OK for home, but not home office
Written: Jan 18 '02 (Updated Jan 18 '02)
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Pros: cheap, easy to find new or used
Cons: not robust for heavy use
The Bottom Line: Buy one if your friend has one, otherwise get a competitor's unit (e.g. D-Link, SMC). For serious wireless use, be prepared to reset and re-enter settings occasionally.
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| mikemee's Full Review: Linksys (BEFW11S4) 802.11b Wireless Access Point |
I love and hate this little blue box.
I love it because: its fairly priced, its feature rich, its easy to buy (and sell), it basically does what you expect and you can plug in 3rd-party antennas to extend its range.
I hate it because: if I use my wireless laptop for a couple of hours it usually 'hangs' and I have to go to the box, unplug it, turn it back on and then, from another computer, reset some of its settings. A little annoying when you're in the middle of something else. (And yes, I've upgraded the software to current releases, etc., etc.)
So what's it do for your home? A lot! It takes your cable or DSL connection and lets you share it with multiple computers AND lets you use a wireless adaptor to access it from anywhere in range. The range is almost certainly enough for the average house if you can locate it centrally (and chances are your neighbours can use it too!)
What do you need to get going? An existing cable or DSL connection that has an ethernet port. The recent vendor boxes that use USB connections to hook up to your computer will NOT work with the Linksys! That's pretty much it. Plug in the Linksys box as directed, follow the setup instructions and you should be running.
If you have problems, I suggest you find your local geek friend to help out. (If they haven't played with one of these boxes already, they'll probably welcome the opportunity!). I've never had to call tech support myself, but many postings in many places remark on how hard they are to get a hold of.
I don't recommend this box. If a friend has one and can set it up for you, go for it. But if you're doing it yourself, there are several great alternatives available that don't have the same quirks. (E.g. D-Link's equivalent product reviewed here: http://www.epinions.com/S0628044-DI_714).
Geek details: Problems I've had include:
+ hanging for wireless connections only. Signal remains strong, but pinging the Linksys times out. Hardwired connections to the inbuilt hub continue working just fine. Power cycle required to fix.
+ losing DHCP settings. Many times after reset or power cycle (including resets caused by changing settings), it will change the DHCP clients-allowed setting from, say, 10, to 0. This means that new computers won't be able to connect. Easy to fix - once you find it!
+ losing cable/DSL dhcp settings. Every now and again the box loses the broadband DHCP settings (e.g. DNS!) it received from the cable/DSL box. Doing "renew" in the admin page doesn't help. Power cycle required.
On the other hand, its easy to get an external antenna for this puppy and you don't have to drill any holes to attach it. E.g. Hyperlinktech make antennas and adapter cables.
So, bottom line, you get what you pay for - except that you can pay the same amount and get more :-).
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 207
Driver Availability: Windows, Linux, and Mac
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Epinions.com ID:
mikemee
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
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