CNET Editor's rating: 7.2 out of 10
Reviewed by
Xiao Ming Wu
Review date: 06/18/04
Release date: 06/01/03
The good: Can support two VPN tunnels; cheap.
The bad: Lacks AppleTalk support; lacks VPN client software.
The bottom line: The BEFSX41 is an affordable solution for those who need secure access to their home or office network via the Internet.
The Linksys BEFSX41 router with VPN endpoint offers ironclad security in the form of a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN is great for business travelers because it gives them secure access to data they've stored, say, at home in Los Angeles while they're waiting on a connecting flight in Chicago. The Linksys BEFSX41 can establish up to two tunnels (a secure link between the router and a remote device) to computers or PDAs supporting IPsec, a set of protocols designed for secure exchange of data packets. Such computers include VPN servers, other VPN routers, and computers running VPN client software. The BEFSX41 is not for technophobes; setting it up requires technical know-how or an interest in networking. But if you're looking for industrial-strength security, the BEFSX41 is a good choice.
Networking devices have to work with other products to function at all. The Linksys BEFSX41 router with VPN endpoint comes with a printed Fast Start guide that takes both ends of the connection into consideration. The guide walks you through the complete setup process. It explains how to configure a computer running Windows 95 though XP to connect the router and how to set up the router to communicate with your computers. Although you can use the BEFSX41 to connect Macs, you won't find instructions for tweaking IP settings through OSX. Also, the BEFSX41 router does not support AppleTalk, which limits your ability to connect to other Macs. You can, however, still surf the Web from a Mac via the BEFSX41. Configuration for the router's more technical features, such as the firewall and the VPN, are covered in the Linksys BEFSX41's comprehensive and well-organized 75-page user guide. The guide includes detailed explanations of the BEFSX41's features and a wealth of screenshots illustrating the router's browser-based configuration tool.
The Linksys BEFSX41 router's most noteworthy feature is its VPN support. You access the BEFSX41's VPN settings via its browser-based configuration tool, and we liked the simplicity of the setup process. Unfortunately, the BEFSX41 doesn't come with VPN client software, and those who have never used a VPN may find it difficult to set up a computer to tunnel into the router. One easy way to connect is to use the Linksys USB VPN and firewall adapter, which adds $60 to the total cost of your VPN solution.
The BEFSX41 comes with two firewalls: network address translation (NAT), which hides your LAN behind the router's IP address, and stateful packet inspection (SPI), which inspects data packets coming into your network from the Internet. You can also configure the firewall to allow or deny ActiveX, Java, cookies, or connections with proxy servers, which can help you lock down your network.
In CNET Labs' tests, the Linksys BEFSX41 router clocked in with a throughput of 95Mbps--about four times faster than a standard 802.11g wireless connection. VPN connections require more overhead and will be slower than standard Ethernet connections, but you can still expect to see broadband speeds, even if you're tunneling into the BEFSX41.
The Linksys BEFSX41 router with VPN endpoint comes with a one-year warranty. Linksys offers three-year coverage for its WRT54GS, which makes the shorter offering for the BEFSX41 disappointing. On the upside, you get toll-free 24/7 support for the lifetime of the product, and in our informal tests, the support staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Linksys also has one of the best online support offerings in the business, with product-specific setup guidelines, FAQs, troubleshooting solutions, firmware, live chat with support staff, and a copious knowledge base that contains how-to information for the BEFSX41's setup and configuration and problem fixes for a number of common networking issues.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Amazing small and cheap vpn endpoint
I would recommend this router for families only....especially friends willing to play online games (either XBox PS2 so on, ...
I would recommend this router for families only....especially friends willing to play online games (either XBox PS2 so on, PC...) direct play, not through some third party servers. The VPN endpoint is a very handy (and at a low cost) integration to the router, which can save many the time and money in learning to setup a VPN server, using 2 NIC's and routing software.
One bug that I've discovered (I will send them an email pretty soon) is that whenever one tries to nslookup a domain, the router reboots. Problem has been reproduced on at least 5 routers, and is persistent!
3 out of 10 - Poor Tried it 3 times and it didnt work
before it is even said that i am trolling, you should know, i am a trained CCNA, who also teachs ...
before it is even said that i am trolling, you should know, i am a trained CCNA, who also teachs CCNA and i have my MCSE 3 times over. i work with cisco equipment all day long and spend about 50 hours a week running cable and making networks work. I treid this router out at a small clients office and couldnt get it to work properly with there Cable internet, i then brought it home and tried it on my ADSL and it didnt work. i brought it back same problems in boh places, brought it back again and th third model wouldnt even load, it got stuck in its own loading routine and after a hard reset it wouldnt turn over at all. Iwent out and bought a D-Link DI-604, hooked it to a second switch and now run 5 PC`s in the clients office wihout a hitch...This isnt my first issue with linksys, cisco bought them and they arent benefiting from cisco`s golden touch which i professional love.
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by augur (see profile) -
April 7, 2005
2 out of 10 - Terrible Buy something else
This device is used for firewall, and internet connection sharing for a small office with DSL. When we tried to ...
This device is used for firewall, and internet connection sharing for a small office with DSL. When we tried to set up a gateway to gateway VPN, the unit keeps losing internet connection and will not reconnect. The device will get an IP address from the ISP, will issue address's to the workstations on the network. From inside the network you can ping an address, and a domain name. If you tracert the unit will reset with red lights, taking 2 - 5 minutes to reboot. The only fix right now is it run the Linksys NETSET software. Reloading the firmware, nor resetting the device to factory fixes the problem. The firmware is over 14 months old, so Linksys may be finished with updates on this device. The VPN is not able to connect. The company I work for plans on replacing this device within the next couple of weeks. This problem has happened twice now, Linksys tech support says to run the NETSET program to fix the problem, instead of fixing what is causing the problem.
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by 21kev (see profile) -
June 15, 2005
1 out of 10 - Abysmal This is a piece of ****. Put simple.
well lets see, it doesnt work, it never worked, and it probably never will work so dont buy it i ...
well lets see, it doesnt work, it never worked, and it probably never will work so dont buy it i 100% guarantee u that it will only cause trouble or problems.
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by tiberian123 (see profile) -
May 4, 2007
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