Network Starter Kits contain everything that Windows users need to start networking right away, all in one box. Within a few minutes, you will be able to share files, printers, and access to the Internet; exchange e-mail; or play interactive network games. By taking the best in networking technology and making it simple and affordable, NETGEAR brings the benefits of networking into the hands and budget of small businesses.SB104 10 Mbps Ethernet Kit contains one 4-Port Ethernet hub, two PCI dual-speed network cards, two 25 foot network cables and how-to guides.
Shipping with a four-port Ethernet hub, two PCI dual-speed network cards, two 25-foot network cables, and an incredibly extensive user's guide, the Netgear SB-104 is the perfect way for novice users to get their networks up and running.
We noticed how efficient and organized this kit is as soon as we unpacked the box. We laid out each component of the kit and dived right into networking our Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 PCs. Setup was surprisingly simple using the explicit instructions and illustrations. Most helpful was the supplied diagram of the finished network in the user's guide.
We connected the hub to the power supply to ensure it was working, removed the covers of our computers, installed the network interface cards (NICs) in free PCI slots in each machine, and connected them to the hub with the provided cables. The cables themselves are 25 feet long, giving you more than enough distance between each computer in most cases. The NIC comes 100-Mbps ready, so you can upgrade to a 100-Mbps hub at a later time if necessary.
After ensuring that all connections were secure, we started our machines and installed the network drivers. Installation went flawlessly. We networked our two computers to one common multifunction device, set up shared files, and a shared network connection.
The Netgear SB-104 Network Ethernet Starter Kit is a great choice if you're looking for a simple way to network two PCs but want a convenient growth path in case your needs expand. We also appreciated Netgear's 24-hour technical support and their hand-holding setup guide.
Pros:
- Easy to install
- Simple installation instructions
- Upgradable to 100-Mbps network
- 24-hour technical support
1 Hope you don't need tech support
Overall, the product is pretty good; hub is a little slow depending on the amount of data you're moving. Beware of their tech support; I was given three different solutions to the same problem, none of which worked--they acted like they just wanted to get me off the phone even though our longest conversation was approx. 5 minutes!
2 do not buy
..., not worth the time even to look at. They cant even number the pci code right if they know that somthing is wrong with their product and they sell it anyway they should not be in bussiness. Not only that the tech support is virtualy non-existant this is not the way to run a bussiness. sixth graders could run it better.
3 Great kit for beginners!
Networking has always been intimidating to me, but with this it was a snap! Setup & installation time was under 20 minutes and was extremely easy. This is excellent for people who want to battle their buddies in head-to-head competition on games. File and Print sharing was quick too. Enjoy!!
4 Great product, great price, great result.
I bought this product so I could share files and a printer between my desktop and my laptop. My laptop already had an existing LAN card so I didn't need to install on of the NICs on it. I opened up my desktop and slid the card right into one of the available PCI slots and closed the desktop up and turned it on. Windows recognized the card and I used the included drivers disk to install the drivers. These were all step by step instructions that I followed. Excellent instructions. Then I followed the instructions for file and print sharing and within ten minutes I was transferring files from my laptop to my desktop and printing files from my laptop on my desktop's printer. BTW...the two computers have to be within 50 feet of each other or else you'll need a new cable.
Simple setup. Works well. Great price.
There's only one small problem. The file transfer isn't incredibly fast. So transferring files of more than five megabytes takes more than a few seconds. Not much to gripe about though.
5 Great for Home Network!
I have bought two of these for home and office use. They work flawlessy and for the price you cannot beat the functionality. I was running at least Windows 98 on all computers I hooked up to the ethernet hub. Windows makes it easy to set up file and printer sharing.
After you are hooked up to a network you will not need to swap disks all the time in order to exchange information or to move files for printing. You can transfer a hundred megabytes in a minute or two depending on the kinds of files.
Setup is a breeze if you have ethernet cards installed already. Even if you do not have cards installed already there are instructions to walk you through step by step. By the way, if you are just using this for a home network, pick out the Netgear hub combo that gives you the most stuff for the cheapest. I have bought at least 3 different ones and the all provide the same functionality as far as I can tell. It is just that sometimes they come with one more port, or an extra cable, or multiple speed compatibilities.
6 The SB-104 kit is slow for networking.
Sharing 2 computers and a printer seemed to be too much for this kit. Everytime I transferred files to-and-from my computers I had collisions occur. It was an inconvenience when I wanted to print out documents while updating files on both computers. I learned that having a switch instead of a hub eliminates these delays.
7 Nice package at nice price
It's surprise to see they put 10/100 fast PCI cards in this low price package. Unlike other entry level kits, everything are well packed in this box.
The only thing I think they can do better is adding internet sharing information.
I already have a home network setup, so I just installed one card in this package to test if it is working. It had problems talking to other brand network cards after installation, however, after several tries in network configuration, it works. But, my computer became very slow at boot-up. Don't know if it is setup/driver's problem or it is conflicted with the original 3Com card.
8 Easy Set Up
I put off networking my computers because I thought it would be difficult to do. Being a student I couldn't afford to have someone do it for me. When I saw the price tag on Netgear SB-104 Network Ethernet Starter Kit I could't pass it up. I had my two computers networked in less than an hour with no problems.
9 Easy, Easy, Easy
Excellent product,very easy to set-up. I had two computers operating in less than an hour! Recommended for anyone wanting a simple, inexpensive home network.
10 A great way tp network two computers together. I bought this
item to network two computers in my house so I could play multiplayer games and had no problems because the instructions were crystal clear and easy to read even for a non-computer person like me.
11 Easy Way to Network in SOHO
A wonderful way to network in a SOHO environment. Easy for even a novice to install and configure. From box to boot, including installing the card in two machines, setting up the hub and configuring the software, was less than 90 minutes. Beyond file sharing, it has eliminated the need for a second printer and allows tape backups to be run from a single tape drive on my faster machine.
12 excellent value for money, great performance
I bought this network kit to play multiplayer games (i.e. quake, half-life, etc.). It is one of the best decisions I've ever made. The cards were simple to install, and the guy i talked on the phone when something went wrong was friendly and exceedingly helpful (most of you will agree that in general, tech support dudes are useless). The cards don't even need to both run under the same OS: i have an NT system and a win98 system, and they work fine. These are great value and if recommend that anyone who wants to set up a home ethernet buy them.
13 Great for networking!
I wanted to put a network in my house so that I could share resources and back up sensitive media. I think this product is fairly easy to install and has great reliability in file and printer sharing.
