I had a number of problems using my USB modem (A Voyager 105) and after about the billionth Blue Screen crash, decided to bite the bullet and change to a wired modem/router through an Ethernet connection.
A friend of mine had one and gave nothing but praise for it so I went off and checked other reviews and it seemed to get glowing feedback. After looking through a number of sites for the best bargain I decided on Amazon. It cost me a total of £47 and a few pence, and I qualified for free delivery. This appeared to be the cheapest around by at least £2.
When I opened the box I did the usual thing and ignored all leaflets/instructions and got stuck in to setting it up. Although none of the cables/components are labelled, I soon worked out what went where as Netgear rather cleverly colour coded everything on the router - the grey cable goes into the grey hole, and the yellow cable goes into (rather unsurprisingly) the yellow holes. I say holes, as another great feature is that you get 4, yes, 4 ports so you can easily set up a home network using this.
Once I had everything assembled (which took me about 30 minutes - 20 of which were spent trying to sort out the spaghetti of wires in my house!) I switched the PC on and put the CD into the drive. Then I read the instructions. Fortunately I had indeed got everything right. Following the on-screen prompts I inputted my Broadband ID and Password, waited a few moments and VOILA! We were connected.
Because you are networked through the router it serves as an effective firewall, meaning that your computer is never detected on the internet - the network stops at the router. So this is really a multi-talented bit of kit.
The software is very easy to use and as it automatically detects your settings for Broadband - it really is very painless. I would heartily reccommend this item.
As yet I haven't had to use it, but my friend said that the Support Service is very good, there are forums where you can post your problems and discuss with other users and they are quick to assist. Another plus is that the Firmware is upgradeable and will support the soon-to-come ADSL2.
My only bugbears are that the Cat5 cable (the yellow connecting cable that goes from the computer to the Router) is only about 1 metre, meaning that you have to have the Router near to your computer which really doesn't work in our house. Also, you only get one so I haven't been able to network all my computers up yet. So my recommendation is that you go and buy at least 2 LONG Cat5 cables if you want to set up a wired network in your home. Also, because the router is very light and the cable is short, I keep dragging the router even though I used that supplied stands. You might want to put it somewhere secure that you can't drop it off a table or shelf as I don't suppose that would do it any favours!
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Thanks for that - I'm setting one of these up for a friend and I wondered if it needed a PC at the router end - or if it can be used as a stand-alone router just plugged into a BT socket, transmitting broadband to your only PC in the house? Thanks for any help you can give. All the best, Sal x
Four products in one, this multitalented firewall router combines an ADSL modem, router, ... more
four-port 10/100 LAN switch, and SPI True Firewall to deliver broadband access that's continuously available for sharing with all your networked devices. Simple to...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Four products in one, this multitalented firewall router combines an ADSL modem, router, ... more
four-port 10/100 LAN switch, and SPI True Firewall to deliver broadband access that's continuously available for sharing with all your networked devices. Simple to...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: a reasonable price would normally cost hundreds of pounds - suitable for any users Disadvantages: You only get one splitter/microflter in the box - very minor
Advantages: a reasonable price would normally cost hundreds of pounds - suitable for any users Disadvantages: You only get one splitter/microflter in the box - very minor
Advantages: stylish, robust, wide range of features, WiFi and wired connectivity Disadvantages: drops connection during lightning storms, manual slim on advanced features
Mar 3rd, 2007
very helpful by (90%):
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