Easy Networking on the Cheap
Written: Jan 31 '00
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Pros: Cheap, Easy-to-Install, Reliable
Cons: The hub is 10 Base-T
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| nicklawler's Full Review: NetGear SB104 Network Starter Kit Networking Hub |
This Netgear starter kit is a great deal for beginners or experts who want a good deal on the items.
The kit comes with 2 10/100 Base-T Netgear network cards (NICs) and a 10 Base-T network hub as well as 2 25ft Ethernet cables, device drivers and a manual.
The kit allows you to easily connect two computers together for a variety of networking purposes. You can allow two computers to share a high-speed DSL internet connection, share a printer, or just share files.
The kit will work easily, especially with connection sharing software that is widely available (see my Sygate review in the Internet Sharing section of Software).
As for price, the deal represents decent price for all the products. You won't find many better deals, even if purchasing the products separately. Additionally, Netgear is a quality manufacturer and their products are reliable. Mine have never failed and the cards all installed easily via Plug-N-Play in Win98.
The only potential drawback is that the hub is only 10 Base-T while the cards can run at 100. However, for most, this is all the bandwidth you'll need. After all, the internet connection will be the bottleneck for pretty much anyone and 10 Mb/s should be plenty for sharing files.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60
Driver Availability: Windows only
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Epinions.com ID:
nicklawler
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Member: Nick Lawler
Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 22 members
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