| 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: 1078
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 (1078 total): |
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Biggest piece that I have ever seen, September 15, 2003
By JT (Western NY USA)
What can I say about this router other than it is the worst equipment that I have ever purchased. I bought it new from a national store in my area on Friday. Saturday I noticed intermittent problems such as the Access Point could not be found, then it came back up in 20 seconds. I was using it 2 days later (on Sunday) when all of a sudden it stopped working entirely. The Power LED flashes repeatedly signaling that there is a problem with the router itself. I tried resetting the router, disconnecting power, leaving it off for hours and trying again just to rule out that it was a temporary problem. No luck. I am taking it back to the store today after work and replacing it entirely with a different brand. I own my own business doing network & computer consulting and I am going to make sure that if my clients are looking for wireless, they are going to stay far far away from Linksys.On a side note, their documentation leaves a LOT to be desired. In the users manual, they keep referring to a DIAG LED that does not exist on this router. It would be nice to actually have a users manual for the exact product instead of one that roughly mixes all of their wireless routers together.
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Great, if you can get it to work..., September 15, 2003
By Power User (North Attleboro, MA, USA)
I purchased one of these routers for my girlfriend, who just got a new Centrino-based notebook computer (a Dell Inspiron 600m), and needed to share an internet connection at home between her family's desktop Mac and the new portable. I picked up this product because Linksys is a fairly well-known name in the networking industry, and I've used some of their commercial-grade products before at work and never had any real problems with them. However, I was less impressed by the BEFW1154. Setup was fairly straightforward, although some of the menu options could have been better placed -- a lot of things have to be accessed through the "advanced" submenu that aren't terribly advanced (like MAC address cloning, which some cable subscribers will need). The Netgear router I ended up replacing this with was more automatic in its settings, and you didn't have to drill through multiple layers of menus.It worked great for about half an hour, at which point it refused to talk to anything on the wireless connection or WAN. I reset it, and then it worked fine for about half an hour before cutting out again. I tinkered with some of the settings, but couldn't get anywhere. I downloaded the upgraded firmware from Linksys' website, but after installing it, the router refused to pick up an IP address from the cable modem (although it no longer locked up). I decided I'd spent enough time on this and took the router back to CompUSA, exchanging it for an equivalent Netgear product (the MR814v2, ASIN: B00006HYKM) that cost less and works properly. The only advantage I can give to the Linksys is that it has excellent wireless range (dual antennas help), and the antennas can be replaced if you need stronger ones. From the research I did trying to figure out what was wrong, it seems that this router does not work well with older cable/DSL modems. So if you have one that's more than a year or two old, you may want to avoid this product. These things should be plug-and-play, not plug-and-tweak-and-return-to-store.
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*Almost* flawless, September 9, 2003
By Power User (North Attleboro, MA, USA)
I recently purchased one of these from CompUSA (they also had a mail-in rebate on them), and for the most part, it works perfectly. Setup was very simple (although some of the more advanced options, like MAC address cloning, are a little awkward unless you page through the manual a few times), and -- amazingly -- I got both my girlfriend's brand new Dell notebook and her mother's ancient Power Mac connected through it to the net within 20 minutes and without a hitch (I have done this before, to be fair, but it's my first experience with an 802.11b router). The wireless range seems good (you shouldn't expect much more than about 30-50' of range indoors, what with the walls, power wires, microwave ovens, etc. all over the place), and web surfing from a different floor was pretty smooth. Placing the router centrally helps, as does putting it in the open -- sticking it in the corner under a desk, with a mess of noisy wires around it, will give you very poor signal quality. Also, if you need more range, the dual antennas can be removed and replaced with better ones -- something you don't often see in entry-level wireless hardware.However, I can't give this a 5-star rating, because (as several other people have noted), it seems to randomly disconnect and stop responding after running for a while (the wireless notebook can "see" the router, but can't establish a connection to it). If you hit the "reset" button, or unplug it and then plug it back in, it works fine for a while, and then stops again. I haven't had time to contact Linksys support, and it may just be a problem with their (also very old) cable modem, but it's certainly very annoying!
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A good value, September 9, 2003
By m_lott (Deltona, FL USA)
This device works as advertised, and has a good web interface with which to work. All in all, I'm very happy with this product. I would have liked a bit more range, but for the money, this device has worked well for me. I found some 5.5db gain antenna's from radio shack for 30 dollars, which increases the range of this device, so that may be an option for some folks.
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Poor reception and speed., September 7, 2003
By unknown
I recently purchased this router with the Linksys WPC11 notebook adapter. Setup was simple for both the router and the network adapter. However, the signal was poor. It would spike, and then drop to zero. Often times I couldn't connect with the router at all and when I did, download speeds on my broadband connection were worse than a dial up connection. I tried switching through the different channels to no avail. I have cordless phones, but they were not in the room or in operation when I was trying to setup my connection. Needless to say, if they interfered when not in use, I wouldn't want to keep this product anyway. I didn't bother to call tech support. Instead, I packed it up and sent it back. ...
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Bad router, September 7, 2003
By unknown
I bought this router in the hope of using the internet on my laptop antwhere in my two storied house. I use a linksys wireless card in the laptop. It turns out that as soon as the laptop leaves the room where the router is located and the door is closed, the receiving signal goes down to nothing. Tech support from Linksys by email said that this product only works in "line-of sight", while that is not mentioned on the package. For me a waste on money.
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Works Great!, September 6, 2003
By Reggie Martin (Philadelphia, PA)
I have had no problems with this router. The only trouble came when I first set it up, since the instructions didn't quite work for my ISP. My ISP was not very helpful, but I eventually got it working. Since then, it has been flawless. I use two or three computers on it at a time.If you get this, though, I recommend using the security features, or buying an additional firewall. Otherwise, it is very easy for other people to access the Internet from your router, especially if you live in an apartment building with lots of other computer users nearby.
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Disconnects occassionally, September 5, 2003
By K. Zibart (Louisville, KY)
I had no problems setting it up, and it worked fine for quite a while. Now that we use the Internet more often though, like playing online games, using IM with voice, connecting wirelessly from my Pocket PC, etc., it seems to disconnect several times each night. We ruled out the cable modem/connection (at least our cable company claims there's no problem). They did have me separate the cable modem and wireless AP, saying they use the same frequency and may interfere with each other. It made no difference. Their final "solution" was to remove the router and just have one PC connected directly to them. I did that for a night just to test it and had no disconnections.I e-mailed Linksys support and they responded the same day! Unfortunately though, I don't think the person knew what he was talking about. I can't quote him directly per the disclaimer in his e-mail, but to paraphrase he basically said we were lucky the router kept a connection at all with multiple computers accessing the WAN at the same time!. Isn't that the whole point of a router? Doesn't this device use NAT? He suggested using port forwarding to fix the problem, but I'm not trying to setup a server or anything so I don't see the point. He also told me to adjust my MTU value, giving me about 5 values to try, saying to try each one until my connection was more stable. I may still try that before giving up completely, but I don't see why the MTU setting should make a difference either. Some people have mentioned similar problems that went away after a firmware upgrade. Once the problem started showing up, I upgraded to the latest firmware. It made no difference. I sent another e-mail asking for clarification and additional support about 10 days ago and haven't gotten a response yet. I forwarded it to them again today. I'm not expecting any real help from them at this point. I'll probably end up replacing it with another brand.
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It works, September 4, 2003
By Charles A. Cooper (Jacksonville, Florida USA)
As a basic no-nonsense wireless access point this one works very well. The installation was easy and painless. My only complaint, and hence the missing star, is that the range is somewhat limited. The signal becomes a bit inconsistant if the networked computers are on the other side of the house, separated by a few walls. On the whole, it works very well though.
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A breeze to setup, September 2, 2003
By Magdalene Carter (Eastford, CT United States)
My family bought this Linksys wireless access point/router two weeks ago after getting a cable connection installed in our home. After reading reviews from disappointed customers saying that the setup was near impossible, I was very surprised that it took me, a fifteen year old, less than 15 minutes to get it up and running. My dad's computer is a Winbook PC running Windows 2000, and it's hooked up to the router via an ethernet cable. My Macintosh PowerBook, running OS X, is wireless using an Apple AirPort card. All I had to do was install the Install Disk on my Dad's computer, and he was online. For my computer, all I had to do was turn the Apple AirPort card on and my computer was online. The wireless capabilities of this router are amazing; I can take the computer to the corner of my large backyard and still have a signal. The only problem I've had thus far is that occasionally my instant messages get backed up when I'm using AOL Instant Messenger, and I won't receive an instant message for a while after a friend has sent it. Other than that, this router has been a great investment. I am curious though as to why it's not advertised anywhere that Linksys systems are compatible with Macs using AirPort cards, because I've been able to use my computer in my own Linksys home wireless network, as well as at my friend's house, who has a Linksys wireless network running through her house.
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Simple and Reliable, August 30, 2003
By A Allen (IL)
After installing and maintaining 5 of these units in various homes and small business environments, I can say without hesitation that this is an easy to configure and very reliable unit.
The first unit installed is still running flawlessly after nearly a year of 24/7 operation.
The wireless feature offers a reliable and stable connection to the network even with a large download and the range in a properly installed system is impressive.
Average setup time from box to a fully functioning wireless and DSL internet connection is around 15 minutes including enabling WEP security and customizing the DSL PPPoE.
Remote access and control via the router works without problems. It may be helpful to have some knowledge of firewalls and ports to configure some applications but Univiversal PnP is also included.
Overall a great unit!
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Good, but takes some know how, August 30, 2003
By nknipe@excite.com (Los Angeles, CA USA)
Once you get this router up and running, it works flawlessly. However, you will have problems with sustaining TCP connections until you upgrade the firmware. i.e., your AIM will periodically shut off, a download will suddenly stop, or an online game will lose connectivity (for just a moment, but this is enough to tick you off). Also of importance is that a wireless connection will sometimes be unable to contact the router once you take it off sleep mode. Note, however, that once you upgrade the firmware (which is really easy to do on the Linksys website), it works great. But the firmware version 4 works terribly.
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Needs The Firmware Update, August 30, 2003
By unknown
Like others installing this product I had nothing but problems from the start. Worked with my cable ISP and determined that the cable modem was working perfectly. Went on to the Linksys tech support and changed the IP address on the router. Reset the modem, router and restarted the PC. Everything worked fine for a while and then the PC lost contact with the router. On a remote PC for gaming the kids complained that they would lose the connection long enough to time out on the online game and get kicked off. My son called the Linksys tech support and got a rookie who was not much help. The next day I called and was advised to download an update to the firmware which is 1.45.3. I had a little trouble finding it on the Linksys site but finally downloaded and installed it and now everything is working perfectly. Linksys should add this to their retail package to help avoid the headaches I had and to greatly reduce the load on their tech support.
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Easy, and It works, August 29, 2003
By jperhart (Tempe, AZ United States)
Buy one. Easy Setup, Easy Use.
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Spotty Wireless, August 28, 2003
By Alex Schlegel (Raleigh, NC United States)
Two debilitating problems with this router:1) I have a Sony Vaio Centrino notebook, and cannot get a reliable connection with it. I'll connect at "excellent" strength, but 15 seconds later it will cut out, then reconnect a few seconds later, and so on. This makes the wireless connection basically unusable. I have never had this problem with any other wireless connection. 2) The port forwarding section of the set up screen only allows 5 custom port forwards. It has several pre-defined forwards for HTTP, FTP, etc., but you can't change the internal/external port numbers for these. This is ridiculous considering that adding the ability for more port forwards is purely a software rather than a hardware task. Another minus: we use one computer on our network for hosting a few websites, and have noticed a significant increase in the response time to requests compared to our old router (an SMC Barricade SMC7004ABR). I'll be returning this and moving on to the next wireless router (we already tried and returned a D-Link DI-614+).
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easy setup. works great and good range., August 28, 2003
By unknown
I have had no problems with this router. the setup was easy and the wireless signal and range are good. the documentation could have been a litter better but it was adequate. I have my notebook using a microsoft wireless network card and was able to easily find my linksys wireless network. I've seen some bad reviews about this product. some are valid, some are not. in the previous year I have had 3 routers. 1st - wired d-link which worked great. 2nd- microsoft wireless router which worked great for 3 months and then died. 3rd - current linksys router which has worked great.
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BEFW11S4 v4 STILL has problems, August 27, 2003
By cjnovak (Glen Ellyn, IL USA)
I'd been very happy with my Linksys BEFRS41 router, and thought this would be an excellent upgrade to add a Wireless Access Point. I was wrong. The 'v4' version of BEFW11S4 has major flaws, and should NOT have been released to the market. Prior versions (2, 3, 3.2, etc) MAY be OK. The 'v4' refers to the actual hardware version, NOT the rewritable firmware. My unit came with firmware 1.45.1, and not only did I experience the same lockup and instability problems other reviews have reported, I was never able to get wireless to operate from a laptop only 3 feet away! Some functions, such as firewall logging, worked fine. When I upgraded the firmware to 1.45.3 (7/1/2003), the lockup problems seemed to go away, but the LOGging function broke -- no more tracking of intrusion attempts! Still couldn't get the wireless to work. After I corresponded and spoke to Linksys Technical Support, they denied that the LOG function was supposed to work in the manner it HAD been working with both 1.45.1 and my older BEFSR41! Net-net, it's going back to the dealer or Linksys. I've already gotten a Belkin F5D6231-4, and wireless worked perfectly the first time (so the problem wasn't my 802.11b PC-Card).
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Solid Performance and Good Tech Support, August 23, 2003
By David Salahi (Laguna Niguel, CA United States)
I recently added a laptop to my home network of two PCs and needed a wireless access point to support this third PC. The router includes four wired Ethernet ports along with the wireless support and these wired ports worked right out of the box.However, due to a corrupted Windows installation, I had a lot of trouble getting Windows XP File & Print Sharing to work. Over a period of a week I sent several emails to Linksys tech support and each time received a reply within a day. Eventually, their support guy hit on the solution and now my wireless connection is working solidly throughout my home. This is my second Linksys router and I'm happy with both of them. One nice thing about the new one is that the old one takes about a minute to boot up after power on but this new one takes only a few seconds. I must also say I was very disappointed with the complete lack of tech support from Sony (the laptop manufacturer). They refused to provide any support for this wireless networking problem because of the "third-party hardware."
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works on the odd days... not even, August 23, 2003
By excitedteacher (vegas area, rural)
This is the most fickel piece for computer equiptement on the market. We have 3 computers in our home and this system is connected to all. It only works when it wants too! If the weather is blowing the right way and on the odd days of the week. If your one of these people that likes to fix and fidget with things, this is for you! For the rest of you, wait until the tecnology advances some and improved systems are available. We spent alot and keep spending more... the computer store guy practically lives at our house...fixing and running this system. PS it R E A L L Y doesn't like to work if you have stucco walls.. it has a hard time getting reception no matter how well you put it by windows and interior walls.
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A++++, August 19, 2003
By unknown
I Love this router
works all over the house without any problemsusing WUSB11 cards....
WARNING:i am running W2k Pro and im not having any problems
but WinXP users avoid the WUSB11 card =won't work with XP=
tried it on my downstairs cpu **NO LUCK**
Like Allways W2K will allways be the best OS
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