Axentra HomeSeries Net-Box Classic

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.5 stars OK
  Detailed editors' rating
  Setup and ease of use : 6.0
  Features and security : 6.0
  Performance : 6.0
  Service and support : 4.0
  Overall score: 5.8 (2.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Brian Nadel
• Edited by:
  Allen Fear
• Reviewed on: 03/04/2005
• Released on: 12/01/2004

If a wireless router is not enough and a Windows server is too much for handling your home networking, Axentra's Net-Box may be just right. A Linux-based home-network appliance, the Net-Box combines all the key network functions into one PC-size box. The Net-Box acts as a combination broadband router and minitower server, letting you share an Internet connection, host your own Web site, and run your own e-mail services. While we like that the Net-Box can do so much and that its complexity is hidden behind easy-to-configure screens, we don't think the unit is well suited for delivering mission-critical services for small businesses. If you're a small-business owner in need of simple but robust and expandable IT resources, see our roundup of servers and server alternatives.

Inside the 61-page manual and the quickie start-up sheet are thorough descriptions of the device's many capabilities and configuration options. Oddly, the system comes set for manual entry of your broadband service provider's IP address and logon information, not for the more common (and easier) automated setup. All told, setting up this machine is not for those seeking instant online gratification; each section takes a few minutes to configure because of the server's sometimes slow response. It took us more than 30 minutes to complete a basic setup for the Net-Box. The instructions on the browser-based configuration pages are simple, to the point, and well explained, and in most cases, you don't need to restart the machine for configuration changes to take effect.

The Net-Box comes in a variety of flavors, all with slightly different configurations and prices, but all of the units function virtually identically. We looked at the Net-Box H-70, and inside its white case is a budget server with an 800MHz x86-based Via C3 processor, 256MB of 266MHz RAM, an 80GB 7,200rpm hard drive, and a Hawking Technologies PCI-based 802.11b/g wireless access point. The H-70 costs a reasonable $500 as of January 2005, while a more fully equipped H-90 model with a 1.6GHz AMD Duron processor and twice as much storage sells for $700. Axentra has similar devices aimed at small businesses, with faster processors and more disk space and at higher prices. Four USB ports let you add external storage devices, such as hard drives or memory keys.

The gleaming-white H-70 is gargantuan compared to today's smallest routers, and the unit has a pair of annoyingly loud fans, one of which never turns off. Good looks aside, the Net-Box begs to be put in a closet. Inside is everything needed to create a complete home network, but the Net-Box is a step behind many standalone devices. The unit includes password protection, a virtual private network server, a configurable network address translation (NAT), firewall and Sophos virus protection (with 45 days of updates), as well as the ability to lock out objectionable content based on site URL and IP address. Unfortunately, the 802.11b/g wireless transmitter can accommodate only the older and vulnerable wired equivalent privacy (WEP) encryption rather than the more secure Wi-Fi-protected access (WPA).

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