With the advent of broadband internet access in the home, there has been
more security holes opened by having always on internet access. And
with more than one computer in many homes, a router just makes
sense. We at PC Mechanic, have scoured the earth to bring you, our
readers, a in-depth look at three different routers. Each of these
router includes a firewall, and built in switch. The firewall to
protect you and you family/business from intruders who want your information.
The switch will allow you to share you high-speed internet access
throughout your home/business. Lets look at the
contestants!


Linksys EtherFast 8-Port Cable/DSL Router Features 8 Port 10/100 Full Duplex Switch SNMP Provides Port Security, Packet Filtering, IP Multicast, and Filters Internal User’s Access Identify Up to Four Ports for High or Low Port-Based Prioritization QoS Capabilities Based on 802.1p and IP TOS/DS Greatly Reduces the Chance of Data Loss Based on Weight Round-Robin (WRR) Supports PPPoE Full Wirespeed Layer Two Switching on All LAN Ports 1K MAC Address Table Means Both Auto Address Learning and Aging Configurable Through Any Networked PC’s Web Browser Acts as a DHCP Server Administrators Can Block Specific Internal Users’ Internet Access Supports WinSock 2.0 and Windows 2000 Smart Applications Connectivity 8 10/100Mbps Full Duplex LAN ports 1 10Mbps Wan Port Port 8 Can be switched from either straight through or uplink Reset Switch LEDs 1 QoS 1 Power LAN – Link/Activity, Full Duplex/Collison, and 100Mbps WAN – Link, Act, Diag Package Contents Router Power Cord Documentaion	Netgear RT314 4-Port Cable/DSL Router Features Combination switch and router creates full-duplex back bone 4-port, 10/100 switch DSL or cable modem connection NAT technology prevents hackers Firewall security and control Plug and Play convenience Com Port Manager interface Connectivity 4 10/100Mbps full Duplex LAN Ports 1 10Mbps WAN port 1 RS-232 9-pin Manager interace LEDs Power Test LAN – Link/Activity, and 100Mbps WAN – Link/Activity Package Contents Router Power Cord 1 CAT-5 Cable Documentation and Resource CD	Barricade 8 Port 10/100 Mbps Broadband Router Features Firewall security against hackers Simultaneous Internet access for up to 253 PCs on the LAN using only one IP address LAN and IP addresses auto-assigned and easily managed Connect to a cable modem, xDSL router, dial-up modem, ISDN or Ethernet backbone. 7-port 10/100 Mbps switch versatility plus one port for WAN connection All-in-one networking solution provides switching, IP sharing, print server, and firewall security Print server access from any PC on the web. No need to keep one powered-up and dedicated, thus additional memory is available. Browser- based management and monitoring of server IP routing supports wide range of popular applications Dramatic enhancement of multimedia and gaming connections Password protected browser – based user interface Internet firewall security against hackers Connectivity 7 10/100Mbps Full Duplex LAN Ports 1 10Mbps WAN port 1 RS-232 9-pin COM Port 1 Parallel port LEDs Power M1 M2 Com Col Loop WAN LAN LAN – Link/Act, 100Mbps, Full Duplex Package Contents Router Power cord 2 CAT-5 Cables Driver and Resource CD