DLink 704 hangs, so I need something better

From: Max Attar Feingold (maf6@nospam.cornell.edu)
Date: 07/07/02 

From: Max Attar Feingold <maf6@nospam.cornell.edu>
Date: Sat, 06 Jul 2002 20:03:11 -0700

Hi.

I recently purchased a DLink 704 firewall/router to hold the static IP
address on my IDSL connection and serve as a DHCP server for a few
machines on a LAN. It works well as a standalone firewall, with one
fatal peculiarity: every now and then it will hang for no apparent
reason: no ping, no web interface, no packets. After power cycling, it
works again. But only for a while, like maybe a couple of days. Then
it locks up.

Now, I don't really need anything special from this hardware. The IDSL
connection is 144 kbps, so it's not going to be a conduit for the
world's movies and mp3s. Nor is it protecting the family jewels. I
just want to browse the web, sync up some shared files with my family
and connect to my remote desktop box from work. Nothing too
extravagant. But what I do need is 100% uptime, or something close
enough to it.

I finally called DLink's tech support about this, and was informed that
this is a 'feature' of their consumer routers. It was for my own good,
you see: someone was snooping around my ports, and it was only a matter
of time before they would hack me unless the router shut itself off.
All PCs are vulnerable, and the best hackers in the world can get around
anything. Every consumer-level router in the world has this feature.
And no, they won't implement an option to turn it off. (That's what
they told me, honest.) So just power cycle and like it, boy.

When I informed them that I didn't find their built-in denial of service
feature acceptable and asked for a refund, they refused, and prompted me
to either buy something industrial strength or install firewall software
on a PC.

Fine. So we've established I'm never buying anything from DLink again.
But there are other brands out there. Maybe one of them, like NetGear
or Linksys. And that's why I'm here. I have questions:

- Has anyone else had the same problem, and been told where to stick it
by DLink?

- Do all consumer routers have this 'feature'? Iow, if I 'recycle' the
DLink and get a NetGear or LinkSys router, will I encounter the same
problem?

- Assuming some routers do work alright, is there any consensus on which
brands/models work the best for the sort of unassuming tasks I require?
I don't want to spend that much on this, preferably < $150, because I'll
probably end up getting a wireless router if/when I get cable and the
world moves beyond 802.11b.

- I understand Linux and the BSDs are options for setting up a
standalone firewall box. Can Windows 2000 Server perform the same type
of tasks, or does it need additional bits, like ISA Server? I actually
do have a Win2K Server license sitting around.

Many thanks in advance,

Max Attar Feingold
maf6 at cornell dot edu
http://almonaster.sourceforge.net/mfeingol/

Not speaking for my employer

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