Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Oscar Berry photo
Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar
1 Level
705 Review
29 Karma

Review on πŸ”’ Cisco RV132W Gigabit Ethernet VPN Router with ADSL2+ Wireless-N, Limited Lifetime Protection (Model: RV132W-A-K9-NA) by Oscar Berry

Revainrating 5 out of 5

It finally seems stable. But there are problems.

The first time I tried to get this to work I failed. I just couldn't. In the morning I gathered all my ducks in a row to call tech support, meaning I wanted one computer connected directly to the DSL modem via an ethernet hub so I could check this and the second via cable with it connected to the device to access its web interface, and the third is actually ready for a wireless connection. The idea was that once set up I could see exactly where the whole process was failing. And it turns out the setup is exactly that – with a separate DSL modem and feeding the WAN signal into the RV132w over an Ethernet cable instead of DSL. cable - it turned out to solve my problem. Either there's a switch somewhere that I can't find that needs to be clicked to change, or the DSL modem built into this device just doesn't work. But configured as a simple wireless router instead of a DSL modem + wireless router, that's fine. Basically, it gives you three ethernet ports that connect to the same basic function as your wireless devices - go through the same DHCP, see each other on the LAN, etc. - and a wireless system that appears to be stable, even though it's only a few days have passed, my opinion may change. At least it doesn't fall or bounce like the wireless modem I replaced it with. Once activated, it stays activated. The wireless speed also seems good; Devices connected via WiFi seem to reach the same speed as wired ones. My only remaining issue is the signal strength. We have a big old house with thick stucco walls and if you're downstairs or a few rooms down you just can't find a signal. Breaking into that cairn would be asking too much from a basic WiFi router that wasn't specifically chosen for signal strength, so it's really not their fault. This is a disappointment on my part, not exactly a fault with the device. So useful, since I don't really need another DSL modem. but this is disappointing as I now have to keep my old modem and I really didn't want that. Useful for stable signal and decent speed but disappointing because it's not particularly strong and in this house I think I need an extra strong one. All in all a mixed situation. I'll use this now, but I think I'm still in the market for something better.

Pros
  • Great for outdoor activities
Cons
  • Not sure