The NetGear RP114 Web Safe Broadband Router reviewed

from NetGear

Review Date: 12/20/2001

by: Chris Kaminski

Score 2/3

In the router industry, Netgear is a name known for stable products at a reasonable price. The RP114 “Web Safe Router” is no exception.

 

 

The first thing you will notice about the RP114 is it’s quality construction. Although not progressive in design, its square all metal case will surely take a beating behind your desk for years to come. Actually, the physical construction of the case is very similar to the feature set of the router. It may not have some of the features offered in other routers, but if you need a basic cable/dsl router that wont lock up or crash then the RP114 might be right for you.

Configuration

The RP114 includes a configuration wizard to help you though the initial setup process. The wizard was kept down to three simple screens and should be a snap for most people to work through. Along with supporting standard Ethernet and PPPoE WAN connections, the RP114 supports PPTP for those DSL folks in Europe that need it.

Content Filter

The content filter built into the RP114 is a basic URL string filter. A number of strings can be input into the filter and then URL’s containing those strings can be blocked. Logs of blocked address can be sent immediately to an email address or batched up and sent on a schedule. Filters may be enabled all the time or on a VERY basic schedule. Lastly, a single computer’s IP address may set up to bypass the filter system.

Configuration Backup

This is a feature that every router should have. You can back up your routers configuration to your hard drive and restore it if anything ever happens to your router.

 

Advanced Settings

Advanced users get full control over the IP schema and DHCP server ranges. Port forwarding is limited to 10 ranges. To access some of the more advanced features like port blocking, you must TELNET into the device – those features are unavailable from the web interface.

Missing in Action

Some features that are missing from the router include NetMeeting (h.323) pass through, better VPN pass through support, a more comprehensive web interface and remote administration.

The NetGear RP114 Web Safe Broadband Router reviewed