hubs

Don't buy this HUB, instead buy the 5 port SWITCH put out by the same company (EZXS55W). Anything a hub can do, a switch can do better (DSL, Cable, Networking). A must for Pic n' Save shoppers who demand Mercedes Benz performance. Most important feature: Each port has devoted, uncomprimisable bandwidth. A hub, on the other hand, has bandwidth that varies directly with network demands. The rather insignificant price difference between Linksys' 5 port hub and 5 port switch demands that EVERYONE buy the switch. The hub is by far a more profitable item for Linksys. Don't be fooled by the best seller indices that we see upon entering the networking page, or you too may fall victim to the cult of mob rule.

I've used my hub for various applications - cable modem splitting from a router and simple PC-PC gaming. This hub is perfectly utilitarian for getting the data back and forth with high reliability and unparalleled speed. No problems auto-sensing in either situations over several months of use.

Though it does say 5 ports - if you use this as an uplink from the router, you'll obviously only get 4 output ports. This is not the case with the gaming issue though. The only minor complaint is the AC resistor power cable. The AC adapter plug is rather easy to yank out of the backside - especially if you are moving cables frequently. Other than that, it's worth every cent for high speed fun and efficiency!

I bought this hub about a year ago and it ran without issue for 3/4 of a year thereafter, exhibiting no anomalies and overall being quite an efficient little hub.

That was until one port died a few months ago with a second one now dying.

This is the first linksys product I have purchased, and it has problems. Maybe it was from a bad batch, but a failure rate of 40% in less than a year is unacceptable. The general verdict about linksys is it either works for about a year or two or doesn't work at all. i.e. if you want reliability, don't buy them.

Trust me, I've config'd their BEFSR41 router and even port unblocking is a nightmare. That and getting supposedly ROUTABLE protocols working across all ports.

People only get this stuff because they know no better.

I have avoided the router and used a K6-2/450 as my "router," a system whose CPU is about 100x more powerful than the one in the linksys anyway. If you really really want a single-purpose router, get a real one, like the Cisco 2610XM. If that's out of your price range, your application probably doesn't call for a router.