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The router's Smart Wizard connects to your ISP quickly; the easy-to-use Web-based configuration screen and install assistant reduce setup time. Remote administration capability makes connecting to multiple sites a breeze.
Make a VPN connection to other FVS318 routers or through client software. Support for DHCP (client and server) as well as Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) allows for easy, widespread deployment. The router initiates up to eight IPSec VPN tunnels simultaneously, allowing for secured connections to branch offices and an on-the-go mobile workforce.
I see that there are a mix of reviews, so I'll try to put my angle in perspective.
I am an advanced home user in the respect that I am pretty knowledgeable about basic networking and have a basic lab at home with three PCs.
Anyway, my needs are strictly limited to (1) providing the most security for my PCs and (2) allowing the networked PCs to see each other when needed.
The FVS318 is one of the few Netgear products that passes the GRC.COM and symantec.com security scans. No ports open and no responses - total stealth according to those scans. That is important because I have a cable connection and leave my machines running 24x7.
The router has been very stable. I don't think I've ever had to reboot it in the past year.
Most of the newer Netgear products are very poor but this one is still great.
Netgear technical support (located in India) was ineffectual. Both support technicians were clueless regarding Web Services, HTTP Headers, and DNS. After 45 minutes I was told the firmware on my recently purchased FVS 318 router was two versions behind the latest 2.4 version. Neither support technician could confirm a firmware upgrade would resolve bugs regarding reconfiguration changes to HTTP port forwarding.
Fortunately, once FVS 318 was operating the latest 2.4 version firmware, HTTP port forwarding could easily be modified.
I have lost faith in Netgear. Netgear appears to sell products which are not fully quality tested. Given my difficulty with port forwarding, I can only imagine the bugs awaiting my implementation of VPN and/or Network Printing.
I choose to spend my money on a Cisco SOHO 90 series router.
In the future I will give greater credence ti other customer reviews. (reviews not written by Netgear representatives)
I guess you could say: "You get what you pay for...maybe not even that".
The requirement that this appliance should satisfy but does NOT is the following:
Network setup:
Site 1: Home office example: simple local setup 1 flat Ethernet segment, access to internet.
Site 2: Enterprise main office: Multiple subnets which is a very common setup, access to the internet.
Problem:
The Problem with the FVS318 (likely in all safenet products ) is that any users on Site1 of the vpn are not able to reach any reachable IP addresses not directly connected to the (site 2) enterprise FVS318. If there are any subnets beyond that the packets are denied transport by the FVS318 (on both sides).
Technically there is no reason for this restriction; I can only hope it was the suggestion of a clueless sales droid to sell more hardware.
I was unable to locate publicly any available documentation that explains the critical restriction.
The reason I know this is that NetGear support stated that I should've known this before purchase. When I responded with: "There is no publicly available info on this restriction", he attempted to find it in the public domain and NetGear's site, but admitted it wasn't available.
To add to this insult, Netgear's Level 2 support suggested that I call their premium support (pay support) that they may have a work around.
The disappointing experience I had with NetGear support I suspect is not uncommon.
At this point I'll declare success if I can return the netgear equipment and get my $$ back. However Netgear support will not even admit that this issue is a reason to return the equipment for a refund.
I have other complaints about the box from a reporting perspective and limited port forward sessions (limited to 16) , along with not being able to re-map an incoming port to a separate private port but these complaints pale in comparison to the obvious technical oversight explained above.
Executive Summary: If you have a simple home setup with 1 flat ethernet segment on both ends the fvs318 is fine. However, if you ever expect to have another routable segment on either end of the network (most commonly found with enterprise networks ) you should save yourself the time and frustration. Rely on 3Com (3cr856-95 nice competing product) or SSH or encrypted GRE. Do NOT consider this box for one moment if you expect anything more than a secure connection between Joes-Home-Network with Johns-home-network.
I hope this helps.
dwd
We had it up and running in less than fifteen minutes. My son configured two ipsec vpn tunnels with his friends networks using Linksys VPN routers in short order and I have one configured to my Windows 2000 computer at work that is behind a nat router using Windows 2000 built in ipsec capabilities. All three of our ipsec tunnels have proven to be reliable. I also have no problems using remote desktop through port 3389 or going to my pptp Windows 2000 vpn server through port 1723 behind the FVS318.
We have not experienced any of the problems that other reviewers have, but we have experience configuring these kinds of devices. The FVS318 has fairly extensive built in logging though it does not store much information itself but it can be configured to transfer log information to another computer and can even send you an email alert if certain attacks are detected. It has configurable services based on ports and protocols that are used to create port forwarding to inbound services and block outbound services. However you are limited to 16 services. It can control outbound traffic which is very important to defend against undetected trojans or users [and kids] running things like file swapping or other unapproved applications that access the internet. Internet access can be even controlled by a day/time schedule. If your network is fairly simple, a default block all rule could be created [which must be at the end of the list] and then you can specify what outbound services are allowed. It is also possible to deny a computer or address range of computers from having internet access while allowing others full access. Though the block services is a great addition to this device, it is somewhat limited if you have more than a few variations of configurations compared to a more sophisticated [and much more expensive] soho firewall, and the services can not be configured to use certain ip address/subnet destinations for outbound control which should not be a big deal for most home/small office users. However inbound services/port mapping can be configure to come from specific ip address/subnet. That is an important security feature. For instance if you open an internal computer for remote managment, you can configure the FVS318 to accept connections from only one ip address, which will keep everyone else on the internet from trying to connect and guess your password!
I am very impressed with the Netgear FVS318. Being a true SPI firewall and ipsec VPN endpoint with all the other feaures it has in a quality package, I can highly recommend it to anyone that wants a bargain priced internet device that is a big step up from the consumer grade nat routers.
After a call to tech support (They answered within 5 min) and an explanation of my problem they suggested that I return the router as defective.
I received a second router and had the same problem. I replaced my cable modem (SB4100) with an SB3100, this helped and I was able to stay conencted for about 1 week. Then the problem returned for 2 days of headaches. A call to my ISP (Road Runner) tech support and they came out to check my signals. All they could do was replace the modem with a SB4200. The problem was still rearing its ugly head.
Netgear tech support returned my email (2 weeks after sending it) and said that the SB4100 modems have had voltage problems and may be the cause. Unfortunatly changing modems didn't help and my ISP and Netgear just seem to point the finger at each other.
When the router was working it seemed to perform well. The features are excellent and the interface is very good.
The next time I installed one (about 2 months later), the unit came w. version 1.3 firmware and it worked well right out of the box.
Despite the frustration of the initial unit, I felt Netgear people were very responsive and helpful. Because of their support, I gave them another opportunity - and was happy with the result.
I have not used the VPN feature and cannot comment on it.
I also use Outlook Express to manage my Hotmail and some other POP3 email accounts. Everything came through but my Hotmail.
...
The new firmware release 1.1 corrected lot of bugs; the anoying drop of TCP sessions seem to has been fixed. I ordered an other box to try VPN.
Their support is unresponsive. If I am able to get through on the phone the support reps are difficult to understand. Their technical support people have, in my experience, misenterpreted questions or problems even when I sent them TCP dumps, traps and logs to support the incident report. It appears English is a second language to their support people, a fact evident in their e-mail and web site support replies. Their answers are unreliable and often recommend disabling a feature like site keyword blocking or forwarding ports to non-existent computers. On their support web site they have closed some of my cases without answers, fixes or workarounds provided.
As of 8/26/02 @ 22:00 UCT, their U.S. support is presently on firmware beta N1.01 with no date available for the production firmware to be available. It fixes a lot of problems but in my opinion is not yet production quality.
For those who have a requirement for a product with features that work as advertised, I recommend against the FVS318. I recommend the DSLREPORTS web site for more information, support topics and user experiences with the FVS318.
Want the utmost in network security for your office? NETGEAR's FVS318 ProSafe VPN Firewall provides business-class protection at a NAT router price. This completely equipped, broadband-capable Virtual Private Network (VPN) firewall is a true firewall and provides it all •À? Denial of Service (DoS) protection and Intrusion Detection using Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), URL access and content filtering, logging, reporting, and real-time alerts. It initiates up to 8 IPSec VPN tunnels simultaneously, reducing your operating costs and maximizing the security of your network. With 8 auto-sensing, Auto Uplink•À? switched LAN ports and Network Address Translation (NAT) routing, up to 253 users can access your broadband connection at the same time.
BUSINESS CLASS SECURE
Initiates up to 8 IPSec VPN tunnels simultaneously, allowing for secured connections to branch offices and the "on-the-go" mobile workforce. Network Address Translation (NAT) routing enables shared access to your broadband connection. Includes Web page URL content filtering and 168-bit 3DES IPSec encryption capability. Sends you e-mail notification of network activity •À? reporting and tracking of hacker attempts •À? as well as real-time alerts.
WELL-ARMED
Has everything you want for maximum security coverage: True Firewall using Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) and Intrusion Detection features, Denial of Service (DoS) attack protection, and VPN pass-through for extra security. There's even a Kensington Lock •À? slot on the unit for theft protection. And with free Freedom•À? anti-virus and privacy protection software, the FVS318 ProSafe VPN Firewall provides optimal value and defense against network security threats.
USER FRIENDLY
Smart Wizard connects to your ISP quickly; the easy-to-use Web-based configuration screen and Install Assistant reduce setup time. Remote administration capability makes connecting to multiple sites a breeze.
FLEXIBLE
Make a VPN connection to other FVS318's or through client software*. Support for DHCP (client and server) as well as PPPoE allows for easy, widespread deployment.
The VPN feature and the 8 port integrated switch are the best selling points for this Netgear router over other brands and models. The built in Virtual Public Network (VPN) feature let's you use the FVS318NA with a wide variety of VPN Clients and Hosts (not all of course, but many.) Netgear has a 25 page online document that tells you how to VPN your FVS318NA to a Windows 2000 Server for example. Easiest of course is to buy two FVS318NA's and create a point to point VPN between two offices, friends and family with DSL, a cable modem, etc. The built in 10/100 switch and Internet connection sharing means most people with small networks won't need to purchase a separate switch in order to plug in all of their computers, game systems and other Ethernet\Internet using devices.
The built in Firewall offers more than the usual NAT invisibility (it does stateful inspection of packets) and logging is adequate but could be better (more information than is currently available in the router's logs would be helpful for troubleshooting problems and or security.)
All in all you will not be disappointed with the money spent on this little "network cabinet" in a box. Netgear seems to have thought of most everything your power home or small to medium office user would want.
All seems condemned in the long run to approximate a state akin to
Gaussian noise.
-- James Martin
"A horrible little boy came up to me and said, `You know in your book
The Martian Chronicles?' I said, `Yes?' He said, `You know where you
talk about Deimos rising in the East?' I said, `Yes?' He said `No.'
-- So I hit him."
-- attributed to Ray Bradbury
