Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is really an "out of the box" peripheral. I plugged it in, followed the instructions, and in no time, I had my desktop and my laptop sharing my cable modem.
The biggest advantage of this is the USB port. If you want to hook up a laptop, it'll save you as much as $50 or more because you won't have to buy a network adapter card. It's plug-and-play compatible with your USB port (though you do have to load a special driver).
The added bonus is that it creates a back-end LAN for all the machines hooked to it. That means for PC's with 10/100 cards and category 5 cables, you've got a 100 megabit highway for transferring files between those PC's.
If you want to know how fast that is... Imagine you have a 48x CD-ROM. Even with network overhead (there's next to no latency because there's only one router/hub and a few feet of cables between them), you'll be able to read files between PC's faster than you can read them off your CD-ROM.
I'm getting a new PC next week. With the transfer rate on the LAN, the entire time for copying files will be about 1/3 the time needed just to write them to a 16x CD-ROM. That's not including the time to break them into CD-sized chunks, move them between machines, and then copy them off the CD. The time savings on a few gigs translates into hours. Just from that, this thing will pay for itself.
It also makes synchronizing files on my PC and laptop a breeze. No more writing files to a CD-ROM or floppy to copy them over. Boom, baby! Just suck it down via the LAN. And if I want to download something big from the net onto my laptop, no more doing it at 56k or downloading it on the desktop and copying it over via CD. I now have high-speed internet access on both PC's... at the same time if I want it.
If you want to establish your own home LAN that shares a Cable/DSL connection to the Internet, getting a router like this is *totally* worth the money. And if you want to network in your laptop without having to buy extra equipment for it... the BEFSRU31 is the router for you! I'm loving it!
UPDATE - 6 weeks later: I now get a "network cable unplugged" error in Windows 2000 if I try to connect a PC to it via USB (I've tried on 2 PC's with 2 different USB cables to be sure). USB connections worked previously. I did everything they suggested including upgrading the firmware and re-installing the latest drivers off their web site.
Not having time to go through a return process because I needed to transfer some large files to my laptop the next day and back to my desktop a couple days after that, I bought a LAN card for my laptop. When all three of my PC's (2 desktops and my laptop) were plugged in via RJ45, the router started looping and slowed LAN transfer rates between my PC's to around the same speed as a 56k modem, though the broadband internet access does not appear to suffer.
Essentially, I can have 3 PC's connected for internet access, or 2 for LAN purposes. I should be able to connect 4 for both and even uplink it to a second hub/router for even more connectivity (theoretically, it's supposed to support up to 253 PCs). I e-mailed Linksys on Sunday. It has been four complete business days without a response. I tried calling and when I chose the option to hold for a rep (instead of leaving a message), that option was ignored and I was told to leave a message.
I have e-mailed them again, sending every bit of info they request (proof of purchase and date, online and offline contact info) and will see if they deign to respond this time.
In view of the person who wrote a review claiming his BEFSRU31 burned out twice and my recent experiences with it losing functionality (with Linksys providing most shoddy customer service), I have had to lower my rating from a 5 to a 2.
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Cisco-Linksys BEFSRU31 EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with USB & 3-Port 10/100 SwitchThe Linksys EtherFast cable/DSL router with USB and three-port 10/100switch lets you connect your desktop or notebook PC to your router easily with aUSB cable--without installing a network card. Configurable as a DHCP server,this router protects networks of up to 253 users with its NAT firewall. You canmanage and modify your router's network with IP filtering, forwarding, and DMZhosting. With PPPoE compatibility, IPSec pass-through, and PPTP support forsecure VPN connections, this router provides key Internet functions formaximizing your online capabilities.
In addition, three 10/100 switched ports allow you to connect more networkdevices directly to your router without buying extra hubs and switches.
The EtherFast cable/DSL router comes with a one-year limited warranty.
Note: All Linksys routers now include a special edition of Norton Internet Security! Claim your free CD-ROM by calling (800) 814-0180, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific, seven days a week.
Click here for more information about Cisco-Linksys BEFSRU31 EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with USB & 3-Port 10/100 Switch
