NETGEAR FVS124G ProSafe Gigabit VPN Firewall 25 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I decided to try purchasing this product even with all the negative reviews (since they were a little old) and needless to say the reviews have made me quite cautious about looking for performance and connectivity problems, but so far, other than initial setup problems it's been working well (only going on two days).
My first impression is that the device is pretty well-built (heavy) however it does get a little hot... I'm using the router with an Adelphia cable modem on WAN port 1 and BellSouth DSL on WAN port 2. The product mostly works right out of the box although you'll have to find where to set the password and change it from the defaults (I don't know why router manufacturers don't make this the first thing you have to do).
I attached my cable modem and was able to successfully connect through the router. I then attached my DSL modem and changed the internal WAN MODE setting to "Load Balance". Everything seemed to work well except WAN 2 kept being reported as DOWN... very frustrated and nervous about the reviews that I had seen I decided to call Netgear tech support... after registering the product I was quickly connected to a technician who walked me through the proper setup... turns out that I needed to change the default IP address of the router as it was conflicting with the DSL modem... I also ended up changing the IP address on my wireless router and disabling DHCP (on the wireless)...
So far so good...
I downloaded a torrent of CentOS4DVD to test the performance and sure enough I was able to realize the combined download bandwidth of both broadband connections... I also checked my remote web server access logs and saw requests for a page coming from both my Adelphia and BellSouth IP addresses... so I know load balancing is working properly... I attempted some SSL transactions and they seemed to work ok... I'm still not 100% certain how things will work with sites that use IP address verification to control sessions... so I'll have to wait and see.
I don't use VoIP and don't run a server from home but so far I can say that I am quite pleased... I hope this review helps somebody else.
******************* FOLLOW-UP TWO MONTHS LATER *****************
I've had enough time with the Netgear FVS124G to discover its warts... simply put... protocol binding does NOT work, at least when you're trying to bind a service to a specific wan port and destination network... so far I've been elevated to Level 3 support with no resolution... I'm sure that "level 3" just means the guy in the next cubicle but it sounds impressive... FYI, for anyone in a similar situation I'm using firmware 1.33... I would still recommend the Netgear as long as your routing needs don't get *too* sophisticated... and if the Netgear ironed out the bugs in its firmware it would be perfect... the only other device I've found that performs the same features and more is the PepLink Balance 200... but it costs four times as much!

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The NETGEAR FVS124G ProSafe Gigabit VPN Firewall offers enterprise-level protection, performance, and reliability to remote workers. With dual 10/100 WAN ports, you can connect a second network connection thereby providing failover protection.
Fast Gigabit Performance The FVS124G has four auto-sensing 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN ports for gigabit speeds, allowing for speedy connections between servers and workstations, and also for use as a backbone for switches.
High-class Security For businesses that require more than just a simple NAT router, the FVS124G offers significantly more protection. It provides: a Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall to prevent Denial of Service attacks, an Intrusion Detection System (IDS), the ability to block Java/URL/ActiveX based on extension, and FTP/SMTP/RPC program filtering.
The FVS124G is VPNC tested and features 25 dedicated VPN tunnels for secure data transmission over the Internet. IPSec-based 256-bit (AES) encryption is also supported.
Easy Setup NETGEAR's Smart Wizard makes installation a breeze. A VPN wizard lets you create rules that allow up to 253 remote PCs or sites to connect from locations with IP addresses that are not known in advance. Additionally, SNMP support provides complete remote administration and monitoring. DHCP and PPPoE support makes widespread deployment simple.
The NETGEAR FVS124G ProSafe Gigabit VPN Firewall is backed by a 3-year warranty.
What's in the Box FVS124G ProSafe Gigabit VPN Firewall, ethernet cable, installation guide, resource CD, warranty/support information card.

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Xerox Phaser 6128MFP/N - Multifunction ( fax / copier / printer / scanner ) - color - laser - copying (up to): 16 ppm (mono) / 12 ppm (color) - printing (up to): 16 ppm (mono) / 12 ppm (color) - 250 sheets - 33.6 Kbps - USB, 10/100 Base-TX Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This 75 pound multifunction machine arrived quickly. It didn't come with the USB Cable that's required, a minor annoyance. The price was competitive and has dropped significantly since my purchase. Before ordering, I contacted the seller to confirm this is new, not a refurb.
I had an immediate problem with the machine but not due to any fault of the machine. This machine ideally should be plugged into a wall outlet directly and not to a battery backup surge suppressor unit. Otherwise, it tends to turn itself off. However, it has a surge suppressor built into it. When you have problems such as this, you can use their offshore call center in Manila and benefit from their troubleshooting history. Manila is Zerox's 1st-level technical support. More on that below.
Xerox is a big name in copiers, of course, and this model serves industrial needs yet should be complimented with a "workhorse printer." One can't expect a multifunction machine to be used as one's workhorse printer. A really good printer might last ten years and down the line the worry will be whether operating systems will support them. Multifunction machines last in good condition maybe half that long depending on how they're used.
This Phaser 6128MFP/N reminds me a lot of much larger HP machines I've seen in offices except it's a lot more compact. The scan area is the max paper size: 8.5 x 14 in. This machine uses Paperport software. You can scan from your computer using this software and that's how I use it.
The setup seemed easy except for not including the USB cable. But there was a twist to it and my experience will save you time. Initially, I believed the Phaser 6120MFP was not capable of using the feeder tray to scan multiple pages. My first call to Manila erroneously confirmed that, and I used the glass to manually replace page after page for multi-page scans. A recent call to Manila resulted in my being connected to the 2nd-level call center, which is in the U.S. The 2nd-level support assisted me in using the setup wizard to enable the machine to accept multi-page scans using the feeder tray. This machine can scan multiple pages using the feeder tray.
Learning to use the software requires a little more than previous models, but the software is better. A scan can be done in varying resolution scales with the highest being truly great. It's amazing what you can do with this model once you learn how. Because of the ease and interface, you will control your scans from your PC.
Pros:
*New, not a refurbished machine
*Xerox name brand
* Customer and technical support, available M-F from 5am - 5pm Pacific time
*Ease of installation on network
*Resolution: up to 600 x 600 dpi (dots per inch) is excellent
*PaperPort - great scan to PC desktop software
*Windows, Mac, Linux supported (I use Windows 7 and without issue)
*Excellent color print quality
* Prints legal size - the tray expands to hold the paper size
*Improved front panel for ease of use and troubleshooting (for non-jam error codes, just power off then up)
*27 second warm up time is quite reasonable and makes power saving feature practical
*Security features: secure fax receive; secure print; scan to email with authentication
* Scans multiple pages at a time
*Speed within this price range: color is up to 12 ppm (pages per minute); black & white is up to 16 ppm
*Toner gauges - see toner level
*Paper types: Bond, Business card stock, Card stock, Cover, Envelopes, Glossy, Labels, Plain paper
*Compactness of machine and appearance
*Quiet - the energy saving feature makes this extra quiet
*Save using Run Black - allows you to substitute colors you run out of by using black, a standard feature in multifunction machines today
*Includes one year on-site warranty and Xerox Total Satisfaction Guarantee
*Low power consumption
* Good warranty coverage (after 1st yr, it's $25 per call for assistance)
Cons:
*Paper size is maximum 8.5 x 14 in.
*Manual 2-sided output, but is expected at this price range
*Relatively high running costs in toner
*35 sheet document feeder is too small for some jobs
*Maximum 40,000 pages per month duty limitation and recommended print volume is only 3,000 pages per month
*Print speed of graphics is slow
* Doesn't come with required USB Cable
* May have to be plugged directly in wall outlet to avoid continual self-shutdown.
Advice for Using Support:
Print out your Configuration Pages (3 pages), circle the Serial Number on the 1st page. Write the Xerox technical support phone # on it and file. Use that whenever you call technical support. They ask for your serial number upfront. Try not to be as accepting of a no-can-do response at 1st-level support as I was. Get to 2nd-level for anything complex or unresolved. When you have an error, you have to remove it before you can change any settings.
When considering this machine, you might look at the competing Dell product. I prefer the Xerox name brand over Dell, all things being equal. The Dell multifunction printer: Dell 2135cn Multifunction Color Laser Printer
Any questions - please leave a comment so I can reply. Comments to help evaluate versus other multifunction options are welcome.
If you have this machine and have issues with it, please post a comment and let me know - thanks.

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Xerox Phaser 6128N Multifunction Printer 6128MFP/N 74

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D-Link DSD-150 SecureSpot Internet Security Adapter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This little guy is doing exactly as promised. I'm mainly using it for the parental controls, as it allows me to regulate access from any pc on my network without having to install *any* software on the computers (to get the antivirus and I think the popup blocker you need to install the the thin client, but for the firewall, parental control and I think some of the other things you don't need to install *anything* - note that they don't tell you this straight out, but if you look through DLink's support pages, it's all there).
I can't confirm the problems with tech support below, I had a problem where my unit wasn't updating - I emailed tech support and got a phone call (!!) back the next day. I spent about an hour on the phone with some very knowledgeable guy who was most assuredly American and we eventually got things sorted out (I know this is unusual, I figure I got lucky here).
Note that the 4 pc limit is for machines that you want to configure individually; if you set "client security" to low, you get the parental controls & firewall for as many PCs as your network can handle (each PC then defaults to your "local network profile") There are other (free) hardware or software solutions for firewalls, but having the parental stuff w/o having to install & configure a software package on each machine is *majorly* cool. There are four desktops and multiple laptops hanging around my house, this way I know that nobody's going to get any surfing surprises on any of the machines.
Four stars instead of five because the parental stuff is pretty aggressive, I've had to spend a lot of time fine tuning it. But I suppose that's better than the opposite.

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D-Link DSD-150 SecureSpot Internet Security Adapter

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