Re: Need recommendations for firewall router.

From: Peter Georgeu (banxtry_at_teluxs.net)
Date: 02/16/05 

Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 18:50:25 GMT

In article <Xns95FF47A2FCC41notmenotmecom@204.127.204.17>,
notme@notme.com wrote...
> rladbury@kittymail.com (Bob Ladbury) wrote in
> news:e8bf8c5c.0502160217.1fa66a28@posting.google.com:
>
> > Would like to get a router to connect a simple two-computer home
> > network using a Ethernet DSL modem. Primarily concerned with security;
> > not port jacks or ease of setup. So what's a good, cheap router that
> > has robust firewall / security features?
>
> I haven't gotten one of these yet, but you may want to check it out.
>
> http://www.hotbrick.com/produto.asp?tipo=3&catpro=1
>
> Duane :)
>

I was interested in one of these - LB-2 - but my ardour has been
somewhat cooled.

Hotbrick do not build these units and it has been confirmed that this is
the exact same unit as the Xincom 502. Xincom is in Oregon and Hotbrick
are in Florida but the unit is built in Taiwan by some unknown company
for *both*.

When it comes to firmware it appears this is also done in Taiwan
(threads on dslreports.com re the Xincom). Nothing wrong with Taiwan as
there are some great companies there - eg Asus and Zyxel is also from
there.

But I am not overly fond of "badge engineering" as one is dealing in
effect with a middleman who does not have as much control as one would
want over the finished product. One can read about Xincom feedback on
dslreports.com, some good and some less so. Essentially if one wants to
graduate from the D-link/SMC/Linksys group (the RV082 appealed to me as
well but this *too* appears to be made for Cisco/Linksys by a Taiwanese
company and is also "badge engineered") you have to move to Zyxel and a
step up -and following the Gilette razorblade model (firmware upgrades
etc only obtainable after eg 90 days if one has a service contract)- to
Sonicwall or Watchguard.

Peter