| Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router |
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Model: BEFW11S4
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 1079
Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4, Windows NT 5, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000 Server, Windows
Operating system: None
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
Connects to a broadband modem, a 10/100 Ethernet backbone, or wireless network
Long wireless operating range supports 300 feet indoors and 1,500 feet outdoors
Provides roaming, best access-point selection, load balancing, and network traffic filtering
Configurable through your networked PC's Web browser
Can act as a DHCP server for your existing network |
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| Description: |
| The Linksys BEFW11S4 is your all-in-one networking device This wireless router features support for the 802.11b protocol, which lets you wirelessly access your network and the Internet from up to 800 feet (outside), or 300 feet (inside) away |
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| User Reviews (1079 total): |
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here's a thought, June 11, 2004
By user (nyc)
Why pay when you can get it free from Verizon DSL?
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Happy with results, June 10, 2004
By user (Denver, CO United States)
I had purchased this router after review many others. While it is not as fast as others (using B rather than G), It has performed flawlessly over the past couple of days. I have it attached to my desktop through the ethernet port and conect my laptop through the wireless. I did not use the included CD Rom to install, the web interface was complete with all the information you need to set-up. One think to remember (those of you that happen to use Qwest DSL) is to change the DHCP for your network as the Linsys defaults to the same IP address as Qwest DSL (Arescom 800). I have yet to "play" with all the features that are on the router, but was happy enough to get connected within a half-hour.
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Version 4 is terrible, June 9, 2004
By user
The version 4 of this router is nightmarish.
The router works for a couple of hours and then needs to be reset.
Very often it loses its routing tables.I have an older version 2 also and it works fine.
It would be best to keep away from the latest version.
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Our Workhorse Router! Home and Work!, June 9, 2004
By user (MENLO PARK, CA USA)
We got both the B and the B+G protocol versions of this router. The B outperformed the G which was newer but not nearly as stable, so we installed one at home and one at the office. We have not had one single problem. The thing has worked perfectly from day 1. I love the four ports hub that's included so we put it near a printer, T1 router, and one computer that are all wired in and all the wireless clients could not be happier - so easy to get on the network. Security is great too, not only is the WEP, but we also use the MAC table to restrict access to only those hardware addresses we know will be using our wireless router in advance. There's just no access to this wireless device unless we know about it first! We turned the SSID broadcast off too so we don't show up on anybody wardriving around the area either. There is so much flexibility in configuring this little guy - we got to make a perfect set up for our needs that gives us great performance and peace of mind security! Can you tell I used to work in marketing? Anyway, it's such a good little device, I had to write a review.
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Should have went with my first impression, June 3, 2004
By user (CA, USA)
The best thing I can say about Linksys is their personal support team. They were very helpful when it came to replacing my router which was defective fresh out of the box.... except for the part where I had to pay for the shipping. A year later I wanted to do some advanced stuff like port forwarding and and connecting to my computer remotely. Boy was it a pain to get port forwarding working! In fact I never got it to work so I thought I might need a firmware upgrade. Well this is a huge problem with Linksys! Somehow I got linked to the BEFW11S4 v2/3 firmware upgrade page and did not notice. In my own erroneous fashion I went ahead and installed the wrong firmware, and what is worse is the software has no versioning checking! So I erroneously fried my router. This wrong version even made it such that you cannot set back to factory settings! So I am putting that all behind me and buying a netgear. Be careful when dealing with linksys, I hope you don't get burnt doing firmware upgrades.
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Really like this!!!, May 29, 2004
By user (St.Petersburg, FL USA)
Well I purchased this Router for my son's new laptop. It was very simple to install. I had ABSOLUTELY no problems doing so. The signal is exceptional too! My son can take his laptop to the next door neighbors house and still have a decent enough signal to go online. I think this is a great product and I have no regrets!!!!!
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Works fine with Apple computers, May 28, 2004
By user (Ann Arbor, MI United States)
This router is serving a cable connection at my uncle's house and has been for at least 1 year. The one Apple computer in his house (Powerbook G4 400) is the only computer that works consistently with it. The XP box his son has is constantly bringing down the whole system because the thing is a security seive.Anyway, sometimes this router spontaneously reverts to a slower connection speed, but this can be easily fixed from the Mac using the admin web page. THIS ROUTER WORKS FINE WITH APPLE COMPUTERS. People who say otherwise don't know what they are talking about.
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Don't Buy Version 4, May 13, 2004
By user (Sunnyvale, Texas United States)
Linksys wants you to think all of the glowing BEFW11S4 reviews are talking about the same hardware. Unfortunately the quality in the current iteration of this router (Version 4) makes me worried about Linksys's future. Several years ago I bought version 2 of this router and was very happy with it. I also had a friend with version 1 that had worked well for him. So when I needed another one for myself I figured Linksys would be a good bet. I could not have been more wrong. Version 4 (If there is only one row of lights on the front it's after version 2) is the worst network hardware I have ever used. Out of the box it is obvious that this is not the same hardware as the previous versions and it becomes much more apparent when you actually try to use the thing. I never saw the router work for more than 30 minutes without hanging and forcing me to physically un-plug and plug in the router to get it to respond. From reading about other people's experiences it seems that this is a hardware defect or a firmware defect that has not been fixed in multiple releases over the last year. In fact new firmwares have actually introduced new problems so this router is just not worth the trouble. If you know you are getting a version 3 or earlier go for it, otherwise don't waste your time or your money.
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A reliable, feature-packed, bargain router., May 5, 2004
By user
As a networking expert, I'm very pleased with this product. It's faster than my broadband connection, easy to use, feature rich, and I don't lose my signal anywhere in my apartment... for $40. I made two weekend technical support calls. I was connected within 5 minutes and they were reasonably knowledgeable.Most home users should buy "Wireless-B". Wireless-B is 11Mbps, Wireless-G is 54Mbps. Both are much faster than your 1Mbps broadband connection. For Internet use, there's no difference. Wireless-B is half the price. Make sure to enable the security features. WEP encryption is the most important - it prevents neighbors from borrowing your connection or watching what you browse on the web. Disabling SSID broadcasts and setting a unique SSID are also good steps.
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It answered my problem, May 5, 2004
By user
I bought this for my laptop and my playstation 2. So I could game online with the plastation (using a ethernet wire) and access the internet from my laptop wirelessly. Setting it up was "fairly" easy: I just followed the instructions and a couple of minutes later (I had to turn off the firewall so the program could work) the thing worked! I now play online with my PS2 and go to my laptop for any game hints I might need ^_^ So far I've had the thing for a couple of weeks and i haven't noticed any real problems except for a small visible lag when I download something on my laptop. It solved my problem, hopefully it'll solve yours too
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Time for a dismissal, May 3, 2004
By user (Lake Forest, CA United States)
Alright, this is in response to the morons who say this router is incompatible with Apple computers. I've used this router with an Apple Airport card on a 2001 iBook for (obviously) the last three years and I've never had a problem. It's as plug-n-play as anything can get and has worked without a hitch for years. The only thing that I can think of is that some of you morons think that this is a hub and will facilitate an AppleTalk Network. Goodluck with that but it won't get you anywhere because YOU ARE USING THE WRONG HARDWARE! THIS IS A ROUTER--which doles connectivity to several computers--AND NOT A HUB--which allows computers to "speak" to each other. If you're looking to simply get your Apple, Windows PC or Linux box online (which worked for me on Red Hat Personal 9.0, Slackware 9.0 AND Mandrake Community 10.0), then you've found your hardware. If you're looking to network, get a network running, get a hub/router combo. For the Mac lover, have fun with your overpriced Airport Station... sucker.
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NOT COMPATIBLE WITH MAC, April 30, 2004
By user (Moorpark, CA United States)
Linksys tech support has 2 differing views - depending on which incomprehensible far-eastern (india, etc) personnel you happen to talk to. position 1) Linksys doesn't support mac, position 2) Linksys does support mac but we can't get this router to work for you.I am fed up with companies that pretend to support platforms but can't get their gear to work even after 2 days (linksys) and 3 day (netgear) of all-day long tech support. I am sure these babies are just "plug and play" for the PC users out there, bu they are a nightmare for us mac users. I will not buy another linksys product - mainly because they outsource their tech support to illiterate morons. There are plenty of illiterate morons here in the US that can at least speak english when we need tech support. Someone please make a mac compatible wireless solution!!!!
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Ok, but bad price/performance ratio, April 26, 2004
By user (CA United States)
It works (with a bit of effort). The main problem I ran into was that the text boxes in the config webpage are a few pixles too small, making the trailing 'B' in my encryption key look like an 'E', and the DHCP didn't work until I had it plugged in for a few days (although DHCP rarely works without a hitch when you have a computer that thinks it should be the DHCP server). Frankly, there are better routers (from D-link for example) that do the job better for the money.
On the bright side, it does have a decent range, and once you actualy get it working, it works pretty well with all other hardware.
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Awesome Product/Easy Install, April 25, 2004
By user (Los Angeles, CA United States)
Great Product. I got it through Verizon DSL (for free) and it's been awesome. Set up was a breeze, connection is fast and no problems with reception. I get full signal through walls (though only about 30 feet from router) and it's just been troublefree.I would get this product again (though I'd prefer to get a 802.11.g).
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Linksys SUCKS, April 23, 2004
By user (Vancouver)
I'm very much pissed off with this crap product LinkSys wireless-B router.
Gives me hell every week. Gets disconnected and it's very slow.
You sould call overseas for customer service and they answer you in an hour.
They can't speak English well and it gives you more stress.
I'm gonna through away this bull**** and buy another product.
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The Best Wireless Home Router, April 13, 2004
By user (Orinda, CA USA)
This is simply the best cable or DSL router for any home user. It is very simple and easy to setup and install and works consistently well, I've been running mine for 2 years with virtually no downtime. I have setup about a dozen of these devices for other people and never ahd a problem using them with either a very basic setup or more complicated network configurations. The router can work in nearly any situation with its 4 ethernet ports to support wired computers in the same room as well as wireless capabilities to support computers all throughout the house. The router works well as a backbone to support your entire network, regardless of how many computers you have. The average user will be impressed with its ease of setup while an advanced user will appreciate all the custom settings that can be tweaked to work with any configuration. In the end, you will never find a better router than this Linksys and it is simply the better than any other brand of router on the market today.
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MAJOR DISCOVERY THAT FIXES AD-HOC DISCONNECTIONS, April 3, 2004
By user (Fort Lee USA)
Wow... this is an easy fix that most people would love to know. I have been a wireless user almost from day one and at all times LINKSYS has been my best choice.
I have been reading articles and problems all along and up until last month, I never had any problems. But funny enough, like the most user I started to have the same disconnection problem all of a sudden for no reason at all. I had this machine for almost a year now.
I have tried everything that was "said and heard", asked linksys support 4-5 times on the same day for over a week but no luck. It would just drop connection and would pick it up after 3-4 hours or sometimes longer or shorter. Power on and off, all types of current or previous firmware upgrades would not fix the thing. But NOW it is working just fine for over 3 weeks no problems. I have around my house 7 different wireless devices working (all neighbors) most of the time. I thought it was one of them that was causing the problem but not so. FIX :
1. make sure you backup your configuration to your PC (must learn that)
2. while power is ON press and hold reset switch at the back for almost 90 seconds
3. while pressing and holding disconnect the power with your third hand (!) and keep holding for another 30 sec
4. while pressing and holding reconnect the power back again and keep reset switch pressed at all times
5. wait another 60 or 90 seconds while power is on and reset button pressed
6. no you can let go the reset switch
7. connect to your BEFW11S4 using 192.168.1.1 and your password is again back to the original "admin"
8. once you are connected, restore from your backup (step 1)
9. never experience disconnection problems again (I hope) Note: This is technical food:_ After programming the EPROM that is on the mainboard, linksys manufacturers must do a hard reset on the device. That will clear the stack buffer and some registers. But it looks like they don't do that and even you switch off the thing, stacks don't get initialized and cause stack overflow (DHCP is most likely). Machine will still pump packets out but packets are all messed up you can not connect. Well, if you don't have the problem, you or someone must have pressed reset more than 60 secs at some stage. It doesn't matter what firmware you use, HARD RESET is a must after programming the EPROM.
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Good product, bad tech support, March 24, 2004
By user
I am a network admin and have worked with routers before. It took a long time to set it up but once I did it worked very well. The range is great. I live in an all concrete house and my laptop upstairs has no problem getting the router downstairs and the signal is strong.I am having a connection problem of being able to browse from the desktop to the laptop. I explained in my question to tech support that firewall settings are fine, etc. The answer I got was, "You must disable your firewall to get it to work". I am not that ignorant. Never disable your firewall. If you know a lot about routers and such it is a good piece of equipment. If you don't, my experience with tech support at Linksys makes me believe the unexperienced should stay away from this router.
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Excellent -- if you can live with Wireless B, March 15, 2004
By user (Oakland, CA USA)
This is an excellent product which does everthing it claims to do. It serves as an ethernet router, internet/network hub, and wireless base station. In addition, Linksys free techinical support is the best I've ever received from a technology company. They quickly resolved the few difficulties I had setting it up.
However, anyone with a broadband connection will be disappointed with wireless "B" (here I'm talking about the technology, not this router). It's simply too slow. (Note: Wireless "B" is the most prevalent standard for public 'hotspots', so if you're satisfied with that, this would work fine for your home.) I've now upgraded to the Linksys Wireless "G" model and am much happier with my speed.
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Frustrating, March 13, 2004
By user (Minneapolis, MN)
I've had problems with the BEFW11S4 from the day I unpacked it from the box.Initially, the problems were intermittent wireless drops (as you most undoubtedly have read on various Linksys forums). Hours of frustrating calls to customer service, 2 replacements, and several firmware upgrades later, I gave up and decided to use only the wired switch. Admittedly, this portion has always worked well and continues to work well. Just last month, I decided to buy a brand new NIC and attempt a wireless resurrection. I reset the router, upgraded the firmware, performed a clean upgrade of all operating systems, and did a little resurrection dance around the unit. Miraculously, it worked. I was able to configure the router with no problems and my laptop connected beautifully. I even enabled encryption with absolutely no problems. Signal strength was great and there were no intermittent drops. 15 minutes to set up and 4 hours of perfect operating bliss (until ordered to bed by the wife). The very next day, wireless was once again gone... completely this time. I did not touch the config on the router or the laptop. I merely opened my laptop up and, wah lah, nothing. I had my company's IT manager, several computer geek friends, and a networking instructor try the config... only to become more frustrated than myself. I refuse to deal with Linksys customer service again so I guess I've just inherited an expensive blue door stop. Needless to day, I would highly discourage anyone from buying this particular model, regardless of your computer/networking knowledge.
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