SMC Router

[VietBob]

This is partly a hardware review and partly a vendor review. Hopefully appropriate for this forum. I've had an SMC router for about 3 years - the model is irrelevant because they don't sell it any more. It's served me well, has been extremely reliable. My model has 4 LAN ports, as well as a serial interface so you can access its settings with a terminal program. Also lets you throw a parallel printer onto the network, although I never used that feature.

It supports static or dynamic IP, PPPoE, PPTP. It allows fixed mapping with MAC Address control. DHCP service.

The NAT firewall puts just about every port in stealth mode by default, so your network is invisible to the WAN. (They don't stealth 113, advise you to assign it to a nonexistent IP on the WAN.)

The web control interface is fairly powerful, the Virtual Server and Special Application functions include predefined templates for many popular applications and online games. Selective port blocking (you can allow or deny access to specific ports to specific clients on the LAN), DMZ, Wake-on-LAN support by MAC address, ping rejection, remote administration option.

It's done a great job serving the Internet to up to four computers and game consoles. Based on their engineering (it works really well) and design (it's rather pretty) skills, and the knowledge and helpfulness of their Support Staff (on the few occasions when I've had a problem, they impressed me), I'd give SMC five stars.

Now for the vendor angle. I bought this three years ago. Recently I had a minor problem and without a thought emailed their support staff. Their response astonished me.

Support for my model, just three years old now, was discontinued a year ago. They reported that my only option was to use the online FAQs. Ask my friends, I'm a very calm person. It takes a lot to set me off.

I wrote an email message expressing my astonishment at their policy, questioning their desire to keep their customers, expressing my relief at not owning their stock, and promising to tell this story in every forum and newsgroup I'm involved with. I then sent the email to every @smc.com email address I could find.

Interestingly, today I received an email from their support staff which answered my question, while reminding me that they no longer support my device.

Sweet.