SMC SMC7004ABR Barricade Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100Mbps Switch and Integrated Print Server

There are several items that set this SOHO router apart from its peers:1. Support:SMC actually tries to solve problems with the product in an expeditions manner.2. Flexibility:The 7004ABR can be used with a serial modem, a serial ISDN TA, or any Ethernet-based broadband interface. It can also be configured to AUTOMATICALLY switch from the broadband interface to the serial interface if the broadband loses its connection, and automatically switch back when the broadband problem clears up.The unit also includes a print server so PC/linux users can convert that old parallel-port printer into a network printer. I can't meaningfully comment on that feature, as I don't use it.3. Security:Stateful Packet Inspection, and logging of attack attempts. This unit _could_ be sold as a firewall, not just a SOHO router.Unit can be configured to be totally stealthed on the WAN side. (good)Client filtering can be used to selectively control internet access based on client IP, and date/time.4. Convenience and Reliability:Changing settings does _not_ require rebooting the router. This is a unique feature among SOHO routers that I have tried.Only operation requiring router reboot is a firmware upgrade, which is, btw, extremely easy from any modern web browser.As a result, it is easy to achieve just about 100% network uptime reliability with this product, even when making changes in the configuration. Very cool feature.This unit is a class act, and at (dollar amount), an absolute steal.

This piece of hardware is a must if you wish to share your Internet access coming in from DSL or Cable modem. Your PC is mostly secure behind this router - don't rely on the hardware security alone, use firewall software to supplement your protection! The ease of use is high. Out of the box it's three connections and you're nearly ready to rock and roll (power, modem, and your PC). Launch your browser, visit the default IP address for the router and set some information about your modem and your done.I would give the unit 5 stars, except that I haven't seen the unit run flawlessly from the first power up. There have been a couple occasions where I have had to reset the router - and I have no ideas why. So, aside from the peculiar behavior where I'd no longer have access to the "outside" but all the lights looked good, this is a great unit to have.I have a wireless access point connected to it for an 802.11 (no B or A) network. Prior to that, I ran a WAP for the old Digital ROAMAbout wireless network. All worked great. I haven't had the chance to check out the external modem back up feature for it yet - don't know if I ever will.I recommend this unit.

I recently purchased this item after deciding to upgrade to DSL service. While it took a little while for me to get the DSL service working, my LAN worked almost immediately. Truthfully, I have to admit that the problems with the DSL service were caused by my own inexperience with broadband and a non-standard set-up from the local ISP. My ISP uses a connection manager to connect through the DSL service, but the Barricade is always on. The result was that I THOUGHT I was having trouble connecting (since the connection manager software said it couldn't locate a server) when in fact, I was already on-line.Since then, the Barricade has worked almost flawlessly (if your connection suddenly seems to be VERY slow, reset or unplug the Barricade for 10 seconds or so, then reconnect and you should be fine). All in all, I'm very pleased with this router, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a firewall/broadband router.The plusses: It's simple to use, easy to set up (mostly--more later), reliable (so far, anyway), and SMC support has been quick to respond to my questions. I've had no trouble connecting to my work network through a VPN (CITRIX), and thanks to the Barricade's firewall, I've seen no evidence of anyone accessing my LAN despite it being up 24/7 through the DSL.The minuses: The manual needs some work. While configuring my system for the DSL connection, I noticed several times that there were discrepancies between where the manual said to look and where you actually needed go (ie, "...go to...page 25" when it was really page 28). Even worse, the steps on configuring the Barricade as a print server for Windows 2000 bear NO resemblance to what you really need to do. I'm still trying to get my W2K Pro machine to use the Barricade as print server with my DeskJet 660C. Neither of these are critical--the manual is thin enough you can easily find the right page and the interface is intuitive enough that you can probably figure it out even without the manual, and the print server function is a "gee-whiz" feature, anyway.If SMC can update the manual so the pages are correct and the print server instructions are correct, it will be a five-star product.

I was concerned that wireless would not work in my two story house and I wanted to save money. Therefore I had decided to run cables and had purchased the SMC SMC7004ABR Cable/DSL Router as a part of that plan. I was really surprised at the tiny size of the unit when the box arrived. I updated the firmware and had it running within minutes. I did plug-in one other system and it received an IP address w/o problems. I soon decided that wireless was the way to go after all and attached an SMC2655W Wireless Access Point to the router. So far, it's worked like a charm.One quirky issue to an otherwise flawless installation is that the printer driver program doesn't execute on my Windows 2000 system. After I click on setup.exe I see the hourglass for a moment, but that's it. This is not a big concern to me, but a little strange. I sent an email to the tech support group at SMC but have yet to hear anything. Any feedback on this issue would be appreciated.