ZyXEL Prestige 310 - router

The ZyXEL router.

Networking is a great solution if your family has more than two PC's and / or an XBOX © / Playstation 2 ©. If you only have two PC's then a router is not really necessary because with Windows XP © and a crossed CAT 5 network cable (2 network cards) you can quite easily network both PC's with very little Hardware hassle. However, if you have two PC's (XBOX ©/ PS2 ©, then a switch and a ROUTER is a wonderful system. ...
...After a while I contacted ZyXEL © customer support and to be honest they didn't / couldn't help me. Thing is how can they help me over the phone. It like trying to teach you another language. They did however, send me via email a few documents to read and a flash file just in case I messed up and wanted to start a fresh and this did help me.

What I am trying to tell the possible user is, unless you really have the time and understanding ... more

The ZyXEL router.

Networking is a great solution if your family has more than two PC's and / or an XBOX © / Playstation 2 ©. If you only have two PC's then a router is not really necessary because with Windows XP © and a crossed CAT 5 network cable (2 network cards) you can quite easily network both PC's with very little Hardware hassle. However, if you have two PC's (XBOX ©/ PS2 ©, then a switch and a ROUTER is a wonderful system.

The ZyXEL © Prestige 310 router was the one I went for. A simple yet functional router. A rectangular plastic box with no fancy design. Straight forward and simple Hardware installation! It came with a user manual, A/C power supply and a RS-232 (com port) cable but no network cable.

Plug the modem into the router and then plug the router into the switch (hub). Finally plug all your PC's into the switch using CAT 5 network cable . I don't use the RS232 cable because access to the router can be done via your web browse (see further down).

With the system all plugged in then you are ready to set the router up. This I found to be very complicated and it is not straight forward as there are many factors that you have to take into consideration. Such as Windows © settings, Firewall settings, Antivirus (I use Norton © Internet security) network card settings and finally your ISP settings.

Installation and set up of the router is done via a web browser. I have to warn you that this is not for your average user and is very complicated. Computers use a language to communicate between one another called TCP/IP. You will need an understanding of this and the user manual assumes that you do.

Once you are connected to the router via the web browser you have to set it up. Type in all your ISP details such as username, password. Add your other PC's etc…The router set-up is very long and complicated. It took me hours to get everything working. The user manual is very complicated and basically if you don't understand the ins and outs of PC then its like reading a book in Chinese. I spent more time trying to understand the paragraph I had just read than actually doing what it was trying to tell me.

This really is a specialist subject and you really do need to know what you are trying to do. After a while I contacted ZyXEL © customer support and to be honest they didn't / couldn't help me. Thing is how can they help me over the phone. It like trying to teach you another language. They did however, send me via email a few documents to read and a flash file just in case I messed up and wanted to start a fresh and this did help me.

What I am trying to tell the possible user is, unless you really have the time and understanding of PC's, then I suggest you ask a local computer shop to come and install everything for you. If like me you are PC literate then the job is possible but can be frustrating at times.

When all is finally up and running, then it works a treat. I have all my PC's connected and can share files, share my printer, internet connection, play LAN based online games etc… I did however find it very complicated to get everything running. The ZyXEL © 310 does what it is made for and is very good at doing so. I have never turned it off. It has never failed. Compact, quiet and like the modem and switch just sits on the desk and I never think about it.

I have not tried to use XBOX live via the router yet because you have to pay to use the service.

In a nutshell. Very good product that works well. Very complicated to install and does require a lot of previous knowledge of computers. Recommended for a home network as these can be picked up relatively easily. Quiet and inconspicuous. ZyXEL © delivers a product which does what it says on the box.
 

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