Hi again,
To revive the old thread "I hate this product", I give up. This Z100G is a nice idea and I really would like it to work well, but it just doesn't. The latest problems are that the wireless connections will go from Excellent to Fair for no reason. I don't move the laptop or anything, it just goes from Excellent to Fair and sometime it loses the connection all together. So I plug a lan cable in and I'm fine. Then the wireless reconnects so I unplug the lan cable and carry on. But then my wife tries to get on the Internet and can't. The Z100G won't let go of the wired lan connections I had to make without me rebooting the stupid thing so the ridiculous 5 device limit (that's another argument) won't let her laptop connect to the net. So have to reboot it which kicks everybody off the network.
This thing is a good idea. I like the idea of having a better firewall between me and the Internet. But it seems that Zonealarm and/or Sofaware and/or whoever else is involved in developing this thing, think of it as something to look at when they have nothing better to do. It's not at the top of their list. We keep hearing about some mystical firmware upgrade that will fix all our problems but we never get it. It's too bad but this is exactly why hackers etc have such and easy time with home networks. Nobody will make home internet security devices a high priority.
Can you imagine the improvements that could be made to this thing if the developers of the thing would join the conversation on this site and listen to the complaints/suggestions and do something about it? They have their own beta team right here on this site and don't seem to have the time to join the conversation.
So anyway, I'm done. I gave it my best shot. This thing is going on the shelf to collect dust.
/end rant

Rick are you willing to sell it to me? Can you PM me with the best price you can offer me?

I wish it worked as advertised as well, it's been sending a consistent wireless signal for me, but has also caused slooow and intermittent connections overall to my desktop, plus the latest firmware update wiped out my email connections and my remote desktop. It took me two days to narrow it down to the stinking router, I still don't have remote desktop working correctly, and that is necessary for my job and there is work waiting that should have been done yesterday! :P There goes my WEEKEND!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by teek:
I wish it worked as advertised as well, it's been sending a consistent wireless signal for me, but has also caused slooow and intermittent connections overall to my desktop, plus the latest firmware update wiped out my email connections and my remote desktop. It took me two days to narrow it down to the stinking router, I still don't have remote desktop working correctly, and that is necessary for my job and there is work waiting that should have been done yesterday! :P There goes my WEEKEND!!!!

Have you tried forcing TKIP in the wireless settings... I found that some devices do not like to play if your using automatic mode sometimes which can punt other devices off the network.. Also have you activated bridge mode between your wired and wireless network (if your trying to remote on your internal network, this seems to also fix sharing problems with itunes and windows media as well).. Iv been able to remote desktop with RDP on clients that support it just fine, in fact you can use the router itself to RDP *into* a machine (XP Pro, etc)... You could always set the PC you *need* to connect out to your work network as the DMZ
(you have a software firewall/av as well RIGHT?)under the Security | Servers | Exposed Host option on the Za100)
and see if that works as a workaround till you get the real problem troubleshooted (try opening an email support ticket and attaching the connection and security logs to it yet?)

Thought I'd pop back in and see if there were any new developments. I saw that the firmware upgrade was released so I hooked my z100g back up and got the upgrade. Nothing's changed though. I still have all the same problems with it that I had before. I have my trusty Linksys connected now and I'm a happier guy. Fast wireless, no dropping, I can connect reliably to all my computers/devices. No problems! I'm glad the people on here are having "fun" working through all the problems and trying to solve all the problems. I guess I look for my challenges in other places! :-)

I flashed my Linksys with dd-wrt and it gives me a lot of the same "features" that the z100g did anyway.

Exeter17, sorry no, I won't be selling it. I'll keep it as a reminder to not deal with this company again.

Thanks to everyone for trying to help.

Rick,

Sorry you have had so much trouble implementing the device. The Z100G is more a firewall than a router and the emphasis is on security. It can be very complicated to use but its value as a security device outways any other shortcomings in my mind. I have not encountered the problems you are having so i cannot be sure what may be contributing to them.

However, the default setting on the Z100G is base B/G wi-fi with a strong and unique separation of LAN and WLAN areas. You can override these with a few changes by enabling bridging, disable firewalling between networks, and then setting the WLAN and LAN in the same subnet. This is much less secure, but is more secure than a Linksys or Dlink type device.

For added power, there are three settings you can change. Set the router to SuperG, Full Power 100%, and XR mode to Enabled. All these are off by default.

Other than that, good luck with Linksys. Its a hackers dream device.

Hello,
You seem to have the impression that I don't know what I'm doing with this thing. I have been doing desktop support, network admin, server admin, network engineering, network designing, etc, etc for close to 15 years. That in itself does not mean I know what I'm doing, but you'll just have to trust me when I say, I know what I'm doing. The networking part is not my top expertise but I know my way around networks and networking very well. I've been configuring routers, switches, bridges, firewalls etc for a long time. There. Enough of my resume!

The Z100G is a nice idea. I really do like the fact that they have tried to get a better firewall into the "regular person's" house. But this thing just does not work well. It will work well for the people that just take it out of the box, plug it in and just check their email on their one computer. It's noticeably slower (to me) than most out-of-the-box home routers because of the antivirus checking etc but most home users wouldn't even notice that.

But, if you want to have a network at home, that's where this thing loses it's luster really fast. From the slower speeds mentioned above to the slow, unreliable wireless connections, to the intermittent ability to connect between internal computers, etc, it's not worth it. I've tried every suggestion everyone has given me on this board and also suggestions from my network team at work. Why in the world would I ever have to go through all of that to get a home network working properly? We don't have that much trouble with our devices at work. If they can't get a simple home networking device to perform the way it should, there is no way I would ever consider or recommend that anyone buy one of their higher end devices for a production environment.

Saying that this thing is a better security device is relying on ZoneAlarm/Checkpoint telling you it's better. All the stuff they email me in that report is just normal every day stuff that's floats around the internet. Nothing new there. Except that now they tell you about it. Having a family of mice living in your house will not bother you until you see them and know they are there. If Linksys or Dlink would report on the packets that don't get through their router, then you'd be happier about those routers too.

And this whole 5 device limit is a lot of poop...for lack of a better word. The Z100G is ONE device. What possible difference can it make how many devices are behind it? It's still the bottle neck that all the packets have to go through. If one computer is transferring 90% more data than any other computer on the internal network, the total amount is still the same. If one household has 30 computers and transfers less data than a house that has 5, how do they justify having a 5 device limit? That's just blatantly removing money from customer's pockets. There's absolutely no justification for that. It's not checking individual packets from individual internal devices. It's just checking any packet that comes through it from any device. When I buy an anti-virus application and install it on one of my pc's and use that pc's to check for viruses on other pc's in my house, should I get nailed for another license even though I didn't install the app on the other device? It's silly and nobody should put up with that. If I had paid better attention to that before I bought my z100g, that would have stopped me from buying it. My mistake.

Saying that a Linksys is a hacker's dream is a little overboard. The only reason a Linksys would be more prone to hackers than a Z100G is the same reason that XP is more prone to hackers than Linux. More people have a Linksys than Z100G so the law of averages kick in. If everyone had Linux or if everyone had a Z100G, the hacker's focus would be different. So in that sense yes, the Z100G is more secure just because not as many people have them.

Again, this is all my opinion. I'm not trying to bash. I'm glad some of you are happy with the Z100g. I'm not. I do appeciate everyone's help and suggestions to me to try and get this thing working properly.

Rick

Rick,

Nice Resume. I did not mean to imply that you did not know what you are doing, but you did post publicly that you had issues with the unit and I suggested ways for you to get around them. I do not have any of the problems you have and I get excellent WI-FI coverage in a large, two-story house and in the back yard, so I am not understanding why you are having such difficulty. You are correct in that the support group at Sofaware is difficult to contact sometimes. You can reach them by phone at 650-628-2000.

I'm pleased to know that you have all that support experience. I have a little bit myself (tongue in cheek) and I am here to help if you need it. Sounds like you don't and I suppose you just posted your rant for the sake of venting, and that is fine; I just misunderstood your intentions. While you may have a complete understanding of everything I discuss, it is important for me to add details so other members understand also.

The one thing that concerns me is the comparison of the Linksys and Z100G and the Windows/Linux analogy. There is very little comparison to the Linksys line of home routers and The Z100G. It's more like comparing a sports car to an 18 wheeler; they just have a different purpose.

The Z100G is NOT a router like the Linksys; it is a firewall/router with IPS/IDS capabilities, logging, rule setting and other features that Cisco would never put on a home router at prices as low as the Z100G. The Linksys only offers hard-coded stateful inspection which can be easily spoofed.

The five node limit is a pain, but realize that as a result of the subscription, your firewall is updated periodically to provide you with the latest state of the art protection. This is not to be confused with a firmware upgrade that is done with much less frequency. Its purpose is to add/fix features. Linksys only offers periodic firmware updates to fix known issues. You have to buy a new router to get new features. That's always been the Cisco way.

Unfortunately, the Linksys routers are a hackers dream even with the dd-wrt update(and no, the dd-wrt is not going to give you a better firewall); simple to penetrate, easy to disable, and since they are not intelligent devices, you'll never have a record of being hacked. Script kiddies brag all the time about hacking them; just imagine what a real hacker can do. As long as you have strong security on your PCs you should be fairly safe with the Linksys device, though. I just don't trust myself and my family to keep everything current so that's why I want perimeter defense.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Texas Rocket,

You guys seem a lot smarter on networking than I am. One thing that I found to really help the signal to my wireless computers is the most simple of simple things. I used to have the Z100G on my computer stand and always had slight connection problems. I rasied it up about 3 feet and it made a world of difference in the signal. I have two, one at work and one at home and have very little problem out of either but I know you probably don't want to hear that. Be sure to open a problem ticket before you give up.

I've been having problems with the power output of the z100g. I set it up for superG, 100% power and extended range. The router is elevated 6 feet off the floor and I can't get a reliable signal 40ft away. Any suggestions?

Your antenna are firmly screwed into the back of the unit I assume ;-)

After that I would
review your Home for possible interference - Many wireless networks fail due to interference from other wireless networks and/or cordless devices commonly found around the average home. In some cases, interference can even come from a close neighbor or attached apartment. The most common culprit is 2.4ghz cordless phones. These phones operate on the same frequency as most wireless networks and can reduce the effective range of your network or even prevent it from working altogether. Even though it is possible to get these two devices to play together, I recommend replacing any cordless phone systems with either the newer 5.8ghz models or the older 900mhz type. NOTE: To disable cordless phones that may be causing interference, you must unplug the base station and also remove the battery from all handsets. There are also many other wireless devices and appliances found around the home that you must take into account: Wireless alarms systems, Microwave Ovens, Wireless Video and Audio systems and baby monitors or intercoms. Typically only the items that use the 2.4ghz band will cause problems, but you should try to avoid placing all electrical devices too close to your router or wireless computers. Keep in mind that many wireless problems can be intermittent. I have had scenarios where everything was fine until a cordless phone rang, someone made a phone call or used the microwave oven. Some devices such as cordless phone can change channels automatically causing interference to come and go.

Next, survey the Area with a Wireless Laptop - If you have or can borrow a wireless laptop, this can be used as a tool to evaluate your entire home before you even start setting up your network. Most all wireless laptops have a wireless utility that will show you the signal strength of all nearby networks. If you are lucky, some utilities even display the wireless channel for each network which is real helpful when it comes to deciding what channel to set your router to. If your laptops built-in wireless utility is really lacking, you can also download a tool such as NetStumbler http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/ you can walk around the house with your laptop to evaluate the signal strength in various locations throughout the house. Try moving the router to different locations and test again. Once you find the ideal location, you can then run the wires and install the modem. Your laptop may find other networks in the area, so be careful to make sure you are checking your router and not the signal strength of someone else’s network.

The non-overlapping channels are 1, 6, and 11, so you might want to set your Z100G to each of these in turn and see if one provides better coverage than the other two...

JIM

Actually the laptop I was using to survey my home turned out to be the problem! On the off chance it was at fault, I brought out the wife's laptop and it reports great signals everywhere. I just "assumed" my laptop was telling the truth.
Live and learn.

Thanks
Randy

Also for the vista set.. netstumbler does *not* work in vista...

Try Vistumbler and/or InSSIDer... Both are Vista compiant.. Not as good as Netstumbler but both have useful features and can used in lieu of it..

We seam to have some of the same experiences here from a wireless perspective. The wireless function of the z100g is not on par with "some" Linksys gear, I'm guessing we'd agree on. So have you considered just front ending your network with the z100g and then wiring the Linksys behind that? It's kind of the best of both worlds, you then fortify your front door (z100g) and from a wireless perspective have a stable connection via the Linksys router. It might be a little extra work writing the rules (not knowing what you got) but worth it in the end. It kind of seams you might be throwing the baby out with the water, just wanted to offer you a different perceptive. For the Sofaware team reading this, please take note here, that the z100g needs better compatibility and stability with the wireless B and G standards.

I have not had any wireless connection issues with the Z100G, but to increase network coverage at a local non-profit where I volunteer I have installed four Belkin routers programmed to operate in access-point mode behind the Z100G and it all works very well.

If you do not like the wireless sub-section of the Z100G I'd shut it down and install your tool of choice in AP mode (assuming it supports AP mode... most, but not all routers do support it).

Jim

As noted earlier, make sure you aren't suffering from from interference, channel overlap from a neighbor, and have good placement of the unit.

If worse comes to worse, you can always disable the built-in wireless and connect your favorite wireless router (even a draft N) to one of the Z100G's ports. I suggest LAN to LAN, rather than LAN to WAN to keep things simple.

That way you get to keep the security of the Z100G and the radio of your choice.