• Ask the community now
  • Publish
Ad

Related Topics

See all relatives topics

News

Blogs: Your Opinions, Please

Allow us to pick your brains for a moment. Read more

Latest Reviews & Articles

Cyberpower’s Gamer Dragon: Can AMD Bring The Game?

Cyberpower’s Gamer Dragon: Can AMD Bring The Game?

Cyberpower sent us a factory-overclocked Phenom II X4 955 system wielding two Radeon HD 4890 cards in CrossFire. We pit the formidable rig against our previous System Builder Marathon Core i7 machine to see if AMD can deliver a viable gaming alternative. Read more

1.5 TB Low-Power HDDs: Green Gets Big

1.5 TB Low-Power HDDs: Green Gets Big

The latest 2 TB hard drives are still expensive, but 1.5 TB disks provide low power consumption at a better cost-to-capacity ratio. We look at offerings from Samsung and Western Digital to determine the value of taking a step down from the flagships. Read more

ADVERTORIAL Microsoft's BPOS: Q&A for Skeptics

ADVERTORIAL Microsoft's BPOS: Q&A for Skeptics

When a new paradigm like cloud computing or a new platform like Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) comes along, it’s smart to ask tough questions. Read more

MSI Eclipse Plus: Does nForce 200 Boost 3-Way SLI?

MSI Eclipse Plus: Does nForce 200 Boost 3-Way SLI?

With 36 lanes of PCIe 2.0, 3-way SLI could be the X58 chipset’s biggest challenge. If that turns out to be true, is Nvidia’s nForce 200 controller hub, which multiplexes the platform's connectivity, a solution? We compare three configurations to find out. Read more

All the Reviews & Articles

Related Content

Tom's Hardware > Forum > General Networking > Network General Discussions > Opinions on this router please

Opinions on this router please

Tom's Hardware: Over 1.4 million members in 6 different countries available to answer all your high-tech questions. Sign up now! Its free!
Add a reply
Word :    Username :           
 
camieabz   05-25-2002 at 02:25:12 AM

I'll hopefully be going to b/band soon, and I'd like your opinion on <A HREF="http://www.smc-europe.com/english/products/broad/7401BRA.html" target="_new">this</A> router.

I will have a mind to connect a second PC in the near future, and will probably use the USB port for the main internet system. Other expansions will be via a cheap switch.

Q. Is the USB connection better or worse than the 10/100 connection? My service speed will be 500kb/s down and 250kb/s up. Does the connection type make a difference for ping times, reliability etc? I've heard there can be issues with USB modems and W2K. Is this true?

Cheers!

<b><font color=blue>~ What do you mean "It isn't working!"...Now where's my sonic screwdriver? ~ </font color=blue></b>

Add a reply
Sponsored Links
Register or log in to remove.
jlanka   05-25-2002 at 04:57:56 AM
- 0 +

it looks similar to my Efficient Speedstream 5660. Looks like a good box.

USB will probably handle those speeds (500K). But remember it uses CPU, and if you have other stuff on there it could slow down a bit.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

Reply to jlanka
camieabz   05-25-2002 at 10:05:27 AM
- 0 +

I've been after soemthing with multi-ports, firewall and a built in modem. This one is a decent price too. £113.18 for the box, and I suppose £20 for a couple of ADSL filters. Ina ll not bad at all.

Cheers jlanka!

<b><font color=blue>~ What do you mean "It isn't working!"...Now where's my sonic screwdriver? ~ </font color=blue></b>

Reply to camieabz
camieabz   05-25-2002 at 12:56:59 PM
- 0 +

One other quickie.

I see when searching for ISPs there's mention of "NAT / non-NAT".

What is this and what bearing does it have on what hardware I use?

<b><font color=blue>~ What do you mean "It isn't working!"...Now where's my sonic screwdriver? ~ </font color=blue></b>

Reply to camieabz
jlanka   05-26-2002 at 02:24:45 AM
- 0 +

not sure what they mean in terms of ISP NAT NAT (if you didn't already know) is when the router is able to take private LAN addresses and convert them to the actual address on the WAN side, and back again. It stands for Network Address Translation. Didn't think an ISP could tell whether you were doing it or not, or if they really cared.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

Reply to jlanka
CALV   05-27-2002 at 12:15:50 PM
- 0 +

is this BT you are going with? if so, friend of mine bought one with buuilt in modem and didnt work :( he ended up using the one bt supplied, cant remember the name of it but its purple and looks like a squashed mouse.


If they squeeze olives to get olive oil, how do they get baby oil?

Reply to CALV
camieabz   05-27-2002 at 07:08:29 PM
- 0 +

That'll be the Alcatel Speedtouch (510?). I want a router with bulit in modem and firewall. I don't want to have to spend cash on many parts, as I have a tight budget.

I'm considering Zen, Pipex or Eclipse. Not BTO. I think I'll be going with Zen. Pipex are very cheap, but Zen have a couple of decent little gizmos in their package. I've been checking them out all weekend, so I can't remember which has what , but I think I'm looking at a static IP and no minimum term contract sort of deal.

Any opinions on ISPs yourself?

<b><font color=blue>~ What do you mean "It isn't working!"...Now where's my sonic screwdriver? ~ </font color=blue></b>

Reply to camieabz
jihiggs   05-27-2002 at 07:35:29 PM
- 0 +

im leary about those built in modems, your isp may have to do some configuration to get it going, when i got my dsl the guy spent 5 min typing in default routes, and metrics.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

Reply to jihiggs
tmlim   05-27-2002 at 08:11:10 PM
- 0 +

I'll just say this, I'll never buy SMC again.
I have a 4 port router, and it's not very good.
It changes IPs byitself for no reason. And if you don't get the firmware updates, the interface sucks.

Reply to tmlim
camieabz   05-28-2002 at 12:05:58 AM
- 0 +

Well I've since found out that that particular router is 'unsuitable' for what I want.

I'm now looking at the <A HREF="http://www.netgear.co.uk/html/pdfs/dg814.pdf" target="_new">Netgear Device</A>

More comments appreciated.

jihiggs: I'll be expecting some teething troubles, but I would assume as long as I'm made aware of the protocols required and the (I'll hopefully be getting a static IP) default stuff, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Here's hoping.

<b><font color=blue>~ What do you mean "It isn't working!"...Now where's my sonic screwdriver? ~ </font color=blue></b>

Reply to camieabz
Anonymous   05-28-2002 at 04:36:10 AM
- 0 +

isnt usb limited to 1.5Mb? so isnt that 185k or so? or is it 1.5megabyte?

Reply to Anonymous
CALV   05-28-2002 at 10:01:39 AM
- 0 +

not sure on the usb speed, but my opinion on usb remains- usb is for gamepads and cameras, lan cards are for networks.
Yes, is was an alcatel or however you spell it, and as I say, he had a lot of bother.


If they squeeze olives to get olive oil, how do they get baby oil?

Reply to CALV
labdog   05-28-2002 at 11:52:10 PM
- 0 +

<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=21155#21155" target="_new">xDSL speeds</A>

<i>if <b>you know</b> <font color=white>you don't know<font color=black>, the way could be more easy ...

Reply to labdog
labdog   05-28-2002 at 11:58:10 PM
- 0 +

for me, SMC is an above average nic brand.
of course, IMO, the best of is 3COM.


<i>if <b>you know</b> <font color=white>you don't know<font color=black>, the way could be more easy ...

Reply to labdog
Ask the community Add a reply
Tom's Hardware > Forum > General Networking > Network General Discussions > Opinions on this router please
Go to:

There are 779 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Forum map
Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 0.384 seconds
You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months. If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread. Add a reply Cancel
Sponsored links