by Keith Kirkpatrick
Interjak 200
Rating 83
The interjak 200 from Filanet Corporation is designed to serve as a fully featured LAN networking device, supporting IP routing, network address and port translation, DHCP client and server capabilities, and file and print sharing. But while the small, red device is simple in appearance, non-technical users could encounter some difficulty in getting the device to work properly.
To test the system, we connected the InterJak 200 to two notebook computers via the 10/100 Ethernet ports. Configuration of the InterJak 200 started out simply enough, as we connected the device and installed the software via CD-ROM. But using the administrator client application required us to recall little-used networking terminology in order to correctly configure the device.
While the InterJak is designed to automatically manage and assign IP addresses on a LAN and WAN using DHCP, we manually configured the settings on the notebooks. We finally succeeded, but spent about an hour simply getting the system set up.
The InterJak 200 fared far better when we connected an external USB modem, which automatically recognized by the device. We were then able to share information between the two computers with ease.
In addition to LAN support, this system is designed to handle cable modems, DSL lines, and VPNs. The device also includes firewall protection, URL filtering and blocking, and secure remote-management functions.
In the end, the InterJak 200 worked pretty well as an Internet/intranet access-sharing device. But beware, technophobes will most likely need assistance setting up and managing this product.
Filanet Corp.
408-331-2900
www.filanet.com
$645
PROS: Works great as Internet sharing device
CONS: Setup difficult if not tech savvy
