router with vpn for a small company

[knutp]

Im working as a computer manager for a rather small company with 3 full time workers at their main office, with 2 part time workers (including me). We got 4 clients, one laptop a server and a isdn router with dial-in. And they have a branch office severeal 1000 miles away that want's access to the main office. We have isdn for now and works fine with him, but they are expanding and are getting more branch offices soon. And Im going too move far away this fall, and I will not have access to isdn where I move, but a fast 10mbit / 100 mbit connection instead (university).

Im now looking for a broadband router with vpn server functions. I have been looking at sonicwall's different routers, and found that the soho3 version looks rather nice. Anyone that are using this router here?

Or do you have any other routers for me at the same pricerange? It must support dsl (ppp, pppoe etc), firewall, vpn server and easy to upgrade. And are there better to choose the pro 100 router from sonicwall instead? I know that one got a dmz port, but I do not think that we will have a webserver/emailserver locally yet.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Look into the Netopia R-series routers. The R9100 is about half the price of the SonicWALL SOHO3, providing ethernet WAN interface so it can be connected to a standard DSL modem/bridge. Depending on the DSL service provider, you might get a Netopia router as part of the service installation, or you can get a model (R7200) on your own that has the DSL modem WAN card built in if the provider isn't giving you a separate modem that connects via Ethernet. The R-series seems to do everything you want it to do, and is cheaper, but I can't be sure since I don't know much about the VPN aspect.

I've worked with the Netopia line a lot over the past 2.5 years, and they seem to be very good. They're easy to configure for the most part.

 

[knutp]

Im not sure if I can get netopia here in norway. The isp uses zyxel routers, and with very limited upgrade possibilities. The nice thing with the soho3 is that it is wery upgradable, with antivirus more vpn connections and high speed.

The vpn part is the most important thing for this upgrade. I don't want win2000 server on the server, and that alone costs around the same as the soho3 (with vpn and service).

One of the isp's here delivers with a netopia router, but with very limited functions. And since it has a intgrated dsl modem, I have to use that if we choose that isp. But then again there is always sdsl.

 

[wlee]

This ZyXEL box looks like it would do the job for you. Doesn't have AntiVirus Plugin, but does have content filtering. It also supports Dynamic DNS client ( dydns.org, tzo.com , etc. ). They sell for ~ $260 in the US. Since your ISP uses ZyXEL stuff, they might actually support you using these routers. You should ask them about it.

http://www.speedguide.net/reviews/zywall10/index.shtml

 

[Lord Evermore]

The Netopia router with an "integrated" DSL modem is actually just a standard Netopia casing and motherboard, with a particular firmware designed for DSL connections, and a daughterboard mounted in the case connected to the motherboard which has a DSL modem chipset on it. The daughterboards are swappable, so you can get a Netopia DSL router and if you need a particular daughtercard which supports a particular brand of DSLAM, you just buy that particular card. (DSL Access Multiplexor, the main "switch" that all the DSL lines connect to at a central office; several brands are used by different ISP's, and DSL modems made for one aren't always compatible with others.) So if the ISP doesn't absolutely require as part of their contract that you purchase the router from them, you can probably get the Netopia elsewhere and find out from the ISP which daughtercard you need. Additionally, any features which are not available in the router they give you can probably be enabled through a paid-for upgrade.

 

[Darksamie]

I've currently got a Watchguard SOHO paired with a Cisco 827 Router. Obviously it costs a little more to get the Cisco gear, but it can actually run the VPN for you. Of course the other option is to just leave it as a router and get the VPN option on the Watchguard.

I have tried both the Watchguard and the SonicWall, and I think the WatchGuard is a superior product for security updates and functionality.

Good luck!

 

[Hermann]

Another reason to go with a firewall / vpn is you are not tied to your isp's hardware. With a firewall, you can cange your service and not loose all of your set-up. Last year, when our dsl got dumped, we lost our vpn set-up and the new isp wasn't compatable with the netopias we owned. Invest wisely! (We've had good luck with SonicWALL SOHO3 and Pro100.)