Are you satisfied with your current VPN connection to your work? Most likely not. Many small companies are still using the very slow PPTP (Point to Point Tunneling protocol) from Microsoft. PPTP is very popular, since the client is shipped with all Windows clients and the WinNT and XP servers have all it takes to set up a company VPN server. There is an easier way - Hardware VPN routers.

Little do many users know that they can speed up their VPN access making everything faster and easier - no "connect" needed. If you want to connect to the VPN, it's automatic with something like the Linksys BEFVP41 VPN router. Linksys, a leader in the SOHO cable and DSL router market is now going after the VPN market with a killer product, the Linksys EtherFast BEFVP41 VPN Router with a 4 port 10/100 switch. The Linksys BEFVP41 can help your company set up secure VPN tunnels between your employees cable/DSL connection and the corporate office.

The BEFVP41 supports up to 70 IPSEC tunnels, and fast! We were very impressed with the performance gain when we switched our standard PPTP VPN to using the BEFVP41 routers. The Linksys VPN router is virtually plug and go like the familiar BEFSR41 cable/DSL router. If you don't plan on using VPN right away, you just plug the router in and you are up in running. Once you decide to create a VPN tunnel, it's as simple as creating a profile for each tunnel. You can connect with a one simple click. Creating a tunnel allows you to map drives, print to remote printers at the office, and perform tasks almost as quickly as if you were on the local LAN.

We have a few remote offices around the country that all connect to our main office in Mass. We put a Linksys VPN router in the main office, and then put a Linksys VPN router in each remote office. We set the main tunnel up to route into our local network, and all the client VPN tunnels log into the main tunnel using an IP address and a strong password. One thing we didn't like is that the password/Pre-shared Key field remains visible during configuration of the router. If someone gets into the admin screens of the router, they could see the password key by going into the VPN tab. It should be "starred" out, or hidden once set as we did in our screenshot below.

The main VPN screen of the Linksys VPN router. Note the status in Red, shows Disconnected

The Linksys BEFVP41 is very similar in size and functionality to the BEFSR41 - the Linksys flagship router. The BEFVP41 has an 4 port switch, 1 WAN port for Cable or DSL connections, and several sets of LED's for the LAN link/activity and duplex, as well as LED's for power, error, LAN/WAN transmit/receive. The box also includes a CD with docs, a excellent manual, and 2 quick start flyers for setting up the router and creating a VPN tunnel.















The latest version of the Linksys BEFVP41 router has the option to use FQDN (fully qualified domain name) when setting up your VPN. You can also use an IP address.


Overall, the Linksys BEFVP41 VPN router has a very aggressive price tag and at around $200 or less per office/remote office, you can help lock down your network communications, without compromising speed. We did have a few minor issues with this router, but a reset took care of the problems. These problems were most likely related to the newer firmware that we loaded, since some remote offices with the same router but older firmware did not experience these issues.

- Easy setup using any browser, flexible VPN options
- Works with other IPSEC routers and firewalls
- (1) WAN port and (4) switched 10/100 LAN ports
- Supports IPSEC with DES, 3DES, RC5 and SHA modes
- Includes straight through or crossover mode
- Fast routing speeds, rock solid stability, small and compact
- NAT supports 253 internal users, extensive port mapping and DMZ
- Supports all clients, Windows, Mac, Linux
- Excellent Documentation included, Printed and CD versions

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars - The Linksys BEFVP41 router was a great performer, and very easy to use. Excellent logging feature allows you to debug VPN connections easily. Great quick start guide for setup and VPN tunnels. A few issues such as the "auto-connect" VPN feature did not work on some occasions.
Pros: The BEFVP41 is in the same sturdy, stackable plastic case that the BEFSR41 is in, and uses the same familiar Linksys colors. Performance was fast, and was very easy to setup. VPN log is excellent. VPN settings are simple, and speed was excellent using IPSEC. Linksys is constantly releasing additional firmware with many new features and upgrades.
Cons: Reboots on apply for VPN settings, missing UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) that other Linksys have - such as the BEFSR41 router. We also noticed that the "auto connect" feature to connect the VPN did not always connect automatically. We have to go into the router admin screen and tell the VPN to connect. We wish there was an option to select automatic or persistent VPN, so the router remains connected

Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL VPN router model BEFVP41
Current Street Price: $149.99

Linksys Inc.
17401 Armstrong Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614 USA
http://www.linksys.com

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