Netgear ProSafe FVS318 VPN Firewall with 8-port Switch - 8 x 10/100Base-TX LAN, 1 x 10/100Base-TX WAN - FVS318NA

My router stopped working after about one year. Called Netgear support and was told that I have to pay $138 for the support. I am buying a non-Netgear router this time.
 
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I purchased two of these to use between home and office. The performance is terrible. I spent lots of time with Tech Support. My Internet bandwidth speed was cut in half at both locations. Tech support says the reason is because every packet is examined. Thats fine but the processor in this model is not strong enough to keep up with my network. Now for the good news...Spend a little more and get the FVS338. What a difference...no loss of bandwidth at all. Also they just opened a US Clear Speaking Tech Support Center!! for the ProSafe products (Dec 2007). What an improvement! The VPN stays connected and works perfect. I am finally very Pleased..
 
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The NETGEAR FVS318 is real nice heavy blue steel router, most impressive when you open the box. It goes down hill from there. I get 12 megabits per second when my cable modem is directly connected to my computer. Hook up the FVS318 and the speed is cut more than half. I called support, they backed up one version on the firmware, that did not help at all. They advised every packet is examined since its a firewall and hence the slow speed. I read several good things about the big brother FVS338. I ordered one and tested the speed today and there was no loss! Now I will proceed to setup my network. ADVISE....STAY AWAY FROM THE FVS318, SPEND THE EXTRA AND GET THE FVS338.
 
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This is the first VPN Firewall I have tested. Its a big impressive metal case, it ends there. The first thing I noticed is a speed reduction over the internet. I get 8 megabits per second download from my ISP. That was verified on two separate websites with my computer hooked directly to my cable modem. After connecting the Netgear FVS318, my speed is cut over half (3.55megabits per second). Tech support told me this is the nature of a true hardware firewall as it inspects every packet hence the slowdown. I never made it to the VPN setup. I am sending back today after one day of ownership. The FVS338 is said to be much faster, I am ordering that for a spin. No way am I going to give up that much ISP bandwidth. The FVS338 has a faster processor so hopefully the performance will be better. Tech Support really is terrible but I have read enough to have some hope so I will roll the dice again.
 
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When our old Netgear RT311 router needed to be replaced, I copied all the settings. The menu on the new one was more complicated and the terms were different enough that it took awhile to figure out how to set it up identically to minimize downtime. We haven't started using the VPN features yet, but wanted the capabilities for future use. So far we've been satisfied and haven't encountered any problems with the router.
 
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I recently bought this router, and was looking forward to having 8 ports, IPSec/VPN pass-through, and an overall good experience, like I had with my RP614v1 (which did not have IPSec). It appeared to be fully functional, and continues to serve games, and is the heart of my home LAN. Against most port scan tests that NetGear recommends (Sygate, Symantec) it holds up very well. However, the FVS318 tucks tail and reboots in the middle of GRC's ShieldsUp portscan test (which was also recommended by NetGear). I thought it was an isolated event, but it unfailingly does so during that specific portscan. This is not to be expected from a business grade router, and represents a serious security flaw that must be disclosed and corrected. I have Rev 2 hardware, and firmware 2.4. It turns out that Rev 2 was a result of a component shortage, which makes me wonder what shortcuts may have been taken. There are discussions on DSLReports; just do a search on spontaneous reboot and FVS318. Am trying to work with NetGear support at the moment to see what can be done.
 
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I bought the FVS318 to securely access a computer at a tiny company with no firewall from home. I was going to plug in the router in front of the work computer and just access it from the built-in windows XP VPN client from home. --but that's not how it works. The Appendix of the manual shows you how to connect the FVS318 to a windows box. ...But what they're doing is assuming you've got the FVS318 as your home firewall/router, and someone has decided to use this remote windows box as a VPN gateway. Makes sense. Its icky, but it does work. (do yourself a favor, when you see "secpol.msc", just type in 'mmc', and add in the security policy snap-in). But here's the real question. If Windows XP (mine is "Home") can be configured as a VPN server, and has a built-in firewall (with SP2), and Windows XP can also be a VPN client, why buy this box? Note: do a web search on how to configure a Windows box as a VPN server.
 
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If you're a home networking enthusiast that has outgrown your Linksys 4 port cable/dsl router, then this is a good next stepping stone. This router offers a greater range of port forwarding and it uses a SPI (stateful packet inspection) firewall...aka, it actually looks inside each packet instead of just bouncing them around. So the firewall will stop code-red and other malicious code before it actually gets to your computer. Only problem I've had with it is that after a year it decided to stop forwarding DNS packets, but a firmware upgrade and a reset fixed that. Otherwise, its been flawless...whereas I'd have to cycle the power on my Linksys at least once a month.
 
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The ease of use for the basic setup of the device is as most are these days, plug and play. The firewall function is not very configurable but it does provide for email notification of violations. The VPN function is another subject, particularly for remote access. Even with the VPN client software (costs more than a FVS318) that Netgear "supports" it is difficult to get up and running. The documentation for this functionallity is lacking and inaccurate. They did mention that it would work with the Win2K and XP built in VPN client but it was so difficult to configure that they have removed those documents from their website. Netgear support is HORRIBLE!! If you ask anything (other than how to spell Netgear) about this product bring your credit card along as they charge for tech support. If you have any doubts about these facts, check out http://www.tek-tips.com/ and search for FVS318. VPNs are complex by nature but this should not be this hard. Commercial gateways are not this difficult. If you are buying for the VPN (my primary reason) then consider this.
 
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not only do they have the best tech support, the products they sell work very well.
 
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Plug it in and turn it on, that's all there is to it. The web page based administration is very easy, the user manual covers everything if you feel the need to "RTFM". The only thing I did was change the admin password. The FVS318 is also supported by Port Magic so I don't even have to foreward any ports if I want to host a game and with UPnP support I think I can transfer files and run a web cam in msn Messenger (haven't tried yet). Security is tight with the FVS318, and the internal security log shows you exactly what is going on. Where security is concerned, this is just the begining of what you can do with this router. It feels VERY solid with its heavy metal case and all of the connectors are tight and secure. When you plug a cable in you know it's there to stay.
 
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I almost got this router all configured and then I changed the admin password and I could no longer log in. Then I tried to reset to default settings and it started rebooting and nothing could stop it. I sent it back.
 
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As a single unit, this box is awesome, full of features, and very easy to setup. I have two to create a REALLY hardened DMZ for my outward facing server. This configuration allows for only specified ports to be exposed, yet my internal network is also safe in case that system is compromised. All other systems are behind the second firewall/router.
 
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This is the second time I have written a review on the FVS318. For some reason the first did not show up.I certainly hope BUY.COM does not limit reviews of this product to favorable reviews only. I purchased three Netgear FVS318As and installed the first one. The installation and configuration were easy. However, I was no longer able to access several web sites. Netgear support instructed me to turn off keyword blocking in the filter as that was causing problems. I was still unable to access the sites. I sent Netgear logs and even sniffer traps to show them precisely what was happening. They sent back a note saying they are aware that turning off keyword blocking will not solve all the problems. However, they said they have no fix and do not have a timeframe for providing one. I tested performance with and without the router. Several web sites are much slower or inaccessible with the router than without the router. The technical support people I spoke to have a great deal of difficulty communicating in English, so have patience when communicating by phone. The features that are advertised are very nice. Unfortunately the router's inability to handle secure logins, the necessity to disable its keyword blocking feature and its speed make it unacceptable for our applications.
 
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I recently got the VFS318 and was quite impressed with the ease of setup. I have run the gamut of SOHO Personal Firewall Appliances and this is one of the nicest ones to date. I am the CTO at our company and I also lead the Information Security Practice as well. This unit is by far the best suited to the "two or more" user scenario. The throughput of the unit is not bad in smaller user populations this model will even support concurrent gaming. In more true SOHO applications the throughput on pure connection sharing is also quite good. The only beefs I have are that the pobbility to manage a larger number of the units is currently poor although with some web scripting it could be done. Also the lack of SNMP is bothersome. The last thing is that I have somehow managed to block out comms to hotmail... (GRIN) more my fiddling than the units efficacy I'd suspect. In summary this is a good one! Worth the price!
 
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This is a marvelous product. I'm in Intrusion Detection for a large bank and know the value of security. This router installed quickly and is quite configurable. Netgear keeps up on thier products and supports them fully. The metal chassis is great (my last router melted). Nice to see an American made product that isn't an embarrasment (Ford).
 
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Only one problem: the default user name and password given in the installation guide was incorrect. (hint: enter a blank password) This box is a good match of security and flexability, installation took at most a minute. I love NetGear products and this is their best price performance router yet. Highly recommended!
 
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