Customer Reviews

SMC SMC7004ABR Barricade Cable/DSL router with 4-port 10/100Mbps switch and Integrated Print Server

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

There are several items that set this SOHO router apart from its peers:

1. Support:
SMC actually tries to solve problems with the product in an expeditions manner.

2. Flexibility:
The 7004ABR can be used with a serial modem, a serial ISDN TA, or any Ethernet-based broadband interface. It can also be configured to AUTOMATICALLY switch from the broadband interface to the serial interface if the broadband loses its connection, and automatically switch back when the broadband problem clears up.

The unit also includes a print server so PC/linux users can convert that old parallel-port printer into a network printer. I can't meaningfully comment on that feature, as I don't use it.

3. Security:
Stateful Packet Inspection, and logging of attack attempts. This unit _could_ be sold as a firewall, not just a SOHO router.
Unit can be configured to be totally stealthed on the WAN side. (good)
Client filtering can be used to selectively control internet access based on client IP, and date/time.

4. Convenience and Reliability:
Changing settings does _not_ require rebooting the router. This is a unique feature among SOHO routers that I have tried.
Only operation requiring router reboot is a firmware upgrade, which is, btw, extremely easy from any modern web browser.
As a result, it is easy to achieve just about 100% network uptime reliability with this product, even when making changes in the configuration. Very cool feature.

This unit is a class act, and at (dollar amount), an absolute steal.

I use my SMC Barricade extensively as a SOHO user. I VPN into my corporate network for hours on end. In the evening I like to play zone.com games. I have 5 PCs I use on my internal network.

I find the SMC Barricade adequate but with some serious shortcomings for my use. I'll attempt to outline where the Barricade falls short, but first let me say that if you plan on using this product simply for web or email it will probably do everything you want perfectly. If you are a more advanced user or a SOHO user please take the following into account.

1. VPN works great. Once or twice. Then the initial connection slows considerably. Then it stops working until you reboot the router.
2. DirectX or zone.com games will work great a few times. Then it stops working until you reboot the router.
3. DHCP works great until you reboot the router. The Barricade does no conflict detection before hading out addresses so every time you reboot you will get IP address conflicts.
4. You can not host DirectX or zone.com games internally despite the "DMZ" feature.
5. I find the best way to cope is to proactively reboot the router every morning before I start using it. Then I turn on my machines and everything usually works the reset of the day. But not always.
6. Multiple email to SMC support has returned not one word. The silence is deafening. I can repro every single problem every day with network traces for them, still no response from SMC.

Like I said above, if all you want is to do simple web browsing this is a great product. If you plan on using any of the more advanced features be prepared to do some configuration work and to reboot this thing at least daily.

I purchased an SMC7004BR in March and it worked fine until two weeks ago when the WAN routing portion decided to quit. Don't get lulled into thinking SMC's advertised 24X7 support is a reality and their lifetime warranty easy to take advantage of. I have spent over 4 hours on 3 separate occasions, at different times and days, trying to get through to their support to obtain an RMA (Return Authorization - to get the device repaired or replaced)for repair unsuccessfully. I sent an email to them requesting an RMA and was instructed I could only get an RMA by phone. I finally had to buy a Linksys router to get back in service. I continue unsuccessfuly to get through to SMC support. BEWARE

This router's only advantage is easy setup with web based setup menu. The basic setup took about 10 minutes (firmware upgrade and basic setup of booting router and booting your PC). But if want to run a web server behind it, forget it. I tried for the past 5 days with numerous contacts with SMC's tech support (they even elevate my problem to their Level 2 (don't know who they are yet)). The router won't enable port 80 to allow outside (WAN IP) IP addresses to see my web page. I ran some port scanning tools and found that port 21 was the only port that was opened (even though I had enabled 20, 21, 23, 80, 110, 119). The scariest thing was that I then disabled all ports via the router's setup page but port 21 is still opened!! This is no firewall and [...]

This unit worked great for the simple task I had for it. All I wanted was to connect two computers to the DSL modem and provide security against attacks. The basic setup was easy to follow and I had it up and running faster than a dial-up modem or printer. The interface is entirely web-based and very straightforward.

As far as security, I ran a security check on it from www.dslreports.com and the unit scored a zero (perfect score).

The only reason I didn't give it an extra star was the fact that the advanced options didn't have any explanation. The documentation assumes that you know what you're doing and what it is you want. In other words, it explains how to use some of the advanced features but not when or why to use them.

This is a great litle unit that has a built-in print server (through the use of a non-bidirectional parallel port to connect parallel printers to and the use of software for windows...which you can also set up for unix as a unix printer), dmz, virtual server set up to point different incoming ports to different computers within your network, MAC emulation for those who have cable broadband or other service that uses the MAC address of your existing NIC, NAT to dynamically assign IP addresses to your computers (though you'll probably want to use a static address if you are using virtual servers, etc), various set up for filtering incoming/outgoing data by IP or port, upgradeable firmware (by downloading the latest revisions off the smc website), etc.

All this configuration is accessible through a web-based control panel that is password protected (which is especially good for writing scripts that can automatically configure, reboot the router, etc).

Sounds great, doesn't it? So why the poor rating? Well, after using it a little while, it keeps giving out on me. If I leave it on for a few hours, it seems to freeze up. It won't route data, either in or out, the web-based control panel cannot be accessed, etc...it just freezes and the only thing to do is a hard reboot (unplug and plug back in).

Additionally, when I contacted SMC about it, they replied and offer little help. When I tried to reply to their email, my email bounced by their mail server due to "policy reasons" (either they don't accept mail from yahoo accounts, or their tech support people cannot receive email directly though this person's email to me did not specify anything like that, or ????).

For starters, this router worked 100% as advertised.

Documentation could use some help.

If you want to use the router as a DHCP Router and Static Router, you are in for some fun. However, after a few attempts, I got it working. None of what I did was covered anywhere in any documentation (printed or on the Web).

I closing, for the price, this little fella is well worth the money!

I bought this product in April of 2001, and so far I have not had a single problem with it. I have no apparent loss of speed vs. straight connection (as others have said about models from different companies), the firmware upgrades have all gone perfect, and the printer port is a nice feature that works flawlessly.

I have purchased two SMC 4-Port Cable/DSL Broadband Routers, one for my home and one for my parents' home. It took me longer to do the cabling from room to room than to set-up the router itself, it was so easy. Since then, it has been a solid performer in both environments, lasting through two DSL providers and a cable provider. The units have also proved their worth not only for sharing Internet connections, but also for safe file and printer sharing behind its firewall capabilities. I highly recommend this product. The only problem was the one of the units' free network cables was bad.

This piece of hardware is a must if you wish to share your Internet access coming in from DSL or Cable modem. Your PC is mostly secure behind this router - don't rely on the hardware security alone, use firewall software to supplement your protection! The ease of use is high. Out of the box it's three connections and you're nearly ready to rock and roll (power, modem, and your PC). Launch your browser, visit the default IP address for the router and set some information about your modem and your done.

I would give the unit 5 stars, except that I haven't seen the unit run flawlessly from the first power up. There have been a couple occasions where I have had to reset the router - and I have no ideas why. So, aside from the peculiar behavior where I'd no longer have access to the "outside" but all the lights looked good, this is a great unit to have.

I have a wireless access point connected to it for an 802.11 (no B or A) network. Prior to that, I ran a WAP for the old Digital ROAMAbout wireless network. All worked great. I haven't had the chance to check out the external modem back up feature for it yet - don't know if I ever will.

I recommend this unit.