A guide to the best cable modems

The broadband router combines the functions of an Adsl or cable modem, a hub or switch, and a firewall. This article serves as a guide to the best cable modems.

1-2 best cable modems

Overview
1. SMC 7004VBR Barricade™ This four-port broadband router includes a built-in dual-speed Ethernet switch, print server, and a NAT firewall.
The 7004VBR also includes VPN tunnelling support as well as a COM port to support traditional modem dial-up (or ISDN) access as a backup or automatic "failover" option.
Finally, this router is capable of logging "hacker" attacks. SMC offers a limited lifetime warranty for the 7004VBR. 2. Netgear® RT314 Netgear's four-port cable/DSL router contains all of the basic gateway features. Most notably, it offers reliable support for the PPPoE-based Internet connections commonly provided by ISPs today.
The RT314 runs on faster hardware (hence delivers better performance, connection speed notwithstanding) than many other routers.
An excellent wireless Adsl and one of the best wireless Adsl modems.

3-4 best cable modems

3. MultiTech RouteFinder™ RF102S
This RouteFinder product is a dial-up router featuring two RS-232 serial ports for external modem connections. It also contains a built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch.
This product supports both VPN pass-through and port forwarding. Those needing a router but not ready for broadband can consider this option.
4. Asanté FriendlyNET FR1004 Online gaming enthusiasts ("gamers") that recommend the Asante broadband router cite its speed and port management capabilities as two good reasons to buy the FR1004.
Asante also provides easy installation software with these routers.
FriendlyNet routers share the same basic internals as the SMC Barricade, but the Asante broadband routers are backed only by a one-year limited warranty.

5-6 best cable modems

5. Linksys EtherFast® BEFRS41 Available since January 1st, 2000, the BEFSR41 has become a best-seller and remains one of the least expensive broadband routers.
Reasonably full-featured, the Linksys routers have undergone many firmware revisions over time to fix reliability problems.
One would expect a router in the market for this long to be quite stable, but quality concerns and firmware updates continue to haunt the BEFSR41. 6. 2Wire™ HomePortal 180 This product maintains a competitive feature set for Ethernet based home network integration.
It further surpasses the capabilities of other routers in this category by offering both USB and phoneline (RJ11) network support.
Other home gateways may offer this functionality through add-on "bridge" products, but the 2Wire HomePortal100 combines these features into a single (large) unit.

Conclusion

Final word So if you want to buy the best router for yourself, investigate these modem routers for functions including router networking and broadband networking.