Review on 🔒 Enhanced Security and Performance with the Netgear RO318 DSL/Cable Internet Security Router by Alan Sitton

I design networks for a living, so I have pretty high expectations for any device I spend my money on. The NETGEAR RO318 DSL/Cable Internet Security Router meets these needs and more. Since it was my first time getting broadband home, I researched both DSL and cable before deciding on cable. Faster speeds were a tie, arguments that this is a common medium are unconvincing - all networks are ultimately a common medium and security problems are solvable. Finally, the suffering and torment of the DSL installation and its (lack of) reliability are legendary. Installing the router was an easy task, although in my case it didn't fit in the space available, so I mounted it on plywood. Rear panel along with filtered power for "wall warts" power supply. A quick visit to the local RJ-45 store for a bag of 1m pre-wired cables to cross-connect to my cable configuration and we're good to go. Everything green. Even modem crossover requirements are met using the Internet port on the R0-318. Then launch the cable modem software provided by AT&T Broadband. Completely without incident. Although I had to reboot the system 4 times, my interaction was largely limited to pressing enter and the IP configuration was done on my trusty Thinkpad. Finally, launch the RO318 software. Since the AT&T software had already recognized the router, all the basic settings were either done or via DHCP and I could get started. My slowest downloads so far have been 75K (600KBPS) and I've seen close to 200K (that's T-1+!) multiple times. No crashes. Not being a gamer, I can't tell what could cause a router to crash in game (layer 3 vs. layer 7 in the OSI model and all), but having loads at home that are faster than our Industrial, Load -Balancing, control-checkpoint, T-3's redundant internet access at work certainly made me smile. And the fact that I haven't had any downtime in two weeks of work is also quite common. Using HTTP in an advanced firewall setup is a pleasant surprise, but if you don't understand the implications of blocking or opening specific IP ports, be nice to look at and don't touch. In general, this is an excellent device. I'm thinking of running one of these in our lab to actually boot it up and see how it handles a heavy load, and then do a CISSP check of the firewall and VPN (a must for LargeCo's remote workers ). Considering that its commercial equivalent can easily cost between $30,000 and $40,000, the Netgear RO318 is a great deal.