Works great. Has many features and low cost. Only limitation is that the WAN to Lan speed can only go up to 6MPS, my FIOS connection is 20MPS, so big downloads and when things get busy cannot acheive enough speed. Will purchase newer model in a few months that can will work, and use this as a backup and possibly a normal switch.

As a security consultant, I consult people everyday on the need for a solid defense-in-depth strategy to protecting their network resources from potential attacks. The same applies to your home networks! Most broadband/HSI providers do not provide much in terms of securing "your assets", but rather, are interested in protecting their own. Often times, the perimeter equipment that is recommended (such as a typical wireless AP/router) does not really provide much in terms of security, and does nothing in terms of providing remote connectivity to resources on your home network when away.

In comes the FVS318 Firewall with built-in IP Security (IPSec) Virtual Private Networking (VPN) capabilities. The appearances of this appliance seemed to meet almost all of my basic requirements ... with one key exception: NetGear does NOT provide support for remote Mac OS X clients in any of their VPN solutions and corresponding documentation. Most client OS's support VPN's (Windows XP/7, Mac OS X, Linux/Ubuntu, Android, iOS, etc.) that require a "login mechanism" for user authentication, and they utilize a secure tunnel to maintain communications. The FVS318 is really meant for a site-to-site typeo of VPN which utilizes the IPSec tunnel without any user authentication. This would be the case when two branch offices are connected together.

Enough of the heavy technical details ... the problem is "how can I connect my Mac OS X computer to the FVS318 remotely?".

After researching this for some time, I found two products that both work exceptionally well for the Mac environment. The first is freeware called IPSecuritas from Lobotomo Software. This comes with a preconfigured template for the FVS318. The other, which is available for a free, is called VPN Tracker. Like IPSecuritas, it also has preconfigured templates for the FVS318.

So, if you are considering a security appliance to use at your home, and are concerned about the lack of Mac client software, do not worry any longer ... a solution is available to make your FVS318 work seaminglessly in your local and remote network.

I've owned two Linksys BEFSR41--both units failed and as a consequence I refuse to purchase another Linksys product. Ever.

I decided to buy the Netgear ProSafe and I'm glad I did.

It has a sturdy metal case. (By comparison the Linksys has a really cheap plastic case.)

Setup was a breeze. I didn't even have to use the provided CD.

The wall-wart (AC power adapter) is intelligently designed--the body doesn't interfere with the next socket on an in-line power strip. (By comparison the Linksys unit consumed two positions on an in-line power strip.)

The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of this ridiculously stupid limitation when entering a reserved IP address (e.g., for a network printer or a server):

[quote]This IP address MUST be within the range of IP addresses used by the DHCP server.[/quote]

I already had a network printer with an assigned static IP address of 192.168.1.150 and Netgear refused to recognize it unless I changed the IP address range of the DHCP server. Okay, fine, if I HAVE to. Now another related issue is: I build and test servers for clients. These servers have static IP addresses that are also outside the range of the DHCP server. So I'm either FORCED to once again widen the IP address range of the DHCP server (bad; I really don't want the DHCP server starting at 12.24.60.64 for example) or change the static IP address of the client's server (worse). Anyway this is a stupid, stupid limitation--especially considering that one MUST also enter the MAC address of the reserved IP address.

The Netgear has a LIFETIME WARRANTY on the unit and a 3 year warranty on the wall-wart (AC power adapter). (The Linksys has a 1 year warranty.)

So in summary: Linksys is junk in my opinion. Get a Netgear instead.

I bought this router when, after switching modem's to a Motorola SurfBoard, my old SMC Barricade router/firewall would not communicate with it. SMC was worse than useless when I sought service help since the router was out of warranty (note to self -- avoid SMC products in the future). Anyway, I bought this Netgear router as it was the only one with 8 ports and firewall at a reasonable price. Oddly this market segment seems to have whitered as 3 years ago when I last shopped, I recall more options.

Anyway, the Netgear has worked very well. I just connected it to everything and turned it on and it ran. I needed 8 ports because my house is hard-wired with CAT5 cable in each room and I like to use a wired connection when possible for security and speed. We are generally using at most 3 ports at once, so perhaps this is not the most testing application, but it has worked well for me. I'm not sure I'm getting all the benefits of the firewall, as some seem intended for more advanced users, but its has not failed in the 3 weeks its been working for me. My speed at each link was tested at 1.5M/Sec which perhaps is somewhat below what my modem direct would support, but that far exceeds the speed of most down-loads anyway. I've experienced none of the technical problems that some have reported, so perhaps the most up-to-date version has these fixed. I would highly recommend this router/firewall for anyone for a home with many ports or a small business.

I am the sole IT person for a company that has several branch offices and they are all equipped with one of these routers. They are updated to the latest firmware which may play a key role in my success with these routers, but so far I couldn't be happier. Not one has had a problem that couldn't be resolved with a power cycle. I am not doing anything too complex with these as their DHCP/DNS functions are being handled by a windows server and there is no need for VPN yet, but the expandability is good to have. Port forwarding is in use and working fine and the internet access policy, although not the most robust I've seen, it does the job. Internet access is quick and the setup is relatively easy. I am A+,NET+, and CCNA certified, however I don't think the setup requires a professional touch as the web access GUI is pretty intuitive. Lastly the body is good at keeping the unit cool, is easy to mount, and has a pretty small footprint. To combine all of this with a price tag that any power user or SOHO can afford makes it 5 stars to me.