|
Pros
|
Cons
|
|
Built-in
firewall
Software
allows the administrator to block certain sites
Came
complete with all necessary components
Excellent manual
|
Pricey
10 MBps speed
Does not feature a switch
|
Conclusions
The built-in hardware
firewall will certainly protect you from those who may want to steal or corrupt
your data. The ability for the administrator to block access to certain sites
is certainly an interesting feature. That is one feature that begins to show
that this unit was not built for the home market. At $479 it should be apparent
that this unit is not directed for the average home networking purchaser.
I think that if the unit
had 100 MBps speed then it could certainly become a better competitor in the
home/small office market. A 10 MBps network can become saturated quite quickly
and I would hope most businesses wouldn't try to add up the 250-user limit
that the 100 to 250 user license allows. Add the fact that the unit is not
equipped with a switch and it is apparent to me that a large network built
behind this unit will be hopelessly congested.
Its long list of features
will attract a lot of businesses looking for a unit that allows a large amount
of control from the administrator's desk. The fact that this unit came so
complete and with such a good manual makes it easy for me to recommend it
for those of you shopping for an addition or even a starting point to your
office network - as long as it is a small network.
Victor Oshiro
6 September, 2000
