The Linksys EtherFast® Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch is the perfect option to connect multiple PCs to a high-speed Broadband Internet connection or to an Ethernet back-bone. Allowing up to 253 users, the built-in NAT technology acts as a firewall protecting your internal network.
Configurable as a DHCP server for your existing network, the EtherFast® Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch acts as the only externally recognized Internet device on your local area network (LAN).
The router can also be configured to block internal users' access to the Internet. A typical router may have to rely on an external hub or switch to share its Internet connection, but the Linksys EtherFast® Cable/DSL with 4-Port Switch Router channels this connection through the blazing, full duplex speed of its built-in EtherFast® 10/100 4-Port Switch.
This cutting-edge combination of router and switch technology eliminates the need to buy an additional hub or switch and serves your network as a completely dedicated, full duplex backbone.
Now your entire network will enjoy blazing Broadband Internet connections supported by its robust switched backbone. With the dual-function speed and power of the EtherFast® Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch, your network will take off at speeds faster than you ever imagined possible.
The Linksys EtherFast cable/DSL router connects multiple PCs to a high-speed broadband Internet connection or to an Ethernet backbone. Configurable as a DHCP server, the EtherFast router acts as the only externally recognized Internet device on your local area network (LAN). The router can also be configured to block internal users' access to the Internet. A typical router relies on a hub or a switch to share its Internet connection, but the Linksys EtherFast router channels this connection through the full-duplex speed of its built-in EtherFast 10/100 four-port switch. This combination of router and switch technology eliminates the need to buy an additional hub or switch and serves your network as a completely dedicated, full-duplex backbone. Now your entire network can enjoy broadband Internet connections supported by its switched backbone. This unit requires an external cable or DSL modem with an Ethernet RJ-45 interface. This product comes with a one-year warranty.
Note: All Linksys routers now include a special edition of Norton Internet Security! Claim your free CD-ROM by calling (800) 814-0180, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific, seven days a week.
1 Another crappy linksys product
When I set up my network a year and a half ago, I purchased this Linksys router and a Linksys modem. Well I replaced the modem about six months ago because it kept dropping my connection. About two months ago my router stopped working and I noticed the diag like was on. Kept trying to reset the modem and I finally called customer service and they told me to throw it away and buy a new one. To me this is a very short life span and I made sure not to purchase another Linksys product. Now I'm running a Motorola modem and a Netgear router and so far no problems at all.
2 Reliable ?
Had the unit about a year - which is rather short in my opinion for a unit lifespan. Got the ole blinking diagnostics light problem. Never could get it corrected - gave up and tossed it. This appears to be a common problem with the unit from web traffic. I can't recommend it. Reliability being my biggest problem with the unit.
3 No problem with Macs
Switched from DSL with HomeNetworking to Cable. Was hesitant about this unit serving my needs because cable company wanted almost $200.00 to install and setup their version of home networking (for older Mac with processor upgrade and G4 PowerBook). PC stores offered little help. Manager at local Radio Shack handed me the box containing the BEFSR41 and told me to disregard all PC instructions. "You'll know what to do. You have a 100% money back guarantee." Using built-in Ethernet, it took just minutes to have both machines online. Running Mac OS 9.1, Classic, 9.2.2 and 10.3.7. No problem. Always on.
I'll be replacing the RCA modem supplied by the cable company with a Linksys BEFCMU10. They stack nicely.
4 Flawless
Bought this up to use a Mac and a PC on a newly installed cable modem using only the single IP address supplied with the modem. Took less than 10 minutes from box to up and running with both machines. Highly recommended if you, like us, have not yet made the leap to wireless.
5 GREAT ROUTER!
I'M A NOVICE WHEN IT COMES TO COMPUTER STUFF.THIS WAS EASY TO HOOK UP.I JUST RAN MY WIRES AND CONNECTED EVERYTHING,TURNED ON EVERYTHING AND I DID NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING.IT JUST WORKED.CAN'T GET ANY EASIER THAN THAT!
6 I've had this router for a long time, and it's done its job
I usually write long detailed reviews about products, but since there are so many opinions on this particular router, I'll just add my abbreviated opinions about it.
I've owned this router for 3 years, as it was shipped with my DSL service provider as a promotion to sign up for 2 years of service. For the entire time I have had the unit, it's been hit or miss.
Generally... the unit is stable. However, it has a tendency to drop your connection randomly from time to time in the span of a few weeks. Once in a long while, about 2-3 weeks, the connection drops for no reason and refuses to log into my PPOPE server. The problem then persists until about 12-24 hours before it magically works again.
At first I thought I had a faulty modem, but to my surprise, my DSL modem has always worked whenever I plug it directly with my computer. So I knew right there and then, it was the fault of the router.
Still, when it works, it works quickly. It has a easy web based setup and generally forwarding and other features work as intended to.
So overall... maybe I've just outused my Linksys BEFSR41 router. It's been on for a long time... and I think the wear and tear of normal usage has probably made the unit worse over time. But for what it's worth, I've had plenty of good times with this router, and I can't say you should not buy this router if it's being offered below a $40 dollar price tag. It's a good bargain router that should fit your needs, and perhaps, you might have better luck not having your connection drop every 2-3 weeks randomly.
7 Great router for the money
This router has been faithfully serving two computers for about 6 months now. It has been flawless handling my VPN connection to work. An issue I was never able to sort out with the D-Link router before it.
This router performed great right out of the box. It was setup in 5 minutes with the IE based config menu.
It has no problem handling multiple network devices to my DSL modem. I push the connection very hard with Internet Radio and the VPN-work transfers.
Well worth the money.
8 perfect, if you dont mind the wires
well, ive had this for about 2 years now but am only writing the review now. anyways, this router works great, i have dsl. the interface is easy to work with and you wont get confussed at all.
9 Customer service? Yeah, RIGHT! "OUTSOURCE" THIS, Linksys!
I have owned this unit for six months. Everything was fine until I built a new PC and attempted to set the PPPoE for the new PC. After accessing the Setup Menu and making the necessary changes, everytime I hit "Save" I would get the logon/password window, and couldn't get past it.
I called Linksys Customer Support multiple times over this problem. Each time the calls were answered in India. They kept instucting me to reset the modem, which did not solve the problem.
Finally, they told me to RMA the unit, which has to be done online. I was not happy to see that I would be paying for return shipping of the replacement unit out of my own pocket, even though my unit was still under warranty.
The replacement unit arrived and I plugged it in: SAME PROBLEM. Infuriated, I called Linksys Customer Service again. The guy who answered listened to my description of the problem, said "I know how to fix that", and had me make one change in Windows: VOILA, it works. But, I still had to send the replacement router back on my nickel.
When I expressed my frustration by asking the guy why all the previous CS reps didn't know the solution, here's the really funny part:
He asked me "Were you talking to customer service in India?" When I said yes, he replied: "The Indians are all idiots. We're in the Philippines. Next time you have a problem, make sure you're talking to the Philippines."
Well, there you have it, "outsourcing" at its finest. The Third World at war with itself for America's hearts and minds.
Linksys corporate should be proud. SHEEEEESH!
10 Easy to setup very reliable.
Setup was easy and fast.It replaced my previous router which only worked with Dsl. This one was an ease to install with my cable modem.
11 Great Router....Great Price
I have had this router for over 2 1/2 years and hav not had one single problem with it!
12 The trusty BEFSR41
This has to be the most rated and most popular Linksys product around. I got mine back in 2000 when I first got DSL service -- from Telocity; remember them?! Throughout all the crazy broadband rollercoaster rides i've experienced, my Linksys router has held steady. I had to download a firmware upgrade once, and it's worked just about flawlessly since. I've hosted various servers on my small LAN with the Linksys acting as an effective firewall, utilizing the port forwarding feature without complication or difficulty. I've run Web, FTP, VPN, even a number of game servers (including Counter-Strike, Jedi Knight II, and Star Trek Voyager Elite Force) with little effort. I have always been impresesd by the BEFSR41's reliability, effective features, and continued popularity as a consumer-grade router/switch/firewall/DHCP server/broadband gateway/etc. Linksys has produced an expansive line of products, but the BEFSR41 remains one of their best all-in-one units. And I learned a lot about networking with this baby!
13 Three Years and Going!
Few items pack the simplicity, functionality, and performance of this router, and I've now had it for three years of excellent performance. While newer wireless models are all the rage (and many are fine products themselves), this router quiterly marches on--with freqent firmware upgrades to breath life in this device. A router is essential for everyone with a broadband connection to the net, as it adds a layer of insulation from hackers, allows multiple PCs to share the connection, and eliminates the need for any software or setup to be done on the PC.
14 Amazing! Set up in 3 minutes!
I just moved into a new place and got a cable modem (Surfboard). Previously, my computer and the one that was here already both had dialup connections. One is XP Home and the other XP Pro. They both had network cards but they weren't used until now. First I set up the cable modem on the other computer. All was well and I decided to share the connection with my computer. So I picked this router up (and a $10 rebate too). Installation went like this:
1. Powered everything down.
2. Opened box, rummaged around.
3. Took plug from original computer and put in router (in "Internet" spot).
4. Took included network cable and plugged into computer and into router (in one of the 4 spots).
5. Took network cable I had laying around (you will have to buy one for each computer/laptop you want to connect if you don't have it!!!) and plugged into my computer.
6. Powered up everything.
7. Grabbed the manual to see what was next while the Windows'es loaded. Looked up and noticed the icon on both PC's "acquiring network address". When that went away, checked websites - VIOLA! I didn't have to do anything else!
And I thought I'd be at this all day. I love this thing ;) I imagine it would be more difficult to set up on Windows 98 (ugh) but with 2 Win XP's it was a breeze.
15 Excelente
Adquiri el Linksys hace un a–o y medio y no tengo ninguna queja del equipo, todo lo contrario, su funcionamiento no requiere de ninguna atencion, solamente conectar cualquier PC y/o laptop en cualquiera de sus 4 puertos y estos tendran acceso a su red personal e internet de inmediato, tambien trabaja perfectamente a traves de su terminal uplink al que conecte un minihub de 8 puertos en una ubicacion remota (30 mts aprox) y conectando al minihub otras dos PCs trabajando ambas perfectamente. Este equipo es de lo mejor!.
16 complete junk
i get disconnected at least 3 or 4 times a day using these linksys wireless routers. They are junk. Do your research and buy something like netgear or dlink.
Stay away from these linksys routers. At best, each time i get disconnected i have to restart my pc and the router and wait 10 minutes to get back online again. if you're doing something important, forget it!
17 Worked great for 3 years, now it needs to be rebooted
I've had this device for over 3 years, and the first 3 years it worked great. Extremely easy to setup and use.
Unfortunately, no matter if it is a wireless or wired connection, the device seems to "lock up" and no network traffic goes thru. All I have to do is unplug the router for 5 seconds and plug it back in, and all is fine. That gets really annoying really fast. I even updated the router with the latest flash rom from linksys, but this did not help at all.
Is this a good router? Yes. If you plan to have this router for a long time, I would recommend NetGear instead. I'm going out today to buy a new NetGear wireless router.
You might be safe to buy this one, because in 3 years there will probably be better technology out there that you will want to upgrade to.
18 It works - for a little while
I have purchased four Linksys routers over the past four years - never has one lasted more than 12 months. My last worked for about five months until I had to reset it every few hours to keep an internet connection. I work from home, via the internet, so this is unacceptable to me. Despite the claims that Linksys is the best, I made the move to D-Link today - my speed doubled and hopefully it will last longer than the Linksys has.
19 Easy to use for the home network.
This is my second Linksys router and I like them because of the simple installation. I don't like a complicated install or even using a CD. All you do is plug it in you're your network will work. If you access the routers IP Address you can configure it to meet your needs. I recommend this for people who are not as tech savvy as others. This is not for your professional network, but designed for the home. The signal would drop off every few days, but I can pin that flaw on the local ISP. Where I live the signal is not the strongest so be prepared to reset the router every now and then. The only drawback is my power supply for this router malfunctioned and burnt out the entire router. It now makes a humming noise when plugged in and does not work anymore. This has forced me to use a different solution. I know others that have had problems with the power supplies before, or it could just be my luck. All and all for the money it is worth it, but be prepared for one day the power supply could go.
20 Linksys products work...sometime...
When Linksys products work, they are wonderful, however, their customer tech support is EXTREMELY difficult to use!
Linksys tech support is a MAZE of phone calls, robot voices,etc!
You get switched to different level, the PeterPrincipal being VERY evident as you slog along trying to even understand what they are saying!
I've owned 4 different Linksys products over a 5yr time frame, ONE of the products worked for 2yrs, that's a record with Linksys, the rest DIED and were thrown in the trash within months!
Linksys, not worth ALL the bother!
21 Had two - great functionality, but both died
I used to be a big linksys lover, but my experience with several of their products (both here and at work, where I'm the IT guy) makes me seriously think that their quality is suspect.
My experience at home is with the BEFSR41.
As far as featureset and stability, it's great! No problems and the functionality is excellent. I'm very happy in that regards (which is why I gave this a 3 instead of a 1).
As far as quality goes, though, I have a different experience.
I leave these on 24 hrs a day and have several computers hooked up to it.
My first one died, unexpectedly, after 13 months. They wouldn't replace it (out of warranty), but my credit card company did reimburse me (the credit card extended warranties DO work!) So, I went an bought another one. 6 months later, it started freezing up and required an unplug/replug. It started happening more and more. So, I saw that there was a firmware upgrade... I upgraded and it died.
So, it's under warranty and they offer a great exchange policy (I know, because I had to use it with their wireless router at work -- it too just died one day), so I will exchange it for another one.
BUT... after seeing 4 of their products die unexpectedly (I also purchased their VPN router at work and it stopped working after around 18 months), I can honestly say that I am no longer on the Linksys bandwagon (hence my foray into Netgear).
So... my opinion is that this is a great product... until it dies.
22 Great Product of a router. Easy to use and stable
I had a Netgear dsl router RP614. I decided to switch from Netgear to Linksys. I was recommended to buy Linkys from my friends, reviews and that it would work with my system. I can only say how happy I am to have this unit. It was easy to use, came with all information - disks, cables, and power supply and router. I had my computer hooked up to the routers within minutes. It easy to configure and you can talk online to tech support 24/7. I am so so so happy I upgraded to this unit. I can't believe that Linkys makes such a great product. Just buy LINKSYS. Great product and great company.
23 An Excellent Product So Far!
While I have not had this product for long, the results have been excellent.
The BEFSR41 is an easy-to-install product - my employer's tech suppport folks were able to easily walk me through the installation process and so far have not experienced any glitches with the product. Additionally, it has been great not having to disconnect my PC to make a telephone call!
Granted, I am not a computer or DSL expert like several of the other reviewers are. However, the item is easy to install and lightweight.
Recommended.
24 Easy to set up, but could have lasted longer
This router is very easy to set up, as others have pointed out. The bad thing with it is that it lasts as long as the warranty- about 1 year. The 1st one died in a few months. My 2nd one is on its last leg after about 1 year. 2 of 4 ports died last week. I thought this kind of stuff lasts longer than that, especially with no moving parts.
I do have to say that I don't know if other brands will last longer than 1 year, though.
25 Well, that was boring.
I took it out of the box, plugged everything in and it worked. Thank you, good night, and drive safely.
Oh, sorry, you wanted a few details, didn't you?
For a household like ours (darling wife has an iMac, dear hubby has a PC), the Linksys EtherFast 4-port Cable/DSL Router was the right choice. With 2 more ports than we needed right away, we're ready for whatever the future may bring, like safely and effortlessly transferring files from desktops to laptops.
The Linksys EtherFast 4-port Cable/DSL Router combines all the essentials for sharing a high speed Internet connection and simple networking in one box. After you configure your computers for the TCP/IP network protocol, you plug them into the ports marked "1" through "4". Your cable or DSL high speed internet connection plugs into the port marked "WAN" (Wide Area Network).
Now, here's the best part. You DON'T have to install any additional software on any of the computers connected to the router! A recent version of Mozilla Firefox (already the most secure browser available, and it's free!), Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator is all you need to configure it by logging into the router's own IP address. You enter your login information, if necessary, and the router itself pretends to be a single PC logging into your internet provider. It even supports PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) without performance-robbing dialer software or your ISP's 100 megabyte "enhanced broadband experience software suite".
Once that's done, the router's IP address is the only thing the rest of the world ever sees. And while a small efficient software firewall like ZoneAlarm is your best protection against unauthorized outbound messages from your computer, the router's built-in firewall will keep prying eyes away from your hard drives. If an online security checker like Steve Gibson's Shields UP! at www.grc.com finds a pesky open port, you can configure the router to plug it up.
Oh, and if you're worried about your DSL provider giving you a hard time for splitting your connection to as many as 4 computers, the woman taking my order for DSL service asked if I wanted to also purchase their home networking package (a $150 router and a recurring charge of $10 a month). I told her I intended to use a Linksys router and she said "Good. Ours is a joke." How's THAT for honesty? (I hear cable internet providers are far less tolerant and may cap your bandwidth if your usage suggests you're using a router. Buyer beware!)
The only hitch I encountered during installation occurred when I followed Lynksys's instructions and powered off my DSL modem between reboots. I had more success leaving it powered up. It would be impossible for Linksys to come up with universal instructions for every cable and DSL modem out there, so this can be overlooked.
26 Works well, but a few annoyances
I've been running the BEFSR41 for about a year and for the most part it's worked flawlessly. However, the DHCP server appears faulty. Occasionally, I get an IP Conflict when a new computer logs in. In addition, when looking at the computers that have DHCP-assigned IP addresses (through the administration access), the reporting is almost completely erratic. For example, almost never are all the computers shown, and refreshing the screen has no effect. Linksys tech support has verified this is not working properly, but has no solution. PPoE to log into SBC's DSL works great, and port forwarding is also passable, though you have to assign a static IP to the devive you want to route to (rather than the MAC address or device name), which is a bit of a pain. Overall, for the price, it works pretty well.
27 cake to set up
This was a simple setup and saved me a lot of trouble getting my DSL working on both my computers. It's been problem free and there's not much more to say about it. If you've got more than one computer and have high speed internet access, unless you want wireless networking, this will probably do fine for you.
28 Great for the price
I have had this router for about 5 months. I have noticed the problem with it stopping traffic but that has only happened twice since I have had it. Other than that it works great. Setup is very simple and the small size allows you put it just about anywhere. A great buy and a very good product.
29 Top Rating
I have used this router for 2 years and have never had a problem other than the ones that I caused. All my fixes were performed by myself with little effort. As far as a firmware upgrade....
I read that this should only be done when the router is not working as needed and should not be done just for the sake of being up to date. Linksys makes good products. I have there cable modem, hub and also a wireless router. Not only do there work great but I love the blue colors they use. :)
30 I am running 7 PCs on it, with no problems.
I have been running seven PCs on this, using an extra four port switch to expand it...
It has been running nicely. It has been a faithful servant for over a year....I had to futz with it a bit a while ago because of some interference problem that ended when I moved it away from the huge monitor I have.
If you don't what to learn how to set up a router, then give away all your computers because you don't want to learn anything about them. Like everything worth while, it takes a bit of work on your part to be successful.
31 For the home network, this is first-rate!
I've had this router for a bit over 2 years now, and have had no problems with it at all; and only 3 occasions to power-cycle the router during problem isolation procedures for what were actually DSL modem issues.
If you want to go wireless in your home or small office, simply add a Linksys WAP11 Wireless-B Network Access Point or a Linksys WAP55AG Dual-Band Wireless A+G Access Point (or even both) to provide connectivity for your wireless-enabled devices. The major benefit then being that you have the ability to selectively disable wireless access to your network and ISP without disrupting your "hardwire traffic."
(Enable MAC Address Filtering and WEP 128bit encryption; and don't leave the WAP connected to the network when you're away from the house.)
Of course, the switch is auto-sensing and as fast as one would expect from such gear. There are no compatibility issues with 10Base-T/100Base-T network adapter brands--use what works with your particular Operating System and hardware combination.
You can expand to accomodate more hard-wired computers by adding a Linksys EZXS88W EtherFast 10/100 8-Port Workgroup Switch, plugging in those extra machines and getting right back to work or play.
32 A Little Difficulty Setting Up But OK for Now
I just bought this router for my new cable internet hookup. It took me 2 hours to set up - let the software set this thing up for you, don't use the "quick" set up directions any farther than hooking the cables up in the right spots. I had to reset this thing like 4 times before I got it to start. I hope that if I have any more problems they'll arise within a month so Amazon can take this back. For now, it's good. I'm just using this as a firewall for now. If I hook it up to another computer I'll let you know whether it works! If you're shopping still, the reviews are definitely better for the Netgear stuff, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed because this was a cheap way for me to get a firewall.
33 "I'm getting better"
I've had a BEFSR41 ver 2 for almost two years now and it was working great until I upgraded the firm ware to 1.45.7.
After that it would crash/hang a few times a day.
A major pain in the ###.
However upgrading to the 1.45.11 firmware that was recently released solved my issues and it's been rock solid since. (5 days without a problem)
34 Ver 3 upgraded for free
I bought a BEFSR41 V2 at a closeout sale. Upgraded to June 4 ver of firmware. Started to add my son's PC to the third port and found it dead. Researched Linksys site and found the Knowledge base to test and verify the port. Talked to Linksys via chat and they recommended that I do a exchange for warranty. I opted for the prepay them for sending version 3 unit while I kept on cable modem. It came in two days and I sent the old one back to Linksys. Currently using with a Motorola SB5100 rented cable modem from Adelphia. Waiting for Linksys BEFMCO10 v3 cable modem bought from Amazon. Will review that separately.
35 Excellent router.
It's an awesome router and is very easy to set up. As simple as inserting a CD and the software will walk you through the set up process.
36 Firmware Upgrades Beware
I've had version 2 of this router for two years now, and it worked almost flawlessly(Could not get it to act as a VPN Server - VPN Client was fine). I recently switched my ISP from DSL to Cable Modem, and the router would start crashing about once a day. After about two hours of research, I determined that the latest version of the firmware at the time(1.45.7) was contributing to the problem. Downgrading the firmware fixed it and I have had no problems since. This thing is a rock, but be careful about upgrading the firmware, as it might cause problems like this. Looks like they've just released a new one for versions 1 and 2...
37 Excellent Router to Share a Cable Modem and Files
I purchased this to make a small home network between my main desktop computer [WIN2000], my second computer [WINME] and my laptop [WINXP]. We have a cable modem, from which we wanted to share the connection on all computers. The setup was immidiate and very simple, just plug and play. The router worked, i went through the router admin page and within no more than 2-3min i was surfing the internet on all computers. The home networking setup, so that all computers can see each other and print on our main printer was a little bit more complicated, but not because of the router, it was hard to make the WIN2000 grant connection and user rights to the WINME machine. I GIVE THIS PRODUCT AAA RATING - EXCELLENT!
38 Transparent for almost 2 years
I've had version 2 of this router for quite a long time, and as the title implies, it was so worry and problem free I'd forget all about it. Two weeks ago I decided to check for new firmware, and attempted to download the newest version from linksys's site. Then the problems started. The WAN port would suddenly cut out, and its DIAG light for that port would stay on solid. Following directions on Linksys's webpage, I re-downloaded the firmware, and it actually got a little better. Now, at least once a day, the WAN port dies, and periodically, while I'm using it, Windows see the network cable as becoming unplugged, then half a second later it goes back to normal. This effectively kills all current connections, including all downloads. Very annoying. I've read online the many problems with version 3 of the router, and reports saying the earlier versions were better. Now I'm thinking I've picked up some firmware bug, and version 3 of this router ships with this same crappy firmware. I even mentioned my router problems at work, simply saying my linksys router is acting up, and a guy i work with goes, "Is it the BEFSR41?, those have lots of problems" Sheese, so bad, its common knowledge.
Judging from what I've seen, alot of them do work just fine, so there seems to be more at play then just a firmware bug, which would affect all units. Either way, save yourself some time and go with a netgear router. I will once I get my wireless laptop from work. I just hope this thing holds out till then.
39 Flawless
I have not had a single problem with this router.
And I have had it for 8 or 9 months.
We run 3 to 4 computers at a time on it.
I have had Pentium 4, 3 gigahertz plus computers
to Celeron 500 mhz computers running through this with not
a single glitch. Overall I highly recommend it.
40 I traded this is a game pad for a bike
I traded this router and a game pad for a bike at college. My new bike's value: ~$150. This router and the game pad (with a few sticky buttons): ~$10. I got one hell of a deal.
Now you might be asking, "Why did he give up his perfectly good router and sticky game pad for a bike?" Well my dear friend, listen to my words. Linksys released a new version of this router, known as Version 3.0. DO NOT BUY THIS ROUTER.
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM
The router would freeze and stay non responsive until I forced a manual reboot on the router. Even the reboot button was recessed into the router so I had to find a paper clip to get it. If you do over 100KBs(doesn't matter if it's through the WAN or LAN), then your router will sporadically freeze. Don't even think about using this with a college/business 10 or 100 mbps ethernet. I did, and as soon as I would go over 100KBs; manual reboot. I left the router on for a couple of hours/mins; manual reboot. I breathed in it's general direction; manual reboot. Get my drift?
TECH SUPPORT? YEA, RIGHT
Updated the bios: No good. Called Linksys support several times, and they gave me the oh so wise advice to lower my MTU settings and put my computer in the DMZ. Of course, that did not work. I even RMAed the router and found the same problem with the new one. If you look on the internet, you'll find a plethora of other uses with the same problems I have mentioned.
A BIT ABOUT VERSION 3 OF THE BEFSR41 ROUTER
Now, if you are still reading this, you probably noticed I mentioned something about this being the 3rd version of this router. My friend has an earlier version, and his works perfectly. The router says right by the serial number & bar code, BEFSR41 Vx.x, where x.x is the version of the router. If it is anything below three then your router will probably be fine.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A ROUTER
I now have a D-Link DI-604. I bought the router online for about 30 dollars. What a deal. This router has a great graphical user interface, amazing options for the price, and best of all, it has never froze on me! I've put a 900+ KBs stable off-campus download through her, and she keeps routing away. The only con is that the WAN port is capped at 10mbs. However, the average home broadband user will never make it near 900KBs anyways. The DI-604 is my suggestion over this lousy router.
41 Working Great
I've had my Linksys BEFSR41 for over a year and have yet to have a problem with it. I run my small business network with it as the primary router and it has performed flawlessly. I also have the Linksys Wireless B WAP stacked on top and connectivity is great, I've had one of my computers with wireless stay connected for months at a time. I would recommend this product to anyone who wants a great router. The only thing I have found lacking in this router is the ability to configure router-to-router vpn. The BEFSR41 V3 dosn't have the vpn server ability but the BEFSR41 V2 does. If you need the router-to-router vpn (which most people don't) buy the V2. For everyone else this router is perfect.
42 Died
Bought this router because it was a known brand and had the included 4-port switch. It worked well for a year and then started to die each day. The connection to all PCs would hang and the router would have to be power-cycled to get back online. I don't know whether the issue was with the router, the switch, or DHCP, but it was been replaced.
Save your money and buy another brand.
43 Slow, sporadic failures
This router really slowed down my whole network. Often time I would lose connection to the internet and would have to reset the modem and reset windows networking connections. It seems to work well for other people, but I'm rather disappointed.
44 Solid and reliable, in my experience
I've had one of these up and running on PacBall DSL for 3 1/2 years now, serving two Macs and two PCs. One Mac is running OS X, one OS 8.6, and the Windows boxes are running XP and 2000. Early on we were having trouble staying connected, but the trouble was conflicting network protocols on a Win 98 box, now retired; once the unnecessary protocols were removed, we stayed connected for weeks/months at a time. Check the company website for firmware updates every once in a while and Bob's your uncle.
My company (a rather large tech-y enterprise) adopted Linksys as the standard hub for areas without enough network ports, as they rarely have any problems with the Cisco backbone hardware. I wouldn't recommend anything else.
45 good while it lasts, but doesn't last long
As others have reported, quality is disappointing. Thought it was a good router at a decent price, until it started breaking down, regularly (shows red diagnostic light).
Linksys website indicates that company knows about the problem, and will replace (only) if within warranty period. Technically within their rights, but seems unethical to me -- they sold a defective product and aren't taking the responsibility for it.
Recommend you avoid this, and be careful about other Linksys products.
46 Pretty good router
THis router works great for the two computers that we need wired for our house. For some reason ive had trouble connecting more than 2 uses to the router though...but the third and fourth arent needed. Good router. Good price.
47 Great design... questionable quality
This router set up very quickly, and I had three computers networked behind it within 30 minutes. I also set it up to route secure shell request from the internet to my one linux machine. All great huh?... 3 days later all the lights on it were blinking (including power) and it was hot to touch. Needless to say, it didn't work at all and couldn't be reset.
I replaced it with another, so I obviously still think it's a good product for the price, but I would not use this product where robustness and reliability are required.
48 Good for home use
The BEFSR41 v3 Cable/DSL Wired Router is an excellente router for home use, it has DHCP capabilities (To assign a pool of IP addresses to your PCs), NAT (To allow the connection of more than 1 PC to the internet using only 1 public IP address), VPN passtrough (so you can connect 1 PC at home to a VPN server at work), it is UPnP aware (capability turned off by default, but you can turn it on and if you use Windows XP you can configure the UPnP Fowarding services within the OS).
It has 4 LAN ports to connect up to 4 devices to it (PC, Hub, Switch, Router....) and 1 WAN port to connect your Cable/DSL Modem to it.
Setup is real fast, assuming your ISP assign a Dynamic address, it includes 1 UTP Cat5 Straight patch cable to connect your Cable/DSL modem to the WAN port, you will need however a UTP Cat5 cable (straight or crossfoward, doesn't matter, it's autosensing) for each PC you want to connect to the LAN port, connect the PCs, turn on your cable/dsl modem, the router and the PC, and Voila!!! ready to surf.
If your ISP assigns Fixed IP address, you will need to know (ask your ISP) at least, Public IP address, Network Mask, Gateway and Primary and Secondary DNS Servers, maybe the domain name suffix and If using a DSL service with PPoE, username and password, don't worry it is easiest than it sounds, the only real difference with the steps for the Dynamic IP is that you need to log in to the router and add the information manually for the 1st time (by the way, don't forget to configure the PC to obtain a Dynamic IP address). Router Web Interface at http://192.168.1.1/ by default, and password "admin" without quotes, and please, be sure to change the password after 1st logon.
My router came with firmware 1.4012, new firmware 1.4017 is avaliable at linksys website, don't upgrade unless you need some of the new capabilities or specific fixes, you are warned.
Any question or comment, see my profile.
49 Does not work well with PPPoE
If you have a DSL modem, I would think twice about getting this router. It works fine for intranet communications, but it is constantly dropping the connection with the DSL modem. Often when it does try to reconnect, it will say the LCP Negotiation has failed (whatever that means), and there is not sufficient documentation that explains why this problem occurs. After all, if you are buying this router, you should always have your connection on, and not have to worry about the LCP Negotiation. It doesn't "just work," something I supposed I have gotten to used to using Macs.
50 simple setup, works great
I've had this Linksys router for over 2 years, and it has been quite solid and reliable.
Setup is a breeze - configure through a web browser. Just enter your PPPoE account info and go. Built-in DHCP server makes home networking easy.
VPN works, though you may need to open some ports for gaming, such as Warcraft III. The only minus is file transfer doesn't work with ICQ, but I think that applies to all routers/firewalls.
51 Horrible Technology
This router is horrible. I'm using it with a cable modem but it can't even handle a substantial amount of traffic without dropping packets.
52 Solid
I've had this router for more than two years, and I have never had any problems. It works exactly as advertised, with no fuss, and at the prices they're selling for these days, what more can you want? My experience with this router made me a big Linksys fan (I've subsequently bought 3 other Linksys devices are all have been equally dependable.)
53 It runs and runs and runs.
I've had one of these routers running on my network continuously since June, 2000.
It'll run just fine out of the box, and it's easy to configure through its web interface. You can easily block net requests, or pass any given protocol on to whichever computer or server you choose. Linksys has kept updating the product through the years to extend its features and offer better security.
Based on experiences with other brands at my clients' offices, the Linksys box is the most stable of all the routers in this price range (including Belden, DLink, and others). I've been recommending the Linksys wired and wireless routers to my clients, and have never seen a problem with them.
What could be improved? Well, it'd be nice to have better logging and reporting for incoming network requests; the current implementation is not very helpful. But for the money, this is one product that's just hard to beat.
After almost four years of flawless performance, my BEFSR has started becoming a bit flakey and needs a weekly reset. It's about to be replaced with a new BEFSR.
54 Top pick for a wired router
I am currently using the Linksys BEFSX41, and it works effortlessly. It too is a hardware firewall based router. Two events happened that made me buy another router. 1) I needed more connections beyond the four. 2) I wanted to have audio capabilities with MSN Messenger. (A free service that gives you free audio with anyone you connect with via messenger, so you have a free long distance method.)
What does all of this have to do with the BEFSR41? Simply this, I was having trouble getting the audio portion of Messenger to work on my network. A top tech site stated that if their isn't a multimedia option to allow in your router, then get the BEFSR41, which is what this review is all about. It has the multimedia option, while still having the hardware firewall.
Additionally if you go to the Linksys.com site, you will see it is still their most popular selling router, next to one wireless model. With the current running rebate, it is also a steal. It's a buy even without the rebate, whereas I had paid half again as much money for my current unit.
These Linksys routers hook up without a glitch. Getting a good connect speed with Verizon took a lot more effort. Not because of Verizon, but because I had some hum in my lines at home. Check your lines at home by picking up a phone, preferably one with a volume knob on it. Turn it all the way up, and press any number on the keypad. 5 for example. Then listen real hard. It should be dead quiet. If it is not, then that is wreaking havoc on your connect speed. Noisy lines are caused by running phone lines near power lines. One noisy run, will ruin the whole house. Getting off on a tangent here.
I have had my Linksys router for over 6 months, it just sits there with the lights lit. It never stalls, never fails, and does a very nice job. I also like having the house set up on a network.
All of my tech professional friends say, "For professional business applications, get a hardwired version of a router, because WIFI is too easily penetrable. I must admit I set up a WIFI system for a friend of mine, with a Linksys router, and XP as his operating system, and nothing could be easier.
Highly recommended. This Linksys router is the top pick for a wired router.
55 Nothing but trouble
We get intermittent, frequent disconnects when using the router. I've tried updating the firmware and switching all the cables - no joy. Do not buy this router.
56 Works just fine.
After two years of continuous use I have had only one problem
with this product: I neglected to increase the number of DHCP
clients to the number of computers I was using. The router was
set to 3 and I had 4 computers, so one of them was always
failing to connect. I simply connected to the router using a
browser and IP address 192.168.1.1 and increased the number of
DHCP clients. I have had no trouble at all after that.
57 Horrible!!
This router is known to have frequent issues with continous disconnects from the 100mb port connections. Do not buy it! You will only be wasting your money and giving yourself a headache. ...
I have this router. I disconnects and reconnects continously. I have tried every troubleshooting step to resolve and none have worked. It occurs at 10Mb/full 100mb/full, auto neg on, auto neg off, It is a piece of ...!!
58 Terrible
Lots of problems, even with windows XP. some of the lines on the router work but some don't. So you cant get internet access on each line off the router. Not worth your money. Netgear i heard is better. I despise of this product. I know lots about computers and this doesn't work well:(
59 No Problems
My linksys router has been running 24/7 for nearly 2 years with no problems whatsoever. Setup and configuration are simple. Great product.
60 Cheap Junk
Out of the box I noticed it was missing over 1/2 the led indicators as the one pictured on amazon's site. They have cut them down to a power led, a led for each of the 4 ports and one for internet connectivity. All of them do nothing other than tell you if your cable is connected and the device is powered. The thing locks up every time there is more that one computer using high bandwith.
The reset switch ( you'll be using this every 5 minutes) is in the back in a little hole. It is a pain to get to when you have a nice tight install with all the cabling. Easy to set up, so what! Every thing is easy to set up these days. Lousy support from Linksys. I will be returning this paperweight and buying an Asante or NetGear.
61 Great Router, Simple, Easy set-up, nice styling, PLUS CISCO!
I bought my BEFSR41 a LONG time ago (and not on Amazon - sorry! I don't think Amazon was even really selling Linksys then!) And my router still works okey dokey.
The router is really quite easy to set up. You plug it into whatever your WAN connection is and whammo you're up.
The web administration tool is quite easy to use. If you are unfamiliar with all of this stuff - the help files at linksys.com are quite easy to use. I highly recommend you upgrade the firmware for the latest protections...
Two things, however, I think everyone should know:
a) You absolutely HAVE to change the password for the admin. The linksys passwords are well documented and known (for the default ones). If you don't change the password, you're as good as exposed.
b) You absolutely HAVE to still run a firewall. While the NAT and the security settings are quite robust, Cisco has not yet built a decent firewall into this router. It is not a big issue, as there are many programs that are good (Zone Alarm, Norton's, etc.) but Linksys' firewall is easily hacked by a skilled hacker. That means they will get inside your network or at least "flip the router" and make it unusable. It would be nice if Cisco built a better firewall on the new models...
Otherwise, for the money and the ease of set-up, this is a great router... and it lasts (evidenced by my 2.5 year old router!)
Good luck.
62 Linksys Saved My Sanity
For months my cable connection was going down several times a day with monotonous regularity and I was on the phone with my cable company more than I was online. As a last resort, I decided to replace my (non Linksys) router with this one and I couldn't be more pleased. From the moment that I installed it--which was a snap--it has functioned flawlessly and seamlessly. I just wonder why I waited so long.
63 It doesn't get any simpler than this.
I have had this gadget sitting under my desk for several weeks now, just waiting for Christmas so that I could give my wife her present: a new 17-inch flat-screen iMac, so that she would have her own toy with which to get on the Internet. Since I was already on-line, with my Apple Titanium G4 PowerBook by way of cable modem, we obviously needed a "solution" for our home-office local area network so that she could do the same.
Before I actually hooked everything up, I was slightly apprehensive. The outer-box graphics for this Linksys Model BESFR41 Cable/DSL Router didn't say anything about Macintosh compatibility. And, when I unpacked it, there was this 20-page foldout full of instructions on how to install the router for Windoze PC users, with three (!) separate sets of instructions for different Windoze OS's and five (!!) pages of help for these poor souls, should anything go wrong or simply not work. And not a word about Macintosh hook-up! I even inserted the CD-ROM in my PowerBook, only to find not a single Macintosh file!
Well, apprehension be danged! I powered down my PowerBook and cable modem, followed the simple cabling instructions, and then simply powered everything back up (including the new iMac for its first time). Immediately, my PowerBook was back on-line with no perceptible loss of speed.
More to the point, my wife's new iMac required not a bit of configuration. I simply launched both of her browsers (Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari), and there she was, on the 'net without a single configuration step required by me; everything was configured automatically. Now, THAT'S the way operating systems SHOULD work!
With both Macs on-line and surfing, neither of us could detect any loss of speed. I suppose this is attributable to, as the product description says, "...the full-duplex speed of its built-in EtherFast 10/100 four-port switch." A very impressive device indeed! And, while it's a shame that not a mention of Apple is made anywhere in the printed material or on the CD-ROM, this oversight is of little consequence to Macintosh users who - like me - EXPECT that things will work properly, first time out.
Two side benefits: (1.) Software firewall protection now seems unnecessary. Since installing the router, I've checked my Norton Personal Firewall access history, and have noted that not a single access attempt has gotten past the router. (2.) The size of the router perfectly solves another problem for me. With the same physical height as my external Syquest FireWire drive that sits on the opposite side of my PowerBook, I now have matching "stands" on which to put my new Cambridge MegaWorks 210D self-powered speakers.
Now, if you'll pardon me, I'll go review the 17-inch flat-screen iMac and the Cambridge MegaWorks self-powered speakers. My wife and I really spoiled each other this year. :-)
Windoze users have my sympathy. And the very first Windoze user who e-mails me can have the CD-ROM. AND the 20-page fold-out full of silly instructions. Totally free. I'll even pay the postage. You can never tell when you might need these two items.
Bob Zeidler
64 Works just fine with Macintosh
Thanks to the other Mac owners for their reviews. I would have given five stars except for the usual bs of not even mentioning Apple or Linux setup. I was up and running in five minutes without it - but it would be nice to at least mention us.
There is no info provided specific to Mac setup - but it was not too difficult to figure out. Like most products that hook up to the Mac you can toss the cd! No ugly wintel "compatible" software is needed! Here are a few tips for those with a static IP using OSX (my config is via wireless antenna with a static ip):
1. Hook up your mac to the befsr41 without your cable modem or other outside world connections.
2. Open System Prefs>Network Prefs>Built In Ethernet, and click the TCP/IP tab.
3. Select DHCP (the befsr41 will be your dhcp!).
4. Connect to the befsr41 using the IP in your Safari browser window (http://www.192.168.1.1)
5. Set the following in the router configuration window:
a. Select static ip and type in your ip address (the one you were using on your Mac)
b. Subnet mask as provided by your isp
c. Default gateway (this is probably the old router ip address provided by your isp)
d. DNS primary and secondary
e. Local DHCP ENABLED
f. Local ip (default should be fine)
g. Mask (default should be fine)
h. Set the number of dhcp clients to the max number of computers you expect to use
i. Other defaults should be fine
6. Plug in your cable modem or "wireless" connection
Should be good to go - check that you have your firewall enabled on your Mac! Find this in:System Prefs>Sharing>Firewall.
Enjoy!
65 it's cheap for a reason
Bought this router on a recommendation from a friend. That was a mistake. It works, mostly. It was certainly easy to set up, but I had to reboot the connection every 10 minutes or so.
It's a good router for minor usage, but for two college kids who have to be online a good deal of the time, it's almost more trouble than it's worth. If you just want to be online for short periods of time, then this is a good router for you. But for anyone else, spend that bit more money on something more reliable.
66 It's good when it works !!!
Good product, responsive customer service representatives, but this router needs resetting almost every day. It just stops working without evident reason. I upgraded the firmware with the latest version without results. The problem might be somwhere else but it is not- to my best knowledge, and the employees from Linksys could not give me a satisfactory anser to that problem after several calls of mine either. Maybe it will work better with a different setup but is this normal? Maybe it needs a newer firmware? I Don't recommend this product anyway.
67 Pain in the ***
Wonder why this is so cheap? Well...I guess this may work out fine for anyone who uses the internet for no more than 15 minutes at a time or they don't mind unhooking all connections and bebooting every few minutes. Every once in awhile you may get lucky and stay connected for an hour. Do yourself a favor and pay a little more for something that works. I wound up buying a SMC Barricade and no more problems. The Linksus really deserves a -five stars.
68 Easy to Setup
Very easy setup connecting an iMac G4 and Powermac G4, each running OS 10.2.8, an iMac G3 running OS 9.1, and an IBM laptop running Windows 2000. Simple launch of web browser on each machine with one setting to the router and everything worked great, basically on first try. Sharing my cable modem connection could not be easier.
69 Months of Headaches gone in a single purchase...
I am a Cox customer and I currently have several computers. Previously I paid for 2 additional IP addresses (for an additional $6.00 a month per IP) and connected directly to the internet via hub. If you haven't ever had a setup like this let me tell you its more headache than its worth. First of all you are constantly losing connection to the internet on one or another computer. When this happens you have to turn all computers off ant unplug/reset the modem. If that doesn't work then it's a 45 min phone troubleshooting session with Cox. This system is a hassle and it's not worth it. On advice from the tech. at Cox one day I bought a router. I chose the Linksys befsr41 because it has universal plug and play (UPnP) and that means messenger voice and video conversations etc. work after a simple firmware upgrade available on the Linksys website. As soon as I finished the setup (15 min max) all computers connected to the internet without trouble and are browsing/conversing without snag. Had I known before that this was available I could have saved a lot of headaches and lowered my Cox bill $12 a month. Thanks Linksys! Two thumbs up!
70 Reliability problems
Setup easy, performance fine, but died in a few months. Same problem with BEFCMU10 Cable Modem. This seems more than just coincidence; previously used Linksys and they were good products. Now they are substandard from reliability standpoint. Am replacing all network products with Netgear; will not buy any further Linksys products.
71 otherwise problem free but emits a strange noise
the setup was essentially plug and play. i never had to use the included CD-Rom and i now share my cable connection between two PCs ( both running win XP ).
but this unit emits a high frequency whine, i dont know which components in it cause this, but its quite loud. sounds more or less as a 7200 rpm hard drive when it spins idle.
if you are trying to make a quiet pc ( to use for music playback for example ) you might be VERY disappointed. otherwise the unit is problem free.
72 Excellent but not as easy as they say
I had it open and up and running and all my computers going on my 100MB DSL speed and was so happy. Okay, it is easy to set up, BUT...then came the problem. I run several MSN groups and suddenly I could not post messages! Okay, I concede maybe not everyone expects to post at MSN groups, but.....
Then WHOA NELLY - I went to Microsoft Windows Update Window and I could not access it. It could not scan my computer. Now wait a bloody minute!!!!!!! Not being able to post in the MSN Groups is one thing, NOT being able to update your computer with Microsoft patches is Suicide! I mean nearly EVERYONE needs to access Microsoft update window to keep their computer safe from all the wholes in XP!!! THis is BAD OVERSITE.
So I emailed them. I got a quick response that I had to go and set up port forwarding yadayada....EXCUSE ME...suddenly the easy set up was NO SO EASY as promised.
Yes, it is very good, yes it gives four computers 100MB speed at one and I am so thrilled. However, this BIG OVERSITE of not being able to access Microsoft is ridiculous. Yes, it can been fixed by changing the ports for forward microsoft traffic - but the point is WHY SHOULD THEY???? One of the most basic things we need to access Windows Update and you cannot unless you make changes.
Those changes SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE before the first one of this was shipping.
Shame on them for making customers work, shame on them for not being as easy as they promised, and shame on them for ignoring nearly everyone will have to go through this and NOT GIVE any warning!!
Four Stars for the product, four stars for their promt response - ONE STAR for their stupid plans on not including something every computer would need to access. If your computers are newer you will likely want to go wireless instead.
73 Awesome Product. Great Price!
Awesome Product at a Great Price! You can't go wrong buying this from Amazon.com. They have the rebate plus the low price deal. Just try to find this cheaper anywhere else.
Thanks Amazon.com!!!
Joey
74 Great little firewall/router/hub
The Linksys BEFSR41 firewall/router/hub is perfect for a home office. Like most Linksys products, the documentation is poor, but setup is painless. Configuration is done over a web interface and is reasonably simple.
Since it has a DHCP server, it makes setting up Windows and Linux machines painless. The DMZ feature allows you to expose a computer to the internet, which is good if you want to setup a game server. Additionally, it supports selective port forwarding if you want to setup your own ftp, mail, or web server(s).
In over a year I haven't had any trouble with it. Recommended.
NOTE: UPGRADE THE FIRMWARE. There are several known security flaws in the previous versions of the firmware. The most notable will allow an attacker to use the firewall to launch a DoS attack against a remote host. Flashing the firmware is easy; the software is available on the Linksys website.
75 Needs Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall Capabilities
This would be the perfect router if it included SPI Firewall capabilities, but it does serve its purpose. I have mine connected to a Motorola SB4220 SURFboard cable modem with Cox as my ISP. The combination of the 2 allows me up to 3Mbps downloads, which is FLYING! Setup was pretty easy, just follow the instructions, and your surfing the Internet. The Network Address Translator (NAT) is pretty cool, but you need to do some additional tweaking for a more secure connection. I went to DSLreports.com to have my IP address probed. It told me that UDP ports 67-68, and UDP ports 134-139 were open and that it could be a possible threat. So I logged on as the Administrator and filtered UDP ports 67-68 and 137-139, had my IP address re-probed and passed the port scan report with flying colors. Basically it said that my IP address did not show any threats for my default TCP and UDP ports. I also have the Internet Connection Firewall enabled in Windows XP and have Zone Alarm installed on my computer. So I feel pretty secure surfing the Internet, but I also realize if a really good hacker really wants to get into my system, he or she will.
Overall, this is a great little router! I will however, upgrade to a firewall router with Stateful Packet Inspection capabilities in the future. Not quite 5 stars, but close!
76 Irritating high-pitched noise
I used to have my computer set up as the internet server for the house, which meant that I had to keep it on overnight, and the noise made it harder to sleep. I thought this router would solve that problem. However, the router produces an irritating high-pitched noise which while quieter than my computer, is still perfectly audible and much more irritating.
The installation is easy but could have been much easier.
77 Great all round experience!
Being new to DSL I needed to get up to speed about it. Seeing that being behind a router is the best way to go I had to decide which one to go with.I purchased the Linksys BEFSR41(V3) from Amazon and have not regretted it one bit.With the Linksys rebate and free shipping it came to $39.94.I ordered on Tues. and received it on Fri.I had it up and running in minutes and it hasn't missed a beat since. I looked on EBay but with shipping it was more expensive then to just get a new one.I don't know about longevity of this unit that will remain to be seen. So far so good.
78 Crap product & I can't return it
Buyer beware - Amazon will not take back ANY merchandise over 30 days old. My Linksys router is now 3 months old and I need to reset it almost every day. This a major pain in the butt - almost as bad having to buy another $60 router - I guess you'll have have to decide which is worse.
79 Linksys Not the Way to Go
I bought this router just a little over a year ago today even after reading all of the negative reviews. Now I wish I hadnt. The router has died, no lights or anything, and so I'm stuck with a hunk of junk. It only had a 90 day warranty so that doesnt help. Buy a router with a lifetime warranty, trust me on this one, you need a lifetime warranty.
80 Did not work
This router would not work with a Dell notebook and a Dell Desktop. It was more difficult to configure than it should have been, and I could never contact technical support. The router pictured is not the one that arrived. I finally purchased a Belkin router that had a configuration wizard on CD that was a snap to use and the unit has worked perfectly. I would think twice before buying this device.
81 V3 is horrible - get the V1
I have a v1 BEFSR41 router and it's lightyears ahead of this "new" v3 revision router that Amazon is currently selling.
The V3 just shows that Linksys is now part of Cisco, remove a bunch of LEDs to cut costs, and is incompatible with Dell laptops.
My Dell Inspiron 8100 w/ two different NICs failed to send transfer packets larger than 10kbits to another PC, it also failed the Sisoft Sandra Network Bandwidth Benchmark because it couldn't send large transfer packets to other PCs on my network. I ran this through with Linksys Tech and they don't know why the router doesn't like my Dell laptop. It works fine with my desktop PCs but the laptop can't send or receive packets larger than 10kb.
The overall quality of the v3 router pales in comparison to the v1. They just cut costs everywhere and its noticeable.
82 Linksys dosen't honor rebates
On two seperate occasions i have bought and payed for lynsys products and have been cheated both times of my rebate check. these guys are lying cheating scammers don't buy their products.
83 WARNING -- Not for Class A or B
WARNING -- Version three of this router (the newest, currently shipping/on the shelf version with firmware 1.04.8) will not accept static or DHCP IP addresses that are Class A or Class B. It is arrogant and willfully lazy of Linksys to ship this router with this kind of problem. As of this writing (9-10-03) there is no firmware upgrade fix available. Only the original firmware version from 6-20-03 is available, and you CAN NOT use the firmware for the previous versions of this model with the version 3 model. I hope this saves you hours on tech support with temps being paid to lead you through a diagnostic tree with no actual knowledge of the device.
84 easy as it could get
Theres not much to say. 3 months ago I plugged my cable modem into the "WAN" port on the router, connected 4 computers to the router, and thats it. We've all had perfect internet connection without having to do anything to the router since. Very good value
85 Excellent
Cheap (with rebates). Set up was EASY, straightforward, and took less than 10 minutes! This router works like a charm. No more fighting with my girlfriend over who gets to use the Internet!
86 take it from a computer engineer - buy something else
I've worked with all manor of computer hardware and software, from a lowly palmIII right on up to $15 million SGI supercomputer clusters, and i have consistently had more problems with linksys hardware than that of any other vendor. I've gotten cases of LNE100TX network cards from them and had more than half be nonfunctional right out of the box (they would light up and act like they were working, but that's it). I bought a different model router from them and had to RMA it 3 times because just putting in the config info to get it working with my DSL modem kept causing it to lock itself up (to the point even a hard reset back to factory defaults would fail). Finally I got them to switch that model router with this one and it doesn't have that problem but it does lock itself up usually a couple times a day and i have to unplug and re-plug it in to get internet working. For more advanced installations I'd also advise wiring it up to a single computer and not the rest of the network, and configuring all settings before connecting it to the rest of the network. I do this because very often otherwise it'll lockup when trying to apply the correct (new) network settings, forcing you to do a reset upon which none of the new settings are in place. (Catch 22) Take it from me, even if it's a little more, it's worth it to buy a netgear (you'll probably have good luck with microsoft and 3com ones too). The only reason i give this product even 2 stars is that I need a lower number for some of their other products. You can make up your own mind, and for many simple installations this router is adequate, but consider yourself warned.
87 Intuitive Administration, Great Performance
Best Bang for the Buck Router.
I bought one in 2001 and was hooked - I bought another one for another LAN I'm setting up and its even better w/ a brand new menu interface and still possesses the same great Linksys quality at the usual low price.
STRONG BUY
88 Don't even think of buying this.
Take my word. I bought this router when it first came out back in 1999 or whenever. It worked great for about 1.5 years, but from then on, it has been nothing but a freaking headache!!! If you buy this router, you ***will*** have problems. My router hasn't "died" but, there is something seriously wrong with the router which causes mine and a whole lot of other people's to crash constantly. It's not uncommon for mine to crash up to 7 times a day, especially during heavy downloading. And nope, the new firmwares Linksys keeps releasing hasn't done a damn thing. I think it's a hardware issue. Needless to say, I bought a Netgear and it works perfectly.
Just look up the words Linksys befsr41 crash in google and you will see what I'm talking about. It's your money!
89 Good while it lasts
I've had the Linksys for about 14 months for the home office network (cable modem, two computers). Over that time I've had a few performance problems. But I always assumed it was our service provider. Half the time when I'd call, they claimed there was nothing wrong on their end (I never believed them). Recently problems began increasing rapidly. I started looking at the Linksys and it turns out that it was going bad...fast. A web chat with Linksys tech support took 21 minutes with no reply to my questions beyond a 'Hello, how can I help you'. So now I have a D-link and everything is humming along just fine. If you're having intermittant connection problems, don't forget to test the router, especially if it's a Linksys!
90 I can't believe it has such a high rating.
Essh. Don't buy this router. I'm pretty sure it has such a high rating because people don't give it enough time. A friend recommended this router to me Sept 02. The first router I received had loads of white noise. Living in NYC means cramped apartments, and my computer(s) are in my bedroom. Was impossible to sleep w/ it plugged in. So, I complained and got a second shipped (as my friend's had no audible noise). Same white noise.
I was fed up but needed a router so, hoping for the best, just lived w/ it and unplugged the router every night. Lately though, after having the router for less than a year, my cable (RR) connection started dropping. Bypass the router, everything's fine, connect the router, connection drops. This morning, plug in the router and nada. It's dead, no pwr lights. For what it's worth, my friend's router also died two weeks ago.
I'd seriously stay away from this manufacturer.
91 A very router good for the price.
I purchased Linksys's BEFW11S4 (wireless) router last year and it died on me last month. I was relieved...because it gave me the opportunity to purchase the new and improved BEFSR41 unit from Circuit City. This is version 3 of Linksys's now famous networking iron and it cost $... with tax.
Setup was very simple: just insert the enclosed CD and follow the instructions. I was up and running in about forty minutes (encountered some problems with the installed Verizon Online DSL software; I resolved them successfully). The major difference with this unit is the 10/100Mbps WAN port for a DSL or cable modem; older versions featured a 10-baseT port. Cisco's name and logo are also displayed on the box and face of the router (they purchased Linksys back in May).
Anyone looking for a solid, inexpensive router should look at the Linksys BEFSR41. It's easy to setup and backed by a company with years of experience.
92 2 Years and running
I had this router/switch at my house for over 2 years running without a problem. I was amazed at the performance.
Based on my experience with this product, I would highly recommend a Linksys. My internet access relies on it and it had came through all the time. I also like the firewall feature.
For the price and quality, it is a 5 stars no doubt.
Best regards
J @ Sadoun Satellite Sales
93 Lasted less than two years
This unit lasted 19 months. I purchased it in November 2001 (from Amazon). Last year, two of its Ethernet ports stopped working and in July 2003 the other two ports stopped working as well.
Otherwise, was simple to configure and did its job while it worked.
94 EASY TO SETUP.
Just connect the router (CABLE MODEM /DSL), the computers and you're ready to surf !!!!!!!!!!!! ITs really easy to set up......
It just take 5 or 6 minutes to make any changes in the configuration in case that your ISP requires them...
It can work also as DHCP, that's a great point if youu're not an advanced user.
Beleiveme, its a good deal !
95 This thing has issues !
Yes it's simple to setup, but so are all routers these days, that is not the problem. I bought this for my office and it needs to be reset daily, if not more. It will randomly stop working until it's reset, we originally thought it was our ISP, but after many frustrating hours we dicovered that simply resetting this router fixed our problem, everytime. Why? no clue. noone has a clue. Buy a D-Link they are reliable!
96 Poor Customer Service/Bad product
It was easly to get the router up and running with the Router Setup Wizard. I could not get two networked computer to share files or printers. Linksys would not help in setting up file sharing. In fact, one female customer rep hung up on me during the telephone conversation. Linksys said as long as the computers were sharing the internet that is all they could help me with PERIOD. I have never had such poor customer support from anyone like Linksys.
Now the router has failed and planning on returning the router.
97 Great Linksys product as always!
This router was the first router I used to network two computers. Works great, and the added ability to update its firmware is great for it to catch up with expanding technology. Since it is only for wired networking, I bought the wireless Linksys router several months later. However, I still use the BEFSR41 wired router for LAN parties. It's so easy to setup it's practically idiot-free. You plug in your cables and you're good to go. Make sure you got enough CAT5 cables though.
Even though this router is very simple to set up and use, its features are so many that it could make any IT techy happy. I've had this router for about a year now, and I've never ever had any problems with it. Great job Linksys!
98 Very easy...very affordable... does the job
Took me just a few minutes to get my network going. The router would have worked out of the box except that I had to go into the router settings and set up the router to clone my network card's (nic) MAC address. Apparently, my ISP validates the MAC address of the NIC on my side (cable modem provider... dynamic IP address).
I had NEVER set up a home network. I was a bit skeptical thinking I was going to have to spend a lot of time setting everything up. It was a SNAP!!
I highly recommend this router.
99 Works fine for me...
I have used my Linksys BEFSR41 for over three years at this point and experienced no problems that are attributable to the unit. Through this time I have had to get the phone company to to clean up their lines and replace the DSL modem, and have had to argue with my ISP about the settings on their end. But, in all cases, the firewall/router was not the problem and even helped diagnose the real issue by presenting information that gave another view on the difficulty.
My installation is a "middle of the road" type. Not a typical simple installation, as described in the setup instructions, but not using all of the advanced features of the box either. The machines behind the firewall are either Windows or LINUX boxes with usually at least two of them on line. The load on the unit is bursty but we keep it busy quite a bit of the time.
Overall, I am quite happy with the performance, features, throughput, and longevity of the Linksys product. I have tried a couple of others and found that the Linksys works as well as the others in its class and the feature set meets my needs better than the others. The fact that I don't have to spend time monitoring, fixing, or adjusting the device for months at a stretch keeps my overhead and total cost of ownership very low. My only regret is that I needed a firewall at a time when the cost of this unit was over [$]. Current prices are much more attractive.
Maintenance/environment issues that I believe are important with this device:
Use a good quality surge supressor to protect the device. Same for all of your valuable electronics, of course.
Keep up with firmware releases.
Blow the dust out of the unit so that it continues to run cool.
What I don't like, or "why I won't give it 5 stars":
Linksys technical support is hard to contact and tends to be of little help once you reach a real person.
The documentation on the more exotic features is poor. It appears to be designers/implementors notes and not at all suited for the end user. Needs a real writer to fill in and clean up before release.
100 great product, works well.
all around no hassle product.
haven't reset once in 2 years.
