BEFSR41 Router-Linksys’ Bigtime Failure!
It is a fact that Linksys/Cisco is one of the most reputable IT/Hardware companies today. They provide several outstanding solutions for both the residential consumers, SMEs and Top 10000 Companies. That I would not rebutt. But for how long are they gonna continue to have a reputable name is my Big Question.
For this particular review, I set my eyes on my Linksys BEFSR41 version 4.0 DSL/Cable Router which I bought last 2005 and have been using in my small home network. I was able to use it without any problems for almost the past two years. Until several months ago, a problem started to show up.
It reboots the network every 30minutes. I am not alone with this particular issue though. Since 2005, there have been numerous complaints about this router posted to several sites on the web. This router used to be the top of the line of Linksys Routers a couple of years back and in fact it still holds second in the SME/SOHO setup. I am just wondering why they have not corrected the errors that they made on this particular product.
In my attempt to recover the functionality of the router, I tried to reset it to the factory settings and updated its firmware to the latest firmware version which is 1.4 but still the router drops the network connection every couple of hours. I emailed Linksys technical support on this concern several times and unluckily for me, I didn’t get a single reply from them.
In our office we use other Linksys hardware such as ATAs and we are quite satisfied with them. Now, the question is are we gonna encounter the same fate after a couple of years of using them with the same level of dissatisfaction that I encountered at home? Same situations wherein Linksys won’t even care to assist?
Linksys should do something about their support systems to be able to cater to SMEs like us or even to residential consumers who have had problems with their hardwares like the hundreds of posted issues relevant to this topic that was accumulatively posted in the span of Two Years and yet no resolutions were given by Linksys.
Sad to say, they failed on this lilliputian hardware but the cascading negative effect to their prospective end-users and existing clients would ripple probably twice longer than the years that it took their end-users like us to wait for their assistance on a very valid technical issue. Linksys or Cisco should really do something about customer service because if not, these matters would definitely affect their market share.
Right now, the Linksys BEFSR41 that I have is technically dead. I don’t know if there are technical service centers who would fix that noting the fact that Linksys despite of several emails failed to return any replies and probably same fate had been encountered by the numerous consumers who posted similar issues as regards this particular hardware.
I am planning to buy the “better version” of this Linksys router which is BEFSX41 which they say could provide better network solutions but probably not and better cut off the plan and probably search for another hardware that could provide a better technical and customer support.
It is probably good to buy Linksys products since they are one of the purveyors of network hardwares but think twice and consider if you would like to succumb to technical service support issues later on. Good judgment on that is totally yours.
I got the same router and I’m having the same problem as you. I hope you can come up with a review of a better replacement. Thanks!
definitely I would Mike. I am actually looking into several hardwares and might check them all out and I would make a review on them once I decide on what to choose. Thanks again & Merry Christmas!
My second SEFSR41 died today after two years. Since moving to routers behind a cable modem I’ve had three Linksys. The first was a 5 port and worked great for three years. Got an early version of the 41 sometime summer of 2003 which lasted till late 2005 or so. I’ve been through three cable modems in that time as well and while disassembling the spaghetti of wires I noticed a sticky/greasy substance emanating from the cable modem and covering the surface on which it was set. I thought maybe there is some thermal problem but the fluid substance has me puzzled. Either way the router functions for LAN just the WAN function seems to have failed. I can access the router locally but it will not connect to the cable modem. In all three failures the symtoms have been identical except for the fluid from the cable modem (that has me doing some serious head scratching).
Usually three is the charm but needing a firewall and wanting to upgrade to gigabit I crossed my fingers and grabbed another model. If I’m still using the linksys in 2012 it would have been a good deal.
I posted this on Linksys’ Community Forum:
I’ve owned my befsr41 v.2 for about 7 years and it worked well, however, lately my download speeds have simply nosedived. I’ve upgraded the router to the most current version of their firmware (1.46 August 2004) and have enabled the MTU setting with a value of 1300. Road Runner tells me that I’m capable of a download speed of 15,000 kbps and if I connect directly from the cable modem to my PC my download speed is around 13,500 kbps. Using the linksys router the download speed drops to 4,500 kbps. I called Linksys tech support and was told by one of their technicians that the only way that I could fix my known problem was to either pay them $29.95 for Premium Support which would entitle me to a new version of the firmware and the router software which is not available to the current befsr41 owners who are currently out of warranty. OR I could purchase a New Linksys Wired Router, which I’ve seen on sale for $40 to $65.
Since I can’t justify paying $29.95 for a firmware and software download on a seven year old router, I guess that I’ll be shopping for a new router. Maybe it’s unfair of me to expect Linksys to continue to support an old out of warranty router, but I’m not pleased by their insistence that I either pay them $29.95 or take a hike either. So the chance that my replacement router will be a Linksys is pretty slim. It appears that my only other choices are Belkin, D-Link and NetGear. I’m leaning towards Belkin and their Lifetime Warranty.
**** UPDATE **** I did a lot of review surfing on wired routers today and just completed a purchase on NewEgg for a D-Link DLG4100 GamerLounge Gigabit Router for $99.99,Free Shipping, and a $20 Mail-in Rebate. Here’s the link if you’re interested: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127060 While I did look at some of the Linksys and did have some reservations about D-Link products, the reviews on the DGL-4100 were great, however, it appears that D-Link’s Tech Support really sucks. Here’s hoping that I don’t have any Tech Support problems.