On Thu, 6 Dec 2001, Hvidsten, Leif wrote: > If one is using cable (so DSL standards are of no concern), how do these Cisco routers compare to the commonly found Cable/DSL routers by SMC (7004 ABR /w built-in print server), Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, etc.? I've been eyeing the SMC 7004 ABR 4-port router for some time now which goes for a street price of $69. I've been thinking of using this b/c I want to use my Pentium box as a dedicated web server and my Athlon box for more desktop type purposes (and run Windoze for games and my wife) and then connect them to the router behind the NAT firewall. If I run the Linux packet-filtering firewall and Apache web server on the same Pentium box....will that work efficiently/securely behind the router's NAT firewall? Sorry for the newbie questions..... I think you're confusing the uses here. The cable/DSL routers you buy at Best Buy are just simple ethernet routers. The DSL router (or cable modem for that matter) takes the non-ethernet DSL signal or cable signal and converts it to ethernet (that's the simple explanation anyway). The cable/DSL router from Best Buy then takes the ethernet signal and firewalls, NATs, whatever to the rest of your PCs. So, the two have different functions and in a cable situation you need both if you're running more than one machine or wish to firewall. That being said, the 678 DSL modem has some basic features in it that I used mine without a seperate router. Salt to taste, your mileage may vary. -Brian