Administrators will find the unit very easy to deploy. After plugging the unit in, administrators simply point a Web browser at a default address to download a security certificate and access the installation wizard.

Zyxel really did its homework when it comes to easy setup. The setup wizard starts by offering a choice of either a single ISP or dual ISP configuration. The dual ISP portion of the wizard autopopulates the options for connecting to two separate ISPs and helps administrators define whether those connections should be used for failover or high availability or be bonded together.

Choosing the single ISP option skips over the high-availability options and dives right into the basic setup of the unit. Here, administrators will need to know some details about the ISP and the local network. The wizard does an excellent job of stepping administrators through the WAN setup portion of the install; installers can choose from PPOE, cable modem, DSL or most any other type of broadband Ethernet setup. Once the basics are set up, administrators will have to register the device and select what service subscriptions are to be used. Anti-spam protection is free, while other security services have a yearly fee associated with them. A combined package for $340 offers a year's worth of anti-virus, content filtering and IDS/IPS (intrusion detection services/intrusion protection services). The various security services are also available a la carte.

The setup wizard can also optionally launch the VPN Advanced Wizard, which walks users through the process of defining VPN connectivity and which encryption method should be used. While the process is complex in the terms and definitions used, any administrator should be able to breeze through advanced VPN settings using the wizard.

Other setup chores are wizard-driven, but administrators may want to turn to the product's quick-start guide to make setup easier. Zyxel includes a CD with the USG100 that contains comprehensive documentation in PDF form. The very detailed documentation offers diagrams and tips on how to deploy the device.

Administrators will definitely want to refer to the documentation to define rules, roles and zones. The device offers a high level of configurability, allowing it to address the most arcane of implementations. Luckily, an abundance of examples are included in the documentation to make the setup chores as easy as possible. The documentation also sports several tutorials that will help administrators get quickly up to speed on the intricacies of the product and also can educate administrators on many of the standards and terms used by today's security devices.