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Pros
Cons
Sturdy
hub
25
foot RJ-45 cables
Great
NIC cards
Complete
Install Guides
A
softback manual would be nice
Conclusions
I really liked this kit. I think
it offers a lot of very good components packed together for a reasonable price.
I could have been critical of there not being a switch inside the hub - but
this thing is sold as a network starter kit and priced accordingly. Although
the MSRP is $149, I was given a street price of $125 by Netgear. Since I saw
the kit priced at $129 during a shopping trip at BestBuy I think that price
is on the mark. I know some people will balk at the $129 USD price tag - but
the quality of the components in this unit certainly warrant that. Consider
the cost of buing two NIC's, a four port hub, and two 25 foot lengths of RJ-45
cable.The only other thing I could think of being packed in the kit is a short
uplink RJ-45 cable for cable or DSL users, but the cable or DSL installer
usually leaves one with the customer.
I'd
rather the install manual be bound together in a book format - it's easier
for me to keep track of after the install and less likely for me to lose during
the install. But again, that's a matter of opinion as to my preference. At
least all the necesary information for a first time installer is included.
All in all I can highly recommend this kit to anyone. It offers everything
that a home network needs except the computers to install it into.
I'd
rather the install manual be bound together in a book format - it's easier
for me to keep track of after the install and less likely for me to lose during
the install. But again, that's a matter of opinion as to my preference. At
least all the necesary information for a first time installer is included.
All in all I can highly recommend this kit to anyone. It offers everything
that a home network needs except the computers to install it into. 
