Linksys EtherFast® BEFSX41 Router (DHBEFSX41)

Nice router easy to set up. I bought it because I have another one, I also have a few netgear routers and all work good together in my home network.

I use two of these devices at remote offices to set up a site-to-site vpn. The main office has a Linksys RV082.

Despite what Linksys will tell you, the BEFSX41 WILL do split tunneling. (split tunneling means that internet traffic goes through the BEFSX41 straight to the internet, while inter-office traffic goes through the VPN tunnel to the main office)

Until I purchased the BEFSX41 I used only LinkSys networking products. I have been happy with their other products (BEFSR41, Wireless Access Point, Wireless Signal Booster, Wireless Range Expander) over a period of about 7 years. This unit, however, has been a major disappointment.

Like all LinkSys products, it is easy to configure. However, it prevents access from the outside seemingly at random. One minute you can't get in, 2 minutes later you can. It doesn't allow access where it shouldn't, which would be a disaster, but it prevents access to my websites, email server, web email, etc. I have tried every version of firmware I can get my hands on, and tried turning features on and off, but it doesn't fix the problem. I have found that if I access one of the router administration pages, and click save on any one of them (no change required) I can assure access for a few minutes at least.

While searching for a fix, I have encountered that many other people are experiencing this problem. For the first time, I have purchased another brand (Asus). Too bad. The only reason I don;t rate this as Poor, is because it might be a useful router for someone who only needs access to the internet from behind the router, rather than access their system from the Internet.