| 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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solid wireless router, March 13, 2002
By joe137 (Hamilton, NJ United States)
This device worked right out of the box. I connected both wireless and ethernet to a cable modem with very little difficulty. Manuals do lack and tech support cd is even worse. Contrary to another review, this product does work with optonline. I would definately recommend this product!
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A real answer to a real problem, March 12, 2002
By Doug (Midlothian, VA USA)
...Setting it up I had an issue that was easily fixed by calling tech support,(only 5 min wait and worth it, the technician was very good). My laptop which will be connecting wirelessly was not connecting no matter what I tried. It turns out that you can't run wireless cards and ethernet cards (mine was built in} at the same time because the machine will always default to the ethernet card. Which is exactly what was happening. We removed the driver for the ethernet card and it began to work great right away. Everything else about the setup was fairly simple and went very smooth the directions were easy to understand. I especially liked the quick installation sheet which is what I used to setup with.I highly recommend this product and would buy it again if I had to do it all over. The distance of the wireless machine is really dependent on terrain. But for my two story house it was great. The only weak spot being downstairs in the opposite direction of the linksys base as far as I could go. However it still worked and was quite able to handle downloads even at the weakest point. You just can't go wrong till they come out with a new beakthrough in technology. But even then the prices will be to high in the beginning. For instance the new 802.11a is several hundred dollars more expensive then this machine. And for what you get I just don't need it. This is a winner. The newest version of the product is BEF11S4 VER 2... The newest version has fixed most of the bugs of the previous version. Good Luck!!! A very satisfied consumer
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Convenience of wired and wireless network in one router, March 12, 2002
By ronnie park (La Canada, California United States)
I connected the cable ISP service to two PCs at home, one wired and the other one wireless using BEFW11S4. It's nice to have this flexibility. When the task demands the stable network and speed, I use the wired PC, while the priority is the convenience of the location, the wireless PC is the choice.
My wireless PC uses WUSB11 to communicate with the router. During the installation, though I am a computer programmer (not a net work engineer) understanding something about the network, such as topology, OSI layer, Internet security, etc., I had some difficulty comprehend the content of the user guide. For novice, the installation process provides a good learning opportunity, specially understanding the technical terms.
The installation guide was "One size fits all" and it didn't not fit mine. Because my PC operating system is WindowsXP and the user guide was not written for WindowsXP, I had to do some research to find the equivalent instruction in order to proceed the installation steps. Additionally there were areas that the installation guide didn't cover. For an example, I had to acquire the MAC address to configure the router correctly, with assistance from Linksys. My experience with the 24/7 customer support was very difficult one. I had to call them four times to get through the line. For the first three attempted calls, I had to hang up after being on hold for an hour each time.
When I finally had a customer support staff on the phone, the interaction with him was extremely unpleasant. He was very impatient and rude when I was unable to readily follow his fast paced instruction (not to mention the difficult-to-understand technical jargons he used, some jargons are industry standard and some are the vendor specific ones).
It took one weekend to complete the installation, including the time spent on trouble shooting and calling the Linksys customer support.
It's nice to have the flexibility of having the wired and wireless network in one router.
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A real answer to a real problem, March 11, 2002
By Doug (Midlothian, VA USA)
I am not sure what all the others had problems with but my Linksys worked great out of the box. Setting it up I had an issue that was easily fixed by calling tech support,(only 5 min wait and worth it, the technician was very good). My laptop which will be connecting wirelessly was not connecting no matter what I tried. It turns out that you can't run wireless cards and ethernet cards (mine was built in} at the same time because the machine will always default to the ethernet card. Which is exactly what was happening. We removed the driver for the ethernet card and it began to work great right away. Everything else about the setup was fairly simple and went very smooth the directions were easy to understand. I especially liked the quick installation sheet which is what I used to setup with.I highly recommend this product and would buy it again if I had to do it all over. The distance of the wireless machine is really dependent on terrain. But for my two story house it was great. The only weak spot being downstairs in the opposite direction of the linksys base as far as I could go. However it still worked and was quite able to handle downloads even at the weakest point. You just can't go wrong till they come out with a new beakthrough in technology. But even then the prices will be to high in the beginning. For instance the new 802.11a is several hundred dollars more expensive then this machine. And for what you get I just don't need it. This is a winner. The newest version of the product is BEF11S4 VER 2. Many of the reviews done in this section were about the
BEF11S4 its the same model number but lacking the ver.2 after the BEF11S4. The newest version has fixed most of the bugs of the previous version. Good Luck!!! A very satisfied consumer
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Check your BIOS, March 10, 2002
By aggie71 (Houston, TX USA)
... Just like many others it took me FOREVER to get this working on my PC, but it is not this product that was my problem! My 1997 Microcenter Clone special had a 1997 vintage BIOS which could not handle the PCI adaptor for the WPC11 wireless card. My Dell 4300 worked immediately with no problems whatsoever. When I finally realized what the issue was on the older computer, I was able to update it's BIOS and the Linksys wireless access point worked perfectly ... just as advertised. It is the coolest setup using this router/switch/wireless access point!!! ... with both wired and wireless capability.Everyone in the family getting access to the DSL line is great! In my mind this is the perfect product for home networking. Don't wait another minute ... you need one of these!! ...Hope this review helps others that get stuck getting this stuff to work for them. P.S. Linksys Tech support was very helpful in helping me work through the install.
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I'm so pleased, March 9, 2002
By unknown
I am submitting this review after installing this Linksys wireless router this morning. Just so folks who read this understand, I am not a techno-geek at all. On a scale of 1-10 of computer-savviness, I'm about a 5. Also, (not that it makes a bit of difference)--I'm a woman. So, when I say that I had this whole thing (including the USB Linksys wireless network adapter) hooked up and running in less than an hour, you'll understand that it's fairly easy to install. I am thrilled with the results!! I did call their tech support, I'll admit, and the fellow there pretty much walked me through the whole thing, but then--VOILA--it works as advertised!! I have 100% signal strength in our house (one computer is located on the second floor, and this one is located on the floor directly below the other computer). One thing to watch for---I had to go back to Staples to buy the cable I needed for this installation. The Linksys box should have in big letters "YOU NEED ANOTHER ETHERNET CABLE TO INSTALL THIS--NOT INCLUDED!"
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It works well after you get it working..., March 8, 2002
By internet_coffee_guy (Marietta, GA United States)
I originally bought a Netgear MR314. It was MUCH easier to set up, has a metal case and provided keyword filtering. BUT, we are using Symbol 2846 Wireless 802.11b Handhelds (10 of them) and kept getting our connections dropped. Symbol had another case on file with the MR314 with the same problem, so I got the Linksys...Good news, after I got it working (3 tech support calls, use the switches option the hold time was only a couple of minutes compared to over 30 if you chose "routers"!!) we have not dropped a single connection and the coverage is outstanding. Tech support was good, just wished I didn't have to use it. The problem I ran into was after a firmware upgrade. It did not take the first time and eventually we had to reset the switch.. after that it has worked great, but doesn't have keyword filtering, only denies access to certain IP's, at least this is all I can find in the setup screen. I would buy it again only because I have already been through the learning curve. We were able to simultaneosly process 6 handhelds with no problem, if you have ever used multiple PDA's, you know how cool that is...
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BEFW11S4 and PC wireless from Linksys, March 7, 2002
By jeff stieve (Gladstone, MI United States)
I read the reviews on these products and was worried I would have trouble. I have an HP computer with XP operating system, and another with windows 98. I put the router to the XP system- no problem, it installed itself! Then, I installed the drivers and then the PC wireless card. Voila! my old computer in now on line for the kids. Thanks for an excellent product. I highly recommend this . It offer so much more versatility then another cable line.
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Go wireless, but not Linksys, March 5, 2002
By unknown
I purchased this product in May of 2001 and out of the box it didn't work. I had to download and install the latest firmware before it would start talking. Once up and running, it functioned flawlessly for 6 months or so -- until I updated the firmware again, but more on that later.
Unlike others that have reported, I get pretty good coverage upstairs and downstairs, even outside and I live in a noisy congested city. I also use the wpc11 Linksys pc card, I'd advise against this card if you use Linux, it was tough to get Redhat 7.1 to use it. I find that the Orinoco cards are really the way to go.
Encryption is buggy, buggy, buggy. This is a direct result of the firmware, which really is pure junk. The admin functions are accessed via a web page internal to the router and really is quite nice, except that the firmware is buggy. The WEP (encryption) key that you can generate by putting in a pass phrase just never matches the one that you put in on your laptop. And, if you set it in 128bit mode, sometimes it still runs in 64 and vice versa! I wound up creating my own keys and putting them in on both devies. Update: I was able to get a beta version of the firmware from their tech support after complaining about the bugs and this version works great. You can even access the supersecret extended logging function by going to the LogManage.htm page, which will give you more info about who's knocking.
So to recap:
Ease of use - is great (when it works)
Firmware - is junk (loses settings including wep!)
Range - fine for me
Price - can't beat it with a stick
If you are a geek and you don't mind troubleshooting and you like the price, then this unit is for you. If you aren't tech savy and just want to plug it in and have it work, roll your dice!
Either way, the wireless way was one of my favorite purchases in the last few years.
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Excellent choice for me, March 3, 2002
By zrab (Chicago Area)
I purchased this item after I researched the different kind of routers available on the market. I think I made a very good choice. The only problem I had was related to my DSL provider (Earthlink) and they did not appear to be very helpful to me. Nevertheless, LynkSys provided me with the missing information and my router works just great.
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Wish it lasted more than a week!, March 2, 2002
By Jesse Mitchell (Portland, OR United States)
Router was a snap to setup and relatively easy to configure wireless with the NetGear 802.11b pcmcia card. Unfortunately, the router slowly died after about a week's worth of use. I've order a replacment, hopefully this one will not have the same problems. The defective unit I recieved ended up wasting a lot of my time and would have been near impossible to troubleshoot if I didn't have my old LAN only router there to verify my network and wan connection was still ok.
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Great Product, March 2, 2002
By unknown
Took about 10 minutes to hook this up. Works great with AT&T broadband. The wireless feature is priceless. The 4 port switch feature is also great. I'm glad I waited until the router/switch/wireless feature was all combined into one. I wish the cable modem feature was also included. Maybe someday.
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Exactly want I expected, March 2, 2002
By unknown
This router is very easy to setup and works great. I must admit I was a bit skeptical about what the quality of my connection would be throughout my house, but the router is two floors above me right now and my Cable connection is still very fast with a signal strength of 80% and higher. Since my router is in the back of the house on the top floor, my signal strength on my front porch isn't very good at all. On either side of the house and in my back yard however I still get 60% to 90% signal strength. Overall the system was very easy to setup, works like a charm indoors, and depends on the placement of the router for outdoor use. I would definitely purchase it again.
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Unexpected easy setup, March 1, 2002
By Berndt Stugger (Seattle, WA USA)
I thought I'd be writing a comment with a different intent...howver after having installed Linksys wireless Router yesterday evening within 10 minutes! I thought this was worth mentioning here as well.
Hooked up a Macintosh desktop computer via one of the ports - plugged in the cables, rebooted the Mac...and was on the Internet. We're using ATT @home as Broadband provider. Then...I thought would come the hard part to set up my work notebook with a cisco wireless card. Well...my notebook (running XP) immediately noticed that there was a wireless connection around...I right-clicked on the wireless connection icon (which I use at work), clicked on connect to linksys wireless connection and was up and running! There was literally no change in the Websetup for the router necessary...plug and play. I wished all was that simple.
Connection is great in the whole house upstairs/downstairs and even outside in the garden...great product!
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Be sure to get version 2 and consider a print server!, March 1, 2002
By KK (Woodstock, GA USA)
Excellent product. Wireless will change your computing experience as much as DSL did compared to dial up. Had the wired BSFR41 for two years and loved it but can't believe I didn't switch to this product sooner. The mobility is incredible. Have a home office on the lower (basement) level. Two wired and two wireless PC's connected to it. Consistently get "green" (highest level) reception on wireless laptop from two floors up above the router. Flawless VPN connections to corporate office as well. Added benefit of instant connections between my computers by using router to set up a LAN. Check the front of the box to be sure you are buying the newest version. I've seen both the original unit and the new version 2.5 on the same shelf at major stores. Difference is probably just upgraded firmware but why not be sure. I like to tinker so I've installed and uninstalled this unit several times, moving it around the house and trying a variety of computer configurations. Always works great. Decided to take the next step and go to a unit with a built in print server. Can't find the Linksys one locally so purchased Siemens which has the added advantage of three ports over Linksys's one port model. Simple set up and works great! Wireless surfing, printing and VPN connections from anywhere in the house! I'm sure the Linksys would be the same but haven't had a chance to try it. Did find Siemens tech support (called just to see how good they were) to be very quick (consistently under 5 minutes) while wait times at Linksys were always 10 minutes and more. Fortunately neither product required tech support for immediate installation - just to fix things I messed up as I goofed around experimenting with different configurations, settings and computers. If you use a printer (doesn't everyone?) you really should consider a unit that has a built in print server so every computer can share the printer.
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Excellent Product -- Quality - Easy set-up - Ease-of-use, March 1, 2002
By ET (Matthews, NC USA)
Worked flawlessly in a few minutes. I have a cable modem and my main computer (a Dell laptop with Windows 2000 Professional) hooks to the router via hardwired ethernet. It was up and running in minutes, just using the defaults. Web-page set-up is very practical.
My 2 other computers (both less than 20ft away in 2 bedrooms above the office where the router sits) are desktops with Windows 98 SE and were successfully connected using the USB wireless network adapter. The only problem I encountered there in the set-up was due to the fact that these computer also had a NIC network card in them (unused) and during set-up it defaulted to imposing a static IP address. Linksys tech. support didn't figure the problem out, although I was lucky to be connected to them only within 15 minutes and the trouble-shooter was fairly knowledgeable. I found the problem myself the next day after a good night sleep. Not a typical problem and was readily resolved. If you have the same issue, make sure you check the settings for TCP/IP of your interface card to ensure that it has the settings you want (in my case it had to be "obtain IP automatically"). Even though it's not part of the network I use (since I use the USB adaptor), it seems to cause conflicts if not set-up properly.
I can't complain about the wireless range, but my needs are very modest since all three systems are less than 20ft from one another. I routinely get the 11 Mbps with 100% quality and between 80% and 100% signal strength.
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Great Product, February 28, 2002
By John K
Great Product. Setup a breeze if you have to install the Software that comes with the router then you've done something wrong. Downloading the latest firmware could make it inoperable, as one of my buddies found out. Can't wait to see how this bad boy works with D-Link's Wireless 802.11b camera.
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A must for home networks, February 26, 2002
By Mathew Chase (Las Vegas, NV)
This fancy little unit offers great bang for the buck. The administration is all web-based and very easy to set up. The box works well with my sophisticated needs like VPNing into the office and playing networked internet games.I have my setup using the D-Link wireless card for my laptop and the same for my roommates. It works flawlessly with my cable modem allowing me to protect my internal network from prying eyes and [not good] setups that the cable company forces on users that can wreak havoc on a Windows2K machine. You will be pleasantly surprised!
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Great value, but a little extra knowledge goes a long way, February 26, 2002
By ackfoo (Philadelphia, PA)
I love the capabilities of this unit, and thought that it was relatively easy to set up. However, I have a 10-year background in data networking, so I was able to get the unit set up with far more ease than most would. New users less experienced with data networking should read the instructions and have access to Google groups (to search for answers to any problems they have) as they set up the unit.It is at its best if you have some desktops that are already wired together and you are adding some laptops to the mix. It doesn't preform very well when using WEP enbcryption, although it is fine. My wife and I like the capabilities so much that we take it to my in-laws house when we visit so we can have net access through their cable modem.
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Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless worked GREAT!, February 24, 2002
By unknown
Please do not be discouraged by the negative remarks for this product and the WPC11 PC Card combination.I have no experience in networking computers (and I am not associated with Linksys) but it took an effortless 1:45 hours to put up a home network. Everything worked well. I can now lug my laptop to any point in the house and still surf the net at high speed and access my desktop computer's files. Just make sure to download the latest firmware and use "infrastructure" rather than "ad hoc" and you're on your way. Your range will vary depending on your environment, if you are near powerlines, 2.4GHz phones, brick walls, water pipes... etc, your range will diminish.
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