I have a Linksys BFSX41 10/100 Cable Firewall Router with 4 Port Switch and VPN Endpoint that seems to be going through a slow death. I have a cable modem (Cox) on one side and a 100 MB LAN on the other side. If I plug the cable from the cable modem directly into my computer, I get the advertised "blazing fast speed." If I go through the router, my blazing fast speed drops to very slow - i.e. pages that load in a blink of an eye now take 10s of seconds to load. It seems to have something to do with heat - if I leave the router off for an hour, and then reconnect it, I get blazing speed for awhile, then it slows down.

I am looking for suggestions for a replacement router. I never could get the VPN part of this router to work with Linux, and I would like to be able to get to my network from outside through a VPN. So that is important. Other than that, I just need 100 BaseT network speed and at least 4 ports - more would be better. I have a separate Linksys wireless access point/hub that I turn on when I need to be mobile, so I don't need more wireless gear. I have to admit, I leave the router on all the time, so it needs to be sturdy! The exact same router on Newegg costs $69, so my price point is under $100.