Nexland ISB Pro 400 Router
JACK KAPICA
A small-office or home network can be a wonderful thing. But when the connected computers share access to each other's hard disks as well as to the Internet, problems will develop.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/pf/resources/assets/meta/apple-touch-icon.png?d=597
The Globe and Mail
A small-office or home network can be a wonderful thing. But when the connected computers share access to each other's hard disks as well as to the Internet, problems will develop.

Routers, such as Nexland's, are put between the SoHo (small office/home office) network and the Internet. They accept only requested information (e-mail, Web pages, FTP), and block intruders, who can't even tell how many computers are behind that firewall. Internally, the routers identify each computer on the network, and channel e-mail and page requests to the right user.

Boring stuff.

But without the dull duties of a router, a SoHo network can be far too exciting - it might just as well advertise itself as available for every virus and hacker out there. In short, without a router, a network looks just like the "honeypot" computers that antivirus companies put on-line to lure viruses and hackers.

Nexland has a series of new routers, which it ingenuously calls Internet Sharing Boxes (ISBs). Each runs 10/100-BaseT LAN connections, meaning they pass information between networked computers at a blistering 100 megabits per second. The speed applies to the Internet as well, and Nexland's literature notes that kind of speed is optimal for playing on-line games.

All the routers can handle 253 users on a single Internet connection and they can all do virtual private networking (VPN), meaning a computer away from the SoHo network can still connect with full privileges via a secure connection on the Internet.

These features put the Nexland routers at the front of the networking wave.

The ISB Pro 400, the model tested here, is in the middle of the product line. It can handle four computers and is designed to create a simple network with a minimum of fuss.

The unit installed easily and was configured by an HTML-based utility that is clear and easy to understand. All the technical information needed is the IP number assigned by the Internet Service Provider, and the router set up the rest by itself, automatically assigning each computer its own IP number. Getting the VPN working was just as easy.

And then the router settled down into being invisible, which is what good routers are best at.

The Nexland routers can work with dial-up Internet connections, ISDN, DSL, cable and wireless connections, sending up to 253 users along the one connection. Nexland boasts its routers can run a virtual private network through both digital and analogue connections, and can handle multiple VPN sessions using the Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) and Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) methods, or one session using Level Two Tunneling Protocol.

The ISBs are what geeks call "platform agnostic," meaning they don't care what operating systems are running behind the scenes, as long as the requests conform to all the standard Web protocols (HTTP, FTP, POP3).

The unit also boasts a fast processor - a 50 MHz ARM7, faster than the more common 33 MHz processors used by other manufacturers.

One truly good feature is a built-in modem for those who have broadband connections which periodically collapse; the ISB will automatically dial up the analogue account and continue the connection to the Internet that way. The inclusion of this feature shows some clear thinking about the realities of today's Internet connections.

Other interesting features include a bundled cable (most routers make you supply one yourself), support for Microsoft's Netmeeting videoconferencing software, and a five-year warranty.

Add these features up and Nexland's routers are at the head of the pack.

The only drawbacks are Nexland's choice of colour - all their routers are a ridiculous purple - and their shape, a trapezoidal box that doesn't sit on the desk too easily. But put it on the floor or behind a door and those problems disappear.

Nexland's routers include a SoHo version, which is a four-port version capable of only one IPSec VPN connection ($249); the ISB Pro 100 (one LAN port for sitting in front of existing networks, $299); the ISB Pro 400 (four ports, $399); the ISB Pro 800 (eight ports for larger networks, $469); the ISB Pro 800 turbo (eight ports balanced on two broadband connections, $629) and the Wavebase (four ports and wireless, $629). Only the SoHo version is limited to one IPSec VPN connection; the rest support multiple sessions.