Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router
by Netgear
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List Price: Our Price: $33.99 You Save: $25.00 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $15.95 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router
Customer Review: A Solid All-in-One Wireless G Solution
Summary: 4 Stars
I decided to upgrade to the WGR614 due to the limited security and spec on my existing Netgear ME102 access point. With no SSID broadcast control, no MAC address access lists, and limited range, the ME102 was quickly becoming obsolete in my household.Enter the WGR614. With a price alluringly under 3 digits after rebates, I decided to cut my losses and step up to the faster 54MB platform. I purchased the both router and the matching WG511 PCMCIA card in order to maximize compatibility.
So far, I am very satisfied. Thanks to my previous experience with the ME102, I had no trouble setting up the WGR614. All configuration on the unit is handled through a built-in web server, including an upgrade feature that allowed me to install the latest firmware from Netgear's web site (a beta version implementing full 802.11g draft compliance with SSID broadcast blocking). A quick side note, if you decide to upgrade to the beta firmware, be sure to do the same with your Netgear WG511 PCMCIA card as well. If you own a different brand of wireless card/bridge/USB connectivity device, be sure to check with the manufacturer to see if they have a "g" draft-spec firmware *before* upgrading to prevent compatibility problems.
As with any wireless network device, performance will vary according to the environment, infrastructure, and placement of the antenna, but in my case, I experienced increased range in my 1600 sq. ft., two story home with steel framing over my old ME102. Where the signal would drop significantly at the farthest corners of the home with the ME102, I had good signal through the entire house. Throughput was improved, of course, but those who primarily web surf may not see dramatic improvement.
I do feel better about security, now that I'm able to use access lists in addition to WEP. While there are still ways around these controls, the added layer of penetration is certainly welcome.
Like it's competitors, the Netgear offers some router and firewall-like features which do everything from hide or forward ports and services to static routing. The latter is especially helpful for connecting the device to another router like the Linksys BEFSX41--perhaps not coincidently, the private IPs used by Netgear are not the same as Linksys. Since I do not use the Netgear for VPN or secure tunneling, I am unable to vouch for it's effectiveness as a remote office solution. I think it would be safe to say however, that those users who need a router with VPN services should look elsewhere for a dedicated device or one that advertises (and presumably supports) such features.
In all, the WGR614 is a solid entry or addition to home wireless networking. I was able to replace a 5 port wired switch and standalone access point with one Netgear wireless router. I would recommend both the WGR614 and WG511 PCMCIA card for a simple-to-set-up, cost-effective, and secure home wireless G solution.
Customer Review: Feature-packed..... Performance lacks!
Summary: 3 Stars
I was contemplating whether or not to purchase a G router, purchase a pre-N router, or wait for the upcoming standard 802.11N next year. The 802.11b range just doesn't cut it when trying to move around to opposite ends of the house. After years of using a 802.11b router, I decided it was time for an upgrade. With G routers being this cheap, it was hard to pass up!
I had previously used other Netgear products, and have always been impressed with the performance. Based on the reviews I read here, I had no reason to expect otherwise. I picked one of these up and set it up right away. After a week of use, here is my analysis:
I received the WGR614 (version 6 -- their most recent version), and plugged it in right away. (When purchasing online, there is no way to specify which version you receive. However, if you go in-store, the version number will be clearly labeled next to the model number on the box). The setup was fairly simple -- though a bit slow. Logging into the router itself, while plugged in or via wireless, was a bit laggy. Instead of connecting using the internal IP address (default 192.168.0.1), Netgear now requires you to go to www.routerlogin.com. Not a big issue, but something to get used to.
The setup screen has become somewhat standardized across all Netgear router products. It does a good job of detecting what devices are connected to minimize having to type in MAC or IP addresses. This certainly made setup a lot simpler. The descriptions and instructions on the right column also come in handy for those that are not as familiar with networking. The array of security features is also a plus!
Performance: I'm a person who usually keeps their system running 24/7, and needs the system to remain online at all times. So far, every morning when I return to the computer, I notice that the router has disconnected me. While it still showed the signal, it could not reconnect. Each time, I would have to cycle down (turn off) the router, wait a minute, and power it back up. This is something I have come to expect from all routers on occasion, but NOT EVERY DAY!
The wireless signal was decent, but not a significant improvement over my 802.11b router.
As for speed, the router I received was lacking. I noticed it took a bit more time to load pages in Firefox, and disconnected intermittently.
I have since re-plugged my 802.11b router in, and have been surfing smoothly once again.
While I have been quite pleased with Netgear products in the past, this one certainly did not meet my expectations. Perhaps this was just a bad one out of the batch. I give 4 stars for product features, but only 2 stars for performance. Hope you have better luck with this router than I did.
Customer Review: Much better than I expected
Summary: 5 Stars
[...]Well, all I can say is I am extremely pleased with this so far. Although I haven't really had it long enough to say that it's reliable, it has maintained a fast enough connection both wired and wireless so far, with no fade outs and no resets. This is WGR614v4, so perhaps many of the problems people have had have been sorted out. Fortunately, for my sake, I am not an early adapter ... I prefer to wait for new technology to stabilize before adopting it.
Setup was so easy it was done almost before I knew it - less than 15 minutes from plugging it in to being able to use my laptop in the next room. That's including WEP setup - no WPA yet, unfortunately.
One of the concerns I had from reading other reviews is that of its speed being much lower than advertised. But now I am wondering if some of the complaints people have is because they don't really know what to expect. I get the same download speed connecting to the internet through the wireless connection as I do with a direct wired connection - up to 160 KBytes/sec, or about 1.3Mbs.
If you have only one computer, there's no point in buying a Wireless g product since you are never going to push it to anywhere near the maximum bandwidth - get wireless b and spend the money on something else.
Only if you have a home network do you get the advantages of a wireless g network. I have a small home network, with two computers (one WinXP, 1.8GHz, 7200rpm HD, the other Linux, 400MHz, 5400rpm HD) wired directly to the router and one laptop (Win2000, 350MHz, 4200rpm HD) with the wireless PC card.
I decided to do some speed tests to see how the network held up, so I enabled the FTP server on the Linux machine and FTP'ed large files across both the wired and wireless connection. FTP gives you close to the real network speed because of low overhead, but still depends on the speed of the hard disk since you're writing to disk.
I got these results:
WinXP <- Linux (wired): 72Mbs
WinXp -> Linux (wired): 44Mbs
Laptop <- Linux (wired): 16Mbs
Laptop <- Linux (wireless): 11Mbs
Laptop -> Linux (wireless) 11Mbs
If I didn't know any better I would be complaining about the speed of the wireless connection, but since the wired connection to the same PC was only 40 % faster, it's obvious that the network speed has much more to do with the CPU and disk speed than with the wireless connection, so I'm very happy with this. It just means I now have an excuse to go out and buy a new laptop to replace my 5 year old IBM.
So, can I recommend it? Yes, very much so. But bear in mind that it seems that whether this works depends on your circumstances. You may just have to try two or three different routers to get one to work.
Customer Review: Great, cheap access point + switch
Summary: 5 Stars
I own two of these, one as the router using the NAT and DHCP services, the other as an access point in the front of my unnaturally long and skinny apartment.The first unit (router) is in the laundry room near the rear of the house, and works great. The second unit is in the front, giving me a very large area of coverage throughout my house and a handy switch to plug in my PC and an older network print server.
Tips:
1. I am assuming you have an existing router (wireless or not) with an existing connection to the Internet through DSL or cable.
2. Log into your main router (Netgear is usually 192.168.0.1) through the Web browser. Go to the screen for connected devices or LAN setup and set a new device with a fixed IP address. For the IP address, choose a number at the top of the DHCP range for your unit (192.168.0.51 for Netgear, for example). Find the MAC address from the bottom of the new wireless router that you want to use as an access point and enter it. Give it a name and press enter.
3. Remember this IP address, as you will use it later.
4. Configure the second WGR614 by connecting it directly to a PC through one of the ports on the back of the unit (not the WAN port). Do not connect the wireless router to your network or Internet connection at this time.
5. Log into the router using 192.168.0.1 and set it to acquire its IP address and DNS dynamically (on the basic setup screen). Do not set up this router to connect to your ISP.
6. Select the wireless setup screen and set the SSID to match the SSID on your main router (usually defaults to the manufacturer's name "NETGEAR" or "LINKSYS", you get the picture)
7. Set the channel to a different channel than your main router. 1,6, and 11 are good channels. If your main router is at 6, set this one to 1 or 11.
8. Go to the network setup screen and set your IP address to the IP address you put into the main router earlier (see step 3). This will be the new way you log onto this WGR614.
9. Turn off DHCP by unselecting the radio button on the web screen.
10. THIS NEXT STEP IS CRITICAL, pay attention...
11. Using a crossover cable (Cat5 crossover, available at Radio Shack), connect the new wireless router you have just configured to your network by plugging one end of the cable into your network and the other into one of the four switch ports of the new router. DO NOT CONNECT IT TO THE WAN PORT. If you connect it to the WAN port, this configuration simply will not work.
This should do it. Test it by logging onto the main router (again 192.168.0.1 for netgear) to make certain you can see it. Then try out Internet connectivity.
Customer Review: One of the better Routers
Summary: 5 Stars
I started my quest to set up a wireless network at home with my Dell laptop and a Belkin F5D7230-4 router. The experience was painful and time consuming and ended up with me throwing the Belkin router into trash (Belkin's tech support told me that their routers are incompatible with Intel Centrino chips! I wonder what they are doing in wireless market then).
This is when I talked to my friends and almost everybody suggested Linksys or Netgear. A local Fry's store was selling Netgear WGR614 at discounted prices during a sale. I jumped on it.
To rate any router, one has to comment on its 3 "S", setup, specs and security. I have done quite a bit of research and below is my report on these.
SETUP: Took me less than 5 minutes to complete the setup. Only thing I had to do was to connect all the cables and turn the power on. Then choose a SSID, password, provide your connection information (depending upon what type of internet connection you have) and voila! I had a wireless network up and running.
SPECIFICATIONS: It supports both 108.11b and g networking. Weighs about half a lb. and is small (7"x1"x4.5") Mine is silver and looks so cool that I don't mind putting it on my tv!
SECURITY: Netgear router not only provides wireless network for your home but also protects it. It has a strong firewall to insulate your home machines for malicious hacker attacks like Denial Of Service, or attempts to access your machine from internet. It can also help you manage the content being accessed (if you have kids, this is a great feature). It allows remote management too and you can get the logs emailed to you.
I had to do almost no other maintenance in last 6 months that I have owned this router. It has a decent range. I can go to a park across the street and still access my network.
For 95% of us, this is enough.
I cannot comment on Netgear's customer service since I have never used it and I hope I won't have too!
In conclusion, I believe most known brands like Linksys and D-Link may also have some good routers. But you still have to make sure that the one you buy works for your laptop and your home (for example, according to Belkin's customer service their wireless routers are incompatible with Centrino chips.)
Netgear has worked great for me and I am sure it will work well for you too.
It is being sold for a great price right now, so go and grab yours. You won't be disappointed.