NETGEAR FVS338 ProSafe VPN Firewall 50

by Netgear

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7 x 10 x 1.6 inches ; 3.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006OCZGW
• Item model number: FVS338
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,755 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 8, 2005

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

50 VPN Tunnels for Encrypted Remote Access
NETGEAR's ProSafe VPN Firewall with Dial Back-up is a SNMP-Manageable, high-performance network solution that furnishes multidimensional security. Fully equipped and broadband-capable, this Virtual Private Network (VPN) firewall comes with connection insurance: a built-in serial port for dial-up access. This practical feature means your business can maintain operation if your broadband Internet connection fails. It lets you retain an analog modem for emergency backup and also provides a migration path from analog to broadband, making the transition effortless.

High on security, this true firewall provides Denial of Service (DoS) protection and Intrusion Detection using Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), URL keyword filtering, logging, reporting, and real-time alerts. It supports up to 50 IPSec VPN tunnels simultaneously using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), reducing your operating costs and improving the security of your network. With 8 auto-sensing, Auto Uplink switched LAN ports and Network Address Translation (NAT) routing, up to 253 users can access your broadband connection at the same time. Built-in serial port provides a backup connection for an external analog modem -- no downtime if your broadband connection fails. Business-Class Secure and Manageable Supports up to 50 IPSec VPN tunnels simultaneously, allowing for secured connections to branch offices and your "on-the-go" mobile workforce. Network Address Translation (NAT) routing enables shared access to your broadband connection. Additionally, in NAT-off mode, classical routing allows for customized network configuration. Includes Web page URL keyword filtering, 168-bit 3DES IPSec encryption capability and secure Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) support. Sends you e-mail notification of network activity -- reporting and tracking of hacker attempts -- as well as real-time alerts. A high-powered 266 MHz CPU ensures speedy data traffic, and VPN throughput. Works with most popular SNMP-based management software, such as the NETGEAR ProSafe NMS100.

See a detailed diagram of how the FVS338 ProSafe VPN Firewall can be set up.

Thoroughly Protected
Takes care of all your security needs, with True Firewall using Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), Denial of Service (DoS) attack protection, and VPN pass-through for extra security. SYSLOG and email reporting enable thorough network monitoring. IKE authentication provides peace of mind against unauthorized VPN network access. The ProSafe VPN Firewall 50 provides optimal value and defense against network security threats.

Easy to Use
Smart Wizard connects to your ISP quickly; the user-friendly Web-based configuration screen and install assistant reduce setup time. The VPN wizard automates VPN configuration and secure remote administration via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) makes it simple to connect to multiple sites. Support for DHCP (client and server) as well as PPPoE allows for easy, widespread deployment. This well-built firewall has an integrated 8-port 10/100 Mbps switch
and is compatible with Windows, UNIX, Macintosh, and Linux O/S. It comes with an Ethernet cable, and Auto Uplink on the LAN ports eliminates the need for crossover cables. Support for DHCP (client and server) as well as PPPoE allows for easy, widespread deployment.

Flexible and Durable
Make a VPN connection to other VPN devices or connect through NETGEAR's ProSafe VPN Client software, sold separately in single and five-user licenses -- supports popular Microsoft Windows platforms and is easy to configure, cost-effective and provides broad security support. The rugged metal unit houses advanced, high-quality electronics, and NETGEAR's tested and proven technology is backed by a 3-year warranty.

Product Description

50 VPN Tunnels for Encrypted Remote Access. NETGEAR's ProSafe™ VPN Firewall with Dial Back-up is a SNMP-Manageable, high-performance network solution that furnishes multidimensional security. Fully equipped and broadband-capable, this Virtual Private Network (VPN) firewall comes with connection insurance: a built-in serial port for dial-up access. This practical feature means your business can maintain operation if your broadband Internet connection fails. It lets you retain an analog modem for emergency backup and also provides a migration path from analog to broadband, making the transition effortless. High on security, this true firewall provides Denial of Service (DoS) protection and Intrusion Detection using Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), URL keyword filtering, logging, reporting, and real-time alerts. It supports up to 50 IPSec VPN tunnels simultaneously using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), reducing your operating costs and improving the security of your network. With 8 auto-sensing, Auto Uplink¿ switched LAN ports and Network Address Translation (NAT) routing, up to 253 users can access your broadband connection at the same time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good vpn router Latest firmware fixes most problems, August 3, 2007

By 

N. Kumar - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR FVS338 ProSafe VPN Firewall 50 (Personal Computers)

I bought 2 of these for vpn tunnel between 2 offices, after updating to the june 2007 firmware everything worked like a charm. I share IP based phone system, Ip based camera system, and exchange servers between the two offices, the vpn works great between both offices. Everything works no problems. Maybe this model had problems before but it seems great to me now... Oh another thing I called up netgear support to help me setup the vpn and they practically setup my vpn on both ends by remote login. They made sure everything worked and even called me next day to make sure everything was working fine. All I did later was change the passwords and the vpn key. Overall a good buy.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Actually meets advertised specifications!, April 2, 2006

By 

Datajockeys "Robert Johnston" (Hillsboro, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NETGEAR FVS338 ProSafe VPN Firewall 50 (Personal Computers)

I have several of the FVS338's in place. They keep up a stable VPN between several sites and are easy to configure.

Problem is that I can't get the Netgear VPN client to work with it. (That is why I only gave it 4 stars). There are no updates for the client, and Netgear support is just plain incompetent in this area.

The reason I gave this such high marks is the throughput is 10Mb +, the VPN is easy to set up between routers, it is stable and best of all.. THE PRICE IS RIGHT!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Netgear FVS338 ProSafe VPN Firewall Review, April 24, 2008

By 

Roger A. Krupski (Kenmore, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: NETGEAR FVS338 ProSafe VPN Firewall 50 (Personal Computers)

My home network consists of several computers, both wired and wireless, all connected to the Internet via Cable Internet service.

I recently upgraded my service to a 15 megabits/sec download rate (which should provide 1500 to 1800 KBytes/sec download).

My old router was a Netgear FVS318v3 with the latest firmware. With the FVS318, the best speeds I could get were about 500KBytes/sec download, or only about 1/3 of what I should have been getting.

Connecting directly to the cable modem, of course, yielded full, expected speeds.

So, I did some research and discovered that many firewalls and routers do not have the throughput ability to keep up with a cable modem!

In fact, my old FVS318v3 was rated rather poorly among other routers.

However, the FVS338 had a good throughput rating of 90 megabits per second which was more than fast enough to handle my cable modem.

So, I removed my old router, installed the FVS338 and turned everything on. The first thing I did was to log into the router and upload the newest firmware from Netgear's support website. That went effortlessly.

Now, to run the speed test. Fingers crossed. Click the mouse button.... WOW!!! Full speed finally!

My downloads went from an average of 500 KBytes/sec to 1700 KBytes/sec (this of course depends on the particular website - some connections will be slow because of reasons outside of your control).

Peer-to-peer (lan) transfer speeds run around 9400 KBytes/sec, which tells me that this router is handling all the PC can put out.

This router has another feature that may be useful to a few people. It has a serial port on it that can be connected to an external dialup telephone modem. No, not DSL but that old, slow horrible "56K" thing. It's designed as a "fallback" to give you Internet connectivity if the main broadband cable modem goes down. It will be slow, but better than nothing.

Of course, to use this feature you need an external dialup modem and a dialup Internet Service Provider which is an extra cost that you will probably never need. Therefore, the serial port "fallback" feature is virtually worthless.

The only downside to this router is that the user needs some basic networking experience. A novice will be horrified by screen after screen of options and settings which can be configured.

The good news is, for most users the factory default settings don't need to be changed. There are things one may wish to set (such as what time zone you are in), but the router WILL work "out of the box" if you're afraid of complicated settings.

Unfortunately, I do not need or use one of the features of the FVS338 (the Virtual Private Networking - or VPN), so I can't comment on how it works.

In summary, if you need a firewall router that is FAST and can handle almost anything you throw at is, the FVS338 is for you. If you want a simple router that will work out of the box, the FVS338 is for you. If you are an IT expert and know how to set everything, the FVS338 is for you. The FVS338 is a little bit more expensive than other firewall routers, but it is packaged in a sturdy METAL box, it comes with Netgear's VPN client software (1 user license) and, of course, it's FAST.

So, all in all, the FVS338 is, in my opinion, a good product worth the price.