Introduction
With the rising popularity of broadband internet connections, it
is becoming increasingly important to secure an "always on" connection.
Many people do not realize the vulnerabilities of a Win98 system that is
constantly connected. But, don't take my word for it. Do a search for a
port scanner on Google and read up on the subject. It is nearly effortless
to hack into an un-secured system with the appropriate tools. Additionally,
many users have more than one computer in the home and want to share the
broadband connection with other members of the family. Nexland offers solutions
in this area with their series of broadband and small office routers. Today,
we are reviewing one such device, the Nexland ISB Pro 800. The Internet Security
Box (ISB) Pro 800 is a full featured small office router with a built-in
8-port 10/100 auto-negotiating switch. With features such as Dynamic DNS support,
VPN IPSec tunneling through NAPT, Analog backup, and SNMP reporting, the
ISB offers quite a few extras over simple internet sharing devices. Nexland
also claims that their ISB series is the fastest of the low-cost routers
in its class. For the purpose of this review, I will make some comparisons
to the Linksys BEFSR11 which is a very low cost internet router. The BEFSR11
is not brand spanking new technology but it is what I had available for comparison
as it is my current broadband router.
The Package
The ISB Pro 800 came complete with the router, AC power adapter,
six foot Cat-5 cable, null-modem cable, software CD, and the manual. The
CD contains the entire manual in PDF format and, more importantly, a
10-user license of Symantec RaptorMobile VPN client software. For the most
part, the manual is helpful and well written. It covers not only the Pro
800, but also the Pro 100, 400, and 800 Turbo. The 800 Turbo is not much
different than the Pro 800 other than it has two WAN ports which allow
"shotgunning" of two broadband connections (If you've got the cash for
two broadband connections, kudos to you). There are some inconsistencies
between the manual and the user interface such as reference to pre-defined
"special applications" settings which I was not able to find in the user
interface. I believe this may be related to a different version of firmware.
The ISB itself is very well put together. The first thing I noticed was that
the unit is heavy. Originally, I thought that Nexland had placed a weight
in the bottom of the unit just to give it some stability on a desk. To
my surprise, I found that the ISB Pro 800 is actually constructed of heavy
gauge metal. It is much more sturdy than the Linksys plastic internet routers.
Here, you can see the unit with the top panel off. It is a breath of fresh
air to see a well-constructed component such as this in today's world of
throw away electronics.
System Features
I was not able to find system specs for the router directly on Nexland's
website. However, I was able to identify most of the chips in the unit
following a quick search on Google. The heart of the router is powered
by a 50MHz Samsung ARM processor. This is the same model of chip as my Linksys
router which has the 33MHz version. The unit also has 4MB of RAM and 512k
of flash ROM. What sets the Nexland ISB apart from other broadband routers is
that the firmware of the unit was written entirely from scratch by Nexland.
Because of their optimized embedded-OS, the unit runs faster than the competition
and offers many exclusive and patented features that others cannot. The
most touted of these features is Multi-Session IPsec/PPTP "Pass Through".
This patent pending feature allows multiple connections to a VPN server from
behind the router. Because of Nexland's ingenuity, they have sold many of
these routers to companies and clients using Cisco, Nortel, Checkpoint, and
Symantec VPN software and hardware. Although using a VPN is quite secure,
it is still possible for a hacker to use the internet and your client computer
as a backdoor to the Virtual Private Network. Using the Nexland ISB-Pro800
as a firewall on the client-side adds another level of security to the network.
This feature alone sets the Nexland series of routers leaps and bounds above
the "El Cheapo" broadband routers. Following is a list of the Pro800 features
taken from Nexland's site.
- NAPT Firewall to Protect your Computers
- High Speed 8-Port 10/100 Switch with Duplex (200Mb)
- Analog / ISDN Backup 230k Serial Port for True "Always On"
- Over 8MB Bi-Directional Throughput for Blazing Speed
- Supports up to 253 Computers
- Unlimited IPsec Tunnels Passing-Through (Patent Pending Nexland)
- Supports PPPoE, IPsec Server Behind NAPT, SNMPv1, Full Routing
- Excellent Internet Application compatibility
- Solid Reliability of Nexland Technology
- CAT5 Cable + Null Modem Serial Cable
- 5 Year Warranty & 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
