Product Description

As broadband speeds increase most 10/100 gateways do not have the power to support those higher data rates, and thus become the bottleneck in the network. The RVS4000 10/100/1000 4-Port VPN Router works at Gigabit speeds to meet the demands of todays networks. It features Linksys proven SPI Firewall with an integrated Intrusion Detection and Prevent System (IDS/IPS). Its built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100/1000 Ethernet switch can connect up four PCs directly, or additional hubs and switches. The QoS features provide consistent voice and video quality throughout your business. In addition the RVS4000 features a Virtual Private Network (VPN) security engine that creates encrypted IPSec tunnels through the Internet. The IPSec VPN tunnels enable remote users from at home, or on the road to easily, and securely connect to the office network through a typical wired or wireless broadband connection. When used with another RVS4000 or other Linksys VPN router, branch-to-branch connections can be established allowing users in a remote office to connect to the corporate network.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4523 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Cisco
• Model: RVS4000
• Format: CD
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 2.70" h x 9.55" w x 11.20" l, .71 pounds

Features

• LAN Ports - 4 10/100/1000
• WAN Ports - 1 10/100/1000
• Firewall - SPI

From the manufacturer
Secure and Speedy Network Access. The Cisco RVS4000 Gigabit Security Router, formerly part of the Linksys Business Series, delivers secure, high-speed network access with switching capabilities to help staff in small businesses safely connect to required resources. IPsec VPN capabilities allow employees working remotely to access files and email as securely as if they were in the office. Fast Gigabit speeds, internally and externally, allow your employees to send and receive large files quickly and easily. Strong security features include a proven firewall with an intrusion prevention system (IPS) that scans deep—detecting and blocking most worms, Trojan horses, and denial-of-service attacks. An optional security service adds protection against spam, viruses, and other web threats.

Overview

Connecting your small business to the outside world is as important as connecting your internal network devices to each other. Make all these exchanges securely with Cisco Small Business Routers.

Cisco Small Business Routers support:

• VPN: Virtual private network technology lets your remote workers connect to your network through a secure Internet pathway. They can access their email and files as if they were in the office.
• Security: Built-in firewalls, advanced encryption, and authentication features protect your network from external threats, keeping your business assets safe.
• Connectivity: All Cisco Small Business Routers come with multiple connection options for maximum network expandability. Whether you're using them for an increased number of physical ports or wireless connectivity, these routers are built to deliver advanced connection sharing.

Product Features

• Secure, high-speed access for small businesses
• Four 10/100/1000 wired connections can move large files quickly and easily
• Superior level of security, including an intrusion-detection system
• Supports the optional Trend Micro ProtectLink Gateway for email and web security
• Maximum VPN Connections: 5
• Offsite network access through VPN connections
• Built-in Ethernet switch ports
• Security features that keep your network safe
• Secure VPN connectivity that uses encryption to give remote workers access to your network and its data
• Fast Ethernet switch ports
• Link redundancy and load-balancing features on some models that improve system uptime and performance by using multiple ports to connect to the Internet
• Security features, including proven firewalls, support for Wi-Fi security standards on wireless models, and optional Trend Micro ProtectLink Gateway Security Service on some models to help fight spam, viruses, and web threats
• Web-based configuration that simplifies the setup process

Customer Reviews

Works Great & No Problems Setting It Up
I've had this Linksys RVS4000 4-Port Gigabit Security Router with VPN for a little over two weeks now. I had no problem setting it up and I've had no problems with it operationally. My old Belkin F5D8230-4 Pre-N Router would freeze up every three or four days. This RVS4000 has worked continuously without problem. A couple of very important points, though:

- First, there's a firmware update available on Linksys' site (v1.1.09, dated 02/21/2007). Apparently, this update fixes quite a lot. So much so, that after installing it you MUST reset to factory defaults. So, make sure you update the firmware first thing, and then reset. Don't use any old setups.
- Also, Linksys doesn't seem to care about U.S. Daylight Savings Time having changed. That new firmware, though released just prior to the change, doesn't use the new dates. So, even though the router has a synchronization option and a DST option, I had to turn those off and set the time manually.
- Regarding ease of setup, I'm not using any kind of VPN stuff. I bought this router for it's Gigabit capability over the local network, not for the VPN. So, maybe that's why I had no problem setting it up where other people claim they've had trouble. Or, it could be that the firmware update has simplified things.

Overall, I rate this Linksys RVS4000 at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5. If Linksys had changed the Daylight Savings Time settings to reflect the new U.S. dates, I'd have given it a full 5 stars out of 5.

Multifunctioned Gem with QoS and Jumbo Frame Support!
I am baffled by the other reviewer’s comments – the Linksys RVS4000 router is an advanced, integrated router, a firewall and a 4-port full duplex gigabit switch that will satisfy most home offices and home networks. It is economical as it replaces two devices the router and switch, and offers gigabit speed. Nothing else on the market will do this.

The RVS4000 is a gem that supports QoS allows parents to regulate their children’s internet and network access. Heck, the thing even supports jumbo frames unlike a lot of expensive managed 10/100/1000 managed switches; although the MaxFrame feature default is set to 1518 (disabled), and must be manually set to 9600 to get the benefit.

Otherwise, the RVS4000 worked great for me.

rare gigabit WAN port in a wired firewall/router
I purchased the RVS4000 primarily due to its gigabit WAN port; very few wired firewalls have a gigabit WAN port. Not having a gigabit WAN port is a reasonable design because WAN ports in many SOHO firewall applications will likely connect to T1 (1.5 Mbps) or T3 lines (45 Mbps) at most. Since these data rates are lower than that of an ordinary 100 Mbps ethernet port, a gigabit WAN port is more than what is required of a WAN interface.

However, I wanted to use a firewall/router on the network inside of my primary NAT/SPI firewall which is primarily a gigabit network. So, a gigabit WAN port was an important feature because it needs to connect to a gigabit switch (not a WAN link).

Before my purchase, I read many customer reviews that complained about slow data rates through the WAN port. These reviews were very discouraging since the Linksys had a gigabit WAN interface. This was until I found a benchmark test that explained the negative reviews. The RVS4000 (primarily due to its industrial-grade security features) has a WAN to LAN data rate of 15.9 Mbps; very slow for a gigabit interface. However, this can be improved upon by configuring (turning off) the security features of the firewall. Unless you configure the firewall as a non-gateway device, don't expect orders of magnitude improvement in speed.

Here's the good news. The benchmark clocked the RVS4000 LAN to WAN data rate at 530 Mbps. Since many disk drive interfaces do not have a sustained data rate this high; you will not see this number when transfering files. I have a couple NAS RAID boxes with gigabit interfaces that top out at around 100-150 Mbps (individually). I can get higher network utilization numbers when doing several files transfers between different network endpoints simultaneously. Network file transfers tend to be very CPU intensive, even when using SCSI hard drives. The CPU intensive part comes from having to package up the data into IP packets and managing the data transfer.

The bottom line is that I am very satisfied with this firewall and its gigabit WAN port. But understand that it needs to be configured properly to optimize its performance and functionality. You don't need to be an engineer or rocket scientist to do this; however, you will need a bit of understanding about IP networking. If you use the RVS4000 as a primary firewall (configuring all of its security features), I suspect it will do that job rather well also.