Netgear MR814 802.11b Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router Reviews

• Perfect for low burget Wireless option

  
  By AG62RJJIAYSOZ on 2002-11-30
  I had a linksys Router and had bought the netgear MR814 to get the wireless option around the house. MR814 works perfectly right out of the box. It is easy to set up, easy to configure. Configuration is through web interface just like any other router. One good feature is that if you're setting up the router in one machine, you can get to the router pages on the other.

  The router supports port forwarding, DMZ, Static Routing, all the standard stuffs on routers. It also support Dynamic DNS, one feature that I miss from the Linksys router taht I used to have.

  The range is pretty good for my standard. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and everywhere I go I have full signal with my D-link Air-Plus DWL-650+, and I heard people living in a 3 stories house and the range is good for them.

  Some minor problems:
  1) The router has no built-in firewall, so if security is your thing, install software firewall on all computers.

  2) Default setting have Idle Timeout set to 5 minutes. That means it would automatically disconnect from your ADSL provider, I had to connect to the router and tell it to reconnect at least 3 times a day. I emailed support and they emailed me back like a couple of hours later telling me to set Idle timeout to 0 to maintain connection.

  3) There is no way to disable the wireless boardcast, but WEP is supported so turn on the 128-bit encryption if you're worried someone around your house can just listen into your traffic.

  Now considering I emailed them on thanksgiving, support is really good IMO.

  MR814 is a really good router to have if you're looking for a cheap way to get wireless in your house.
  
  

• Solid product; great price

  
  By A39MIQE8KM78L8 on 2002-11-14
  I've replaced my Linksys BEFW11S4 router with Netgear MR814, and I have not been disappointed. MR814 has a better range, better user interface, and several features missing from the Linksys model.

  Setup was very easy - Netgear setup wizard even recognized the type of the broadband connection I have (PPPoE-based DSL). The manual includes a handy table with settings for many US ISPs. Wireless LAN was also up and running in no time.

  I have no complains about the router operation so far. It's does not drop my PPPoE connection, and is generally *not noticeable* - just like a router should be.

  Features that make this router stand out in the crowded field of wireless routers: 24x7 tech support and 3yr. warranty, parental controls plus free Zero Knowledge Freedom Personal Firewall software (one-year license for up to 8 computers), and ability to update your dynamic ip address in DynDNS.org database automatically (very handy if you need to connect to your home computer).

  The only downside I can think of is the size. The unit is larger than many comparable routers, although it is not as tall as others, and can be positioned vertically with the included stand, or mounted on the wall.
  
  

• Excellent!

  
  By on 2003-10-28
  I recently got this wireless router to replace a Linksys cable/dsl router. The power supply was starting to get noisy after a year or two's use and it was bugging me. So I got the Netgear and I'm extremely satisfied.

  I was up and running in 5 minutes and that includes the time I spent setting up the security. (I'm very familiar with these type of devices so your results may vary.)

  The security is very high with this device. You can specify which MAC addresses (and thus network cards) you want to be able to access the wireless network and you can also turn on WEP encryption. Furthermore, you can also turn off the SSID broadcasting which makes your access point act in stealth mode where people would have to know the name (SSID) you configured it with in order to connect. When you combine these three levels of security, you get a great system.

  Besides security, it also has a much better web interface than the Linksys Cable/dsl router. There are more options for content filtering, logging, firewalls, etc. Besides that, I haven't had to reset it yet while I used to reset my Linksys about once every two weeks or so. This device is just more stable. Previously, when I would try to ftp to the public IP address of my FTP server from inside my LAN, it would hang my Linksys. This works perfectly with the Netgear.

  To all the geeks out there, this is a great device. Check it out!
  
  

• Easy installation & works great

  
  By A3387OS0UKRUS0 on 2002-12-23
  I always read user comments when shopping for new products, so I'll include the details of my installation for those who may find it helpful. The short story though is that this is a great product that was easy to install and worked as advertised right out of the box.

  I was reluctant to go wireless because my home network-to-be would include both an iMac and a PC. I purchased the MR814 router and the MA101 Wireless USB adapter. Within 30 minutes of opening the boxes, the wireless network was active and operating flawlessly. The MR814 router was installed between the iMac and my DSL modem -- the necessary cable was supplied with the router. The router setup required no software installation -- router settings were established using my browser and accessing the Netgear internet site. The instruction manual was very well written and the installation went "by the book". The MA101 wireless USB adapter required a software installation on the PC prior to plugging in the hardware to the USB port. The installation was brief and the software almost self-configured. The MA101 transceiver began communicating with the router immediately with "good" to "very good" signal strength (the PC is located about 150 feet from the router in a single story house). I was extremely impressed with the quality and ease of installation for this product. I highly recommend it!
  
  

• MR 814 Netgear Router

  
  By A2M6NIU19KE2MH on 2002-11-12
  This is the newest wirless in netgear 802.11b series wirless device. It replaces the existing model MR314 which I believe is going to discontinue soon. Previously, I owned a MR314, comparison of the MR814, MR 814 has stronger broadcast signal by boosting the detachable antenna to more powerful 5 dbi, which cover longer wireless range. I have 3 stories house. I placed a router in 2nd floor; my wireless laptop can go from third floor to basement corner. I highly recommend this product. The configuration menu has new function block ip address intrusion. The interconnectivity between my dlink wirless card and netgear router has no conflict or compatibility issues. I highly recommend this product to any one who considers buying new warless router. 5 Stars!
  
  
• Unbeatable value....
  By ALY96349XA8I2 on 2002-11-28
  I bought this router to replace my great Linksys BEFSR41 wired router in order to gain wireless network access with my laptop. At under $50 it represents unbeatable value. It worked straight out of the box and its performance is excellent.

  It has 1 x 10Mb/s WAN port, 4 x 100Mb/s Ethernet wired ports, as well as 11Mb/s 802.b11 wireless access. It makes an excellent replacement for my Linksys since it provides much of its functionality with wireless access added. It can be configured using a browser and it has one of the best configuration interfaces I've seen. The following comments related to the latest version of the firmware: 4.09.

  It has a configurable firewall that supports port forwarding and can be set to block specific ports to selected internal IP addresses. All blocking can be scheduled to operate only at specific times. It can also block specific websites, a feature I don't have any use for. It cannot, however, block specific MAC addresses, which is an important feature if you are using DHCP. Even if you are not, static IP address can be easily changed by users on the network. Therefore, in my opinion, MAC blocking is a must for a future version of the firmware.

  On the wireless side it supports up to 128-bit encryption as well as MAC filtering. It does not however allow you to disable wireless operation. For me, this is another important omission in the current firmware. Being able to schedule wireless operation times would be a nice security enhancement. Why have it run all night when you are sleeping, or during the day when you are at work?

  I am hopeful that in the future the firmware will evolve to provide more useful features and perhaps drop some of the less useful ones. If it were to gain all of the functionality of my Linksys I would be extremely happy. As a minumum I believe that it should allow MAC blocking and it should allow wireless operation to be disabled/scheduled. Since this is a relatively new model there's a good chance that this will happen, especially given Netgear's excellent past record in home networking devices.
  
  

• Wireless made easy and inexpensive
  By on 2003-04-25
  After reading many reviews I purchased the Netgear MR814 to serve as the center of my first wireless home network. I connected a Mac and a PC to the router via wires, and ran the setup wizard on the router to share my DSL connection. The router's settings pages are very straightforward, with lots of helpful descriptions. The computers were able to share files and access the internet after completing the wizard. I then tested out the wireless functionality from a PC with a Netgear MA311 wireless PCI card installed in it. Without changing any settings, the PC was able to access the network and the internet via the router. The router has a robust set of security options, and it was easy for me to set the router not to broadcast the SSID, restrict wireless access to my one wireless card (via MAC address filtering), and turn on 64-bit WEP encryption. After setting the network options on the PC to match those of the router, I was able to play games online with ~100ms ping times (~50 without WEP). I haven�t been able to test the signal range, but my experience so far has been nothing but good.
  
  
• Excellent wireless range, poor interface
  By on 2002-11-17
  I've been using the MR814 with an Orinoco Gold PC Card and a Netgear MA101 USB wireless adapter for the past few months and am more than satisfied with the range on this router. The Orinoco comes with excellent wireless link analysis tools, and from what I've seen, going through 2 walls at about 80 feet, I've been getting excellent connectivity. The antenna is detachable, an excellent plus, but I found the standard one more than adequate.

  As for the router itself, there's no firewall protection (aside from NAT), you can't block specific ports, and the interface is horribly oversimplified and poorly arranged (like a completely separate category called "Security" solely for DMZ settings - here's an idea, call it "DMZ settings"!). If you do get this product, make sure to install a software firewall on your computers as well (like Agnitum Outpost or ZoneAlarm).

  The only other gripe I have is that I can't seem to find a way to disable wireless broadcasting, but if you want great range from a wifi router at a very reasonable price, it's a great solution.
  
  

• Want to use VPN with it? Watch out!!
  By A13EMY7N25CIYL on 2003-07-09
  After I received my new laptop with wireless access in the company I work, I figured it was time to upgrade my home network to wireless, and found the price of the Netgear very reasonable. Allright, it was 802.11b just like my laptop. I hooked it up, configured it (took me a couple of hours to figure out how to set up a new network in my laptop though) and voila!! I was up and running, able to access the internet from the laptop. Then I tried to get to my corporate network using the VPN software provided by the company. It connected ok, but then I was unable to browse our intranet or access my e-mail.

  The problem? After 2 days of researching and finding *very* obscure references in multiple discussion lists, I realized that VPN-encrypted packets are too large for this router. There is a parameter called MTU - Maximum Transmission Unit - in the router that can not be disabled (Linksys routers allow you to disable this "feature") and any packet larger than that will b dropped. You can typically configure this in your VPN software but I didn't have that option either. I had to return it.

  Recommendation: For home use, it's a very good and inexpensive router. But if you intend to use it with your corporate network with any VPN software, you may want to make sure the software you're using can be configured to small packets of data.
  
  

• Unstable firmware finally resolved. It's OK now.
  By A3EX9PGC97VY3X on 2003-05-23
  This is my 2nd wireless router, (I am not counting my access points). I'm a tester in a network company, so I've done sone detailed observation.

  Pros:
  Netgear did an awesome job by making this 'slick' looking router with nice lights. There's even a sticker which explains what each lights are for. Setup is straight forward. For most people, they will only need to stick with first 2 pages (and sub-pages of those) to get everything done.

  The ugly:
  First-You'll start to get into some hairy stuff with the wifi page. When you set the 'country' and 'channel', you will notice that after refresh it disappears. Sometimes it sticks, but most of the time, you have to do this several times. Not only that, the help tab does not show up until you've made a change. Obviously a bug.
  Second-The port forwarding on the older firmware is flaky. You will need to upgrade your firmware to the latest released, which was in May.

  The really UGLY stuff.
  My SMC router was working fine in an urban environment. If I sniff the air, I see 5 other routers. So, I plug this thing in, put it on the same channel as SMC and it just flaked out. This router can not be trusted to be up 24x7 yet. Occasionally it will just die, and require a hard boot. After the firmware upgrade, router seems to have stabilized, but prior to this, it would die every other day from who-knows-what.

  In short, this router is pretty nice looking, and seems to have stabilized with '4.11' firmware revision. The new firmware has only been out for couple of weeks, and I've only had to reboot once. After you upgrade the firmware, I recommend that you hard reset it via the button on the unit.

  For now, I can not recommend this product.

  I've tested it with ISO downloads with the new firmware (Redhat 9, 3 iso's each with ~700megs) and the thing stayed up. Prior to that, this thing would hang. If you are going to power this thing on and off every day, then it's a good deal But if you want something you want to configure once, and deal with it maybe 4x a year, this unit has not proven itself to me. The new firmware seems to be great, but it's only been 2 weeks since it's release (installed the day after it was released), and it took them 3 months to release it. Then again, I can not recommend SMC either. If you have the money, and are willing to pay for stability, Linksys seems to be the choice.

  BTW: There's a 2nd version of this router, and it's supposidly smaller, and no longer has the 'detachable' antenna.
  
  

• Look no further...
  By A6BN3AVNYFWND on 2002-12-19
  Wow! thats what I can say after installing and getting my network/internet operational on three laptops in 15 mins. During last five days, I spent countless hours with D-Link and LinkSys support in trying to make my home network run flawlessly. I was using D-Link DI-713P for last year and half, before it died last week when I upgraded its firmware so it won't lock up whenever I accessed internet using Windows XP. I decided to buy DI-614+ model hoping it will work better than the old one but on the contrary, I had so much trouble in setting it up that I thought I was going insane. For any changes in setup, I had to reboot my cable modem, wait two mins, reboot D-Link router, reboot my computer. It drove me nuts. To top it off, the range of wireless is extremely bad. I consistently lost signal, downstairs from my office, in living room just 30-35 feet away. The admin GUI was complicated and any time it rebooted the router, I had to go through the whole reboot sequence. I called tech support, the front line tech support guy was a novice. I am a computer professional, not really a network professional but I knew much more networking than him. Later, I got a call from "supposedly" higher line of tech support, woman had nothing else to offer except resetting the router and see if that worked.
  LinkSys and Microsoft wireless routers also suffer from poor wireless signals. I didn't even bother trying Microsoft router when I read about its locking up problem. Linksys' poor wireless range, though not as bad as D-Link was unacceptable.
  This wireless router from netgear has user friendly gui and various options to make the network and wireless access secure. Over that, you don't have to worry about rebooting all the devices to make any change. Its signals are great, and I am totally impressed. I had almost lost hope in all the wireless devices on the market before I used Netgear's MR-814.
  My suggestion, don't even bother looking at other routers, buy this and you will be happy. It almost sounds like I am marketing for Netgear, but I would hate to see others get frustrated trying to make other products work like I did. I believe, this product will certainly fetch awards for Netgear.
  
  
• Well, it's better than the Linksys...
  By AYXJMJJJ8JMXH on 2003-09-30
  I picked this up after returning the equivalent Linksys product because that router wouldn't play nice with my girlfriend's ancient cable modem. The MR814(v2) installed without a hitch -- I did have to unplug the cable modem and let it reset before I could get the router to pick up a DHCP address, but it's been smooth sailing since then. I like its web interface more than the one on the Linksys router -- there are fewer screens to navigate, and it has an autodetection mode for quick setup. It works great -- as long as you're on wires.

  I'm having the same problem that some other reviewers are seeing -- the wireless connection occasionally drops out whenever it's being used, causing annoying messages to pop up in Windows XP, and generally making web surfing unresponsive. I'm sure it would interfere with FTP, etc. as well. I've also had it "lock up" once -- my computer (a Dell Inspiron 600m with the Intel Centrino 802.11b card) disconnected from the router, and although it still showed up in the list of available networks, it wouldn't reconnect (the wired network continued functioning flawlessly, though). Resetting the router fixed it, and it hasn't happened again. When it works, though, it's fast. Range seems okay (though the Linksys was better with its dual antennas) -- I did have to try a few different channels to get one with a stable signal throughout the house.

  I'm still trying to figure out if maybe there's something causing interference nearby, and I haven't spoken to Netgear's tech support yet either, so I'm still hoping this can be resolved. I did upgrade the firmware, which didn't help.

  In short, when it works, it's good, but it seems a little flaky when used with non-Netgear hardware. It does *work*, though, which is more than I could say about the Linksys router.

  UPDATE:

  I found some more information on what was wrong, and seem to have fixed my problem. The issue is apparently that the Intel Centrino wireless card (the Intel PRO/2100) has power management features that do not work properly with this router. The recommended workaround was to disable the power management (by setting it to "manual" and then putting the slider to "maximum performance" in the Intel configuration utility). That helped a little, but it was still not quite right. However, Netgear released a new beta firmware for this router on October 15th, and after installing that and updated drivers for the wireless card, it seems to be working fine now. The router still says it has firmware from July (when the last official one was put out), but I'm sure it loaded the new file, and it works. I'm not sure why it took this long for them to fix it (this is one of the most common 802.11b wireless solutions), but I'm happy that it works correctly now.
  
  

• Easy setup, but no support for 802.1x authentication
  By A32CJZW4MNU9LD on 2002-12-20
  When I plugged it into my cable modem, it just started working immediately! No configuration needed.

  However, after a few minutes, the wireless connection dropped. I reconnected and kept having the same problem. This happened even with my laptop a foot away from the router.

  Tech support was not very helpful. They suggested a static IP and reinstalling the firmware, even though I had the most current version. None of this worked.

  I finally tried disabling 802.1x authentication and now it stays up. This is a built-in feature only on Windows XP. Win2k has 802.1x support through a patch.

  It would have been nice if tech support would have recognized this when I told them I was running XP. Looks like the only security for this router is WEP and access restriction by MAC address.

  It works great now. But I was pretty close to sending it back.
  
  

• not as described
  By A1M4DFPK9JNCSO on 2004-01-13
  The router described on Amazon's page and in the downloadable user's manual offered as part of that description is not the router you will get. All information describes Netgear's original model the MR814. You will get the MR814 v2 which has no stand, is half the size, has a 2db antenna rather than the original 5db (and it is not removable like the original) etc. The MR814 v2 is an inferior, cost cutting product. Which probably accounts for the wide range of ratings you see in the 400 customer comments. Except for those that didn't get their rebates which means they paid even more for an inferior product. Read those comments carefully before you decide to buy on price alone.

  And Amazon - how about updating this page with current information.
  
  

• Great Performance for a great price!
  By A22EA9PD97QMYD on 2003-03-22
  I bought this product, since I had the problem of wiring my entire house in order to share an cable internet connection between 3 computers.

  I read more than 10 reviews for Wireless Routers and found that NetGear was the best buy. I went to review D-Link Wireless Products as well as Linksys, but between these three mayor companies, I decided to go with NetGear. It gives you all the features which they claim it has (routing protocols, application support, smart wizard to automatically detect ISP type, Port Rage Forwarding, URL content filtering, etc. etc.).

  Regarding the security, it comes with the option to enable WEP Encryption from 64 to 128 bit encryption as well as other security features. According to many reviews, some people have been having the problem that the wireless network drops every time. I connected two computers trough the 4 Ethernet ports and one computer using the MA311 Wireless PCI Adapter. This computer is more than 100ft away from the router. The signal must pass more than four walls with an angle of 90 degrees in corners, which makes the walls thicker. I haven't lost the connection ever since I connected the entire network in my home. The signal strength is at its 80% performance as well as the link quality, and I am receiving full 11Mbps.

  In conclusion, the NetGear MR814 gives you a great performance, excellent signal length and security. I recommend this product for home use, since it is easy to install and for the price it gives you an excellent value for your money.
  
  

• Please wait before reviewing at 5 stars-Disposable Router
  By A1FISBXTEFBYC4 on 2004-10-01
  I bought this router from Amazon.com in February. Last Friday I took a hammer to it out of frustration. THERE IS A REASON THIS ROUTER IS ONLY GUARANTEED FOR 90 DAYS -- it will quit soon after that. My internet was choked, nothing I could do would bring it back. I contacted Netgear, they told me to disable the SPI firewall. So, not feeling real good about it, I did, and I still had the same problems. Here's a couple of things to keep in mind before writing a review or purchasing this router:
  
  --Wait at least 90 days before reviewing this product. It will probably die on you soon after the 90 days are up. Sure, it's easy to set up, and it works great when you first get it. Rating this router a 5 before giving it ample time to "adjust" is doing the other buyers a dis-service.
  
  --Watch the firmware updates -- there hasn't been good firmware for this product yet. And I guarantee you, you will have to update the firmware. I even tried a German release, and it worked for about a month before the router completely died on me. If you don't know what firmware is, don't even consider this router.
  
  --Don't be fooled by "Easy Setup". All routers are pretty much easy to set up. It's configuring them to your specifications that becomes a problem (such as encrypting your connection.)
  
  --Make sure that your wireless adapter is not 54g compatible. If it is, you're wasting your money on this router -- you can get one that supports 54g for the same price or better. This one is only an 11MBPS, which isn't much if you have a broadband connection.
  
  Of course, I bought a new one, and I will wait to review that one as well. There's a trend with the five-star ratings on this product -- they're mostly issued by people who just received the router.
  
  I hope this helps
  
  
• Has its drawbacks..
  By A1YWSQ61LAWRAE on 2002-12-23
  I bought the MR814 a month ago .. as many reviewers said, it's easy to set up, and has good range. But I have been disappointed with it and will probably buy something else.

  Why? First off, it drops TCP/IP connections that are inactive for more than a few minutes. This is really annoying, since it drops telnet connections quite rapidly .. this behavior is for both the wired and wireless ports.

  Second, it needs to be powered off and on at least once a day, as it will start slowing down, not retrieving tcpip connections, and a quick power off/on cycle seems to fix the matter.

  So in the end, while it's easy to setup and has good range, I cannot recommend this router because of the above problems.
  
  

• Good Router
  By on 2003-05-25
  Last week I bought NETGET MR814 router. I never used LinkSys and DLink routers. I have a desktop with XP and a Laptop with 2000. The installation of MR814 is relatively easy. The installation instructions were clear and a new user shouldn't have any problems in understanding the instructions. I also bought MA401 card for the laptop. I have Comcast Cable Modem for internet connection.

  As many reviews indicated, you really want to change lots of default settings to setup a secure network. Under the Wireless settings, change SSID, set up the Wireless card Access List, Enable WEP security encryption (and rotate the passphrases). Change the default password (and keep changing it once in a while). Under LANIPSetup, assign static IP addresses to all the PCs and laptops.

  The only problem I faced with this router is I can't connect to the laptop directly from desktop (and viceversa) unless I disable the software firewall on both the machines. Called Netgear Tech support and they told me to disable the software firewall (I have Zone Alarm installed on once and Black Ice on the other) to connect from one machine is another machine. It is a pain. Once I disabled the firewall, I can share files and printer without any problem.

  The wireless connection through the PCMCIA card is very good. I get very good (above 90% signal strength) signal all around my home including patio.

  If your primary objective is to share the internet connection among multiple computers, MR814 is a very good router and you don't have a pay a lot too.
  
  

• I love this setup Works great with Macs and Window Machines
  By A1WFW9MIP81IAE on 2003-01-15
  I bought this unit after having a Linksys 4 port Router for 1.5 Years, Lets just say that I will never go back to linksys... I had no issues setting up the netgear MR814 for my wired PC and then I Connected my Powerbook G4 to it wirelessly with very little effort. I am running web servers, and I run VPN to my Network at work and I am able to administrate the whole company fast. Love the features of being able to block Full domains and Keywords. So much to offer for anyone, I am Running 128 Bit Encryption with no problem with the wireless Powerbook and you can go a step farther and set it up so that it takes the MAC Address from you wireless card and will only allow that Wireless card to attach (which means you will not be sharing your broadband connection with people you dont want too.)

  I would Recomend this Router To everyone. Does not matter on your Knowledge of networking.. It has Wizards on the Router to help you set it up...

  I am MCSE and A+ Certified and I work as a Network admin and love the Router so much We recomend it to the Users of our company so they can connect VPN to the company securely!
  
  

• Wireless Home Network
  By A3D4BYKH2FAL57 on 2003-01-19
  I have a PC running Windows XP downstairs (hooked up directly to the cable modem) and a PC running Windows 98 upstairs for the kids (probably 30-40 feet away). I purchased the Netgear MR814 router and the MA101 Wireless USB Adapter.

  Had a little bit of trouble getting the router and modem to "speak" to each other, but it basically had to do with the fact that you have to fully unplug (electrical, cable, etc.) the modem and let it sit for a few minutes prior to re-plugging in the router (so it can reset).

  Upstairs I loaded the driver for the adapter and had to go through the process a few times before the PC would actually recognize it. But, once it did, the amber lights went on and we were live!

  All in all, it took me about 45 minutes from opening the boxes to being wireless. Pretty painless and no lag at all from the wireless network. We can both be online with no delays. It works great! I would highly recommend this setup and with the prices coming down/rebates, you can probably pull it off for arond [$$$].

  Hope this helps!

  Joe V.
  
  

• This one actually works
  By AOF3IT5FFBI0H on 2003-01-22
  A friend recommended Netgear. Did I listen? Nooooo, I bought DLink because of rebates and the hype about double speed data rates when you use their router and wireless card combo.

  Getting the DLink internet connection working was difficult. It took two calls to tech support. The second call did the trick, it also directly contradicted the first tech. Waste of time and a lot of frustration.

  The double data rate only worked when the computer was next to the router. When I left the room signal strength dropped rapidly. Sitting on the couch 20' away I was borderline. In my bedroom it was off and on.

  Today I returned the D-Link stuff and bought Netgear. Internet sharing went up almost as easy as can be. I had to call tech support (hence the four not five star rating) and they actually helped. All I had to do was uncheck a couble of XP menu boxes.

  Signal strength is MUCH better. Walking around the house, in most places it's good to excellent. Going into the basement it drops the connection but that's as far from the router as I can get and stay in the house.

  I will say this, tech support is free for internet sharing. They charge a pretty penny if your computers won't talk to each other. I have two XP computers, the XP network wizard was useless and it took somework to get file sharing up and running.

  This website www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/net-xp.asp helped. Along with this tip, from their discussion board: "uninstal "File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks" under the "General" tab of the "Network Connections Properties", restart the computer, and reinstall "File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks" and then going to the files or drives I want to share and turning sharing back on."

  Netgear worked, not as easily as I would like, but so what else is new. Now I'm a happy guy surfing the web with no strings attached.
  
  

• Be sure to get the MR814v2
  By on 2003-05-29
  Super easy to install. Was on the internet in less than 5 minutes.

  This is on sale for seventy dollars minus thirty dollar rebate, so forty dollars at Frys.

  Note! There are two MR814's. The "old" one: big box, loud, uses old Intersil chip, not as good reception. The "new" one is marked as MR814v2 for "version 2." This one is about half the size of the old, quiet, and uses a much more powerful chip from a new supplier, Marvell. All for the same price. You just have to check each box at the store until you find a MR814v2. I'd say at the Frys in Palo Alto, CA, that there were about 50% old ones and 50% new ones. If you can get a new one, by all means do this. You'll have a much better product for the same amount of money.

  Also bought the MA401, Netgear's wireless card, and it worked like a charm in the first 5 minutes. Also for forty dollars.

  Eighty dollars to get a complete Wi-Fi network for your home or apartment. Can't go wrong here.
  
  

• Easy to install and very reliable (SBC YAHOO DSL)
  By AK7EKALNEA5MF on 2003-06-24
  I use Yahoo SBC DSL. I use the router plugged into the DSL Modem and my PC to send a wireles signal all over my house. It works great!

  1. The install is pretty simple. It's ready to roll once you have your DSL hooked up. Basically, plug in all the cables and get ready to set up the details.
  2. The only challenge I had was when the internet page starts up on the netgear support page. There you set up your encryption settings if you want to. I expected a utility on my desktop to run, but that is not the case.
  3. Every now and then I have to unplug the router because my DSL gets interrupted but the router always works.
  4. I use the MA401 Wireless card for a WIndows 2000 laptop and it works excellent. It started to pull down the internet before I even installed it. That simple. I recommend both products.
  5. You must keep the router in a good location. I had it hidden behind my PC and that did not generate a good signal. Just experiment.
  6. The router does get somewhat hot, so keep it in a place not in the sunlight, but not underneath something.
  
  

• Good buy for the price
  By on 2004-02-11
  The bottom line is that Netgear makes a decent product. I don't say great product because it has some shortcomings:
  1) support isn't great. used to be top notch customer service and over the last couple of years it has really gone down hill. You get basic support for the first 90 days then after that you have to use the web site only or pay for phone support. To boot, the first level support just isn't sharp and is downright frustrating.
  2) netgear is slacking on their compatibility testing. out of the box this did not work with my IBM Thinkpad computer (centrino based). I had to upgrade the firmware on the router before it worked properly.

  That said, the upside:
  1) Nice, slim, compact and visually appealing design
  2) The wireless signal is strong through my two story home
  3) The web based router configuration is fairly simple to use (with knowledge of these devices)
  4) The out of box router setup wizard seems to work well
  5) Solid wireless security: disable wireless SSID broadcast, 64 and 128bit wireless encryption, MAC address filtering
  6) solid router functions: firewall, DHCP server, VPN support, URL filtering, etc. etc.

  If you have the tolerance to deal with *potential* setup issues, this is definitely a 4 out of 5 starts product... good bang for your buck.
  
  

• Firmware bugs, slows outlook and close connection for telnet
  By ANWH0K8Z507QC on 2002-12-06
  If you just use internet explorer, outlook express, the router is OK. But please read the following firmware errors I found and discussed with a senior technicion.

  1. I am using SSL(port 995) for outlook express. The securing process is much slower than when I was using the D-Link DI-704P router. The technician said it was because of the biult-in firewall in the router.

  2. In a telnet, ssh window, if you just idle for a few minutes, the connection will be closed. He said that it was also because of the firewall that will close the connection when it detects idling. He said there is no way you can turn off the firewall.

  3. I installed the software firewall, and I found it not very customarizable and you may not be able to open a specific port such as port 6000 for X11.

  The speed is fine. Even a junior technician told me it is 10M half Duplex.

  My conclusion is that you shouldn't buy it if you use telnet, ssh, or telnetd,sshd. If you don't use them, it is a OK router.
  
  

• Intensely Frustrating - Don't Risk It!
  By on 2003-08-03
  I'm happy for all the reviewers for whom this product worked out, but it was a disaster for me. Just to hit the high points:

  (1) The set-up instructions had bizarre blind spots which left me without guidance on key issues.

  (2) Once it was set up, the wireless connection dropped incessantly -- more or less every twenty minutes -- no matter what I did (and I spent hours trying to solve the problem).

  (3) The wireless connection could not survive distances of more than 4 or 5 feet, even with no walls or other obstructions in the way. (Note that I was using both the Netgear router and Netgear wireless cards).

  (4) My first call to the help line started with 45 minutes on hold. The second time I called help I waited on hold for 45 minutes before the system hung up on me (with no indication why). I called back and waited another 25 minutes before the system hung up on me again. I called back a 3rd time, and got through after 35 minutes.

  (5) The help people I spoke with were very friendly and eager to help, but nothing they offered helped even the slightest bit. For example, they directed me to a system upgrade that was supposed to solve the problem of dropped connections; it made absolutely no difference whatsoever. They suggested various other tactics, but none made a difference. I sank hours into implementing their suggestions -- all wasted.

  (5) Finally, help told me that they would research the dropped connection issue further and get back to me. They never did. I doubt they meant badly; much more likely, Netgear refuses to provide even a fraction of the funds necessary to sustain a workable help line.

  Reading other reviews, I guess it must be true that this product works for some people. But I've got good basic equipment, am generally able to make computers (etc) do what they're supposed to do, and gave this product many hours of effort, and it was an absolute failure. Maybe the product is finicky about what other products it will work with; or maybe Netgear's quality control is so bad that the quality of individual units varries enormously. Either way, I'd say its not worth the gamble. There's no reason to risk the kind of frustration this product caused me. Save yourself the ulcer.
  
  

• Product may be OK, but Netgear support and ethics are not
  By on 2004-01-13
  I was able to set up the router fairly quickly. Ran into couple of issues, which I tried to resolve through their support, but they didn't answer my email, so had to rely on other users on the net.
  The router since works fairly well, even in a two-story home.
  The only issue I have is when I come out of deep-sleep mode,
  where the router won't respond, so I have to restart my computer.

  My problem with Netgear is that they would not pay the rebate on this product, they won't even take emails on this issue.

  During my investigation on Netgear's reputation on the Better Business Bureau web site I found this excerpt:

  "Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau. Specifically, our records show a pattern of non-response to consumer complaints as well as a pattern of unresolved complaints brought to its attention by the Bureau. "

  Regardless of the quality of their products, Netgear comes across as a company that lacks simple ethics of business, so they shall never again get my business.
  
  

• This is the real deal.
  By AOLL0UMFB4Y4Y on 2003-02-27
  I've owned a Linksys wired 4-port router switch (BEFSR41) for over 3 years and wanted to go wireless; an office supply chain store had mail-in rebate offers on MICROSOFT's router and PCMCIA card, and thinking it was a good deal, I bit. Their product felt cheap coming out of the box, and was it ever -- it couldn't keep the connection on my Cable modem. My IM program kept getting booted off, about every 20 seconds... try to have a conversation! The salesperson swore to me that he's never had problems with those before, that maybe my wireless phone was interfering (so much so that my WIRED computers had the same problems??) but sorry - I know everything was set up correctly, and the quality just wasn't there... and I'm not paid to be their beta tester, I wasn't going to wait for a firmware upgrade! Back to the store with you, next please!

  So I surfed around for a better option, looked at the reviews here and at CNET, and found this router. Most reviews were good, and the cliche "Acme co., NEVER AGAIN!" posts weren't too numerous. I thought I would wait to replace my Linksys with another Linksys since I've been relatively happy with it, but aided by a generous mail-in rebate, I gave this - and Netgear's MA401 PCMCIA card - a shot.

  One word: FANTASTIC! My IM programs work great, websurfing is spotless, and DMZ works well for my gaming 'needs' (although I'm not a "hard-core" PC gamer... PS2 rules!). It worked great out of the box, it accepted my advanced settings (disabled DHCP, etc) without a hitch, and I get a good signal & throughput across my house (above 80% anywhere indoors, always at 11mbps).

  Let's not kid ourselves, the installation of ANY network device requires a minimum of computer knowledge, so I won't tell you that "it's so easy anyone can do it"... but even if you're a complete novice, at least this machine will work invisibly once you have someone help you install it. If you know the difference between an IP address and an e-mail address, you'll likely have no trouble. And if you're a wannabe-techie, this machine isn't so dumbed-down as to be completely neutered... you can configure it to do what you want it to do.

  BOTTOM LINE: Rock-bottom price, yet works great. Easy to install as networking gets. Thoroughly configurable. Looks really cool in your office. Look no further.
  
  

• DO NOT BUY!!!! CONNECTION DROPS OFTEN! NO SUPPORT!!!
  By A1O5JF8671FQAJ on 2004-11-09
  I have experienced the same problem as many others have done. When you first connect it, it works for a while but then the connection drops. I think this product is defective. Read the other comments here. Technical supports do not help at all. They have not accept thised to repair. 90 day warrant is WORTHLESS. Why you think Amazon is selling this for just $6 after rebate. In my opinion, this doesn't even worth $6. DO NOT BUY!!!!!
  
  
• Router works well...but DON'T EXPECT TO SEE THE REBATE
  By on 2003-11-20
  Title says it all. My experience with the router has been completely positive. I'm still now 20 weeks into getting the rebate....had to call and ask for it after 16 weeks .... now the 'www.wheresmyrebate.com' says its mailed....but of course three weeks later its not here. No matter how good the product this is NOT WORTH THE HASSLE unless you enjoy being stiffed.
  
  

• Adobe Photoshop Elements 7
• Quicken Deluxe 2009
• Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard
• Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009
• Norton Internet Security 2009

• Kingston Data Traveler 4 GB USB Flash Drive DTI/4GB
• Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router
• NETGEAR WG311 Wireless-G PCI Adapter
• Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router
• Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 - Slate