW companies) bought several of these for a testing group over network products that our own company makes! We have used them for over a year now and have had absolutely no problems with any of them. I highly recommend them for cost and reliability.

After an unfortunate power spike that fried 3 of the 8 ports on my old switch, I felt that as long as I need to replace, I may as well upgrade at the same time.

With the expansion of the wireless market, switches like these are coming down in price. Life is good. If you can accomodate the wiring it's tough to beat the Mbps/cost ratio that wired networking provides.

This switch is just as easy as its little brother. Plug it in, plug in the CAT5 and you are up and running. The LEDs let you know at a glance if there are any collision or speed issues.

This switch provides enough performance to share the DSL connection, play skipless music and video over the network and make the transfer of large files quick and easy.

With 16 ports, I doubt I will be filling out the switch anytime soon and I will probably upgrade to Gigabit networking before then anyways.

This network cable feels durable and is 10 ft long so it helps to reach thouse network accessories. The cable is ruged and the covers for the tabs help protect the connection. Bought 2, will by again if more are needed!

works great, but i doubt too many people ever get bad cat5 cables. to me they are all the same.

It's pretty hard to screw up a thing as simple as an ethrnet cable. I guess any ethernet cable would do, but this has been perfect so far.

We've had the B-2000 in place at our office since 12/03 without so much as a burp. This router is outstanding and blows away the consumer grade routers by far. If you want reliable a reliable wireless LAN, then get yourself one. We are using orinoco gold cards for the notebooks, and the zyxel B-200 for three desktops, all utilizing 128bit WEP. Like I said, you just won't get this kind of trouble free operation from a retail store router.

I went through 2 other routers before I came across this gem. It is not found at you local CompUSA but you can't beat it. I have a ZyXEL DSL modem and I could not get either the LynkSys or the Netgear 801.11b routers to sync with it properly. Both technical support for the router manufacturers and for the DSL modem kept pointing fingers at who's equipment was not operating properly. Finally I decided that if I got both the router and the modem from the same manufacturer then maybe they would jive, or at least they would give me some technical support. The tech support I did not need, this thing runs like a champ. I am using another computer in the house with a Netgear Wireless PCA Adapter Model MA311 and it works fine. Super easy to get up and running. I would recommend this to everyone.

WOW, I finally found a reliable, quality, and feature-filled wireless router. This wireless router should not be overlooked as it so far superior to the other four brands of wireless routers that I have gone through. The security features alone, make it a great product, and its almost office/small business like quality sets it far above the pack of the typical consumer product.

I went through two brands before I got to my Netgear m814, which worked fine for about five months. Without warning, it stopped working and the replacement shipped (after a long wait-time -- so much for their long warranty) failed within two weeks. Even worse, I purchased a new Netgear M814 (v2) at it too failed within a week (found out it was a refurbished unit, repackaged and sold as new by Netgear -- hmmmmm).

I stumbled upon the ZyAir B-2000 almost by accident. You won't find it at your typical electronics retailer, but it is available here at Amazon. And I am so glad that it was -- totally reliable, a real quality product, and it WORKS!

I now know why PC Magazine has consistently rated this as a top pick among 802.11b routers.

I bought this product on April 2001. Let me tell you that it only took 15 minutes to have my computers hooked together and my network running. The installation is very easy. The only lack is the additional software that comes with, which is already old (example: IE 4, Netscape 4, etc.). It's an issue which you really would have to leave out, since this programs can be downloaded free from the Internet. Anyway, D-Link has proven to be an excellent network products brand. I really haven't used Technical Support, since it has not given me any problems over the 8 months that I have had this product. If you compare this network in a box with other brands, you will find that this is cheaper.
In conclusion, I really recommend "D-Link DFE-910 10/100 Network-In-A-Box " for the price, features, and what it gives you for a network.

I'm new to networking computers, but I had this up and running in about an hour. Three computers networked and print sharing set up in a little over an hour. WOW! is it fast. Thank you D-Link for a great product.

After getting the newest drivers from D-Link's web site, installation went without a hitch. Only problem I had was somehow one of the NIC cards was set for no flow control and I thought I had a bad card. Also their cables was causing some packet loss, replaced with some good CAT5 cable and now I'm flying. Seems 1000 times faster than my old 3COM 3c503 10 MB NIC cards. Now only if my internet connection was as fast....

Highly recommended. The installation was simple. XP detected the drivers and set it up instantly. Was able to hook up external hard drive without any problems. Even comes with software to create your own digital movies. Learning the software is not as easy as installing the PCI card.
Overall, very satisfied with this product.

.. This was a synch to install in my XP, 2.4ghz, P4. Once in the slot, it loaded itself up, bypassing the usual Wizard. ... I began converting analog 8 mm to digital files for editing, right off the bat. The software that came with it is clunky, taking time to get a handle on. But it produced beautiful avi and quicktime files, once I figured things out. The wma files weren't so great, but that's probably the price you pay for squeezing down a 3 minute clip for e-mail. Other files can be produced too, with the software. Am very pleased.

I'm using Windows XP on a 1.8ghz P4

XP detected it immediatley upon boot up. My JVC Mini-DV was also detected right away when I plugged in the firewire cable.

I also purchased the 6 foot firewire cable. I would suggest not getting a cable any shorter than 6'

If you plan on tranferring your video to VCD, you may want to invest in a good video editing program like Adobe Premiere.

I used the Windows Video Maker to capture the video and Nero Burning Rom to make the VCD. It looked "OK" on the TV.

I will be investing in some video software soon

This gateway rocks!! I've used Linksys equipment for a while and this is by far the best of the bunch. The signal strength puts my old router to shame (and I had one of the signal booster boxes from Linksys connected to it!). Configuration was a snap and the administration features are top notch. I would suggest getting one for anyone who wants the perfect all-in-one solution to their networking needs.

This is exactly what I have been looking for and it certainly helped in eliminating the extra plugs and ethernet cables running behind my desk (linksys cable modem, 4 port router, wireless access point AND a switch since I needed ONE more port). Now I have everything connected to this unit and don't need anything else extra. The USB connection is nice and actually gives you 5 ports instead of 4 on the router (4 ethernet ports + 1 USB).

The biggest improvement I think I see is the configuration part of the unit which you access via browser. More control over security and settings! As a person who knows how to capture hack attempts made on my network or suspicious activity made against it (most seem to try to access by ftp'ing onto my linux server), this one helps further protect your home LAN by making your network 'undetectable' by means of pinging that must hackers use to find exposed networks and ports. People with kids would probably like the part where you can block access to certain websites and even keywords. It can even disconnect certain computers from the network at hours you specify.

The only gripe I had was with amazon.com itself. The pricing is among the highest ($171.95 at time of writing) and I submitted a form that showed a competitor beating their price but after a week, they have not still budged on their pricing. I bought this from buy.com for $139.49 and the shipping, like amazon.com, was free.

I purchased this gateway last week and haven't had a single problem with it. It was easy to hook up, the directions were clear, and the setup was simple. The management tool offers you many possibilities such as reducing the range of the wireless signal, different levels of encryption, status, and impressive firewall options. I thought it was totally worth the money and hope you do too!

This is indeed a very reliable PC card, which works in either 16 or 32 bit PCMCIA or cardbus slot. It is truly an integrated hot-swap to plug in even with your laptop on, and without the older and fragile dongle. Personally I cannot tell the difference in performance between the 16 bit (FA411) and 32 bit (FA511) cards (besides the price). If you buy a 32 bit card however, make sure you have a cardbus slot; otherwise it will not work in a 16 bit PCMCIA slot (found on older laptops). Many newer laptops today come with a built-in ethernet NIC. If your laptop doesn't have one however, you are better off (and cheaper) to just get a 16 bit PC card, and I would definitely recommend this card.

After my old Xyrcom card's external jack broke down, I wanted to try an integrated Ethernet RJ-45 network card. Netgear's FA411 looked like an affordable option, plus Netgear has a good reputation in the industry. Having Windows XP Pro installed on my laptop, another factor considered for purchasing this card was the XP compatibility stated in the product package.

Installation is simple, the card is hot pluggable allowing for installation while logged on to the OS. The XP driver is digitally signed and worked flawlessly. I found out that an updated driver was already available in Netgear's home page.
Drivers are also included for DOS, Novell, and older versions of Windows.

The card has two LED indicators, one for the 100 Mbps network and the other for the connectivity status.

Since this is an integrated card, there is no need for an external connector that can get lost or bent/cracked. One note of caution though, although the card actually occupies one Type-II PCMCIA slot, the integrated connector covers two. If you need the additional slot, then I'd recommend a card with an external RJ-45 connector. Also, the integrated jack protrudes about an inch beyond the slot, so you will also need to take this into consideration when storing your laptop.

If you need a simple, affordable card that does the job, and do not require 32-bit performance or an external jack, then purchase this card with confidence.

I have purchased cheaper solutions to net connections that failed terribly. This was only (a bit) more. It worked like a charm. I am actually connect writting this review with this item. I strongly recommend this product. I honestly don't know what the 16 bit means but, hey it works and works well.

I'd like to confirm that this card is compatible with Red Hat Linux 8.0. It is based on the Realtek RTL8139D chipset. There is no IC socket for installing boot roms on, but most people won't care about that. I found the card was easily installed and worked like a dream from the first go. Red Hat Linux detected the card an loaded the right device driver immediately.

Provided you install the included device driver, it should work just fine on Microsoft Windows machines too.

This card appears compatible with modern motherboards such as the Asus P4T533.

The price is so good I'll probably buy several more as spares since I do a lot of work with other people's computers and appreciate hooking them into my DSL network to grab operating system updates.

this card is great... heres the pros...
] Small size (Makes for good air flow and makes it perfect for small pcs)
] Compatability... Works with anything from DOS and Win 3 to 95,98,NT,XP and even LINUX...
] Price very cheap
] nice speed
] typically plug-n-play
Cons...
] the only con is there is none...

I used this to hook up a 1998 vintage Compaq Presario to a home network using a Siemens SpeedStream 5-Port 10/100 Ethernet Switch (SS2105). Installing the card does require opening your computer case but is quite straightforward. The card comes with software but Windows XP automatically detected the card and the Windows XP network configuration wizard did everything else.
I had the network up an running in minutes. Overall a great experience and the price is incredible.

We installed out Netgear network kit over a year ago. It was a cinch to put together and the components all went together without a problem. The kit is expandable to four PC's and is suitable for a DSL or similar connection for internet.

There are a couple things I'd recommend, especially if you plan to use the network for internet access. First, you need to understand that the "hub" is basically set up so that it allows one PC to access one computer, or your internet connection at a time. So, be prepared for waits if more than one of you is attempting to be online at one time. If you want to avoid that problem, you will want to install a "switch" instead of the "hub" which allows simultaneous traffic to flow at at the same time. We just upgraded our Netgear network with a switch and it has made all the difference.

The other thing-- you will need some kind of routing mechanism to handle the Internet connection. This can be hardware based (like the Netgear RT311 Internet Access Gateway Router) or software based. We chose to use Wingate software (available online at their website) and it has served us well.

Finally, we had trouble getting a D-Link network card to work with the system, though my laptop's Linksys card works fine. My advice, if you want to avoid problems, pick up the Netgear network cards. I've got a spare D-Link card sitting here in my office if you need one!

All in all, we've loved the system. The documentation is simple to follow and the quality is first rate!

I was tired of file swapping between two desktop computers and my laptop using floppy and zip disks. This product works as advertised. The Netgear card was instlled in my 5 year old Windows 95 machine. My new Dell 8100 series came with Windows ME and already had a 3-com fast ethernet card installed. My laptop has a US Robotics combo modem/ethernet PCMCIA card and Windows 95.

I was a little concerned that with different operating systems and three different brands of cards, that there might be a problem. It works perfectly. File transfer and sharing is a cinch on each machine. I haven't even hooked up my HP Laserjet to the new Dell because it is set up to share the printer with any computer hooked into the hub. I love it.

I have bought two of these for home and office use. They work flawlessy and for the price you cannot beat the functionality. I was running at least Windows 98 on all computers I hooked up to the ethernet hub. Windows makes it easy to set up file and printer sharing.

After you are hooked up to a network you will not need to swap disks all the time in order to exchange information or to move files for printing. You can transfer a hundred megabytes in a minute or two depending on the kinds of files.

Setup is a breeze if you have ethernet cards installed already. Even if you do not have cards installed already there are instructions to walk you through step by step.

By the way, if you are just using this for a home network, pick out the Netgear hub combo that gives you the most stuff for the cheapest. I have bought at least 3 different ones and the all provide the same functionality as far as I can tell. It is just that sometimes they come with one more port, or an extra cable, or multiple speed compatibilities.

Our office used to use a handful of the EN-108 8-port hubs and some of the EN-104 (the 4-port version of the same product).

As most of the NetGear equipment line, the EN-108's are really nice. NetGear equipment are nicer because they have:

- Nice sturdy metal construction instead of plastic.

- Status indicators built into the jacks, so you can easily tell which cable is connected and is active.

- Right-angled barrel power connector which reduce the likelihood of disconnecting power accidentally.

- An easy-to-access switch to toggle port 1 between station mode and uplink mode. Unlike some hubs where two jacks are wired together, this design prevents accidentally shorting a station to an uplink.

- Screw-mount notches on the underside allows for easy attachment to the wall, underside of a counter, etc.

Rather than buying this 10Mbps hub, however, I strongly suggest that you buy a 10/100 Mbps hub. Your interest in buying an 8-port hub suggests that you have an actively-used network. If so, you'll most likely benefit from higher networking speeds.

Is there a noticeable difference between 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps? It depends on your usage, but if you regularly share larger files with your coworkers, (about 300 KBytes or larger), you'll notice a tangible difference. For truly large files (like graphics/movies, or when installing an application via a network drive), a 10 second transfer at 100 Mbps will take well over a minute at 10 Mbps.

Very easy setup (literally just plug it in and connect all ethernet cables). I had mine up and running within 15 minutes of opening the box.

To reiterate the above, it works flawlessly for me, and is very sturdy. I appreciate a nice box, and that it is. I think I paid an extra $10 or so for the nice box, and I feel good about it.