🔒 Cisco-Linksys BEFSX41: Efficient Cable/DSL Firewall Router with 4-Port Switch and VPN Endpoint Review

I bought a BEFSX41 to replace another one I had at a customer's remote office and used BEFVP41 to create a VPN back to my home office. In over 8 years of using the BEFSX41, carefully deployed with surge protectors and in an air conditioned environment, I have found them to be unreliable. The BEFSX41 often loses connectivity and requires a hard reset (disconnect and reconnect) every few months. The device must be completely replaced at least once a year in the event of a spontaneous failure…

We use these routers to connect two offices with VPN function. We have been using Linksys products since 2004 and have been very happy until recently. We have gone through 4 of these routers in the last 2 years. In each case, the routers lost their web-based configuration and were generally unable to provide internet connectivity and VPN functionality. The first befsx41 we bought lasted 5 years, the new ones (February 2010) didn't even last a year. Linksys seems to have dropped a lot in quality

This is the second of these devices I've used over the years and I've found it easy enough to set up for the newbie and there are plenty of options for the more advanced user. We only use Macintosh systems here with a computer that is only used occasionally and had no problems setting up the firewall via the web-based configuration system. The price is consistent with an external hardware firewall that prevents many attacks. Of course, like everything else, it can only stop attacks it detects…