If you've wanted to connect your computers together to share files, printers, games, multimedia, video conferencing, the Internet, or e-mail, the Fast Ethernet 10/100 Network in a Box from Linksys comes with everything you need to do all of that and more. Build a blazing 10/100 Mbps Dual-Speed network in just minutes.
The kit includes two EtherFast 10/100 LAN Cards, an autosensing dual-speed EtherFast 5-Port 10BaseT/100BaseTX hub, two 15-foot network cables, and software drivers for most popular network operating systems. It's a complete professional-grade networking kit that's perfect for home, small office, or enterprise departmental use.
1 Good Choice For ICS
This review is for the HPN200SK Home PhoneLine 10/100 Network-in-the-Box
For me, a wireless/wired router will not work. The computer that needs to share the connection is in a room too far away for reliable wireless, and I do not want to string cat5 cables across my house.
The 10/100 Network-in-the-Box worked just great for me. ICS is not all that bad as some claim it to be. It allows me to share printers, drives etc. between the two computers.
By the way, I got this setup with the following:
Windows XP Home SP2 Dell PC (3.0Ghz, 1024MB RAM)
Windows XP Home SP1 Dell PC (500Mhz, 384MB RAM)
Linksys HPN200SK Kit
I am on Verizon DSL (DHCP) in northeast Texas using a Westell 2100 DSL modem.
2 It worked great for a while
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.
3 Network In A Box works right out of the box
Three years ago, you couldn't get a single 100 Mbit/second network card for the price of this neat little network in a box. It comes with two PCI 100 Mbit network cards, a five port hub, software and even the cat-5 cables!
At first I was skeptical. But the whole thing worked right out of the box. I installed the cards, plugged everything in and turned everything on. Windows 98 found the hardware and installed the drivers.
The instructions were fairly clear and everything was easy to set up. In 20 minutes, I was up and running on my own private 100 Mbit network.
I like this product very much. If you've been looking for a way to share data, printers, etc... on all your home (or even small office) PCs, I think you will like it too.
4 THIS IS THE WRONG PRODUCT FOR SHARING A CABLE MODEM!!
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!
5 Linksys FENSK05 EtherFast Ethernet 10/100 Network in a Box
Quick, easy. I agree with the previous review regarding the drivers. You kinda search around for the file location, but after that & a reboot, away we went. We're not doing anything fancy with it. Sharing a dial-up connection for Pete's sake, but it works great! I'd recommend this to anyone for their first network.
6 First Home Network/Great for sharing cable modem
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.
7 Network Novice
The Linksys FENSK05 Network In a Box works perfectly! Network card installed easily, hub is simple and efficient. The one shortcoming is in the documentation. For instance, to manually add network components, the documentation refers to page 54. However, the procedure is actually found on page 59. Very clear once you find them! Also, driver installation instructions appear outdated. Install searches for A:\LNE100TX. However, the disk contains folders for Win95,98,2000. Only Win95 installs LNE100TX. Beginners might panic, but savy users should be able to work around the less-than-perfect documentation.
8 Network Novice
The Linksys FENSK05 Network In a Box works perfectly! Network card installed easily, hub is simple and efficient. The one shortcoming is in the documentation. For instance, to manually add network components, the documentation refers to page 54. However, the procedure is actually found on page 59. Very clear once you find them! Also, driver installation instructions appear outdated. Install searches for A:\LNE100TX. However, the disk contains folders for Win95,98,2000. Only Win95 installs LNE100TX. Beginners might panic, but savy users should be able to work around the less-than-perfect documentation.
9 Excellent Kit, Works Great for Sharing Cable/DSL Connection
Everything worked well, the first time around. Performance of Network is excellent, particularly for sharing cable modem connection to the Internet. Instructions were good, except they could have been more helpful in setting up Internet Connection Sharing. Nevertheless, an excellent product, particularly for the price.
10 NOT for cable modem sharing
The network works fine, but if you're interested in a home LAN for sharing cable modem access, this is not the way to go. It's technically possible to do this, but requires additional software and lots of headaches.
11 Great Kit
This is a good kit for starting a LAN. The hub has five normal ports and an uplink port for connecting to hub or switch. The included manual is clear and to the point. The NICs function flawlessly. Not much is said in the manual about setup for Linux or other OSs, but I assume it's not that much of a problem. I've played games and transfered huge numbers of files many times without any problems. Make sure you have all the required protocols installed when setting it up, and reboot frequently to check your settings. This is a great kit and has a good price.
12 An Awesome kit for the price, and ease of use!
I bought this kit to connect my computers. I did research (of course) before choosing this kit... all signs seemed to point towards this one, so you can see why it was pretty easy to pick the right one for me.
When I got it, i opened it up, and was surprised to see the detailed manuals for easy installation. Wow... it couldn't have been easier. Installation went perfectly. Put the NICs in each Computer's PCI slot, and booted up. Drivers went in perfectly.
I'm now using my home LAN for small LAN parties, and for cable access among each computer. Its more than enough for what any home user would need. I would say that you could even get away w/ using it in a small office.
Oh, and if you plan on upgrading to win2k later on, rest assured... Linksys has beta-drivers for their etherfast 10/100 cards, and i've tried them out. They work, perfectly, haven't had a prob. But hey.. they're beta for a reason eh?
13 Linksys Ethernet Review
I have used the LinkSys Ethernet product to hook up two of my W98 computers. I have been very pleased with ease of setup and use. So far I have had no issues with Linksys products or services.
