The coming wave of consumer routers with gigabit Ethernet switches is starting to hit. ASUS' RX3141 is the first to support Jumbo Frames, but Tim Higgins finds it not as innovative on other counts.

Next-generation, SPI-based 4 port 10/100 switched router w/ print server. Bundled with zer0knowledge's Freedom Security and Privacy suite.

Wireless networking may get most of the attention these days, but there are still technologies competing to replace Ethernet as the primary home networking method. Tim Higgins takes a look at Corinex' AV CableLAN and Phoneline adapters, but finds at least one of them not ready for home-networking prime time.

The ability of most routers to control the who, what and when of Internet access leaves much to be desired. Micah LaCombe found that ZyXEL's HomeSafe Parental Control Gateway is an exception to this status quo and doesn't command a premium price either.

Next in our series of reviews of Open Source based router / firewalls is SmoothWall Express 2.0. Jim Hubbard takes a look at this free, user-friendly distro, that's speedy enough for pretty much any connection you can throw at it.

Linux is definitely becoming more of a real option for desktop users, with many distributions available that anyone comfortable with Windows can install and use. Point Clark Networks' ClarkConnect has taken the same user-friendly approach and converts any Pentium-class box into a dedicated Linux-based Gateway / Server that can be installed and configured by mere mortals and puts many commercial products to shame. And did we mention that it's free? Jim Hubbard puts ClarkConnect through its paces.

The product pitch for AlphaShield's Hardware Firewall makes it sound like it provides some pretty heavy-duty Internet security. But while it does perform as advertised, we found there's little to recommend it over less-expensive SOHO routers.

You might think that installing and configuring an Open Source-based firewall / router requires skills far beyond those possessed by ordinary (wo)men... but you'd be wrong. The m0n0wall firewall may be based on FreeBSD, and have a name that's tricky to type, but our reviewer David Cook shows how getting it installed and running is well within the reach of most of us mere mortals...

You might think that installing and configuring an Open Source-based firewall / router requires skills far beyond those possessed by ordinary (wo)men... but you'd be wrong. The m0n0wall firewall may be based on FreeBSD, and have a name that's tricky to type, but our reviewer David Cook shows how getting it installed and running is well within the reach of most of us mere mortals...

Our quest to find SOHO routers with built-in bandwidth management lead us to examine OvisLink's multi-functional router. We found that it does provide bandwidth management - along with a host of other interesting features - but that it isn't all we'd hoped for.