Introduction

SOHOWARE's BroadGuard Secure Cable/DSL Router provides for extending your Broadband Intenet's connectivity to the entire network using a single IP address from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). The product has a built-in 4 port 10/100 full duplex switch capable of providing 200 Mbps bandwidth to each port. It is also capable of providing Internet connectivity for up to 253 PCs Local Area Network (LAN). The router provides many additional features, such as DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), Stateful Packet Inspection firewall in addition to the default NAT security, as well as DoS Alert Messaging. Priced under $200, SOHOWARE offers a very competitive product considering the comprehensive list of features of the BroadGuard router.

What's in the box

• BroadGuard Secure Cable/DSL Router (NBG800)
• User's Guide
• Quick Installation Guide
• AC Adapter (0.4A 110 VAC / 2.0A 5VDC)
• 1 straight-through CAT5 network cable
• 1 crossover CAT5 network cable

The unit is packed with both straight-through and crossover CAT5 cables and a great 73-page User's manual that includes numerous screenshots , as well as answers to all the questions you might ever have about setting up the router. 

The front panel has 7 clearly marked LEDs for quick diagnostics at a glance: Power, Status, Cable/DSL, and one for each of the 4 LAN ports. The back of the unit has the actual LAN ports, one for the WAN, and a reset switch.

The BroadGuard

the box

front and back panels

Specs

Specifications, Features, and Usage			BroadGuard NBG800
LAN Ports	10/100 Base-TX Port (RJ45)		4
	10/100 Uplink Port (RJ45)		No
WAN Port	10 Base-T Cable/DSL WAN Port(RJ-45)		1
LEDs	Power/Status/Cable-DSL/per LAN port		Each
Functions	Dynamic Domain Name Service		No
	Cable/xDSL Sharing		Yes
	Network Address Translation		Yes
	Built-in 10/100 Auto-Sensing Switch		Yes
	IPSec		Yes
	PPTP		Yes
	VPN		Yes
	PPPoE		Yes
	DHCP Server		Yes
	DHCP Client		Yes
	HTTP Server		Yes
	Management	Web-based	Yes
		Telnet-based	Yes
		Console	No
		WAN	Yes
	Virtual Server		Yes
	Exposed Host (DMZ)		Yes (1 per external IP)
	Access Control		Yes
Software-upgradeable Firmware		Yes
Clients' OS Supported			Windows (NT, 9x, ME, 2000, WFW), Mac?, Unix?, Netware?
Maximum DHCP Clients Supported			253

Installation

The BroaGuard installation is as near to plug-and-play as a router should get. The browser interface makes it easy to setup even for the network-inexperienced, there are step-by-step instructions in the user's manual that document each step in the process of setting up not only the router, but also your network cards providing a comprehensive guide to configuring your LAN.

One of the features that grabbed my interest was the router's ability to set its MAC address via the Browser interface automatically to that of a Network card connected to one of the LAN ports. Such feature can prove extremely helpful with ISPs that do not allow routers, or provide service based on the MAC address of your PC's network card.

The Web-based interface has a fairly comprehensive list of features. Although Management seems to be accessible only from the Local network, one should immediately change the default administrative password and add an email address where Alert messages can be sent.

Following are some screenshots of the Web-based Management Interface:

Main Screen of browser interface

Cable modem setup

DHCP - router can act as a DHCP server

Status screen

DSL setup

Online Firmware upgrades

Key Features

The BroadGuard router has an impressive list of features that should appeal to any residential, telecommuting and SOHO customers employing high-speed broadband connectivity applications. It supports VPN (for a DMZ PC), PPPoE, DHCP (both as a client and server)

High-Speed networking
The BroadGuard supports up to 253 PCs' Internet connectivity using only one IP address. The internal 4-port full-duplex switch is capable of full 200Mbps throughput on all 4 ports.

High-Level Security
Most broadband routers provide some level of security by default, because the NAT technology used assigns internal IPs to devices on the LAN. This NAT security feature is simple and effective, since none of the LAN addresses are visible from outside the local network. In addition to the basic NAT security, the BroadGuard includes DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), as well as advanced firewall protection, outfit with SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) technology. SPI is a proactive firewall technology that analyzes all inbound and outbound data packets, checks the server/client addresses and detects potential abnormal content. The router also has DoS (Denial of Service) Attack alert messaging, which could be set to email you an event log of any DoS Attack attempts (including the initiating IP address), which you in turn can validate and forward to the supposed hacker's ISP.

Internet Access Control
The unit's Browser-based interface has many customizable options that might benefit the experienced administrator. You can easily block access to specific websites, keywords within the Website's subject, as well as a few well-known protocols. The interface allows you to block users from accessing Web, E-mail, FTP, News-servers or telnet based bulletin boards. The only shortcoming of the browser Access control is that you can only set up to 10 PCs with static IPs to have limited access.

Access Control screen

DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)

Conclusion

The BroadGuard router has an impressive list of features that should make it appealing for both home and office use. The ease of use and comprehensive documentation adds to its value as well.

The Good:

• HTTP Browser based Admin control
• Customizable Access control.
• Higher level security with Stateful Packet Inspection
• DoS Attack Alert messages
• Comprehensive manual
• Integrated 4-port 10/100 Mbps switch
• Transfer rates and latency are at least as good (possibly better) than any software NAT/firewall solution
• Router can work with both static and dynamic IPs, acting as a DHCP Server

The Bad:

• Browser interface limitations:
  - The unit can limit web usage, however only for up to 10 keywords/sites (or total Web blackout).
  - Access control settings only for 10 PCs on your LAN.
  - Access control for only 4 types of services, no per-port custom controls.
• DMZ zone does not completely open your PC to the Internet (for example, a simple tracert can become a problem, since incoming ICMP packets are not allowed from routers on the way to your destination server).

Overall, the BroadGuard router is a great unit for its price bracket and home/SOHO target audience. It has  numerous features that you won't be able to find in competing products. The only downside is the browser interface limitation which does not provide full control over all possible settings, which would hopefully be implemented in future firmware upgrades. A great advantage of this particular product is the added SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) security, access control and alert messaging.

Update (09-30-2001): Newer firmware revisions support Telnet configuration ( unsupported by Sohoware's Tech support) with more functionality than the Web configuration interface, such as multiple DMZ clients ( up to 8 ) provided you have multiple external IP addresses. New versions of the firmware also provide for WAN administration of the unit, although it might require some adjustment of the firewall.

Rating
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