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rAfChOw
Premium Member
join:2001-03-19
Toronto, ON

rAfChOw

Premium Member

Which is Best . . . Linksys, Netgear, or SMC?

I'm about to buy a router for my cable internet connection but I'm not sure which one to buy: Linksys, Netgear, or SMC. They sell at about the same price for the 4 port. I don't know which one performs better as I have heard good and bad comments for both. Can anyone give me advise on which one to buy?

turn_key1
join:2002-02-19
Chicago, IL

turn_key1

Member

Well....My 2 cents,

I have a Linky now (BEFSR41 V.2), just got it a few days ago, seems to be working fine. PPPoE seems to be stable. I tried the same model last year and had some problems, apparently they worked them out.

I tried a Netgear once, the damn thing just didn't work right out of the box. I've heard that about the 'gears. Some work, some don't, if you get one that doesn't, take it back because there is no fixing it.

I've never used an SMC...can't tell you much about them.

This is a good site for home networking: »www.practicallynetworked.com

Alot of good info and consumer reviews.

Ivan5
Premium Member
join:2001-11-15
Internet

Ivan5 to rAfChOw

Premium Member

to rAfChOw
Aghhhh, since this is a linksys forum I would have to say Linksys

I have the BEFSR41 (close to 3 years now) and it has been completely trouble free. I stopped at firmware 1.39 as I don't use it except to share the cable modem with 3 other computers and to have a hardware 'firewall' (NAT) to set behind.

olefin
Really A Texan
join:2001-07-28
Hot Springs National Park, AR

olefin to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
The Linksys BEFSR41 is the one. Out of the box, plug in the cables and on line!

Had mine a couple months, it is version 1.39.1. I'm trying to get all the information on trying the newest version so I can get my ICUII to work.

I bet Linksys is all you will hear on the Linksys forum.
dsievers
join:2002-01-31
Mankato, MN

dsievers to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
I've had the Linksys for 6 months now and I don't like it. Their firmware has been way too buggy. If I hadn't waited so long, I would have returned it and got the Netgear.

mole2
join:2000-12-08
Longs, SC

mole2

Member

I've had my BEFSR41 for a year and a half. Have tried many different versions of firmware but keep returning to 1.39.3. It's a fine router. As good as the competition if not better.

Cwmson
Verizon FiOS
Premium Member
join:2000-10-02
Richmond, VA

Cwmson to rAfChOw

Premium Member

to rAfChOw
Get the Linksys BEFW11S4 ...... it's a wireless router with 4 hardwire ports......had mine for a year and it works great within my home.....and outside as well. I have my desktop computer connected directly to the Linksys (hardwired) and 2 other computers via wireless....one is a Laptop using the Orinoco Silver PC Card......(love it). I have my Linksys upstairs in my home office and everything works great.....for me......people get different results but I did my research and I was sold on the Linksys....price was great too.
Good Luck

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall to rAfChOw

MVM

to rAfChOw
If you only had two options, you could just as easily flip a coin; heads for one brand and tails for the other. Now you need a three-headed coin...

Unless someone has used all three, you can't get an honest answer. I use one of the three brands you mention, but without having tried the other two, I can't say mine is better than the others. Honestly, it's a crap-shoot.

Bill_MI
Bill In Michigan
MVM
join:2001-01-03
Royal Oak, MI
TP-Link Archer C7
Linksys WRT54GS
Linksys WRT54G v4

Bill_MI to rAfChOw

MVM

to rAfChOw
Hall speaks with much wisdom. Finding someone that's used all 3 and is aligned with your usage requirements is an exercise in futility.

Every product has weaknesses and strengths. If you're relying on a product's weakness you will be disappointed. If you rely on it's strength you'll be happy.

I don't have a Netgear but I do have a ZyXEL Prestige P314 for about 6 months which runs almost identical to the Netgear RT314. I also have had a LinkSys BEFSR41 for 2 years. I'll admit I stress a product and the LinkSys falls down for me in reliability compared to the ZyXEL. I also know if my mother wanted one I'd get her the LinkSys because it's easier to set up if you're not a technical type.

My 2 Cents.

SYNACK
Just Firewall It
Mod
join:2001-03-05
Venice, CA

SYNACK

Mod

Remmeber to also check out the ZyXEL/Netgeat Forum and the SMC Forum

rAfChOw
Premium Member
join:2001-03-19
Toronto, ON

rAfChOw

Premium Member

Thanks for the advise guys! I appreciate it!
I think I will go for the Linksys BEFSR41.
Okman5
join:2001-10-01
92714

Okman5 to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
this maybe a late reply,but...

I have used the SMC 7004ABR, Netgear RP114, and Linksys BEFSR41.v2. I hated the Netgear RP114 because it had the hissing noise (yes it is loud!). I love the SMC! It never hung on me once! However, both the Netgear and SMC don't work with MSN, and I needed MSN to work. So the deciding factor for me was the compatibility with MSN.

But in term of speed, the Linksys is faster then the SMC, while on par with the Netgear.

However, the Linksys (firmware 1.40.6) does hang on me about once every 5 days that requires a reset, which I can live with in exchanged for MSN usage. Another bugger problem with the Linksys is that mIRC and AIM often got cut on me. It seems that the Linksys f/w 1.40.6 works well with MSN but not so well with mIRC and AIM, but it does work.

If I don't need MSN messaging, I would probably go for the SMC for it's stability, features (modem and printer).

DeeC
Premium Member
join:2000-09-01
the world

DeeC to rAfChOw

Premium Member

to rAfChOw
said by rAfChOw:
I'm about to buy a router for my cable internet connection but I'm not sure which one to buy: Linksys, Netgear, or SMC. They sell at about the same price for the 4 port. I don't know which one performs better as I have heard good and bad comments for both. Can anyone give me advise on which one to buy?
hissing noise on RP114? Guess you got a busted one... Bad example...
erk5
join:2002-02-19
Acworth, GA

erk5 to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
PC Magazine has a good review of routers:

»www.pcmag.com/article/0, ··· 8,00.asp

I have had a Linksys BEFSR41 for years and have not have any problems with it.

There is a Netgear model that has stateful packet inspection. If you can get it for the same price as the Linksys, then it might be worth while.

Ivan5
Premium Member
join:2001-11-15
Internet

Ivan5

Premium Member

Click for full size
said by erk:
There is a Netgear model that has stateful packet inspection. . .
The BEFSR41 has SPI.

rAfChOw
Premium Member
join:2001-03-19
Toronto, ON

rAfChOw

Premium Member

Everyone's advise is still welcome as I haven't bought the router yet, I'll probably get it later today or tomorrow.

I have read many reviews and come to the conclusion that the Linksys BEFSR41 will best suit my needs because of its fast speeds and good reliability. I don't really need the extra features but I also don't want the cheapest one on the market! As long as it performs well I'll be happy.

BTW, I'll probably be back with configuration problems.

bbarrera
MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA

bbarrera to Ivan5

MVM

to Ivan5
said by Bat_Man:
The BEFSR41 has SPI.
No, the BEFSR41 has a NAT firewall and relies on that for protection. If you turn off NAT on Linksys you lose all protection.

A true SPI firewall allows you to protect computers without requiring NAT (by setting firewall policies). This lets you protect DMZ computers or protect computers that use public IPs. I haven't seen a clear explanation of Linksys use of the term SPI (but have seen posts explaining what Linksys SPI does).

Bill_MI
Bill In Michigan
MVM
join:2001-01-03
Royal Oak, MI
TP-Link Archer C7
Linksys WRT54GS
Linksys WRT54G v4

Bill_MI to Ivan5

MVM

to Ivan5
said by Bat_Man:
The BEFSR41 has SPI.
For emphasis on what BB mentioned this "SPI" setting seems to have no affect except to turn off PortForwarding/DMZ and behaves like "BlockWANRequest" - a surprise *still* not mentioned in any LinkSys documentation I've seen. It does not resemble any form of traditional SPI and last I officially heard from LinkSys it was still "experimental".

I can still see the LinkSys marketeer saying: "Sure we have SPI... right here." Unfortunately, SPI doesn't seem to be a strong enough defined concept (or registered trademark) to call this the flagrant misrepresentation I consider it to be.
Okman5
join:2001-10-01
92714

Okman5 to DeeC

Member

to DeeC
the hissing noise on the RP114 is real. It's been linked to a voltage regulator. The newer revision maybe have fixed it, I don't know. But the hissing was/is real.

rangerlg9
join:2000-11-20
Houston, TX

rangerlg9 to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
I have used Linksys, Netgear, SMC, and SOHOWare. The SMC gave me problems with IRC and some of the commands were confusing to me. Netgear, don't get me started. Linksys, was easy to setup, but it seemed to slow me down a bit, probably my fault. I am using the SOHOWare currently. Was a breeze to set up and hasn't missed a beat. Plus I got it at Best Buy for 80 bucks on closeout. Those are my opinions.

DaveA
@cpe.net.cable.rogers

DaveA to rAfChOw

Anon

to rAfChOw

Re: Which is Best . . . Worry about your dealer

I think from everything that has been said here in this forum, for Linksys anyway, that you might worry more about WHERE you get your router than second-guessing the one you think is right for you.

Whichever you get, make sure that you can easily return it for a full refund after two weeks (or longer). I wouldn't want to get stuck with store credit in case you decide you don't like it and would prefer another brand. If possible, try to find a retailer that will honour manufacturer's warranty period IN STORE, rather than having to deal with shipping defective or underperforming products and dealing with RMAs.

I've been happy with my wireless Linksys router, at least after upgrading the firmware to remove the unnecessary wireless speed cap. I don't ask it to do very much, however.
TECH786
join:2002-03-19
Kendall, WI

TECH786 to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw

Re: Which is Best . . . Linksys, Netgear, or SMC?

I HAVE HAD THE LINKSYS BEFSR41 FOR OVER A YEAR. BEEN WORKING EXCELLENT FOR ME SINCE THE START. TOOK LESS THAN 10 MINUTES TO SET IT UP WITH THE HELP OF THE LINKSYS TECH SUPPORT AND NEVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT IT SINCE THEN.
lucentdnl
join:2002-03-10
Detroit, MI

lucentdnl to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
What modem are you using/planning to use with the router? I'm shopping too and am leaning towards SMC but am unsure which modem to pair up with it.

If you like adventure, Ebay has a few SMCs up for bidding.

DeeC
Premium Member
join:2000-09-01
the world

DeeC to rAfChOw

Premium Member

to rAfChOw
Well, this is wrong forum to say this, but it is brutal truth...

Owned BEFSR41 for months, nothing but problems with heavy-duty traffic, especially uploading large packets....Table would fill up, it would lockup, then disconnect me, 5-10 minutes into EVERY large packet upload. This happened as many as 15 times in one day (w/ftp or mIRC DCC sends), and it wasn't Ameritech.net since the problem disappeared as soon as router was removed from circuit....

Bought RP114....same traffic, same type of uploading, (KNOCK ON WOOD), no problems........ process of elimination, the Linky couldn't handle my type of traffic...

Superfly38
join:2002-03-07
Aurora, CO

Superfly38 to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
I have a LinkSys BEFSR81 and it works great. I have a buddy who has an SMC Barricade Wireless with four (or three - can't remember) RJ45 ports and he'd swear his life on it.

I think either way you go - whether it be LinkSys, SMC or NetGear - you should be able to find a fairly competent product that should fit your needs. Look at it this way, if one of those brands truly sucked pond-scum, do you think you would have heard about it to be truly considering it? I'm sure you have seen all three in the stores. If they don't sell (and are relatively unreliable) the dealers would most likely discontinue their sales because the retailers don't want to go down with the reputation of selling crappy products.

Being in the LinkSys forum, we (and I think I can speak most of us) are mostly LinkSys users, and we have (for the most part) grown to like our routers. That is why we use them and participate in the discussion group herein. That is also why lots of folks here will recommend them. I'm sure if you went to the NetGear forum you'll find NetGear enthusiasts, and SMC enthusiasts in the SMC forum. I'll bet you won't find too many opinions in these forums that aren't biased in the least amount toward one product or another.

So - my advice to you is to just define your specific needs and find some products that fit them as well as they can. Go with the flow - buy a product that fits those needs and give it a try. That's what most of us did. You'll find out if you like it or not. CompUSA has a 14-day return policy, so you should have plenty of time to try the different brands out.

rAfChOw
Premium Member
join:2001-03-19
Toronto, ON

rAfChOw to lucentdnl

Premium Member

to lucentdnl
My cable ISP here in Toronto provides Terayon modems and that's what I'm currently using.
Hmmm, I wouldn't really take any chances on EBay. I'm not that adventurous when it comes to this much money.
rAfChOw

rAfChOw to Superfly38

Premium Member

to Superfly38
I kind of figured that I would get biased opinions in this forum (that's why there should be a general networking forum!) but I still wanted to hear people's experiences with the different routers. I still checked the sites that have been mentioned here, where I read up on the 3 routers and that's why I picked the Linksys BEFSR41; it fits my needs.

I found some stores that charge up to $30 less for the Linksys router but taking I'd rather pay more in case I need to return it, like DaveA has mentioned.

Fraggboy
Just Lovin' My Bandwidth . .
Premium Member
join:2001-03-04
Las Vegas, NV

Fraggboy

Premium Member

I know you didn't mention this one, but I'd go with 3Com Office Connect Gateway. The firmware is Rock solid. Much better than the Linky firmware. Same/Better features. If you would like some information regarding it, head over HERE . I wish the best of luck to you. I'm not putting Linksys down, I just wanted a step up from them, and a more stable/secure router..

Just my $0.02

Superfly38
join:2002-03-07
Aurora, CO

Superfly38 to rAfChOw

Member

to rAfChOw
EXCELLENT CHOICE, RAFCHOW!

Glad to have you join the likes of the fine LinkSys home network architects such as ourselves.

Granted, you could have gone either way. However, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find a group as insightful and helpful in regard to promoting a good LinkSys user experience as the one you're looking at right now. If you have any questions, all you have to do is ask. I'm sure there's not one question about these routers that Bill in Michigan, Geek_NJ or Lanik cannot answer for you!