Linksys Etherfast Cable/DSL Router

Testing the routers performance is really an involved task. Because of its inconsistent nature, speed tests using the Internet are so biased it is virtually impossible to draw any conclusive results. So to test the WAN port, we hooked up an internal webserver and put the router in between the webserver and a test client machine. With this method speed testing becomes more accurate as there are no outside factors to skew the results. The table below indicates our test results.

For the first round of tests we used NETCPS, a small utility written by Jarle Aase, the same fellow that wrote WarFTPD. NETCPS connects on port 4455 and transmits 100 MB of data across the network. Performance is measured in CPS (characters per second, which is another way of saying bytes per second).

Test Hardware

Server
Intel Dual P3/450
512MB Memory
Intel 10/100 TX Ethernet

Client
Acer Extensa 300Mhz 503T Laptop
Xircom RealPort 10/100 Nic

NETCPS 1st Pass

C:\NETCPS>netcps 172.16.6.200
NetCPS 1.0 - Entering client mode. Press ^C to quit
Connecting to 172.16.6.200 port 4455... Connected!
---> CPS 545792.00 KPS: 533.00 MPS: 0.52
Avrg CPS 546176.00 KPS: 533.38 MPS: 0.52
Peek CPS 549888.00 KPS: 537.00 MPS: 0.52
Done. 104857600 Kb transferred in 191.99 seconds.

NETCPS 2nd Pass

C:\NETCPS>netcps 172.16.6.200
NetCPS 1.0 - Entering client mode. Press ^C to quit
Connecting to 172.16.6.200 port 4455... Connected!
---> CPS 546816.00 KPS: 534.00 MPS: 0.52
Avrg CPS 546178.88 KPS: 533.38 MPS: 0.52
Peek CPS 549888.00 KPS: 537.00 MPS: 0.52
Done. 104857600 Kb transferred in 191.98 seconds.

NETCPS reported the highest attained CPS was 549888.00 CPS or 527 KB/second (4.2Mbs).

Next we used a generic FTP test, we built a 100 MB zip file and transfered it from the server to the client.

FTP 1st pass
102830080 bytes received in 173.19 seconds (593.75 Kbytes/sec)

FTP 2nd Pass
102830080 bytes received in 172.38 seconds (596.55 Kbytes/sec)

FTP attained slightly higher speeds at a peak of 596.55 KB/sec (4.77Mbs).

The speeds the router can handle are more than sufficient for most any home or small business user. Some may argue "But my cable modem is capable of 10MBit, or 30MBit". Keep in mind that the modem's advertised speed is not necessarily the same as the speed of your connection to the Internet, and because of network load and the nature of the Internet, the average home/small business user will never see even the advertised speed of the link. Throughput-wise the Linksys performed very well, and meets the expectations of a router of this class.

Firewall

In the specifications, Linksys has stated that the router includes a firewall. This firewall is simply a port blocking firewall, it is not configurable and does not dynamically block attacks. Most any home/small business router will include the same firewall setup.

Software

The router came with some software to aid in installing the router. The software is not needed, some simple TCP/IP configuration is all that is needed to get the router up and running.

PPOE Support

PPOE is a relatively new technology being used by quite a few DSL providers. It stands for Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet. The Linksys router supports the PPOE protocol in the latest firmware, and apparently works quite well.

Conclusion

This is a great product. The bottom line is that the value here is just fantastic. The Linksys Etherfast Router offers almost every feature the average user will need and some that he/she won't, all configured with an easy-to-use web interface. Also, it includes a fast Ethernet switch on the back side instead of a hub (or nothing) like some of its competitors. And, although it tested at much lower than it's advertised 10Mbs, the speed is more than sufficient for virtually any currently available consumer-level broadband connection. Linksys has targeted this router towards the SOHO user that wants to have a complete solution at a reasonable price. With a router as feature-rich as the Linksys Etherfast Router, at as low as $175, Linksys has really hit the mark.