First Look: NETGEAR’s VPN Firewall FVS318 ProSafe Router

Wayne N. Kawamoto
Managing Editor, www.smallbusinesscomputing.com

NETGEAR announced the availability of its lowest price-per-port broadband VPN Firewall router. The FVS318 Cable/DSL ProSafe VPN Firewall router, which is priced at less than $150, promises eight 10/100 switch ports, 8 VPN tunnels, advanced security features and a smart wizard web utility that helps ease the configuration of its firewall capabilities. The company says that the router’s full firewall feature set and breakthrough price makes this the best cost effective router on the market today.

The FVS318 may be ideal for growing businesses that need advanced security features. According to the company, its router can initiate up to eight Internet Protocol Security based (IPSec-based) VPN tunnels for end-to-end security among a combination of authenticated remote sites or mobile users. VPNs can save businesses money by using the Internet to connect private networks together rather than expensive leased lines or modem banks. The router also has a firewall that uses Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) technology, which may reduce the likelihood of Denial of Service attacks, as well as web-based remote management for easy multi-site deployment.

The company says that its FVS318 is easy to set-up using its smart wizard web utility. The router is designed to sense a user’s type of Internet Service Provider connection and offer a minimum amount of steps to configure the firewall, allowing the user to connect to the Internet within minutes. The unit also comes with an Install Assistant CD, which provides step-by-step animated instructions to reduce installation time. Other features include logging, reporting and alerts on Internet activity as well as URL-based content filtering to deny users access to inappropriate web sites. The unit should support up to 253 users and includes free anti-virus and privacy PC software for added protection.

Availability
The FVS318 is available now through a variety of national retail channels as well as from NETGEAR Powershift partners that include catalogs and e-commerce sites. The router comes with a user guide, power adapter, category 5 cable, resource CD and a 5-year warranty. For more information on this product, please visit www.netgear.com.

Small Business Computing Staff
Small Business Computing Staff
Small Business Computing addresses the technology needs of small businesses, which are defined as businesses with fewer than 500 employees and/or less than $7 million in annual sales.

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