2Wire makes a home network and DSL easy
Written: Jan 06 '02 (Updated Feb 01 '02)
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Pros: easily create a home network with great flexibility and support
Cons: a little bulky, and Win98 is the minimum OS
The Bottom Line: Makes home networking a snap with great DSL speeds and exemplary customer support.
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| mjlee22's Full Review: 2wire HomePortal 100 (1000-200002-000) Gateway |
2 months ago, SBC (PacBell) made DSL available in my neighborhood. 2Wire is the only gateway supported by Pacbell. At first I set up a DSL modem for one PC, and then 2 weeks later I added in the Home Portal 100 Residential Gateway so that I could hook up the second PC. On the gateway you can hook up 1 computer via USB, 1 via ethernet, and then you can add more PC's via phone line network (HPNA 2.0) adapters. I now have 3 computers attached via all these methods. My average Internet bandwidth is 500-800 kbps. One computer is on XP and the other two are Win98.
Initial installation was pretty easy; it took me about 2 hours because I had to upgrade my older machine to Win98 in order to use 2Wire. I had a glitch and had to have 2Wire phone support help me connect one machine; on that machine I had to remove Novell network drivers and the Symantec Personal Firewall. Since 2Wire has a firewall built into the gateway, you do not need a software firewall anyways. Also note that with the gateway, you do not need to go through one computer to get to the internet; all machines get into the internet directly through the gateway.
2Wire comes with software to help you see the computers on your network, but you really don't need to install it as long as your computer has the TCP/IP network drivers. The 2Wire software makes it easier to access files and printers on the computers on Win98. XP has the same kind of functionality, so the 2Wire SW becomes redundant. I have used a NetGear USB HPNA device to attach my laptop from work to the home network. I have also used Nortel Extranet access software (a VPN client) to get into my company's intranet from my home network.
Besides great phone support, 2Wire also provides quick-response email support as well.
One problem I have noticed lately is that the USB machine gets intermittent lags in Internet access. I need to troubleshoot that with 2Wire support the next time that problem arises. As other people have noted, the gateway is a little bulky and odd looking. On top of that, since I purchased the DSL modem separately, the whole system footprint is about 2 square feet. However, you can order a 2Wire product with the integrated modem, and then the footprint for the gateway alone is about 4" x 12" and it's about 9 inches high.
UPDATE ON USB PROBLEM
The intermittent lags continued to persist and with my whole family yelling at me (isn't it great being tech support for your family...), I finally took the time to troubleshoot it. I started with 2Wire's phone support, which was again a quick connect to a very knowledgeable guy. The problem was that the USB networking was conflicting with the sound card on my 1 year+ HP 9600, which has not an empty slot or bay. I downloaded drivers and fixes from the USBMan site, but nothing helped. I decided it was easier to abandon USB networking and went out and bought a $40 Hawking switch to connect both PCs via ethernet (don't get a hub, which divides available bandwidth among each device). So we're back in DSL heaven again on both PC's, and my family is talking to me again!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
Driver Availability: Don't Know
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Epinions.com ID:
mjlee22
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Location: Silicon Valley, CA, USA
Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Retired HP Software Development Manager and soccer mom. Demands quality in products.
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