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Does your router have the Power of Two (TM)?

Posted by: Cory on: 05/04/2002 05:05 PM [ Print | 27 comment(s) ]

Well, this Nexland ISB Pro 800 Turbo reviewed over at Hardware One does. That is, the power of two load-balanced WAN ports. I remember looking for just such a product (I have two aDSL lines) a couple of years ago, and I couldn't find anything for less than a few grand. The Nexland apparently goes for $400 USD.

There are some other cool features like an integrated DynDNS client, but this is definitely the killer feature.

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Jizzler Multi-Core Zealot Posts: 2066 Joined: 2000-10-28

#15320 Posted on: 05/04/2002 09:20 PM When I wrote to Nexland the rep couldn't give me specifics, but hinted at 4-port models coming out soon

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posty Beach Bum Posts: 938 Joined: 2000-05-30

#15321 Posted on: 05/04/2002 11:47 PM How would a 4 port WAN router benefit the home office user further? My Nexland is connected to cable and DSL ISP; with a telephone backup option. I have 4 systems connected to the LAN ports, with no noticable bandwidth loss (total of 7 LAN ports). The router also links all 4 systems and we share 2 printers. My server handles the data backup for all 4 systems. At the cost of $400 the Nexland ISB Pro 800 Turbo with 2 WAN setup seems ample for small office or home use. I would expect the 4 WAN port models to cost more. Jerry

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Jizzler Multi-Core Zealot Posts: 2066 Joined: 2000-10-28

#15322 Posted on: 05/05/2002 01:33 AM Maxing out 4x #.#Mb at my house would be no problem. But my 'small business' is what I specifically want it for. Need as much speed as possible without shelling out the big bucks for a big line. Start with a couple lines now... upgrade with another couple later... oh yeah... :cool: Upload is important here, so nothing less than SDSL or T1. Preferably T1 since T1/SDSL prices are so close here in Orlando.

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get quad Multi-Core Zealot Posts: 3090 Joined: 2001-05-11

#15323 Posted on: 05/05/2002 08:00 AM I have two of these boxes at work (T1 on each end, ADSL at home) in the form of the Symantec VPN appliance model 200R and model 100 (200R is same thing as nexland box in this news thread but comes with the more expensive Symantec Enterprise VPN client) and I must say they both rock hard Nothing quite like remoting into the office from home on the couch and controlling my entire network while sipping a beer "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box." - von Goethe "Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured." - Hitchens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndX3tVxCt8

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Jim_ Administrator Posts: 3464 Joined: 2000-03-15

#15324 Posted on: 05/05/2002 08:17 AM Those of you that have these routers, I have a question for you. How is the uptime with these things? How often do you have to reset them? [url="http://www.2cpu.com"][size=1]2CPU.com[/url] - Because two are always better than one! [url="http://www.jimkirk.org"]jimkirk.org[/url] - Not a Myth any Longer. Just a Dad.[/size]

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posty Beach Bum Posts: 938 Joined: 2000-05-30

#15325 Posted on: 05/05/2002 09:31 AM Obviously T1 and/or SDSL is much faster than any of my current Cable and/or aDSL lines. But the ISB Pro 800 turbo does not really double my speed. Its features are more focused on load balancing and selecting the best bandwidth/connection for data transfer. In my case upload is better with cable than it is with aDSL; and sometimes even the downloads. However, cable tends to slowdown somewhat during peak usage periods, especially when cable is saturated in the neighborhood. Based on that alone, the Pro800 is a Godsend, as it constantly monitors and transmit/receive through the best bandwidth available. I am not too certain about the features for upcoming 4 port Nexland's routers, but I doubt it'll literally quadruple the transmission speed. We'll have to wait and see! I was hoping that you would have more information about the specifics of the new Nexland models. But, don't get me wrong, I?ve had my ISB Pro800 ever since they came on the market; and I love it. It has excellent design features and they are extremely well built; most of all it is the ease of use, even for the novice. Originally posted by Jim_ Those of you that have these routers, I have a question for you. How is the uptime with these things? How often do you have to reset them? I hardly have to reset the router, as most of the time it's my modems that needs power recycling. It generates a warning message when one modem is offline. Jerry

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Athemeus SMP Decepticon Posts: 576 Joined: 2002-03-02

#15326 Posted on: 05/05/2002 09:41 AM Originally posted by Jizzler Upload is important here, so nothing less than SDSL or T1. Preferably T1 since T1/SDSL prices are so close here in Orlando. What's T1 prices in Orlando? 2 x 2.8 Xeons on a PC-DL I am an out of control, hardware junkie.

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Jizzler Multi-Core Zealot Posts: 2066 Joined: 2000-10-28

#15327 Posted on: 05/05/2002 10:45 AM Originally posted by posty Obviously T1 and/or SDSL is much faster than any of my current Cable and/or aDSL lines. But the ISB Pro 800 turbo does not really double my speed. Its features are more focused on load balancing and selecting the best bandwidth/connection for data transfer. Oh, I know. Been following the Pro800turbo ever since it was released I'm just not doing anything 'that important' to where I need to buy the higher-end equipment for bonding. Not a hoster, though I will be hosting my own site and friends sites(for a small fee ). The people at my LAN parties wouldn't mind the extra speed either And during the week, will have a some boxes up for people to surf on. Also promised my friend a 24/7 NWN server In my case upload is better with cable than it is with aDSL; and sometimes even the downloads. However, cable tends to slowdown somewhat during peak usage periods, especially when cable is saturated in the neighborhood. Based on that alone, the Pro800 is a Godsend, as it constantly monitors and transmit/receive through the best bandwidth available. I wish I could say that. Good year of service, and bam, last couple weeks have been <10K/s and frequent outages.

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Jizzler Multi-Core Zealot Posts: 2066 Joined: 2000-10-28

#15328 Posted on: 05/05/2002 10:55 AM Originally posted by Athemeus What's T1 prices in Orlando? One place said about $450/month. That is, not counting equipment rental (though I can buy my own equipment now, save money in the long run). Also, they couldn't give me an exact quote til I have a location for them to quote on. SDSL here? Yikes! I've seen a couple ISP's charge around $350/month for 1.5Mb.

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manga SMP Newbie Posts: 2 Joined: 2002-05-05

#15329 Posted on: 05/05/2002 02:51 PM Anybody an idee if there are other products with 2 Wan ports. Stijn:cool:

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Steve Snyder Registered User Posts: 235 Joined: 2001-05-13

#15330 Posted on: 05/05/2002 09:13 PM Two questions: 1. Is the Windows-based software needed for operation, or can everything be configured via HTTP and/or serial connections? Basically I want to know if I can use this on my Linux box. 2. Can it handle protocol-specific routing? Having dual ISP connections is great, but I can foresee problems with different ISPs. Some services, such as e-mail and news, are ISP-specific. I would want to ensure somehow that connections to the mail server at ISP1 were routed to that connection and not to the ISP2 interface. Also, I want to re-ask manga's question: are there any other dual WAN products on the market? Thanks.

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mattsteg Senior Member Posts: 990 Joined: 2000-05-07

#15331 Posted on: 05/06/2002 03:29 AM Here's a link to the manual that I snagged from the review: ftp://ftp.nexland.com/pub/media/ProAll_Manual.pdf Hopefully it can answer your questions. Hello.

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posty Beach Bum Posts: 938 Joined: 2000-05-30

#15332 Posted on: 05/06/2002 04:56 AM The Nexland ISB SOHO has an HTTP (Web) interface, supports all clients, Windows, Mac, Linux. And, it has the capability for SMTP Binding, as it allows you the choice of selecting a specific WAN connection. There are others on the market, CISCO probably has one but you can expect to pay a couple of thousands; The Nexland ISB Pro800 Turbo is one of a kind, and is the only consumer priced router with 2 WAN ports. For instance, router-clustering products, FATPIPE Xtreme goes for $9000.00 plus and RouteScience PathControl begins at $140,000 :rolleyes: There are software based utilities for load balancing via dual modem connections, which are much more costlier than Nexland's ISB Pro800 Turbo. Jerry

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Steve Snyder Registered User Posts: 235 Joined: 2001-05-13

#15333 Posted on: 05/06/2002 05:58 AM I was checking out Nexland's user forum earlier today. There are a lot of complaints about the ISB Pro800 Turbo. Now, I know that unhappy users are much more prone to post their feeling about a product than satisfied customers. Still, after reading a lot of comments posted in recent months I was left with the impression that this device is not quite done. Nexland is still releasing firmware updates for the thing. I'm not sure if that's good news or bad. This looks like a cool device on the specs, but I'm not going to plunk down $400 until they get the kinks out of it.

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posty Beach Bum Posts: 938 Joined: 2000-05-30

#15334 Posted on: 05/06/2002 07:25 AM I suppose like everything else, especially in the digital industry consumers end up being the primary test bed. Look at the number of changes, firmware and hardware upgrades that have taken place with the PIII(s); Intel's most successful processor. Now we witness the evolution of the P4s. I wonder how Freezone is doing with his Pro800, another 2CPU.com regular? Now, I know that unhappy users are much more prone to post their feeling about a product than satisfied customers. You said it all! I've contacted the Nexland tech support, only twice, over the past year. From our two discussions I've noted the various troubling-shooting procedures and I seem to be able to deal with most issues that crop up. In fact, on two occasions, I had Mr. Gregory Levine (the CEO) calling me over the phone and inquiring about the ISB Pro800. Is that service or is that SERVICE I thank my lucky stars that I have a trouble free router and, let's not forget, my iWILL DVD266-R, both running strong for over a year. In this industry, when firmware gets upgraded, I consider that as excellent service and support. The machine becomes obsolete when upward compatibility diminishes Notice, I don

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Brad 30105 in 3dmark 03 Posts: 3646 Joined: 2000-12-06

#15335 Posted on: 05/06/2002 09:06 AM dumb question, does it have 2 routers integrated in it, or do you need to buy 2 seperate routers? Clevo D870P Notebook, P4 3.4ghz NW, 1gb DDR400, Intel 865PE, ATI 9700 Pro 256mb, 60gb, 80gb, DVDRW, 17" LCD, TV Tuner, 1 hour battery life Athlon 64 3700 Sandy @ 9x315 with XP-120, Asus A8N32-SLI, 2x 512mb PC3200 @ 315mhz 2.5/3/4/8, 2x 7800GTX @ 490/1325, 1x 74gb Raptor, 3x 160gb SATA, Audigy 2 ZS, Silverstone TJ-03, Zippy 700w. P4 3.46 Gallatin EE at 12x300, Supermicro PDSGE, 2gb DDR2 @ 600, 6x 250gb, 6x 200gb, Promise SX6000, Adaptec 2610SA, Acbel 550w 7800GTX 512mb's on their way

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get quad 30105 in 3dmark 03 Posts: 3090 Joined: 2001-05-11

#15336 Posted on: 05/06/2002 11:05 AM Those of you that have these routers, I have a question for you. How is the uptime with these things? How often do you have to reset them? Not a single problem to date out of the Symantec versions running latest firmwares - had them going 3 weeks now w/ 100% uptime The Nexland ISB Pro800 Turbo is one of a kind Not exactly: Like I said before, mine have 'with Nexland technology' screenprinted on the chassis and my 200R came with the more mature Symantec Enterprise VPN client "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box." - von Goethe "Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured." - Hitchens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndX3tVxCt8

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cwloo SMP Newbie Posts: 4 Joined: 2002-05-06

#15337 Posted on: 05/06/2002 11:10 AM Originally posted by posty But the ISB Pro 800 turbo does not really double my speed. Its features are more focused on load balancing and selecting the best bandwidth/connection for data transfer. Jerry A little disappointed when I saw this post .. I tot it's a product that can act as double your connection speed. But load balancing may be more important in the long run for SME.

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get quad SMP Newbie Posts: 3090 Joined: 2001-05-11

#15338 Posted on: 05/06/2002 11:29 AM Originally posted by cwloo A little disappointed when I saw this post .. I tot it's a product that can act as double your connection speed. But load balancing may be more important in the long run for SME. Yes, do not be misled - the dual wan ports (and a serial port on the back for an analog modem) are all there for high availability in order to keep downtime as low as possible Its one kickass piece of hardware for my work environment where I have a remote office 120 miles away. Bit of advice for those trying a Win2k domain situation on these from personal experience: here and here "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box." - von Goethe "Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured." - Hitchens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndX3tVxCt8

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Jizzler Multi-Core Zealot Posts: 2066 Joined: 2000-10-28

#15339 Posted on: 05/06/2002 03:01 PM Originally posted by cwloo A little disappointed when I saw this post .. I tot it's a product that can act as double your connection speed. But load balancing may be more important in the long run for SME. Its nots so bad I mean, a good 80% of us have 2 cpu's not for those few apps that benefit, but from the increased load they can handle . I forget the site, but there's a review out there where the reviewer actually tests it with two lines! (don't know how these other sites review the Pro800turbo without two lines). Anyhoo, 'big' sites loaded faster, as images and whatnot were loaded over both lines. And of course, multiple downloads were not a problem. Dual CPUs, Dual monitors, Single line, ACK! My lack of dual lines is holding me back

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posty Beach Bum Posts: 938 Joined: 2000-05-30

#15340 Posted on: 05/07/2002 03:18 AM I agree that even though it does not literally double the data transfer rate, the dual WAN Nexland can still increase one

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zedri SMP Newbie Posts: 2 Joined: 2002-02-15

#15341 Posted on: 05/08/2002 01:46 AM Does anyone know what program to use to do this in Linux?

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freezone Registered User Posts: 264 Joined: 2000-12-31

#15342 Posted on: 05/08/2002 11:20 PM Read the nexland suport forum and keep up with the latest post before you buy this router the firmware is buggy. Although it may work for some many users have reported crashes and lockups including myself. They sent me a replacement router that did the exact same thing. They have known about these issues for over a year and have yet to produce a reliable firmware. If your looking for dual broadband setup I suggest one of the software solutions like Midpoints software or Surfdoubler. The Pro800turbo is a great product, but the firmware issues need to be ironed out. 24 inch dell e6600 3gigs pc6400 abit IN9 32X-MAX 150gig raptor bfg 8800gtx

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SoopaStar SMP Newbie Posts: 2 Joined: 2002-05-08

#15343 Posted on: 05/09/2002 01:17 AM I bought one of these to use as a failover for our regional office of Car-Part.com. We had a t1 in one line and a aDSL in the other. The unit has/had a known bug in its firmware that would not allow constant connections over some protocols. We use SSH to connect to our servers in NJ (from KY). It would disconnect our SSH connections after two minutes or less, no matter what settings we tried on the box. We called their tech support and they said it was a known issue and had no fix at this time and did not know when a fix would be available. So I had no use for the box and mailed it back to Tiger Direct. Paul

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posty Beach Bum Posts: 938 Joined: 2000-05-30

#15344 Posted on: 05/10/2002 11:58 AM Well I suppose that says it all. Since I am not experiencing any lock-ups and dropped connections caused by the router, I might as well stay with the Firmware that came with the Pro800Turbo. I was planning to upgrade my firmware; But I suppose I won't now, after all the horror stories, at least until a working version is released. Can anyone explain why I am not experiencing the issues mentioned? Sometimes I get a dropped connections but I