Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router
by Netgear
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List Price: Our Price: $34.96 You Save: $24.03 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $14.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router
Customer Review: VERY nice!
Summary: 5 Stars
I like this! It is small, and the color and design are pleasing to the eye. After doing some research it came down to a router by LinkSys or Netgear. I went with Netgear because of the price.
When I actually require wireless connectivity, my setup consists of a DSL connection feeding into the router, a PowerMac G4 connected to one of the ports on the switch, and a LinkSys 802.11g PCMCIA card in my Macintosh Powerbook G4. We live in a 2-bedroom apartment (about 950 square feet) with the router in one of the rooms, and reception is strong everywhere. I would imagine that in a typical house reception would be adequate.
It is very easy to set up--just make sure you actually read the directions ahead of time. Follow the recommendations provided by the manufacturer, in particular about where/how to place it to minimize interference and increase reception.
I've seen elsewhere in reviews people saying that this doesn't work with SBC/Yahoo DSL. That's what I have, and it works fine.
I had one difficulty between MacOS X and the router. When configuring the router for wireless encryption (I use 128-bit) the key is required to be in hexadecimal. You can specify a key in hexadecimal directly, or specify a key in ASCII, and the router will automatically generate a hex key from it. People typically specify a key in ASCII, as it's easier to remember an ASCII key. I generated a key for the router, but apparently the method used by the router to generate the hex key from the ASCII is different from the method used by MacOS X, as I cannot connect to the router using the ASCII key. I can connect if I enter the hex key directly. I consider this to be a minor problem.
Customer Review: Great performance, range, setup, size and value
Summary: 5 Stars
Great performance, range, setup, size and value. It installed in just a few minutes. I took my laptop all over my back yard and was still getting fantastic performance. I was impressed with how small the router was, especially standing on edge with the stand that comes with it. The status indicators were very easy to read because they light up with meaningful symbols rather than simple LED dots. this makes it easy to read in the dark. I only changed a couple default setting. Before I purchased the router, I found one support item ...that mentioned there could be a problem for the router calculating the correct WAN speed to the cable modem. so I changed the WAN speed from auto to 100M. I changed the default wireless mode from "g and b" to "g only". Having a mixed g/b wireless will significantly slow down the 54Mbps 802.11g adapters. I only plan to add more 802.11g adapters. For security, I limited access to only recognize my laptop's MAC address. I found this extremely easy since I did not have to manually enter the MAC address, I only had to select it from a list of discovered adapters. Customizing WEP Encryption, which I recommend, was simplified by allowing me to enter a passcode, which automatically creates the encryption keys. This made WEP setup extremely simple because I did not have to manually enter the encryption keys on either the router or my netgear adapter.I plan to monitor the netgear web site for firmware updates, which are sure to come, as the 802.11g standard finally becomes certified. The 4 Ethernet ports, allows me to easily to connect my existing network without purchasing more wireless adapters. I connected a desktop computer and a printer server.
Customer Review: The best, stable, value-for-money Wi-Fi G router in the mkt - Tips for getting a stable connection
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this router for over a year now and WGR614 v9 is by far the best, stable, value-for-money wireless G router in the market. Easy & painless to set-up...zero maintenance, even with continuous use.
For the benefit of people complaining about dropped connections - if your router's wireless signal drops w/o reason and/or the connection stability is spotty even if you are practically sitting on top of the router, the channel that your router is using could be the issue.
A lot of consumer products work in the same wireless band - 2.4 GHz (e.g. phones, microwaves, baby monitors, etc.). Depending on the appliances you or your neighbors use, interference could mess up your internet Wi-Fi connection.
Login to the admin screen [...] using your admin ID/password (make sure you are connected to the router through a regular ethernet cable - you don't want to log in & make changes when you're on a wireless connection, in case some setting changes result in a dropped connection), go to "Setup > Wireless Setting". Your wireless channel is probably set to Auto or a static value. Set it to one of the other options & see if you get a stable wireless connection. Channels 1, 6 and 11 are generally best since they are non-overlapping - provided lots of other users around your place aren't using them already. This won't increase your connection speed but it could improve the connection's stability. You can use any of the popular utilities to monitor the channels being used by your neighbors, if you need to.
Customer Review: It works for me
Summary: 5 Stars
I think it's a matter of luck sometimes as to which wireless router will will work in a particular situation for me. All of my systems use the 802.11G signal. I have a wireless Xbox and two wireless controllers, a wireless HP printer, two iPhones and two wireless laptops. My modem and router connection is in another room and the signal has to go through a sheetrock wall. I bought a new Belkin F5D7230. It would kick off occasionally when I was using a laptop and I thought I could live with that. Later one my sons saw it and commented that Time Warner had told him that model router caused a lot of complaints the were thought to be TW's fault. Then I was getting drop-outs while using wireless Xbox online and I couldn't stand it anymore.
I thought that I would try a different router and used Amazon's ratings to find the Linksys WRT54G2. It had a weaker signal it seems and my Xbox kept dropping out online when a laptop was used at the same time. I gave the router away to get rid of it and reinstalled the Belkin. The person I gave the Linksys to loves it. He says it works great for him. His connection is in the same room as his laptops and Xbox.
I then gave the Netgear WGR614 a try. Right away I saw a difference. I could use all of my stuff at the same time with no problems. I know all of my stuff shares the same signal, but they can all share at the same time and that's what's great about my luck with this router; No Drop-outs!
Customer Review: Best Router you can buy
Summary: 5 Stars
I knew little other than the hours of reading and reviews read. One Router came up as a top notch router - this one. 614
Prior to, I tried all kinds, Belkin was pretty simple and straight forward, but I had the hard wired (which I now use on a wireless Netgear) Belkin. I guess if I had of been smart I'd of kept the Belkin.
This WGR614 has worked totally flawless for me from day one. I also upgraded the bios to the newest version and software upgraded to the max. That was about 8 or 9 years ago. I ran all Cat5 wires through the walls and under the floors and who knows where. But, I have a system I can count on.
I run 3 PC's, a PowerMac 8600 and a laptop. One of the PC's runs Linux and I have had zero problems. Every Linus system I have installed recognized the source to the internet, I never had to do anything much.
The Mac, was just too easy - plug-n-play! It was faster and easier than any of the computers I connected to it.
As for where it is? I have it mounted to a Rafter board. Highest point I could muster and still, one PC will barely see anything wireless. So, hard wired it too.
I did have a problem about 2-3 years ago. Someone had tapped into my Router. One was over a half mile away and the other was 3 doors away (Rural area). I couldn't figure out why I was so slow. Called ISP Support, they said check router for unknown computers. They no longer got a Free Ride and I was Fast again!!!