Routers for Dummies or How To Share A Cable Modem
Written: Jun 03 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Eliminates having to tie up a telephone line. Easy to install-really!
Cons: Technical support has been non-existent.
The Bottom Line: We are very happy with this router. I am not rating it down because of the lack of technical support.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Linksys Etherfast Cable and DSL Router |
I really wanted to write this review because it is not my area of expertise to say the least. I respect the many reviews I have read which I don’t understand and rate them highly if they are well written and I can understand them a little or choose not to rate them if I can’t understand them at all. It is not the writer’s fault I don’t understand it so I won’t penalize anyone for that.
If I don’t understand it, others don’t either. Here is my review on the LINKSYS SR 41 Router.
My husband and I are frequently on our computers at the same time. We have two phone lines in addition to AOL, and a cable modem which is hooked up to one of our computers. (mine) We wanted access via the cable modem on the second computer as well to avoid having to dial up and have a faster connection.
My husband and I knew what we wanted to accomplish but didn’t even know what we needed. We had never heard the term router so we called my stepson who immediately said you need a router. Looking at epinions wasn’t doing me a lot of good, because as I said I got frustrated not understanding the technical terms and letters.
We went online to COMP USA and found this router for $149.99 but wanted to go to a store to talk with a human being because we had no idea what we were doing. So we went to COMP USA where it was also $149.99 and purchased LINKSYS SR41 Router about a week ago. Given I was on the floor in two rooms pulling up carpet while he was in the basement feeding me lines, I’m in a good position to review the installation and how it’s working.
Installation: Believe it or not it was simple. We spoke with Bill, a salesperson at COMP USA, to make sure that the 2 of us, non-technical people, could possibly install this. He was very helpful. He told us that Comp USA could install it all for us and when we heard that we asked if it were that complicated. He assured us we could do it and gave us a brief overview of what was in the instruction manual. If you are like we are, ask the salesperson to walk through the manual with you if he or she has the time.
We needed to buy 2 additional cables because the existing cable from the modem to the computer had to now go from the modem to this router so we needed a cable from the router to each of the two computers to which we wanted the router connected. They are called CAT5. Those are only letters and a number. Don’t let them scare you. We bought two; one was 50’ and the other 7’. They were $35.00 and $7.00 extra.
How To Install:
1. You have to shut everything down and hook up the hardware. The instructions are very clear in the manual. The modem goes into the router and the router goes to the computers. The router has its own power source; that is, it gets plugged into an outlet.
2. We ran into one problem and called LINKSYS. We were not sure what it meant when it said to “configure routers USB Port.” We called 1-800-326-7114, which is given as the technical support number in the manual. While waiting for them to return our call we skipped over that step and went straight to configuring “Your network with the router.” And it worked! It has been 3 days since we put in that call and we haven’t heard from them.
3. We then had to configure the router, which involves going to an Internet address given in the instruction manual and typing specific numbers in specific blocks on the webpage. Fortunately for us, there were no added complications in configuring. It was that simple. Adding the 2nd computer also required some keyboard work. That involved going to a few screens which the instruction booklet tells you to do and when you are there you answer the questions to make sure your computer is set up to receive the router. Both computers have to have a network card. The computer that was originally connected to the cable modem will have one; the other computer has to have one also.
This router can handle up to 4 computers.
How is it working? It is great. We started up the two computers and voila we are both on the cable modem at the same time. We no longer are using any telephone lines and have no decrease in speed on my computer but my husband’s is now much faster. He now has a high-speed cable modem hook up on his computer, which he will now detach from the phone line, and we can eliminate the extra phone line.
Since we purchased this product we found it online at COMP USA for $129.00. We were looking because we were recommending it to a friend and wanted to give him the online information. They had reduced their price by $20. We called and were told to bring in the receipt and they will refund the $20 difference.
In summary, if you are happy with your cable modem and you want to have more than one computer use it, this is the way to go. If we could install the LINKSYS ourselves, you can too. If you run into trouble, though, don’t expect technical help for awhile although Bill at COMP USA told us their technical support was excellent. Don’t forget to send in your warranty.
Recommended:
Yes
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