Microsoft Broadband Networking MN-500 Wireless Base Station (L21-00001) Router

Pros: Absolutely OUTSTANDING support from Microsoft; super-fast transfer rate; first-quality product!
Cons: My DSL service isn't compatible with it.

WHAT IS A WIRELESS NETWORK AND WHY DO I NEED IT?
A wireless network is a way of connecting two or more computers, printers, or other devices by radio waves. What that means is that you can surf the net from two different computers at the...

Pros: Great functionality,Highly Stable Connections,Good Signal Reception,Easy to Set Up,Easy to Configure
Cons: -Need WinXP for uPnP features. (This is insignificant.)

I had severe reservations towards purchasing a piece of Microsoft networking hardware. They've seemed to long contain a stigma of reliance on Windows operating systems, and I was worried that was the case here. Surprisingly, it isn't at all. Initiall ...

Pros: Fast, easy to install, cheap, works well
Cons: you lose a little bit of speed - wish it were more powerful

We needed to use our computer at a location where there was not a cable. The current location was right next to the TV which made it hard to work on the computer. Our choices were to call the cable company and have them rewire the apartment to ...

Pros: Price! Microsoft Quality. Convenience.
Cons: Somewhat tricky setup.

I can't believe I waited this long to do this. For $19.99 (after $30 rebate from Office Max) for this router and another $19.99 (again, after $30 rebate) for the wireless notebook card and about an hour of time to install the software and configure ...

Pros: Stylish, small, lightweight, reliable so far. Detailed user manual.
Cons: light weight, tipsy. so so range. couldn't find hits about MN500 in MSFT site.

Nice looking but a bit too small to stack up on my cable modem. A bit tipsy to stand up with its vertical stand. This router is less than half the weight of D-Link 614+. MN500 has many features regarding DHCP, NAT, DMZ zone, MAC address filtering, fi ...

Pros: Works very well, great wireless range and speed, good range of configuration options
Cons: Tricky setup, MS-dependent firmware upgrades

I bought this router, together with a MS MN 520 wireless card, to share a cable connection with a desktop PC and a laptop. In my case, the purchase was based on knowing that the PCMCIA card was well-supported by existing linux drivers (irony, there). ...

Pros: Awesome Product! Easy to use, fast setup time. Great customer support.
Cons: limited wireless range.Perfect for a 1200 sq ft house.

This product is awesome! After trying and returning two other brands of network routers. I was about ...

Pros: Simple to setup, simple to connect other PCs/Laptops/XBOX
Cons: Restoring default settings is a pain. Need updated drivers for XP.

Great little router for the home -- not really meant for work.

Simple to setup-- run the software and follow the instructions and you're going within ten minutes or so.

If you've got WinXP, don't install with the CD, just got to the windows website / broadband networking and download the most recent drivers / software (about 12MB).

We had one problem where the password somehow dropped and we had to reset the router. Well, if you re-set it, make sure you push the reset button in and hold it for a while, until it starts blinking-- otherwise it's simply a 'soft reset' which will not restore the default password and you'll not have access to the router management. From what I hear the dropping of the password and the need to reset are relatively common with this item.

Pros: looks, speed when it actually works
Cons: everything else

In spite of the positive feedback from others, I and apparently many others have had a nightmare of a time w/ this Microsoft BroadBand Networking (MBBN) wireless router. The two main problems have been an interrupted internet connection that occurs every 3-5 minutes, and the inability to use wireless encryption. They've issued a firmware upgrade, but problems still persist as seen by the amount of dismay occuring on the MBBN newsgroup (microsoft.public.broadbandnet.hardware)

These problems have caused such a technical support headache for Microsoft that they apparently have just pulled this and related networking products off the shelves, and have added this disclaimer to their website... "As of December 2004 the Broadband Networking website will no longer contain the product information found here today. The site will be updated with Product Support links and other relevant information pertaining to customers who own a Microsoft Broadband Networking product as indicated in the Warranty and End User License Agreement provided with your product."

Sounds like they're throwing in the towel, and leaving a huge number of customers with faulty a line of products. Boooo.