We would like to thank the following sites for their effort in this joint project review: SpeedGuide.net, Core Meltdown, G256.com and BrokenPixel.com. Both of us (Brent & Vorpal) have been very pleased with our Linksys EtherFast Routers and are excited to be doing a review on this product. When we started talking about merging our separate reviews, we felt the combined experiences of both a DSL subscriber (Vorpal), and a Cable Modem subscriber (Brent), would provide for a more thorough and informative review. We hope you enjoy this review and take notice, more WILL follow about this Router from us!

Broadband Internet: Everyone wants it, and they want it to be as fast and cheap as possible. Until recently, the only type of high-speed Internet Service available to most of us was a business level service (such as as leased T1 lines). This type of service is far too expensive for home users. Cable Modem or xDSL service has not been an option for many of us until recently.  Because of a lack of service coverage, or outrageous prices, many of use have been stuck with standard analog modem service for some time. This has now changed! Over the past year, Cable and xDSL services have exploded onto the market! Even though both services have been around for several years now, the price has gone down considerably, and the availability has increased exponentially. Major service providers are now advertising heavily, and offering incredible service packages that bring broadband Internet service into the reach of the average home user. One of the biggest problems with these services, was the need to buy or lease expensive Cable or xDSL modems. These modems have an average cost of $200. Now, many providers such as Southwestern Bell are offering those modems for 'free' with as little as a one-year service contract. Both services (Cable, xDSL) are FAST (for the most part ;-) compared to the standard dial-up connections that everyone is accustomed to, and a heck of a lot cheaper than those leased T1 lines. The overwhelming majority of consumers should now have the option of getting either Cable Internet Service or xDSL (maybe even both).

There has also been an explosion in the average number of PC's per household. People have been upgrading their computers, and, doing such things as giving their children or spouses the older systems. What if you have two or more computers in your home and want to share your single Internet connection?

If you have Cable modem, or xDSL service and you want to share your Internet connection within your home, this Router is for you!  If you have ever thought about setting up a home network (LAN) to share your Cable or xDSL connection with more than one computer the Linksys Router was made specifically for this purpose.   It is a Hardware Based DHCP Server that allows you to share your Internet connection with up to 253 client PC's. You can share out your single Internet connection to that many systems.  It also acts as a hardware Firewall, providing the best security and protection from Internet Hackers and Peeping Tom's (lurkers). And, to top it all off, it's the ONLY Router in it's class which uses a 4-Port 10/100 Switch, instead of a standard non-switching HUB! (in English: It's both fast and compatible). It also has a dedicated uplink port so you can easily add more switches or hubs.* This will allow you to expand your network beyond the built-in 4 port limit. Obviously, this Router provides for enough potential connections to satisfy the most insatiable tech-addict or small business! If you are considering this Router for a small business, it is capable of handling a fat (business level) 1.5MBps pipe!   ( A business level T1 is only capable of 1.5Mbps. This router can handle a connection 8 TIMES faster than that).

Note: On the Router's retail box it says "capable of handling up to a 1.5Mbps WAN connection" That is a type-o! (and not one in their favor at all - what a boo-boo). It should read "capable of handling up to a 1.5MBps WAN connection" (or it could say 10Mbps). Basically, because of that type-O, they are wrongly advertising the Router as 1/8 as fast as it really is on the WAN port (potentially). (We hope no one gets fired over there at Linksys :) Also, just to make sure you know at this point: The Router supports either 10Mbps or 100Mbps at Full-Duplex on the LAN side.

Note: if you use the uplink port it is shared with port#1 (you can only use one or the other). Also, you might need a crossover cable, depending on your configuration. For information on how to make a crossover cable (or what they are), check out these links: Make a crossover coupler for a standard cable Kan.org , buy a crossover cable locally or somewhere like CablesNMore, or make your own cable by putting on new ends - info here at the very nice site (and very nice guide) MakeItSimple.

It's been about three months since Linksys announced their new EtherFast Cable/DSL Router. Their press release proclaims:

"NEW LINKSYS CABLE/DSL ROUTER PROVIDES COMPLETE AND AFFORDABLE SOLUTION FOR HOME OR OFFICE BROADBAND ACCESS."

The EtherFast® Cable/DSL Router Offers Broadband Internet Sharing, Firewall Security, 10/100 Switching Capabilities, NAT, IP Routing and VPN capabilities for the Home or Office."

 

-Listed product features-

• Connects to a Broadband Modem Or to An Ethernet Backbone
• Equipped With a 4-port 10/100 Switch
• Connects All of Your PCs to the Internet With Only One Purchased IP Address
• Creates a Firewall to Protect Your PCs From Outside Intruders
• Configurable Through Any Networked PC's Web Browser
• The Switch Dramatically Speeds Up Your Gaming and Multimedia Connections
• Can Act as Either a DHCP Server or Client
• Compatible with All Standard Internet Applications
• Administrators Can Block Specific Interior Users' Internet Access
• Technical Support - 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
• Full 1-Year Warranty or Small Office

Here is the full retail packaging of the Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router:

Box Shot

What you get:

• The Router
• Manual
• Funky power supply & power cord
• Quick install guide
• A 'setup wizard' floppy
• Warranty card

The Stuff in the Box

Full "Frontal" Shot

The "Rear" View

One thing you might be curious about is how big this bad mofo is. Well, fear not! We pulled out our "Ultimate Size Comparing Tool" - an 11oz. box of Fruit Loops!

(A note to Kellogg's - OK I'm sure the "now with Calcium" thing is cool and all but, what happened to my "now with caffeine!" idea? Why won't you guys return my calls?)

Box vs. Box

Ingredients?

Uh OH!

We had to 'pop' this thing open to see what makes it tick.(What kind of Geeks would we be if you didn't feel the need to open up things?) Everything inside the unit is solid state. You don't have to worry about any manual switches or moving parts. There are vent holes on the top and bottom of the case but, there is not a fan. It seems like there are a lot of electronics packed into a very tight space for not having a fan. Maybe they wanted to save $1 per unit, or maybe it really doesn't need a fan. (The theme of engineering needs vs. the 'bottom' line is a common one). We would like to point out that after extensive use, (being on constantly for several days and worked like a dawg), our test unit's only became slightly warm. We don't think there are any going to be any heat related issues with this product.

Linky's Innards

Direct Front View

Angled Front View

Bottom View

Top View

Angled Front View

How did the Installation go?

Detailed Setup Instructions

The user control for the EtherFast Router comes in HTTP (internet like) form. You can access the GUI based Setup Menus through any client PC connected to the Router. This is done through any standard web-browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape). To enter the GUI Interface: open up your web-browser and type the IP address (192.168.1.1) of the Router into the 'address-bar' of the web-browser. Doing this will cause a dialog box to appear - asking for the user name password to the Router.  The default to leave the user name blank though, as there isn't one by default (only the password). You can of Course change the password and username at any time. After successfully entering the Router's password, the 'Setup Menu' will be loaded into your web-browser. The different menus are accessed by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page. The initial Setup Portion is called 'Setup' (appropriately named =)

If you have PPPOE DSL service we couldn't do any testing with it (trust me - we're not sad about that at ALL!). You will need to sign up for the PPPOE firmware beta program at Linksys. Right now, Tim Higgin's site has the best resources and information available to help you with this.

WARNING: When you first turn on and reset the Router, the HTTP setup interface is accessible via the WAN (The Internet) by default. (BTW - we read this but never had the time to see if this was really possible) We suggest turning off your modem until you have entered a new stronger password.

setup

*Note* Brent has AT&T@Home cable service and Vorpal has SouthWestern Bell DSL service. Vorpal's DSL service is standard NON-PPPOE service (Vorpal: "Thank the heavens for that gift") with dynamic IP addressing, Brent's @home service is regular cable modem internet with a static IP address.

Router Name: 
Cable: This is the field that you would enter your computer name, for example C12345-A. 
DSL: You can choose any name you want. Call it 'Spanky' if you wish.

Domain Name:
Cable: Enter the domain name of your ISP.  For example "alntn1.tx.home.com"
DSL: Same thing - mine is "swbell.net"

Firmware Version: This displays the Firmware version that is installed on your Router, as of this writing the Firmware version is 1.15 dated Feb. 03, 2000 (you can download updated firmware as it becomes available through Linksys). We called up Linksys and were told that a new firmware version is one to three months away. (We're not happy about that, by the way.)

LAN IP Addresses: You will not have to mess with this if this Router is the sole DHCP server (this should be the case for 95% of people).   However, if it's going to be a client, you will have to enter the appropriate information.

WAN IP Addresses:
Cable: Click on Specify IP Address.  Now enter the IP address given to you by your ISP. Enter the SubNet Mask, Gateway and DNS.  If you don't know this information, then you need to find out what it is!  Before installing the Router you can use the "winipcfg.exe" tool (In your windows directory), or the Ipconfig command (Type "IPCONFIG /ALL" at the DOS prompt), to obtain this information from your currently Internet connected PC. If you can't find the information this way: Call your ISP or consult the documentation provided to you by your ISP (usually you get a form with this information at the time of it's install).
DSL: If you have a Dynamic IP (like Vorpal - that's me:), simply click on the "obtain IP automatically" radio button. Much easier,eh?

You're Done!
Click on the Apply button.  At this point, you should only need to do is restart your PC's and when it (they) boot(s) back up you should be flyin' on the web! Unless you have some specific needs (like running an FTP server or using Napster), the only thing you have left to do is to change the password and user name for the Router.

Additional Setup Properties:

password: pretty self-explanatory, just enter whatever user name and password you want and click on the apply button.

Status: This is the current status of your DHCP Server (the Router). This covers your LAN to your WAN, with Firmware info too. (hey sounds like a wrestling match "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: FROM THE LAN TO THE WAN - EAST COAST TO WEST COAST..........." )

DHCP: This is where you can enable and disable your DHCP server. Disabling it is necessary if you want to use the 'Forwarding Service' feature in the Advanced Properties (it's also necessary for a few other other special features). Here you can also choose to limit the number of PC's that can be on your LAN, and you can specify the starting IP address of your Internal LAN.

HELP: You need help, more so if you don't know what that one is ;-)

Extra Special Setup for @home users
There are two more very important things you need to setup if you are on the @home cable internet network, and that is Mail and News.  In your Mail and News client (for this review I'm assuming Outlook Express) you probably put in "Mail" and "News" as your mail and news server before.  Well now with the router you can no longer just put in "Mail" and "News" it just won't work.   You have to put the complete server address in now.  One very easy way to find out what this is is to Ping the address "www" Before you hook the router up. Just hook one PC up directly to your cable modem and go into DOS and type ping www and hit enter, then look at the address it resolves to, this is your address for Mail, News and to reach @home's Intranet from a Browswer.  For example mine is "lh2.rdc1.tx.home.com" I had to put that address in for Mail and News to be able to send and recieve email and news.  Also If I want to browse @home's Intranet I have to put that address  in the browser to be able to get to it.

Extra Special Setup for DSL users:
Just to make sure you know: you don't have to do anything extra (at all) for your mail and news to work.

 Features

Filters: Here you can filter out 5 LAN IP addresses from accessing the DHCP server (therefore deactivating Internet Access on any of the client machines on your LAN). This is a good way to stop that employee who keeps abusing his work access and playing Q3... hey - wait a minute!......;-)

Forwarding: You can use this menu to forward any service (Port) to any IP (system) on your LAN. If you are (for example) running a FTP Server on one of your systems, you will need to forward Service (Port) 21 to the IP address of the FTP server (so that all requests coming through on port 21 get forwarded to that machine). Of course, as we've mentioned the downside to this is: 1. you can't specify UDP or TCP 2. you are limited to only 10 fields currently

Dynamic Routing: Basically this is menu specifies the role of the Router. Use this menu to specify if your Router is to be Gateway (Sole DHCP Server) or Router (Client with other Routers) You can also specify the Routing Protocols here.

Static Routing: This is only used if there are multiple Routers on your LAN. The static routing function determines the path that data follows over your network before and after it passes through your Router.

DMZ: Here you can place a PC on your LAN in DMZ mode. You specify the IP of a client PC on your LAN that you want to be in the DMZ mode. This basically takes a PC off the Firewall protection of the Router. If you do this: that PC will now be 'unprotected', but all ports are able to freely send and receive on the Internet. This is needed for things like Video Conferencing, Some ICQ Activities, Napster, FTP or HTTP Servers etc.. Basically things that require one or more non-standard ports opened. Again the downside is: you can only set one PC in the DMZ... Note: Remember the PC you put in the DMZ is no longer protected by the Firewall

The Firewall is a Hardware-Based "Port Closer". A primary feature of this is that the Router will not respond to unsolicited requests from the Internet.  A severe downside to this is, there is no way for a user to configure any aspect of the Firewall (we didn't like this 'feature').  With Software Firewalls you can usually open or close any UDP or TCP Port, and configure it's level of security.  With this Router, you can't configure the Firewall at all! You only have the option of forwarding ports, or placing a single PC in DMZ mode.

Linksys:   if you're listening PUT FIREWALL CONTROL ON YOUR FIRMWARE UPDATE "WISH LIST"!

If you need to place a system in your LAN into DMZ mode, you only have to input a PC's IP in the DMZ section of the Advanced Options. Then, that system will no longer be protected by the Router's Firewall.   This feature will allow you to run special applications like a FTP server or Netmeeting. It may also be a necessary feature for many other 'needs' such as transferring files through ICQ or running a Game Server.

We have word straight from Linksys that multiple DMZ support is on the new firmware "wish list". Let's hope it becomes a reality!

In the Advanced Options you can also forward a Service (no you can't select UDP or TCP it does both by default) to any of your client PC's.  What this does is forward the incoming traffic from that port directly to the assigned PC.  The downside?  You only have 10 fields for forwarding entries! :(

But, the Linksys Router's Firewall protection is quite delicious! It will lay the Smack down on de' hackers!

We stopped by Steve Gibson's place for a little check-out with Shields Up!

Well - no stealth, but I'll take it! Who cares if hackers can still se your ports as long as they're closed.

Finally we headed over to Secure-Me's web-site (non-existent anymore) for another try: as you can see the Linksys router got a perfect '0' score on this test.

Brent

Sisoft Sandra 2000 Pro benchmarks:

Test from Main PC

Test from Second PC

Burst Speed from Second PC

DU Meter tests

Download on Main PC

Download on Second PC

Now I have no way of testing the WAN port to see how high I can push it.  All I can say is that my Cable Download speeds haven't changed, they seem exactly where they usually are. If anybody knows of a good way to push the WAN port LMK.  I probably don't have the equipment to do so but I'll take suggestions.

Here are the measurements I used up there:
KB/sec = Killo-Bytes a Second
Mbps = Mega-Bits per Second
MB/sec = Mega-Bytes per Second

Vorpal

I wasn't too concerned with speed testing (if this had been a video card I would have been ALL over it). I download a lot of files and usually pay attention to my transfer rates. Right away, I could tell I was averaging slightly better transfer rates on downloads (as compared to my old software proxy setup). I also had identical ping times (latency). As I state later on: My wife and I have played Internet Q3 games at the same time (through my single DSL connection) with ping times as low as 35ms each (simultaneously). My DSL service is working very well, and this Router is performing perfectly. Basically, this is all I needed to know.

I did use SiSoft Sandra 2000 to test the LAN side of the Router on two different PC's (from a third host PC):

The performance of the Routers LAN HUB was slightly better than that of my old D-Link 10/100 HUB.

If you'll notice - one PC got a slightly better rating. I was curious to see if this was because of the Router (possibly a 'slow' port), so I switched Port connections on those two computers several times and got exactly the same results. There seems to be no difference in individual LAN performance between the LAN ports.

A Day in the Life of Linky !
(sense of humor required)

Linky got tired after our benchmark testing

"Linky! Stop humping the Intel Bunny Doll!!!!"

We were playing Hide-N-Go-Seek with Linky. Like he really fooled us!

After Linky read his 'score' from Anand Tech's review he got REALLY POed! "Put the knive down and back away slowly Linky - be a good boy...."

At one point in our testing Linky experienced some heavy "Packet Loss".

Linky was a big time remote hog.... He only let us watch Short Circuit2 and Tranformers!

"AWWW MAN! Damnit Linky GET OFF THE TOSASTER!"

He got a little bored in the house so we took him out for a walk.....

De Conclusion - Listen Up Ya'll!
(Brent and Vorpal are both from Texas - they are legally allowed to use the word "ya'll")

- Final Thoughts -

Vorpal: Buy it! You won't regret it. Stop thinking about it and do it. It's made my life and home network a lot simpler. I'd also like to point out something really cool. The Linksys Router improved on this - but it wasn't really the thing that made it happen. Both my wife and I can play Quake3 or Unreal Tournament on-line at the same time and on the same shared IP with ping rates as low as 35 each (that the best I've seen so far)! Everyone probably knows that playing games online is a major pain in the butt when you only have a lowly phone modem. With this Router and my DSL service, two people in my house can play serious games like UT/Q3 at the same time and in TOTAL style! It's so fun for my wife and I to meet up in the same game and put 'smack-down' on people (and each other) together! I haven't even tried running 3 PC's on an Internet Q3 game yet ...I wonder if that will work nicely?

Brent: Buy it!  I basically bought this thing for it's DHCP Server and hardware firewall.  I was previously sharing 3 pc's on @home by purchasing two more IP's from @home.  They only allow you to have 3 accounts so I was maxed out.  I really wanted my 4th PC to be able to be on the Web too though, so I needed a cheap way to share one IP, and guess what!  This Router was just the thing I needed!  Currently I share 4 PC's on this thing and it's so friggin sweet.  I disabled the two other accounts I had with @home which saves me $10 a month on that fee, so this Router will actually pay itself off down the road!  And now I can share with up to 253 PC's so I got plenty of room to add more.  The added bonus of a hardware Firewall is VERY sweet as well, now I know I'm very protected.  Also the built in switch is just plain sweetness.

DON'T Buy it if:  You really care about running game servers. There is very little information on this at the current time, and many people are having problems. Also, if you have a dynamic IP (like me: Vorpal :), you will have NO CONTROL over your DHCP IP. There is no option on the Router's interface for either renewing or releasing your dynamic IP. You can't even see when your lease expires! You will be at risk of loosing your IP's frequently. Just wait awhile and see what kind of future support comes down the pipe. LINKSYS: We really need to be able to refresh our dynamic IP's and see the status of our current lease!

-Good vs. Bad-

Rating
Price:
Features:
Setup Ease:
Customer Phone Support:
Web Based Support:
Reliability:
Management:
Performance (speed/latency):
Using with Special Applications:
Overall Rating: