Showing posts with label print server. Show all posts
Showing posts with label print server. Show all posts

9/28/2012

NETGEAR FWG114P ProSafe 802.11g Wireless VPN Firewall 4-Port 10/100 Switch with USB Server Review

NETGEAR FWG114P ProSafe 802.11g Wireless VPN Firewall 4-Port 10/100 Switch with USB Server
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I've applied the new flash upgrade, and performance is still quite good. Most of my comments from January still apply. Setup is quick, Citrix & terminal services work without modification, and I can connect to my main office via Cisco VPN client. Games are still working too.
As with most vendors, I suspect you'll have better compatibility if you use a Netgear WiFi NIC with this unit. I can get it to work with a Cisco Aironet NIC, but I cannot get WPA encryption to work. WEP (for what it's worth) works, but I'll probably have to spring for the corresponding Netgear NIC if I want to move to WPA.
The print server took a hit with the flash upgrade, however. Now it will only work as long as the PCs using it never reboot. If they do, you lose the connection to the print server until the firewall is rebooted. Tech support has been, um, less than helpful in resolving the issue. For that reason, my rating still stands at 4 stars. I strongly recommend you check the printer compatibility list on Netgear's site before you count on this as a print server.
A couple of other notes:
- The firewall is solid. I'm a networking guy, and I've tried to hack my way in a couple of times. Nothing's perfect, but this is a good solution in the home or very small business market. The worst I've been able to do against this unit is a denial of service, which disabled the Internet connection to my home network until I rebooted the unit.
- If you plan to use MSN Messenger 6.2 and/or Windows XP's Remote Assistance, you'll need to enable UPnP on this unit, which is a bit annoying, but more of a Microsoft issue.
- The e-mail logging is VASTLY improved over that of the previous flash. My logs are much more manageable, and the number of false-positive security alert messages is minimal.
- You can now create up to two remote access VPN tunnels with the new flash. I tried it and it works, although as a home user I can't imagine ever needing that feature. Difficult to set up, though, so unless you have a solid understanding of IPSEC VPN protocols, good luck.
Still, I believe this is a good unit for a home office. For me, combining the functions of print server, wireless access point, and hardware firewall into a single device make it worth the price.

Click Here to see more reviews about: NETGEAR FWG114P ProSafe 802.11g Wireless VPN Firewall 4-Port 10/100 Switch with USB Server



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8/28/2012

D-Link DI-714P+ Wireless Cable/DSL Router, 4-Port Switch, Prnt Server, 802.11b, 22Mbps Review

D-Link DI-714P+ Wireless Cable/DSL Router, 4-Port Switch, Prnt Server, 802.11b, 22Mbps
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Setup: fairly straightforward. There is a "wizard" setup for those who don't like to go through every single option screen. The screen navigation is laid out in a simple, but not intuitive manner - it takes a few moments to realize the buttons on the left change with tab options at the top, but the buttons on the left don't change if there are multiple screens on the right (like "next page" or a button to press). There is no "go back a page" - they expect you to hit the button to the right that is still visible. All my complaining about that aside - it's as easy, if not easier, to navigate and find settings than both netgear and linksys.
Print server: no setup available on the router - it either is or is not plugged in. Software setup for PC works fine. Did not try it with linux yet.
Wireless: finally, something that works with 64/128 bit WEP. Netgear never worked. Linksys was so-so. This works. NOTE: For those who want to limit ACCESS to the WIRELESS by MAC ADDRESS - this unit cannot do it. It can limit by MAC to the INTERNET, but that will also limit who can attach to the unit, both with wireless and with a physical connection. Most other units only use this filter to limit access to the wireless portion. If used, you have to put in all the machines connecting to it - both wireless and physical....
Firewall: Syslog, email logs available. Nice. SPI works. DMZ support. Passthrough ports available. Works great with my nortel VPN client (this is always a good test of PPTP and so on).
FIRMWARE NOTE: I had the hardest time getting this thing to work with windows terminal services. No matter what setting I used, it would lock up then drop the connection until I rebooted the router (software reboot). Some settings would go longer, but I could get it to lock up within 2 minutes. Nothing seemed to fix it - a few people have reported this on the internet, but since most people aren't using the terminal services part of windows on a regular basis - they would never know it.
The fix was to load the 1.22 firmware, not the 1.23 that came with it. This REMOVES the 802.1X authentication tab (some type of shared radius key BS - if you want radius support, get a REAL wireless device) and it removes the 4X mode for the B+ series of wireless adapters (which I do not have anyway).
TO LOAD FIRMWARE: you would need to run either executable (one for MAC or the other for PC) OR use the web browser to upload the file (requires either java or activeX - not sure) because it opens up the "open file" dialog box - meaning - experimental browsers, like those in my beloved linux box - don't work well with this. ALSO - it states in no unclear terms DO NOT UPGRADE USING A WIRELESS LINK. Use a hard wired computer. I went from 1.23 to 1.22 and back and forth and so on testing this remote desktop issue.
FINAL FIX: load 1.23, hit the button to reset the router to the defaults, load 1.22, reboot, hit the button to reset the router to the defaults, then type all your configuration back in.
Why the crazy steps? If you loaded 1.23, typed ANYTHING in the boxes that aren't available in 1.22 - it remembers and will cause problems, even though that option isn't availble in 1.22 (I tried this - several times for fun). 1.23 -> load setup defaults -> load 1.22 -> load setup defaults -> configure.
Live without their crippled version of RADIUS (if you don't know what this is you don't need it) and who cares about the crappy 4X mode for the B+ stuff? Another marketing ploy anyway.
Bottom line - with some experimentation, I figured out the firmware thing. IT has worked BETTER than the linksys ever did (can we say firmware of the week?) and improved over the netgears I have used (you can print and not be disconnected from the internet - thanks a lot netgear).
4 stars because firmware is supposed to fix stuff, and their two listed updates should not have affected the RDP stuff in 2000/XP. But it did.

Click Here to see more reviews about: D-Link DI-714P+ Wireless Cable/DSL Router, 4-Port Switch, Prnt Server, 802.11b, 22Mbps

D-LINK DI-714P+ - The AirPlus Enhanced 2.4GHz Wireless Router combines next generation 802.11b Digital Signal Processing ( DSP ) technology from Texas Instruments with D-Link's own robust firewall security features, for simple installation and comprehensive management settings.Fully compatible with the IEEE 802.11b standard, and interoperable with all existing 802.11b compliant devicesSupports 64/128/256-bit WEP encryptionBuilt-In Print Server -Includes Parallel port to connect a printer, along with Windows based print server software applicationDimensions -1.3H x 6.5W x 9.25L; weighs about 2 poundsThree year limited warranty

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6/17/2012

SMC SMC7004ABR Barricade Cable/DSL router with 4-port 10/100Mbps switch and Integrated Print Server Review

SMC SMC7004ABR Barricade Cable/DSL router with 4-port 10/100Mbps switch and Integrated Print Server
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
There are several items that set this SOHO router apart from its peers:
1. Support:
SMC actually tries to solve problems with the product in an expeditions manner.
2. Flexibility:
The 7004ABR can be used with a serial modem, a serial ISDN TA, or any Ethernet-based broadband interface. It can also be configured to AUTOMATICALLY switch from the broadband interface to the serial interface if the broadband loses its connection, and automatically switch back when the broadband problem clears up.
The unit also includes a print server so PC/linux users can convert that old parallel-port printer into a network printer. I can't meaningfully comment on that feature, as I don't use it.
3. Security:
Stateful Packet Inspection, and logging of attack attempts. This unit _could_ be sold as a firewall, not just a SOHO router.
Unit can be configured to be totally stealthed on the WAN side. (good)
Client filtering can be used to selectively control internet access based on client IP, and date/time.
4. Convenience and Reliability:
Changing settings does _not_ require rebooting the router. This is a unique feature among SOHO routers that I have tried.
Only operation requiring router reboot is a firmware upgrade, which is, btw, extremely easy from any modern web browser.
As a result, it is easy to achieve just about 100% network uptime reliability with this product, even when making changes in the configuration. Very cool feature.
This unit is a class act, and at (dollar amount), an absolute steal.

Click Here to see more reviews about: SMC SMC7004ABR Barricade Cable/DSL router with 4-port 10/100Mbps switch and Integrated Print Server

The Barricade™ is an ideal all-in-one networking solution for home and small business users.This platform independent multi-functional broadband router combines a 4-port 10/100 Mbps dual speed switch, a built-in print server, an RS232 COM port for fail-over dial-up or modem connections, and firewall capability for security against hackers and other unauthorized users.The Barricade™ provides a WAN port as well as Network Address Translation (NAT), which translates your WAN IP address into private LAN IP addresses keeping your internal network hidden from the rest of the Internet. Barricade fully supports VPN tunneling via L2TP, PPTP, and IPSec pass-through allowing remote users secure access to their corporate infrastructure.Also, a feature known as Hacker Attack Logging has been implemented which detects, logs, and reports any potential hacker attacks to your network.The new broadband router also allows the connection of multiple users to the Internet using a single WAN IP address. LAN IP addresses are auto-assigned and easily managed through DHCP server capabilities, and the IP routing supports a range of popular applications.

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