Netgear FVS318 10/100 Mbps 8-Port VPN/Firewall RouterItem#: N100-1424  |  Model#: FVS318

Complete garbage

Ordered 3 of them.. All of them garbage. All of them going back! I'm not going into details. I've been doing this for 32 years. Trust me, don't even waste your time.

good for 7 meg connection or less

Easy to configure but if you want more than 7 meg wan throughput this is not the router for you. vpn works well but does limit your speed.

Great router, but not for the tech weary

This router-firewall is a fantastic addition to any network, be it home, small office-home office, or even an enterprise! While the router is easy to setup, configuring the firewall and VPN connections aren't for the technology weary as it can get pretty complicated if you don't know what you're doing from the get go. This appliance comes with some robust features that will keep you busy for a while.

Arghhh

this firewall has been problomatic from the get go, DO NOT BUY

overall, I'm pleased...

I used this to help me expand my home network. I did install the software on one of the computers, but really don't think I needed it, as the other ones ran in the network. I had to reboot everything to get it all running, but it worked great after that. I wish it had cost me a few dollars less, but otherwise, I'm pleased with the purchase.

Hidden costs with this product - beware

NetGear rips you off - charges you an arm & a leg for licenses which you have to buy separately. You would think they would include ONE with the product but noooo... A 5 user license costs you 1.5 times more so be prepared which you buy this so-so product.

Not Linux friendly

Tried using this to put together an Ubuntu based cluster, would not communicate. Not enough support for linux based systems. Might work on Windows based systems, but did not try.

Works without internet access

I bought the router expecting to use it as a local area network LAN to share files between 4 PC without the need to access the internet. I am not sure if I needed the CD that came with it. I used the CD to read the installation instructions because the manual was not detail enough. All I did was skip the instructions that refer to the DSL cable modem, I do not have one, and plug in Ethernet cables into 2 computers and the router and follow network wizard for setting up home office network on all computers. I played with it awhile by shutting down and restarting until the icons for 2 computers were listed in My Network Places. It worked without having to buy the other product $50 ? I am happy it worked for what I wanted to do. I will worry later when I buy DSL modem for the internet and VPN setup.

RIP OFF!! You can only use the VPN if you have the netgear client software which is not included and is an additional $55 US (per computer) through netgears website. Due to the VPN setup, you cannot use the built-in Windows/Mac VPNN client (what a scam). Also the support at Netgear is probably the worst I've dealt with as an IT professional.

Have used this router for 5 years and had very good performance. Netgear service also helped me when I had a problem with Windows XP networking. One down side is that the throughput is limited to about 7mb. I just upgraded to 12mb service, and the router is the bottleneck.