I replaced my old Linksys Befsr81 Router today after weeks of problems. I have had this router for about four years and this router has been powered on and 
running for the entire four years. Over the past few weeks, connectivity to the internet would hang from one computer or all computers and would require powering off the Linksys Befsr81 and restarting the router. This was happening on a daily basis and occasionally would not resolve the connectivity issue so I had to reset the router, which resulted in loosing my customized password and log file settings. This was getting annoying and my family was complaining so I decided to replace my old Linksys with a new one.
Most of the computers in my office have Gigabyte Nic cards however the older Linksys router was a 10/100Mbps router and that may have been causing the problem. I decided to move to a Linksys RVS4000 router which includes a four port built in 
Gigabyte switch that allows connections from 10/100/1000Mbps network cards. I also added a five port Gigabyte switch to the configuration, however I should have purchased the eight port switch as I am already out of ports. Setup was easy as the new router had the ability to clone my old mac address so I did not have to call Comcast, and this router is VPN capable which will gives me the flexibility to connect to my home network remotely. After a half-day of use, our home network has been up all day and performance appears to be better.
Having a gigabyte router at home sets the stage to connect a computer to our TV in the family room. I am considering a Mac Mini because of the cost and footprint. I want something, functional, quiet and small for my TV cabinet and want the functionality to be able to move files to it easily and quickly. More on the Mac Mini and TV project later …
Right now I am happy with our move and I will let you know if I have any problems with the Linksys RVS4000.
