Ports Four 10Base-T/100BaseTX RJ-45 ports One 10Base-T Broadband WAN port One DB-9 port for PSTN/ISDN connection One DB-25 printer port Internet Sharing Methods Static IP, Dynamic IP, PPPoE, Dial-up networking Protocols TCP/IP, RIP1, RIP2, PPTP (VPN) Cabling Type 10Base-T: UTP/STP Category 3 or 5 100Base-TX: UTP/STP Category 5 or better Topology Star Speed WAN router: 10 Mbps (10Base-T Ethernet) WAN router: 10 Mbps (10Base-T Ethernet) or 100 Mbps (100Base-TX Fast Ethernet)

LEDs WAN & LAN ports: Power Ready/test Link Activity LAN ports only: Partition & collision Print Server Supports Win 95/98/NT, UNIX LPR Configuration & Management Web-based Win AP monitoring Maximum Users NAT: 253 PCs Features DHCP server, VPN Standards IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3u Size 6.4" x 4.0" x 1.1"

The Barricade 4-port broadband router is essentially a mini-firewall with a built-in 4-port switch. I've noticed that many manufacturers have turned to incorporating switches into their hybrid products instead of the usual hubs. Although this could drive up costs considerably when compared to using a hub, the benefits that the switch brings to the product are also very significant. Read this page of our Linksys Switched Network in a Box review for a rundown of the benefits of a switch over a hub.

The switch built-into the Barricade is a 4-port 10/100Mbps, auto-sensing switch, meaning that it will automatically switch between 10Mbps or 100Mbps on each port. Also included in the Barricade is a built-in print server. This is a very unique feature not found on any of the other competing product and adds a lot of value to the Barricade if you have a parallel-port printer and wish to share it between all the computers in your network. Some print servers go for about a few hundred dollars alone!

The firewall portion of the Barricade utilizes NAT (Network Address Translation) for seamless connection from computers behind the firewall to the Internet.

On to: First Impressions