Article Date: 17th August 2002 Written By: Michael "Hughesey" Hughes Product: Nexland Pro 400 Internet Security Box / Router Rating: 95% Manufacturer: Nexland Supplier: Nexland

Practical Usage

Remember how I was saying that this unit has the ease of use required by novices together with the enough features to keep an enthusiast entertained? This is why...

For the novice user, all that is required are a few settings which are given to them by their ISP, and they are on their way. The built in DHCP server will handle all IP address assigning while the built in NAPT firewall keeps their data secure.

For the enthusiast, the mass of extended features is nothing to be sniggered at. Firstly, we have the backup connection, onto which any ISDN or Analogue Modem can be attatched so that in the event of the primary connection (your ADSL/Cable connection) going down, the backup connectionw ill automatically kick in, providing seamless connectivity. What would you prefer... a slow analogue backup connection in the event of your primary connections failure, or no connection at all?

Secondly, the unit has support for virtual servers. That is, if you have 3 pc's on your network, and one is to be used as a dedicated web server, while another is to be used as a dedicated FTP server, then the unit will route the appropriate ports to the appropriate PC's with the click of a mouse button.

I tested the unit under normal usage conditions, and its functionality was flawless. Previously, i used a dedicated PC as an internet gateway. That solution, however, prevented me from hosting internet games from my main PC, as the gateway had no form of port forwarding/routing configured. Now, it is as though I am directly connected once again, and I can even access my ISP's "www" address, previously only reachable via the IP address.

The only problem I encountered while using the device was using the well known internet game lobby "Kali". When trying to connect to any games, the game would timeout, not allowing me to connect/host any games. After a bit of reading on the subject, I discovered that the only way to configure this router for use with kali, was to place my PC in the DMZ (De-Militarised Zone) whenever I wanted to use kali. What this does is disbles the firewall protection of a selected pc, allowing it direct connection to the net on all ports. While this method works, it is not recommended that you leave your PC in the DMZ when its not absolutely necessary, as it leaves your PC vulnerable to attack by hackers.