Pretty good, but not perfect
Written: Aug 16 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: affordable with rebate, easy install on most computers, good firewall
Cons: will not install on one packard bell computer, useless tech support
The Bottom Line: My Barricade only works with some of my machines, which is unacceptable. Plus, tech support is a joke.
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| eholmes1's Full Review: SMC Barricade Broadband Router |
I purchased my SMC Barricade router three months ago. I've had broadband internet access for four years, while all the other computers in the house were stuck on dial up, so I decided it was time to network. I spent a week or so examining my options. There are several ways to network your home computers, and I couldn't decide which way to go best. (If you are still deciding, take a look at http://www.practicallynetworked.com/ a huge site on networking computers)
Since we have three computers at the moment, I decided it would be best to purchase a router. After reading a ton of reviews, I decided on the Barricade, one of the more expensive of the cheap routers.
I chose the Barricade because it was reputed to have a simple set-up and a very good firewall. It also enables my computers to be hooked to the cable modem without having to leave one machine on all the time. It had four ports, which is all I really need, and it also comes with a printer port so I can share my printer with my other computers.
At the time I purchased my Barricade from outpost.com, there was a twenty dollar rebate. The last time I looked, the rebate was up to fifty dollars, making the Barricade $30, if I recall correctly- so it's definitely a good buy if you get it with a rebate. Otherwise, it generally lists at around $100.
First the good points:
The firewall really does work. As far as I know, there have not yet been any bugs discovered in this router (several of them are kind of easy to hack). I used ZoneAlarm, a free personal firewall, before I installed the router, and I averaged about 20 internet alerts a day. Since I've connected through my router, I only see maybe three or four a week. I haven't had any problems with ICQ or telnetting or any of the programs that are reputed to be problematic accessing through firewalls, but I have not tested internet gaming, which I hear causes the most trouble.
Installation was fairly easy on two of my computers. I installed the software, plugged in the patch cables, and it ran. I did have to fiddle with the Mac address: the cable companies sometimes block out router mac addresses, even though it is perfectly legit to hook up several computers to one modem. It was easy to change the mac address of the router, however, through the web-based configuration program.
All in all, it probably took an hour to configure my newest computer, a custom built AMD machine. Installing the router on my old Trigem (now emachines) P166 took five minutes: just the time to plug in the cables and grab the IP address.
The manual comes only on cd-rom, but it is easy to understand, especially if you are already familiar with the TCP/IP settings... which you probably are if you've ever had connection problems. Even if you've never touched those settings, you shouldn't have much trouble following the instructions on the cd.
Now the bad points:
This router will *not* work on my brother's Packard Bell computer, which is the one I really wanted to hook up. I cannot for certain say what is to blame, whether it is the router, the network card, or the machine itself. The network card appears to function properly and the router lights up when the computer is turned on, but the second I plug the ethernet cable into the computer, the machine starts to crash. Repeatedly. Over and over again.
I've spent probably 15 hours trying to make the router work on the Packard Bell machine, a P233. I've installed a different version of Windows, I've tested the cables, tested the network card. Nothing works.
I've been in contact with SMC technical support and I swear that the people working there do not speak English. Nothing against people who don't speak English, of course, but it is frustrating to explain your problem over and over to a tech support person who is most likely located in another country. If anyone is interested, I can email some of the exchanges I have had with tech support. They'd be quite amusing if I had eventually gotten the router to work.
The suggestions I have received from SMC have been absolutely useless. I wrote to complain about the router, but they refuse to discuss the router. I am not sure the person I have been emailing with even understands that I am trying to complain about the Barricade- they keep referring to the network card, even though the card is properly recognized by the Packard Bell computer.
But like I said, I am not certain that it is the router which is causing these problems. If you plan on using this router with a Packard Bell machine, install and test a network card before you purchase this router. That way, if something goes wrong, you will know for certain it is a problem with the router (and please email me if you come to that conclusion!)
The only other problem I have with this router is I sometimes lost my internet connection. My IP address stays the same for about a week or two and then changes. When that happens, the router stops working. It's fairly easy to fix- usually turning the router on and off or rebooting solves the problem- but it's kind of annoying if I am in the middle of something.
Overall, I believe this is an okay router. It is easy to install on non Packard Bell machines, and I do like the firewall. I am having a difficult time deciding whether or not I would recommend this router to a friend. I suppose I would, if the friend was familiar with installing this kind of product, and if they weren't on a Packard Bell. Otherwise, I'd have to say no. The lousy tech support was infuriating and the router won't work on the machine I really wanted to hook up to the cable modem.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
eholmes1
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Reviews written: 26
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