Orinoco BG-2000 Broadband Gateway

Product Description:
The BG-2000 is a Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless LAN Access Point and Cable/DSL Internet gateway offering dual Ethernet ports, for simultaneously supporting an Internet connection and a wired Ethernet network. The BG-2000 enables sharing of files and peripherals such as printers. Advanced features include 128-bit RC4 encryption, access control, built-in firewall with IP/Packet filtering, and remote management tools. Industry-leading radio receiver sensitivity and unique Microwave Interference Robustness (MIR) deliver outstanding performance against ambient interference, optimizing it for the home/small office and providing a coverage range of up to 1750ft/550m. ORiNOCO radios are embedded in desktop and laptop computers of almost all PC manufacturers making ORiNOCO the most popular WLAN system in the world.

Average customer rating:

Quality for a good price.
Great product, reasonable setup, good security
Impressive
Great performance. Vanilla firewall features. Poor support.

Orinoco BG-2000 Broadband Gateway

Manufacturer: Agere Systems
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Product Description

The BG-2000 is a Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless LAN Access Point and Cable/DSL Internet gateway offering dual Ethernet ports, for simultaneously supporting an Internet connection and a wired Ethernet network. The BG-2000 enables sharing of files and peripherals such as printers. Advanced features include 128-bit RC4 encryption, access control, built-in firewall with IP/Packet filtering, and remote management tools. Industry-leading radio receiver sensitivity and unique Microwave Interference Robustness (MIR) deliver outstanding performance against ambient interference, optimizing it for the home/small office and providing a coverage range of up to 1750ft/550m. ORiNOCO radios are embedded in desktop and laptop computers of almost all PC manufacturers making ORiNOCO the most popular WLAN system in the world.

Customer Reviews:

Quality for a good price........2003-05-29

I purchased one of these APs about a month ago and it has worked flawlessly. The web gui is remarkably easy to use and the setup could not be easier. The security features are excellent and when coupled with a VPN gateway, can secure your home LAN wonderfully.
I did have an issue with my 2.4 gig phone at first. Whenever it would ring I would lose connectivity to the AP. I changed the default channel in the AP and it now has no issue with my phone.
My apartment is not huge but I get full strength in all 4 rooms and outside on my deck. I kind of like the shark fin design too!

Great product, reasonable setup, good security.......2002-12-21

When you pair this gateway with an Orinoco Gold wireless PC card, you've got a quality system (I'm using it to write this review). Setup is fairly easy, even for beginners. The integrated wizard is easy to navigate. Advice: do a little homework...most of the advanced features such as security are not on by default, and they take a little concentration to set up correctly. The integrated help screens are good, but they assume you understand concepts like WEP 128, SSID broadcast, and network names. You'll need to deal with them if you want a secure network (trust me, you do). It's not difficult, but it requires attention to detail (as with all network setups). The documentation is adequate, but not what I would call comprehensive. Be sure you get the latest drivers and firmware for both the gateway and the cards. The enhanced WEP+ security is a nice feature. The first time you connect to the Internet from the other end of the house, you'll be glad you bought this one. Solid and a lot of fun to use!

Impressive.......2002-09-26

I must say that this product is the best I've seen. The speed... it's practically flawless. I can go all over the house and it works while fluctuating minimally. I can't recommend this enough!!!

Great performance. Vanilla firewall features. Poor support........2002-08-06

I being using a BG-2000 since it was released on Jun 1, 2002. I waited for it because it uses WEP+ encryption, which provides better security that regular WEP when paired with an Orinoco (I purchased Gold) PC Card. -- WEP+ is proprietary, and compatible with the WEP standard, but only provides full strengh protection when the connecting client also supports it.

The performance is excellent, even when using 128-bit WEP encryption. The range is great--It works across walls, and has no problems with my 2.4GHz (MA-351) Motorola cordless phone, and has no signal interference with my microwave oven. I also got a PowerMac G4 with an airport card, which also works well with it--I admit to have followed the airport setup to use a dollar sign at the beginning of the WEP key.

Pros
* Vertical shape allows for easy placement
* Performance
* Web-based administration and support for Telnet and SNMP
* DHCP server allows to specify IP range to serve
* First-time setup under five min.--if you understand what MAC address, IP, ports, etc. mean
* Uptime -- no device reboots since last firmware upgrade.

Cons
* Technical support for only 30 days, $25 per call after
* Port Filtering requires entering each protocol port number to deny access.
* No firewall logs--only gateway device logging
* Average help screens
* Only one LAN ethernet port--requires a Network Port Hub or Switch if hooking up several wired network devices

The help screens have been much improved with the latest (1.1.1) firmware update, but some (like Port Filtering:Entry) are rather verbose and do not explain the settings options well. A turn-down considering the weak 30 days support.

Would I buy it again? Yes.
Is there a better product in the price range? No if security is a concern.

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics