Barricadeâ„¢ g SMC2804WBR Wireless Router

Pros: Detachable/upgradeable antennas, newer 802.11g standard, full indicators/reset button
Cons: Wasn't a trouble free setup, documentation is not particularly indepth or written for the newbie

I had been wanting to enter the world of wireless for awhile. I like my desktop but I also have a p ...

Pros: Good throughput
Cons: Poor documentation and technical support

This is my second SMC router (the first was the Barricade 7004ABR, which was not wireless, which I found easy to use). This is my first foray into WiFi, which is more complicated than I thought it would be, but that’s primarily because of SMC. ...

Pros: Affordable, good range, fast 802.11g, lots of security features: 128 bit encryption, WEP, WPA...
Cons: Terrible documentation - not for newbies, some dropped signals depending on distance and angle.

I've had my SMC 2804WBR Barricade g Wireless Router and my SMC 2835W PC Card since the beginning of 2004. I work from home. Space, peace and quiet can be a rare commodity with two young children. My home network grew this year with the addition of a ...

Pros: Despite firmware bugs, once set up both version perform well. Version 1 is best.
Cons: Firmware could cause many installations to fail and frustrations for owners.

The SMC2804WBR Barricade comes in two versions, but that's a secret that even SMC don't really tell you! They look alike but you have to turn them over and check the supplier part number to tell them apart. To make matters worse SMC are coy about the ...

Pros: Lots of firewall and security settings, WEP and WPA, reliable, email support responds within 24hrs
Cons: Router documentation could be better (terse and not all router settings are even discussed)

I am using SMC's 2804WBR wireless router to connect my cable Internet service to a 3 client PC home ...

Pros: Quick install, good features, excellent firewall, best in class wireless signal, cheap, etc...
Cons: None really. IMO it's that good.

It does everything!!! I have a few of these at work now and one in my house. I'm a computer tech. It shares your Internet connection to all computer on your network--via ethernet and wireless (802.11b and 802.11g). The wireless works better than an ac ...

Pros: Reasonable price, Nice feature support, Great Advanced Tools
Cons: firewall disabled by default

I've got bellsouth dsl, and have no problems. I also haven't experienced the problems that some of the others who wrote reviews have stated, but most of them look a bit older, so I may be running a more recent product, and certainly a more recent ...

Pros: Cheap after rebate. WAP support - but everything must to make this useful.
Cons: Various wired disconnect problems.

Day #1 with this router went well. I was replacing a wired Netgear router and focused on getting the wired stuff working again. Then I started to play with the wireless stuff where I'm a rookie. I had some issues generating 128-bit WEP keys with the 1.08 firmware that went away when I upgraded to 1.11a. I didn't have much luck getting my wireless devices to talk on day #1 and continued to try on day #2. At some point this router dropped the connection to the cable modem and nothing short of a hard reset seemed to fix it. Some combination of firewall and wireless settings really hosed this router up every time. I got tired of fooling with it, so it's going back.

Pros: Easy easy easy set up for Mac users
Cons: Manual it comes with is pathetic. Download the PDF version first.

If you're an Airport Extreme user wanting to save a ton of money by not going with the Airport Base Station, I would definitely choose this one from SMC. The setup was absolutely seamless. I plugged in the router to my DSL modem and instantly my Airport card recognized the connection. After setting up the router through my web browser (only took a few minutes), I was up and running. Signal strength in my apartment is always great and the speed is wonderful too. For the price (I got the router for about $45 after rebate), I couldn't believe how well it worked. Thumbs up in my book.

Pros: Firewall and NAT security features. Supports WEP, WAP, and VPN pass-through.
Cons: Firmware upgrade envokes factory default settings. All custom settings have to be manually re-entered.

PROS
* Compact size

* Good b & g range (extended mode)

* Good firewall and NAT security features


CONS
* Firewall is disabled by default.

* Wireless SSID broadcast is enabled by default, increasing the chance that someone can "War-drive" and hack your network.

* Only supports Class C network (192.168.x.x)

* Firmware upgrade envokes factory default settings. Configuration setting cannot be backed up and then restored on an upgraded firmware. All custom settings have to be manually re-entered. No disaster recovery capability. Config backup and restore only works on the same firmware version.

* No high gain antenna available, per SMC Technical Support, even though the brochure said this feature is available.

** Not Recommended **

Pros: None.
Cons: The router is not a stable product. See firmware update documentation.

After upgrading to latest firmware release, which supposedly resolves this issue, I still could not log on to the BellSouth DSL network via PPPoE.

SMC Support can not resolve the issue.

Review all of the firmware revisions on the SMC website prior to given this product any consideration.

Pros: Simple to use, Wireless works where I need it, good for none techies.
Cons: Not for your serious small-office/home-office SOHO. Not defined as highly reliable or highly available.

I have had my SMC2804WBR Router configured and connected for almost six months now. Today was the end of the road for this unit. I work from home and my infrastructure while not support 100's of user is still critical to one (me). I maintain connection of three computers to my workplace via VPN and I am constantly having to play musical connection has one connection is lost or hangs. Simply IPCONFIG/RELEASE and IPCONFIG/RENEW seems to do the trick and the other systems don't miss a beat. Now this is not just a problem with a single system. Sometimes it is the laptop, other times one of the two (2) desktops I have. However, the solution in all cases is the same - IPCONFIG/RELEASE.

I am favoring a CISCO SOHO 91 product as my next acquisition.

Pros: good features, good interface
Cons: customer service, manual is not good for a beginner

I bought this router because of it's stability. I've bought this router for a roommate, my mom, and a client and all have had zero problems -- they've never had to touch it since I set it up for them initially. I bought another for myself and unfortunately it loses it's connection (wired) to the computer and requires a reboot 1-3 times a day. While it is clearly broken customer service has been running me in circles for the past 2 weeks trying to avoid sending me a replacement unit.

Pros: Installed and configured easily even the security functions.
Cons: Locks up two to three times a day and need to be reset.

The install went very smoothly. However withing one week of installation I began having problems.

This router locks up two to three times a day and needs to be powered off and back on again to reset it. Tech support has been unable to solve the probelm - possibly related to *Smurf* attacks from my ISP cable connection which is Charter Pipeline.

Pros: Good price, easy setup, good security features, g band at b prices.
Cons: would like to be able to wall mount it(but I can live with out it.

I just purchased this router for 70 dollars(35.00 after mail in) Set up in under 10 minutes. Have 2 wireless connections and 3 hardwired. Dsl service using ppoe service. Had them all on for the first 24 hours, no problems. xbox live worked with no extra setup. Ran a security port scan at dslreports.com, it found no open ports or security risk on unit. I have no G based cards on unit only b based, so can't test real speed. B does seem a little quicker than the microsoft mn-500 it replaced. Has replaceable antennas. Turned on url filtering and assigned it to my sons ip address. Does a good job of blocking sites based on words or addresses. I purchased this for my mother-in law, to set up her cable modem. After putting it through the test on my network, i'm ordering a second one for myself. For the cost I don't think you can find another g unit close to this.