In Use

As you can see in Figure 2, showing the opening menu screen for the NETGEAR FVX538, and Figure 3, showing the opening menu screen for the NETGEAR FVS124G, NETGEAR has a new color scheme and layout. The use of more than two colors and adding some grays and contrast is a nice improvement to the previous basic blue and white color scheme.

Figure 2: Opening menu from the FVX538

Figure 3: Opening menu from the FVS124G

The configuration options on the FVX538 are nearly identical to the options on the FVS124G, with some reorganization and minor modifications. Table 1 provides a matrix of the FVX's configuration options, which include five main menus, each with 5–7 submenus.

Table 1: A matrix of the FVX538's menu structure

Another nice touch is the sticker on the bottom of the device with the default network address, user name, and password as displayed in Figure 4. Coupled with the manual being fully accessible via a link in the menu, as well as help documentation located throughout the configuration screens, makes it possible to simply fire up the FVX538 and configure it without spending a lot of time searching for information on options and configurations.

Figure 4: The information sticker on the bottom of the device

Tags: Netgear, Router reviews, VPN,

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