Microsoft MN-500 wireless base station (09/20/2002)

All it does is work all the time.by gputz - March 2, 2010

Pros: It ALWAYS works

Cons: I dunno, it doesn't have all the newest security options.

Better than many reviews suggestby swb_mct - April 29, 2009

Pros: Durable - Its the only router that I have used for 5 years.
Port Address Translation. (PAT, not just NAT) Its the only router that I have found that lets you translate an inbound port number from outside to inside.

Cons: The wireless range is not as good as some new routers.
Wireless security options limited.

Very expenisve coasterby DangerOCoole - July 25, 2005

Pros: it's silver

Cons: pretty much everything since it wouldn't work. it would take me to the last step of the installation process and stop. i've tried over and over to install this but it seems pretty hopeless.

Not a bad wireless routerby anapro - April 2, 2005

Pros: Neat packaging

Cons: Some dropped signals

Da Bestby - February 5, 2005

Pros: Aint any

Cons: Can you belive this is from Microsoft... Wow for a Change somthing that works 100% the first time

Best product for non-techiesby - September 1, 2004

Pros: Super easy to setup (even without the CD), good range, built-in everything.

Cons: I've had 2 of these and they've been great purchases. I can only see 2 cons: 1) It can get gummed up sometimes and needs a reset (which can be done via online interface) once every few months (e.g. it will stop accepting new connections or act flaky), and

Not perfect but good.by - July 25, 2004

Pros: Easy set up.

Cons: Like many base stations it has a weak signal. Can't unplug the antenna so another, better, antenna can be installed.

Drops my internet connectionby - July 2, 2004

Pros: Cheap and Cute. Tech support 24/7 easy to access.

Cons: Had lots of trouble installing. Many calls to tech support. Is still dropping my IP connection several times a day. The fix is to unplug and replug and then ipconfig /renew. That's just with the wired routing, haven't even started playing with wireless ye

Initial software setup a pain, not very secure, but otherwise good productby - June 17, 2004

Pros: Extremely easy to physically install, fairly reliable transfer rates, user friendly setup screen

Cons: Initial software setup required tech support, can't use WEP and successfully download to additional computers. Called tech support about my inability to download anything greater than 5Mb over the web with additional computers on the wireless network whi

What problems?by - May 1, 2004

Pros: Quick, easy setup. Easy to configure wirelessly or wired. Installation is a breeze if you know a thing or two about your connection. I'm a newbie at networking and I was able to install it and set it up with minimal hassle (the kind of hassles that a n

Cons: Seems to have problems syncing with cable modem when first setting it up (hard reset modem with router connected and powered up solves it)... otherwise you have to wait for the modem to be assigned an IP again.

Wouldn't even complete installationby - April 18, 2004

Pros: Good install program, at least to the point where it failed due to defective hardware.

Cons: Apparently defective hardware, right out of the box. I bought the MN-500 to replace a Netware wireless router that decided it didn't want to transmit a signal any more, after less than two years of use. I was somewhat put off by the 30% negative ratings f

Up and running on the first try!!by - March 12, 2004

Pros: Was very easy to set up. Just follow the prompts and directions.

Cons: This seems to work better at short distnces but well through obstacles (walls etc). Some of the set up might really slow somebody who is not computer literate

A Terrible Wi-Fi Router!by - March 7, 2004

Pros: Setup is fairly easy, and getting two+ pc's on the web is no problem. That's, of course, if you don't encrypt your network.

Cons: Configuring the network is another story. Documentation is very poor. The router drops out periodically and I lose my internet/network connection. Microsoft claims to be aware of this problem but no fix so far. Stay away from this product at all costs.

software installation a nightmareby - March 7, 2004

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Cons: I have never had this much trouble installing software, bought the mn500 base station and the mn520 notebook adapter, the adapter won't even connect to the base station, it will, however, connect to non-microsoft wireless g netgear router which was infini

Flaky and essentially uselessby - March 1, 2004

Pros: Pretty design, familiar interfce

Cons: Undependable connection, poor performance. I bought this thinking that a Windows XP system would work well with a icrosoft product. After repeated frustration over repeated setup attempts, I was able to connect to *one* web site and then the connection wa

Rethink Microsoftby - February 25, 2004

Pros: The whole package sounds great...

Cons: ...but once I got home I had some install errors - the base station would not accept the settings. Spent over an hour with tech support to be asked what kind of internet programs I had (from add/remove panal). Tech support asked my what shockwave was!!!

Worked great with dialup, now DSL.by - February 19, 2004

Pros: When I got the kit 8 months ago tech support helped me get it setup as a bridge off of a 98se with ICS connecting with dialup. This networked another wired desktop and two wireless laptops. After years of wating I finally got DSL. Within 30 minutes I had

Cons: none yet

Excellent device for home usersby - January 9, 2004

Pros: I set this device up without the setup wizard, the menus are intuituvely designed. Very generous wireless range, the network showed up past the edge of my cul-de-sac with 50% signal strength. I have 3 computers (1 xp home, 2 xp pro, and a dell axim x3i, a

Cons: I did not see any options for PPTP or IPSEC passthrough, so I'm going to assume they've been automatically enabled.

Drops internet constantlyby - December 12, 2003

Pros: Software (BSMT) is good and easy to figure out. Good manual.

Cons: 1. The router drops my internet multiple times/day even with MS' latest (12-2003) firmware upgrade. 2. Flimsy construction. The product feels cheap in your hands. 3. Too expensive compared to other network gear suppliers. 4. No way to "ignore" other wirel

Frustration level off the chartsby - November 24, 2003

Pros: Detailed documentation; good wireless performance/range.

Cons: Flaky ethernet LAN performance - at times, certain computers aren't even accessible ("network busy" error). The problem went away instantly with competing routers (Linksys and Netgear), so I know it wasn't a PC configuration problem. Also, the internet

A good product, worth the $$$by - November 15, 2003

Pros: Ease of set-up, well packaged with everything you need right out of the bux.

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It is a solid router, no drop off!by - November 10, 2003

Pros: It works as promised. Even the antena and the router itself is small, it has decent and relaible range. It is very easy and intuitive to setup as well. And you can also turns off the wireless part to function just as a wired router. Not like some routers

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Classic Beta Product Jokeby - October 22, 2003

Pros: Nice color, bright LED's to flash when things don't work, and twisty antena helps a little..

Cons: Once cofigured, it's so secure even you can't access it!! MS's quick patch helped, now only one LAN cable can even see the base, but that access causes the other lights (and connectity) to go wonkers..

Easy Setup!!!!by - October 13, 2003

Pros: So easy to setup that I did it without any manual or outside help. Within 5 minutes out of the box I was up and running. My new laptop detected the network instantly and I was on the internet within minutes.

Cons: I have nothing else to compare to.

Best thing Microsoft has made without updatesby - October 11, 2003

Pros: The simple ease of setup and use. The product has it own built in firewall. And its simple for anyone to set up total time is 25 mins.

Cons: There are none I can see after using the unit for 4 months.

no workie w/ SBC dslby - October 10, 2003

Pros: it was cheap at bestbuy.

Cons: after returning the first router the second had the same failure to load/configure base station. this router was suppose to be easy to install. nope. i'll avoid microsoft network gear next time. i tried to install on a centrino dell winXP laptop.

Refused to work with 98SE, returned.by - September 16, 2003

Pros: Looks good, good price

Cons: I spent 6 hours trying to configure the base station, then another 3 with the wireless adapter. Installation was a nightmare! Then spend 3 hours on the the telephone with MICROSOFT TECH support and he gave up and told me he did not know what to do. I r

Excellent Wireless Routerby - September 7, 2003

Pros: This router is very easy to setup and its speed in the wireless department is great. Even setting up the wireless network was easy. All we had to do was plug it in to the wall and the modem, and boom...all done.

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Works With My IBook!!by - September 4, 2003

Pros: I plugged this bad boy in at my house, and now sharing the dsl connection with my brother, my personal laptop and gaming center are complete.

Cons: nah

Great Product. Service and Support was awesome!by - August 21, 2003

Pros: Setup was a breeze. The support was excellent, hardly any wait. Be sure to upgrade the firmware. Good price for such a reliable router. Thanks Microsoft!

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Great Router Go For Firmware Upgradeby - August 20, 2003

Pros: Very easy to install. Firewall settings are great. Multiple users get the same speed. Great support over the phone. The wait at the longest was one minute.

Cons: Be sure to do the firmware upgrade fixes all the small glitches.

Great wireless router and tech supportby - August 19, 2003

Pros: Good range, easy setup, great tech support, works with Win 98 and higher

Cons: none found

Microsoft Did Something Rightby - August 18, 2003

Pros: Being On A Dialup Connection and still wanting something to go wireless around the farm I would highly recommend this product. I have tested it for the last couple of month's now and it has worked like a champ. (Hint If you run WINXP Pro then just instal

Cons: I did have to trick the base station into thinking I had a high speed connection to continue with the setup but once that was done no problems since.

easy set-up, reliable, feature-complete, inexpensiveby - August 12, 2003

Pros: Advanced HTML setup makes for easy installation from any web browser. I was up and running within minutes.

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Blows away linksysby - July 20, 2003

Pros: I bought a linksys wireless router and had all kinds of problems with set up. Teck support was rude and had trouble with speaking english. He must have been at a call center in bagdad. I returned it after subpar wireless performance. I purchased microsoft

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Easy Maintenance, Amazing Adaptabilityby - July 11, 2003

Pros: My wireless network days began when I came home from a trip and discovered that we had signed up to recieve a broadband internet connection through a new company. The only problem is, our computers were down stairs and we did such a great job building ou

Cons: The cost is a bit high, but I predict this comes down in a few months. The tech stocks have been doing ok, and Microsoft is expected to outperform the rest of the competition in the sixth month outlook.

Great product and great support!by - July 10, 2003

Pros: From the second I opened the box, warning stickers that tell to install the software first cought my attention. To install everything it came with a step by step guide. Installed in a snap. I WANTED to have a full network so I called the free Microsoft te

Cons: Nothing!

Wonderful Product!by - July 8, 2003

Pros: Had never set-up a wireless network in the house before. I bought the Microsoft kit and had it up and running in 5 min to my roadrunner broadband. I even had my VPN connected as I walked around the house working on my server from work on my laptop. C

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Absolutely great wireless routerby - June 27, 2003

Pros: Xbox live Campatible, great support, extremely easy setup. A lot of people complain about losing the connection every few days, but often that is caused by a software firewall. It's already got a built-in firewall which is more than adequate for the typ

Cons: Haven't had any problems with my setup. I haven't had to reset the router yet, and it's been running for months. So, I haven't found any cons yet.

Surfing issues.by - June 27, 2003

Pros: Easy to install. Multi-computers installed with ease; no special software required. Compact unit, nice design.

Cons: Surfing problems, for some reason I get DNS issues when trying to surf the web. Sometimes I have to keep trying to click on a URL just to get through. It's hard to tell if a site is donw or it's the MN-500 having problems. Limited features compared to

Who've thought it came from Microsoft?by - June 23, 2003

Pros: Okies, I'm what one would consider to be a bit more than a "casual user" (quite frankly I was using the net when it was the land of the UNIX gurus). Anyway, I decided to set up a home network off of a cable modem in my parents' house. Considering the ty

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You can' access your own serverby - June 18, 2003

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Very, very easy to set up and useby - June 18, 2003

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EASIEST SET UP IN MY LIFE!!!by - June 18, 2003

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Quick and painlessby - June 18, 2003

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I have owned this product less than a week..Trouble free so far.by - June 18, 2003

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Cheap, easy networkingby - June 18, 2003

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Pleasant Surpriseby - June 18, 2003

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Go with Net Gearby - June 18, 2003

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If *I* can install it....by - June 18, 2003

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Actually...Pretty Decentby - May 8, 2003

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AAAAAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++++by - May 7, 2003

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Blocks some as400 to as400 communicationby - May 7, 2003

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A real home run for Microsoft!by - May 3, 2003

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Good Product ... works with Linux as wellby - April 29, 2003

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Great Product with Top Notch Tech Support!!!by - April 29, 2003

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Can't get it to work on SBC DSLby - April 24, 2003

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An easy, inexpensive performerby - April 23, 2003

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not working, returned to storeby - April 20, 2003

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NEtwork Problemsby - April 19, 2003

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Could only install easier, by installing CD itself!!by - April 17, 2003

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Easiest Network Setupby - April 17, 2003

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Many Troublesby - April 15, 2003

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Great Product, Great Software, Great Support!by - April 15, 2003

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Ease with qualityby - April 14, 2003

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Don't listen to the others -- still better than other wireless gatewaysby - April 1, 2003

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Basically junkby - March 16, 2003

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i have had the linksys and i will not returnby - March 11, 2003

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1. Must powerdown modem 2. on the line forever for supportby - March 10, 2003

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Playstation2 friendlyby - March 9, 2003

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EASY, GOOD DEALby - March 8, 2003

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Not 100% compatible with Win2000by - March 3, 2003

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Review: As soon as I inserted the setup CD it came up with the following message: "Setup has detected that Microsoft Windows 2000 is running on your computer. Although you can use Windows 2000 with Microsoft Broadband Networking, you cannot use it to configure the base station." Kind of speaks for itself if you're a Win2000 user like myself. I wish it had said something about this on the box. The product works well but I have no option other than return it and get something different. There is no way I'm changing operating system. Surprising to see something like this from Microsoft, makes a good party joke though

Running on 4 computers in 45 minutes, even mom and dad set one up for their houseby - March 1, 2003

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Cisco VPN access?by - February 27, 2003

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Bad wireless performance in closed environmentby - February 24, 2003

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Fast, simple, and reliableby - February 21, 2003

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Did Microsoft Really Make This? Sure did.by - February 21, 2003

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Great Product For Great Priceby - February 18, 2003

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Bill Gates is rich for a reasonby - February 17, 2003

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Best Tech Support EVER!by - February 17, 2003

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Very easy to set upby - February 15, 2003

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Do Not Buy this Product and to add to that horrible customer support.by - February 10, 2003

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Great system to work with...by - February 4, 2003

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Straightforward, Excellent Performerby - January 27, 2003

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Frustrating set upby - January 26, 2003

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Microsoft doesn't support on XP Pro Tablet editionby - January 25, 2003

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Worked in 30 minutes!by - January 24, 2003

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Easy to Installby - January 23, 2003

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Easy install.by - January 20, 2003

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Good Product, Good Price, Good Purchaseby - January 18, 2003

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Worked out of the box in 30 Minby - January 17, 2003

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Generally sucksby - January 14, 2003

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Good starting point with great support.by - January 14, 2003

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Simple 802.11b Network Access Pointby - January 8, 2003

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Nice Gateway for the dough!by - January 7, 2003

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Easy install, works great.by - January 6, 2003

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Flawless Victoryby - January 5, 2003

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The thing works!by - January 3, 2003

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Outstanding customer supportby - January 1, 2003

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Almost too simpleby - January 1, 2003

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Bad, very badby - December 31, 2002

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Good Jobby - December 30, 2002

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Cannot connect to VPNby - December 20, 2002

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Wireless Connectivity at a Good Priceby - December 19, 2002

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Works great after some installation glitchesby - December 17, 2002

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A great solution for network beginnersby - December 14, 2002

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Firmware nigthmare!by - December 14, 2002

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The most unreliable device.by - December 9, 2002

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"Not for dummies"by - December 7, 2002

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problems from day one...by - December 6, 2002

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do you like the reset button ?by - December 5, 2002

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Simple Setup and Ease of Operationby - December 5, 2002

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No Complaints!by - December 2, 2002

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After software upgrade, its smooth sailingby - December 2, 2002

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Connection Dropsby - November 29, 2002

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Feature rich diapointment!by - November 24, 2002

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Software sucks. Circa 2001by - November 24, 2002

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Satisfied but.....by - November 23, 2002

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Two big problemsby - November 17, 2002

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Installation a breezeby - November 15, 2002

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Finally, something that works as it should!by - November 15, 2002

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Almost wonderful.by - November 14, 2002

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Check for updates!by - November 13, 2002

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Strong Signal and Reliableby - November 10, 2002

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Contacted Customer Support for my problem but, it worked out fine!by - November 10, 2002

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Awesome, Excellentby - November 9, 2002

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So Far So Good!!!!by - November 7, 2002

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The connection is unreliable.by - November 5, 2002

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Very Easy to Set Upby - November 3, 2002

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Most Unreliable Router ever seen!by - October 31, 2002

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Best in market..by - October 31, 2002

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Better than NetGear!!by - October 30, 2002

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Signal terribleby - October 28, 2002

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Wait for the firmware upgrade #2by - October 21, 2002

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verdict still outby - October 21, 2002

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It freezesby - October 21, 2002

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Straightforward & easy to useby - October 19, 2002

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Fast EASY Wirelessby - October 19, 2002

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Below parby - October 11, 2002

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Best One Yet!!!by - October 8, 2002

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Microsoft Stinksby - October 8, 2002

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Distance Kills The Unitby - October 8, 2002

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How can CNET give this an 8?by - October 8, 2002

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Great product, great phone support, software needs helpby - October 8, 2002

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GREAT SETUP!by - October 7, 2002

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Works just fineby - October 7, 2002

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Wait for a firmware upgradeby - October 7, 2002

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Best, Most reliable, and Easiestby - October 5, 2002

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Great speed in 4 story brick house!by - October 5, 2002

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Very happy and surprisedby - October 3, 2002

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Stop bashing MS and rate the product!by - October 1, 2002

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Works Perfect with Comcastby - October 1, 2002

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beutifleby - October 1, 2002

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Connected 3 pcs in 30 mins! :)by - October 1, 2002

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It's Been working well for me!by - October 1, 2002

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Won't work well with Comcastby - September 30, 2002

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Best option for home networking.by - September 30, 2002

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Jury is outby - September 30, 2002

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Linksys is better optionby - September 26, 2002

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Good product online up in minutesby - September 25, 2002

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Nice product at a nice priceby - September 23, 2002

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Good price, easy set-upby - September 23, 2002

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DON'T BUT THIS PRODUCT!by - September 23, 2002

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MS bashers get a life. Provide a real review..by - September 23, 2002

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Others have done it beforeby - September 23, 2002

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Butt Ugly!by - September 23, 2002

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