Networking Reviews

Sure, the hub works - I've had it in my home LAN for a year now. Surfing, and low-bandwidth streaming is fine for this teeny-tiny box.

But note that when you saturate the LAN pipe - say, ftp'ing stuff, or with NetMeeting-type stuff - you WILL see collisions appear. TONS of collisions. The little red LED basically stays lit.

Paying $50/month for the 300 Kbps @home cable connection, and seeing your transfer rate drop dramatically when you use a $30 hub (instead of a $60 switch) is penny-wise and pound-foolish.

(Note that this is a fine hub - and these comments would apply to ANY hub, AFAIK).

I'm happy with my 4 port switch, thank you very much.

Though I'm not convinced this hub is the smartest option for serious network building in the work environment, it is the perfect, inexpensive start-up for a home network. With room for five computers, it boasts more capacity than most families could reasonably use. Its 10/Base-T speed limit is faster than most homes would currently need (even cable ISPs don't give residential users faster than 10/Base-T speeds at the moment). And the product description is accurate when it claims that the hub can isolate each of the five ports, ensuring smooth transmission rates on 'good' ports even if another one is bad. It's extremely unlikely, therefore, that you would need anything more vigorous than this hub to get your home or small office network up and running well.

There are down sides, however. While the 10/Base-T speeds are good for now, once ISPs begin delivering at the higher 100/Base-T speed, this hub will seem as slow as a 56kbs modem does to someone used to cable modem speeds. Also, the home user might currently have a need for a faster 100/Base hub if they play a lot of networked high-performance games between computers on their own local intranet. And that 5th port which shares with the ISP link really isn't as fast as the other ports.

Still, for most consumer needs, you shouldn't have to look further than this solid, reasonably-priced performer.

I am a Halo fan and count on this hub to link xboxs together. It works great, isnt very expensive, and is small and compact. 5 stars.

I have 2 PCs at home and just upgraded my broadband from an internal DSL modem (fried after a recent power failure) to a new external cable modem connection. Whereas before I used one PC as an internet proxy server and connected the other PC with a hub, this ...item lets both machines talk to each other at 100base-T speeds and share a broadband internet connection.
Setup was a snap--you connect everything, make sure TCP/IP on both computers is set to DHCP ("automatic"), and reboot the computers. At that point, they're getting their IP addressing from the router, acting as a DHCP server, while the router deals with the ISP. Then you connect to the router's HTML admin interface (NOT an external website, as another reviewer seemed to think), and run though a few wizards. When it's done, you're sharing the connection between both PCs (and with an el cheapo hub, you can add lots more) and a basic hardware firewall provides at least some degree of security.

The printed documentation is just the basics to get you started, the more complete docs are in a PDF file on a CD. Since the full-blown documentation is only 32 pages, this baffles me--is it really cheaper to create a CD instead of printing a 32-page pamphlet?

So far, so good. It's simple yet has a lot of features I might use in the future--VPN support and NAT to name a few. For 40 bucks, it's a great deal.

Recently my wife and I -- who each have a computer -- decided to switch from 56K dial-up internet service to high-speed internet service from our cable company. Because we want to be able to use both computers at the same time we needed a router. We selected the Siemens SS2602 because of Siemens' reputation and also because of the bargain price relative to the price of routers by less well known companies. So far our bargain-priced Siemens router has performed flawlessly and we are quite pleased with it. I should point out that this router is quite versatile: it works with both cable and DSL modems and with both PC and Macintosh computers (my wife and I both use Macintoshes). Highly recommended.

This little box has all the power of a 3com, netgear (3/4times as expensive) or a dlink (twice as expensive).

It only has two ports, but will work with up to 254 computers like a dlink or netgear. I have multiple 2-15 computer networks running off this little box and it's been performing flawlessly.

It's MUCH more friendly than a sonicwall or 3com though a little less userfriendly than a dlink, but any semicompetent tech with a basic understanding of ip and firewalls would have an easy time setting it up if they RTDM (Read The D$*# Manual).

Never needed tech support so I can't say how that is.

All of this is from the point of view of a tech who understands about NAT, firewalls and other semi-basic network knowledge. If you're a novice looking for a simple setup you might be able to get away with this if you Read the instructions, but I'd recommend hiring a tech and saving yourself a lot of trouble if you don't really want to spend time learning about the geek terminology.

I settled on this router after researching various brands, and decided that it was a good value, considering that it contains many features normally found only in more expensive units. However, after upgrading to the then-latest firmware, I discovered that the router would constantly reboot itself about every five to ten minutes, causing a total network shutdown for about 30 seconds during this time. I called Tech Support for help on this issue, and they initially blamed the problem on my Motorola Surfboard 4200 Cable Modem, claiming that a "NAT feature" contained within the modem was causing the problem, and I needed to contact my ISP to deactivate this feature. I contacted my ISP (Adelphia) and they told me that the NAT feature was not supported by my modem. I called Tech Support again and supplied this information to them, and they had me reset the router to the factory default settings and reload the firmware. This corrected the problem, then a series of tests after a newer firmware was released a month later revealed that the rebooting issue was being caused by the Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP) feature interacting with Windows XP. I called Tech Support to supply this information to them, and they seemed to be completely caught off-guard. I later sent an e-mail to them asking if there were any plans for a newer firmware to correct this problem so that I could use the UPnP feature. Their response instructed me to turn off the firewall. I wrote back and told them that that was the most asinine solution I have ever heard, since it would leave me vulnerable to hacker attacks, and that I would simply not use the UPnP feature.

Other than the UPnP bug and the apparently lackluster Tech Support, this router provides superb firewall protection and network speed. I have tested the firewall from a friend's computer - it is air-tight, and even includes a "Discard Incoming Ping" feature, which will make your network completely invisible on the Internet when enabled.

I installed one of these for a client using Optimum Online Cable and I was amazed at how easy it was to install. Just follow the wizard and select the Cable Modem (or DHCP if you haven't upgraded the firmware) option and you are on the Internet. This is a low-priced SOHO router, but it does have some nice options that you won't find in some more expensive routers like integrated Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), time zone settings, and a lifetime warranty (Most dsl/cable routers are limited to three years).

This router has been running for nearly two months without any problems. I would definitely buy another and recommend it to others. You can't beat the quality and features for the price.

Before I bought this particular router I gave a fair consideration to equivalent products from other manufacturers. My objectives were as follows: a 4-port router with flexible parental controls and reliable firewall at a reasonable price. SMC7004VBR turned out to be a clear winner. Setup can be done in manual (advanced) or assisted (wizard) mode, via a browser interface. I used the advanced option but also verified the wizard afterwards, for completeness of this review. Worth noting is that the router reboots almost every time you click the "apply" button. This results in a temporary loss of communication (~30 sec) between the router and the computer, which may look a little disturbing. Additional note: if you decide to change the router's LAN address, it will reboot with the new IP so the browser needs to follow. All settings are fairly standard except for one: SMC decided to set firewall to OFF by default. So remember to go to the firewall settings and turn it ON manually (and click "apply"). A somewhat debatable approach, especially that there is no word about it in the User Guide. The parental controls are very good. This router is capable of blocking up to 30 user-defined web sites based either on the URL or a phrase included in the URL. A very important tool if you have young children at home. When one of them attempts to connect to a banned URL the router just hangs with no other indication so it looks like the remote site is simply not responding. Other routers that I am familiar with send a message back stating that the URL was blocked. I prefer SMC's gentle implementation. There are also settings for defining the Internet access time and day per computer. Other setting like port triggering, forwarding, DMZ etc are there. These are standard on all routers these days. The security features make this router really stand out. Unlike other models in this class, SMC7004VBR can identify several types of hacker attacks and send alerts to a predefined email address. SMC did an excellent job implementing full POP3 account settings. Other vendors provide only basic configuration (i.e. only SMTP server name, no password), which may cause alerts to get lost under certain circumstances (dynamic IP). I was a little disappointed to see that SMC does not give options for other email alerts (i.e. triggered by the URL filter) but hopefully they will consider it in future firmware releases. Software upgrade functionality works flowlessly. I upgraded my router after visiting SMC web site and realizing there was a newer version available. The support via their web site is sufficient, I really did not have any reasons to call them on the phone. In my configuration, this product functions not only as a firewall but it provides high-speed network connectivity between my home computers. A remote (near the ceiling) Wireless Access Point is connected to one of the ports. The bottom line: two thumbs up!

Overall, the product is pretty good; hub is a little slow depending on the amount of data you're moving. Beware of their tech support; I was given three different solutions to the same problem, none of which worked--they acted like they just wanted to get me off the phone even though our longest conversation was approx. 5 minutes!

A wonderful way to network in a SOHO environment. Easy for even a novice to install and configure. From box to boot, including installing the card in two machines, setting up the hub and configuring the software, was less than 90 minutes. Beyond file sharing, it has eliminated the need for a second printer and allows tape backups to be run from a single tape drive on my faster machine.

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.

Features 8 ports of 10/100 Full-duplex ability. It comes in very durable metal casing and feels somewhat heavy. It is truly plug and play. Compared to my generic (TrendNet 5-port 10/100 full-duplex switch) it blows it out of the water. I get better pings across my home network and when loaded with 7 computers transfering files at 100mBits full-duplex it shines! The only con is that it runs HOT! Be sure to place it where it can breathe and not next to anything heat-sensitive.

I purchased this switch 3 years ago
happy with it, however, the supplied power adaptor seems not to provide enough current, it runs hot
it seems to have more current power adaptor to run (at least 2A, do not use the supplied adaptor)
now I install it vertically on the wall, just warm to touch (just use 3 out of 8)
for more stable operation, a stronger power supply is recommended (at least 12-15V 2A)

An incredible product, currently running on a home linux network, works great and stays up and working for long, even for burning CD-ROMs through NFS... Great product!

This modem has all sorts of incompatibility issues with Windows XP over the USB connection. Mine never powers on when I start my computer, I have to yank out the usb cord and plug it back in each time. Bad driver support as well. The rest of these reviews are very misleading and make me wonder if they were written by people who work for the company. After all the modem has been discontinued

While I don't have the USB version, I can attest to the goodness of the serial version. MUCH more reliable and swift than the INTERNAL 56K modem I replaced. Initial connections are quick and reliable, as are subsequent net-surfing sessions. And it INCLUDES the serial cable (hard-wired), unlike the popular U.S. Robotics external modem I almost bought for much more money (this seems INEXCUSABLY greedy and smug on the part of U.S. Robotics, considering how much more their modem costs!). A great performer and a great value. Its comparative compactness on the desktop does not diminish its power.

I've been searching for a month now for a gaming USB modem that actually does it's job and I found it with SupraExpress. I tried different modems but they all gave such high pings in quake2, this one gives me 150! Downloads never go below 4.0 and websites load up instantly. This modem is definitely the best 56k I used in my 5 years with computers.

I recently purchased a network in a box kit. On the box it states it works with DSL and cable. I started out with a ME machine connecting to a 98 machine, after installation all worked fine. I upgraded the ME machine to win2000 and I now am having trouble configuring the 98 machines internet access, printer sharing works fine. I am sharing DSL internet access thru the 2000 machine. I have called tech support a couple of times but I always get a different answer, the last guy told me to buy a router without even asking what my configuration was. If he would have explained the reasoning for this he might have sold me. I had one guy tell me he didn't have time to help me configure this and he hung up on me. I am not happy with the customer service so far.... Maybe tech support should spend as much time with me as I do on hold and getting thru the phone system. If I have to buy a router I will, but I am not sure I would buy a product from them again.

I cringed when reading the review from the guy who bought this, then went through the painful process of setting up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows just to connect a second computer to his cable modem. There is A BETTER WAY, people! Instead of this, get yourself a Linksys BEFSR41 4-Port Etherfast Cable/DSL Router. It has ports for up to four computers to plug in and go, plus you don't have to mess with ICS; it handles the connection sharing on its own, independent of the types of computers you plug into it (Windows-based PCs, Macs, Linux boxes, whatever). Additionally, a router such as this also contains a hardware firewall to keep hackers out. You may think that firewalls are only for corporate networks, but consider this: any computer connected to the Internet full-time--as with a cable modem or DSL line--is terribly vulnerable to getting hacked! If you want to share your cable modem or DSL line between two or more computes, do yourself a favor and get one of these Linksys routers. You may also need an Ethernet card (also called a Network Interface Card), but they can be had for under $30. THIS IS THE WAY!

The Linksys FENSK05 Network In a Box is easy to install. It worked immediately after reboot. Documentation was not clear when installing the driver from the floppy. You need to browse to the correct directory for the operating system being used. I specifically wanted share my cable modem connection. Configuring Internet Connection Sharing was somewhat of a problem since I had never done it, but it works great. Well worth the price.

The following is a recount of my personal experience with this Netgear product as well as my own opinions about the products usefulness.

My background:

I am a computer programmer with about 10 years of work experience and a 4.0 grade point average from an Ivy League school.

I was not able to get this product to work with an IBM ThinkPad T22 running Windows XP. I got the infamous "Code 10" problem that many others are seeing with this product. (...)a google search for 'netgear wg511 "code 10"' to see more.

Besides the problems that users are having, the technical support requires that you traverse "Bangalore Hell", from which you will probably not receive the information necessary to fix the problem (which, from the above posts, seems to be a driver software problem).

I tried various versions of the drive software downloaded from Netgear, including the latest 2.7.0.0 driver. This was the latest software available as of July 17, 2004. I was never able to get my laptop to properly recognize the card. No combination of removing and reinstalling drivers, removing and reinserting the wireless card, or clearing out Windows registry keys helped.

There is a reference to this problem on the Netgear website. However, it is terse and does not seem to offer a solution -- none of the approaches listed helped solve my problem (...)personal "solution" to the "Code 10" issue was to pack up the Netgear router and card and return it to Amazon. I have since replaced it with a Linksys combination which worked right out of the box. I didn't even need to install software -- Windows XP's built in Wi-Fi support was all that was needed.

Please note that this is only my personal experience and the experiences of various other anonymous posters on the Internet. It may not reflect every user's experience (or even the most common experience), and must be taken with a grain of salt.

Thanks for reading all the way through! :-)

--(...)

I bought this combo because I wanted to upgrade my wireless network with faster speed and higher security. The speed is no problem, but the security is. After upgrading firmware on the router, I was able to configure WPA security (the best wireless security) with no trouble. The same did not hold true for the PC card...I got installation errors on the software upgrade for the card (you can't use WPA without the upgrade), and apparently for certain computers, especially those with AMD processors, the upgrade software simply doesn't work. Tech support was a big waste of time so far.

If you want WPA security and you have an AMD-based laptop, you might want to think twice.

First of all, I woould like to commend Amazon.com on their fast delivery. I ordered it on Monday morning and I got the package delivered to my front door the next morning. That was with the free shipping option, which was suppose to take about five days.
Now about the Netgear WGB511 802.11g wireless networking kit...I was able to get the router running with default settings in less than 10 minutes after I took it out of the box and that includes the time that I used to figure out how to use my old Linksys HPRO200 router as a bridge to my HPNA network. Upon inspecting the firmware version, I noticed that the version posted on Netgear's web site is newer and includes WPA-PSK so I quickly downloaded it and burned the new firmware. Except for the slow download from Netgear the whole process went very smoothly, however, the instruction for setting up WPA-PSK is minimal and it took a bit of guessing on my part to set it up (had to guess what needs to be done on my Windows XP, but only took couple tries.) The range of the wireless network is good and I was able to get excellent strength readings throughout most of the house. Over all, I am extremely pleased with the Netgear router so far, I just hope it won't quit on me prematurely as my Linksys wireless AP did right after warrenty expired.

I ended up getting an iView USB KVM for $80 (not including extra USB and video cables) that allows me to control 4 computers, including a web server running Linux, and 2 IBM ThinkPad laptops. All computers respond to the extra buttons of the IntelliMouse.

See my review of the Microsoft Natural Pro keyboard for more information.

If the little beep that occurs when you switch between your machines is the biggest complaint you have about this unit, then you're reaching for things to gripe about.

I previously tried the little IOGear MiniView 2-port KVM unit. Nowhere on its package could I find what OS's it would work with, so I had to bring it home. Evidently, the IOGear either choked on Windows 95 that I am running on one of my boxes or it choked on the optical mouse (I am using the PS/2 adapter with it.). Either way, it didn't work out. So, I returned it and ordered the Belkin.

The Belkin worked the first time out without a hitch. It recognizes both computers (both OS's) AND the mouse even with its adapter. If I did have a complaint about the Belkin unit, it would be the fact that it does look like a techno spider once you have everything plugged into it. Other than that, I'm very happy. It does just what I need it to do.

This switch is wonderful. I was worried at first that is was so inexpensive (many KVMs are much more) but it works well. I use it to switch between two computers, one running XP Pro and the other running Server 2003. Both are set to a resolution of 1280x1024 at 85Hz refresh rate. I found that the monitor works best if both computers are set to the same resolution. Switching between the two is painless, using either the switch on the KVM or the keyboard shortcuts. The KVM can also automatically switch but because I leave my computer running Server 2003 on all the time I need to manually switch back and forth. Considering all the cables ar eincluded I think this is a great deal. Just be sure you need the PS2 model. If you have a USB mouse or keyboard then get a KVM that takes USB inputs.

I took this hub out of the box, plugged it in, connected it to our internal network and my two PC's about two months ago, and it has worked flawlessly ever since. All without reading the manual! This hub is perfect for me because I occasionally attach a legacy 10Mbps device and don't need more than three ports (other than to link to our existing network).

One warning - if you have other Netgear hubs and equipment, keep the power supplies separate. I had a single-speed 100Mbps hub and got the power supplies mixed up. The unit looked like it was working but actually wasn't. The power supplies look similar, the plugs are the same, but I think the current and/or voltages are different.

Other than that, this is a great product. As I said earlier, it just works. When you factor in price, you can't miss.

I purchased this hub as part of a network starter kit (2 PCI ethernet cards + hub) and had no problems installing it. I run both Unix/Linux and Windoze machines and wanted all machines to be networked even with a mix of operating systems running at the same time -- and that meant simultaneous internet access, multi-player games, shared printers, etc. Basically, I wanted the network to do everything, so that any family member could sit down at a machine and do what they needed to do.

The DS-104 hub delivered from the time I installed it until the day I replaced it with a router (RT-314, also from Netgear). Installation was a snap, and as soon as I turned it on, I never had a moment's trouble from the DS-104.

So why did I switch? In two words, performance and price. Although the DS-104 is a fine product, its multiuser performance simply can't compare to a switch (which was built-in to the RT-314 router I replaced it with). I noticed that performance suffered when all of us wanted to use the computers simultaneously, which got me thinking about alternatives to improve performance. I initially intended to replace the DS-104 with a switch. After checking prices, I realized that I could actually purchase a router (switch + hardware firewall) for less than the cost of a switch alone. I eventually went that route, after receiving outstanding service from the DS-104 hub.

So was this purchase a throw-away? Hardly. The DS-104 did what it promised to do, reliably and without fuss. It handles both 10 and 100 Mbps connections transparently, so you don't even need to know the speed of whatever you're connecting. It's well-constructed (metal case instead of plastic) and absolutely reliable. Although I've replaced the DS-104 with a router, I haven't gotten rid of it -- I'm saving it for the day when I need to add several machines to the network and I'm out of ports on my router.

The DS-104 is solid, dependable networking at a very reasonable price. Recommended.

When I first began networking, I was a bit scared. I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the equipment available to me. All I needed was a simple, inexpensive solution to bring three computers together on one internet connection, and I was utterly confused by everything on the shelves. I concluded that the Netgear DS-104 was the solution for me, and I'm happy to say that my intuition was right.

Networking is notorious for giving administrators (And casual users for that matter) massive headaches. I can't say that my networking has been headache-free, but I can say that absolutely none of the headaches stemmed from this hub. It is an absolutely superb product that performs as well as it looks. It's reliable, it's durable... Absolutely everything you need for your simple network can be handled by this bad boy.

If it helps any, the network this hub is functioning on is being served by a Windows 2000-operated machine, with various other computers sharing its resources, including one that's Linux-operated. I'm using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and the combination of the two has proven to be fast, simple and reliable. Nothing but the best.

My only nitpick about the hub is that it can be loud. I know that's a rather strange thing to say about a device like this, but it's true. When I transfer large files in-between computers on the network, the little green traffic lights on the front of the hub flash with incredible speed... And for some reason you can hear it. It's similar to the high-pitched frequency your television emits when on mute, only it's pulsating at such a high rate that it almost hurts. If you're planning on using this hub for high local-traffic networks, I'm sure this would get pretty annoying... But for casual use in the home, it's not likely to be a problem.

I'm still not as experienced with networking as I would like to be, so I can't offer any advice on whether a switch or a router would be more efficient for your needs... But I do know that this is an excellent solution for a simple network such as mine. It handles the traffic with ease, it's reliable, easy to install, and worry-free. I couldn't be happier with the way the hub has performed, and I'm positive you'll get the same results.