Review on SMC7004VWBR Barricade Router 100Mbps 802 11B by Marcus Barlow

This SMC7004VWBR has been running on my home network for over a year now. I share a DSL broadband connection with several home PCs. PCs running Windows XP and Windows 98 work very well when connected through a router. It's not a perfect product, but the quality and features it offers for the price are hard to beat. I'm impressed with the ability to configure the firewall. I use a browser-based console to disable my son's internet access by time of day. I also use the URL blocking feature to filter out domains I don't need access to. The time of day feature could be improved to provide more flexibility, but again this is a feature that was used in firewalls a few years ago that cost thousands of dollars. Make sure you update to the latest firmware before spending time setting up your device. Generally, I can go months without rebooting my router. I haven't had any wireless range issues or interference from cordless phones, but YMMV. If I were to buy a new wireless router, I would consider the "g" version as it offers Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) as opposed to WEP. (which can be hacked). If you're very concerned about security and someone stealing your bandwidth or hacking into your network, then you need a product that offers WPA. Then restrict access to your PC's MAC address and you're virtually hack-proof.