SMB Networks / Broadband /

2Wire makes a small business play

By Toni Kistner
Net.Worker, 03/25/02

Broadband gateway manufacturer 2Wire today announced its new OfficePortal Broadband Router, aimed at small offices of about 15 people. A souped-up version of its HomePortal gateway, the OfficePortal includes a four-port 10/100 switch, a 133-MHz processor and twice the RAM (32M bytes). Like the HomePortal, it allows for a variety of LAN interfaces, including Ethernet, USB, HomePNA and 802.11b. But OfficePortal adds support for 802.11a as well as the upcoming 802.11g wireless specification via a slot built in to the front of the box.

Security features are souped-up, too. While HomePortal and OfficePortal include a stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall, 2Wire is having the OfficePortal's firewall certified by the International Computer Security Association (ICSA), meaning it will pass the group's baseline standard for business-class stateful packet inspection firewalls. While plenty of small office/home office firewalls now include stateful packet inspection as a check-off feature, until the ICSA finishes an upcoming specification for certifying residential firewalls, these products range widely in security and performance, says John Marshall, 2Wire's senior director of product marketing.

"To say a firewall does stateful packet inspection is like saying I'm going to check each person who comes through the airport terminal," Marshall says. "But do I check their bags, their shoes? Each check - or rule - slows down how quickly you get through the terminal. SPI firewalls all check each packet, but what for? How robust is the rule set it's checking against? And the more robust it is, the more onerous it is for the router to complete the inspection process."

The OfficePortal also includes VPN passthrough; optional VPN initiation and termination will come later. This latter feature lets a small or branch office connect the box directly to another network, which raises the question: Where do you want the VPN? Some network administrators argue that putting the VPN inside the gateway eases remote management - better than dealing with VPN clients on teleworkers' PCs. Others see it as a security risk since putting the VPN in the router gives all networked PCs in the household access to the corporate network.

Pricing is set to range between $229 and $429, dependent on the configuration of LAN interfaces and ADSL modem. The insertable 802.11b PC Cards are extra. 2Wire supports cards from Agere, D-Link and Intersil; client PCs can use any brand of compatible 802.11x adapter. All in all, the OfficePortal seems pretty impressive - specially the security and wireless features - and looks like a good choice for small businesses and corporate home networks alike.

But the trouble is availability. 2Wire plans to offer the OfficePortal to its service provider partners only - BellSouth, SBC, Verizon and EarthLink - which already offer the HomePortal. Moreover, will service providers offer HomePortal to residential customers and OfficePortal to small business customers, leaving teleworkers and home business owners little choice but to upgrade to higher priced service packages (going from $49.95 per month to $79.95 per month or higher, for instance) or go elsewhere? Will service providers allow existing HomePortal users to upgrade to the OfficePortal?

My hope is 2Wire's DSL partners will offer both boxes independent of service plan, especially since many have already set a good example by offering flat-rate $10 per month for home networking packages, rather than charge by the PC.

Speaking of cable providers, Marshall says 2Wire wants to forge partnerships with at "least one big MSO," and EarthLink today offers the HomePortal as part of its cable package via TimeWarner Cable. And we know some cable providers hate customers freeloading off NAT networks and forbid teleworkers to access the corporate net over a VPN. It'll be interesting to see what comes of a 2Wire/MSO deal, but more so, whether small businesses will buy into any of this.