Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router

For years and years I have been a fan-boy of the venerable but geriatric Linksys WRT-54G (hackable versions) and then the WRT-54GL (hackable) - I run either DD-WRT or Tomato in all my Linksys routers. The love affair has alas come to an end after my second WRT-54G/GL failure, and #3 isn't doing well either needing an occasional reboot. The WRT-54GL in the motorhome needed frequent reboots. The WRT-54GL in the house that I used for an access point was running Tomato and frequently needed a reboot and the speeds weren't good. A buddy of mine had good luck with the Netgear WGR614 wireless router, so I replaced the Linksys in the motorhome about a year ago with the WGR614 and had great luck with it so far. Finally I got around to replacing the house AP with the WGR614 and its performance compared to the WRT-54 is significantly better. Neither Netgear router has required a reboot. Setup of the WGR614 is very straightforward and I like the useful Help/Description of the options on the right side of the page. I am so used to the Linksys user interface (UI) paradigm I will admit the Netgear UI, and where the various options were located took a bit of study, but I quickly found my way around. You can do the usual things for access control - block by time, MAC address, IP address, block by protocol AND IP address, block by keyword and/or domain name, etc. With some time spent setting up and fine tuning access control, a parent could very effectively restrict their children's Internet experience (at least while home ;-) ) with the WGR614. One issue (okay two issues) I had is setting up the WGR614 as strictly an access point. This WGR614 is downstream of the primary Internet-facing router, so the WAN port is unused and one of the LAN ports is connected to my main house switch. I had to Google how to configure the WGR614 as a simple Access Point - I was surprised I couldn't figure that out for myself. The other minor issue is since there is since the WAN port is not in use, the WGR614 doesn't think it has Internet access when it does its check for new firmware. Not a big deal since the last issue of firmware was a year ago. Bottom line - it's a really good little wireless router if you need a product that's cost effective and you don't need wireless N speeds, Gigabit LAN speeds, multimedia, attached storage, etc. It's a basic router that works great for my use. Recommended by The Old Geek.

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.

UPDATE of previous review. I now have had this router for almost a year now. I have not experienced any problems described by others stating that the Netgear WGR614 802.11g Wireless Router needs to be restarted every week (or more). Though I have had to reset the router 2-3 times in its lifetime, the error was due to the failure of my cable broadband modem (and its restart) that required me to restart my wireless router. I had a feeling that I probably did not need to restart the Netgear wireless router, but did anyway without testing if it did not need to be restarted. I still have the problem of having to broadcast the SSID when I needed to add several newly purchased computers onto the wireless network (which I previously described as a problem). Another problem that I noticed was that when I added my father-in-law's notebook to the list, the router seemed to be confused and would only allow one computer at a time to connect to the router. I never experienced this problem with all of my computers (all 8 computers wirelessly connected to this router). I was never able to troubleshoot this problem, since he now has a wireless broadband connection (Verizon, which is excellent, but an extra $60/month) and no longer needs to use my wireless router. Another new problem is that for some reason the distance has now decreased. A year ago, I was able to have a "Good/Very Good" connection in the master bedroom, which is upstairs and at the other end of the house where the router is located. Now, I have "Poor" or no connection. I cannot pinpoint any obvious differences between now and then. I had to break out my old Netgear 802.11b router (MR814) for wireless connection upstairs, which is compatible with the WGR614 router. When I connect a Linksys compact wireless router (WRT54GC) with a high-gain antenna (HGA7S) with the same laptop (as control), I have nearly a full signal in the master bedroom, so it is possible to get excellent signal. If Netgear can provide an optional high-gain antenna for this router to improve the signal, i would definitely rate this router 5 stars!!! Also, Netgear wireless routers is still incompatible with other (products') routers, both wired and wireless. I tried to use a Linksys 802.11g router for the upstairs, but killed all network connections (both wired and wireless) when I linked up to the WGR614. Neither the WGR614 (802.11g) or the MR814 (802.11b) operates with a Linksys BEFSR41 wired router, but they work quite well with the Netgear FS608 wired switch. This is something Netgear (and maybe also Linksys) has to address. For PROs and CONs, I will stick with my original list, which I included at the bottom of this review. Conclusion: This wireless router is decent, and has obvious places for improvement. I give it 4 stars only because it works as a "GOOD" stand-alone wireless router for a small-to-average size place. I would give it 3 stars if I had to include its incompatibility with other products (ie. non-Netgear), and for its decrease in functionality/signal over longer distances and through several walls/barriers. I plan to copy this review and send it to both Netgear and Linksys, so that maybe they can address the issues I've posted. *** OLD REVIEW *** Prior to this purchase, I had the wireless-b version (Netgear MR814), which worked decently, when in the same room or an adjacent room. I decided to upgrade to a wireless-g router (Netgear WGR614) for three reasons: 1) To double firewall security (NAT firewall PLUS SPI firewall) compared to MR814, 2) To increase wireless range, and 3) To increase speed/rate of computer-to-computer file transfer. Setup: The setup was relatively easy. I bypassed the setup wizard, and configured the router manually. After troubleshooting some hiccups (WGR614 is not compatible with Linksys BEFSR41 router), my working setup is that the WGR614 is directly linked to my cable broadband modem, and my MR814 uplinked to the WGR614. Overall, the setup time was about 10-12 minutes. For some reason, I have to enable the broadcast of the SSID in order for my computers to find the router. I tried to force my computers to find the router manually, but failed. This is no big deal because I also secured the router by limiting the MAC addresses who can see this router, so I can specify which wireless cards (my computers) can access the router. Login to the router is different (http address), but still works the same as previous router. Speed and Distance: There is no noticeable difference with regards to web browsing. This is not surprising, because the maximum download speed of most internet broadband providers are somewhere between 1.5-3.0 Mbps (DSL) to 4-6 Mbps (Cable). Notice I say "maximum," because the working speed is actually 60-70% of their boasted speeds. I have Comcast Cable Broadband, and although they say the download speeds are upwards of 6-8 Mbps, I have only "clocked" their speed (via Mcafee speedometer) at an average of 1.5-2 Mbps, and peaked at about 3 Mbps a few times. I've had the occasional signal drop with my HP Pavilion notebook (using the Netgear WG511 wireless-g card), but I'm not sure if it is the router or my wireless card who is at fault. I have a feeling it is on the wireless card end, because my HP Notebook workstation AND my Dell Latitude X1 have no problems with signal drop or range. It worked so well that I helped my neighbor setup the same router, but we went through the wizard, and setup went by without a glitch. He only had one laptop to setup wireless, so that made it easier. Pros: -Easy setup. -Looks clean. -Works great. -I like the "feet" that can be attached to this router so that it can stand. Cons: -Not possible (without modifications) to mount on a wall. MR814 are wall-mountable. -This router seems to be only compatible withNetgear hardware. I have a wired Linksys router (BEFSR41), which was compatible with the MR814, but not compatible with the WGR614. (I gave my Linksys router to my sister.) This is the only reason I dropped it down to a 4 star rating instead of a 5 star rating.

there were four things i considered as "very important" when i went looking for a wireless router: - connection options - ease of setup - connection speed - wireless range and interference the wgr614 has (so far) performed very well on all counts. first, connection options. this router allows up to four ethernet connections so i've got my main desktop PC hardwired, as well as my work notebook whenever i have to work from home (my company does not allow wireless connections). another personal notebook PC and my wife's work notebook are connected using Netgear WG511 Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps PC Cards. second consideration was ease of setup. i consider myself comfortable with technology, but this setup was REALLY easy using the Install Assistant, a simple, browser-based wizard. this router was out of the box and running in 15 minutes. third, connection speed. i have no objective way of measuring this but so far, i have been very satisfied with the wireless speed connection. a caveat: i have read from other websites that in mixed-mode (when both 802.11g and 802.11b devices are running), transfer speed suffers but since i only connect using 802.11g, this has not been an issue. fourth consideration was connection range. i have this router setup in the basement and so far, i have not had any wireless connection issues when using our notebook in the front or back porch or in the second floor. there's always the potential of interference from other devices but i am happy to report that i have yet to see evidence of such interference. a final bonus consideration: this router has a slim design the size of a thin paperback with a rounded, silver exterior. this can be laid flat but it can also stand on edge using a little plastic stand. all in all, a very nice package that i am comfortable recommending to anyone looking to setup a wireless home network. i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.

This product has worked flawlessly out of the box. The instructions were extremely easy to follow and set-up was a breeze. I was worried this router would not know how to handle PPPoE but it connected to my ISP with no problems. The router's web-based configuration program has great explanations of everything and setting up the WEP encryption was surprisingly easy. The router itself is extremely small (it fits easily atop of my computer tower, although close contact to metal is not recommended to improve signal). Even at the point in my house farthest away from the router (I live in a two story house) the signal strength was still "Good". I'm sure if I positioned the router in a better place the signal strength would be better. I had a bit of trouble getting my Windows XP and Windows 2000 computers to recognize the shared network resources (ie: filesharing across the LAN). It turned out to have nothing to do with the Netgear router, but rather software firewalls on the computers. After several hours of searching the internet for information, (The wizard in Windows XP allows you to create a disk for use in setting up filesharing in non-XP computers.. however it doesn't work in Windows 2000 and possibly NT.) I finally realized it was my software firewalls on both computers that was throwing the whole thing off. Since the router comes with dual firewall protection I would recommend at least attempting to close the software firewalls if you are having trouble accessing shared resources. It would have saved me a lot of trouble. Ultimately this router performs very well and is quite a bit less expensive than its competitors. It is space-conscious and easy to set up. I have been very pleased with this product.

I bought this for the faster 54Mb rate...it is fast. BUT a few problems or differences in expectations were encountered... I have used D-link, linksys, netgear, cisco, USR and belkin wireless products. The transmit strength on this compact WGR614 is pretty strong. maybe it's a factor of the 802.11G...it seemed to be as strong as the cisco gear which is phenomenal in itself. The wireless card from netgear for 54G is pretty strong also. I think belkin was the worst, followed up by USRobotics which was also pretty weak, then linksys, then d-link. Connection was extremely easy. I just unplugged the D-link wireless and put in the Netgear. It found the internet automatically, configured itself for access and spoofed the mac address automatically. Something that is great for newbies. MAJOR PROBLEM: I use my cable (comcast-which blows chow most of the time...) to access internet to use stock trading software and as such, is a streaming data stream through a VPN. This router claims VPN pass through...but unless you know which ports to open up..it makes it somewhat difficult to use "real" VPN because all you're doing is opening raw ports to the internet to IP addresses behind the router. This is a pretty big security concern IMO. I just moved all my data from the trading computer to another server that doesn't have ports open...but a pain nonetheless... anyhow, back to the main problem. This netgear router tends to just stop routing...no joke. the connection lights with the internet remain ok, but the router just freezes, stops working and then works again in a few minutes...I've contacted tech support but the Netgear technical support is a complete joke. You wait on hold for 30 minutes (an eternity it felt like) EACH time and then get connected with India..yes, they outsource, and some of the tech folks in India speak faster english with major accents than some spitfire hispanics speaking spanish...needless to say, I had to remind them to slow down and enunciate so I could hear what they were saying.. Bottom line, tech support is a joke, if you have a problem. you're on your own...Ive upgraded the firmware TWICE now, even to the new unsupported "beta" to try and stop this freezing...to no avail. I've gone back to my old D-link and it works wonders...go figure... I'm going to order one more netgear router and if that freezes too..then i think there is a hardware/firmware issue... i'm jinxed folks :-)

I read all the reviews here and elsewhere prior to deciding to buy this router. I have to say I am very impressed! I upgraded to this router from the MR814 802.11B router. This router is identical to the MR814 except that it's about 1/3rd the size! It literally fits in the palm of my very large hand! When I took it out and connected it, I found that I didn't need the software Cd that came with it as it is mostly just help files anyway and I was able to figure it out on my own. Setup was a snap and I was done within 10 minutes. Nice Features: - 10/100mb WAN port! Most routers only have a 10mb WAN port. Odds are that your cable modem or DSL isn't faster than 10mb right now, but this router will support 100mb if you ever upgrade your connection! One thing to watch out for with this: The WAN port is set to Speed: Auto by default and some cable modems don't like that (mine didn't), so you go into the setup page and change the WAN port speed to 10mb on a simple drop down menu. This is documented in a separate notice in the box that you can't miss (good work Netgear). - Tiny!! This thing literally takes a fraction of the desk real estate my old one did! - FAST! I use this with a Netgear WG511 802.11G wireless laptop card and it is FAST! Connection speed is great even through 5 sheetrock walls (one floor Ranch style house). If you're not a very technology saavy person (your kid has to program the VCR) then use common sense: READ THE HELP FILES ON THE CD!!! Netgear put quite a bit of info on the help files on the CD (which you can also get from their website). This router is not complicated to get going. All you have to do is follow directions. Here is the general rule when setting up and troubleshooting router/broadband connections: - Setup your router using the wizard in the setup web page - once setup is done turn off EVERYTHING! That means that your Cable modem, router, and ALL pc's connected to the router should be turned off! - Turn things back on in the following order waiting 30 to 60 seconds between each: -Cable Modem -Router -PC This will fix 99% of lost connection problems. Overall, I'm thrilled with this router (did I mention it's tiny?).

I bought this product 1.5 months back, it was all started very well, timely delivery with good condition of product. Installation was simple and I was able to configure it easily. For about a month it worked very well. After some time I noticed my internet connection is dropping. I livs in Rhode Island and having COX internet connection. At first I thought there is a problem with internet but soon I realized actually router having issue because I was able to connect directly via modem. Then connection drops started happening frequently (twice in an hour). After contacting COX they said I may need to upgrade Firmware on Netgear router, so I downloaded the latest firmware and upgraded router. And this was the point when router became useless, it was not working at all, even rest button not working. When I contacted Customer Care they were clueless and impatient. I had bad experiance with them. I had to call 2nd time (20 min of waiting time on phone). Tech support person was not able to figure out where the issue is, so at last he said router has gone bad and I need to contact merchent from where I bought this router. Netgear doesn't take responsbility of anything, even If it has a technical problem, If you don't buy item from there store. So I had to call Amazon. But it was too late to return a product. I was told that max 50% of the amount I will get back. Though It was the product which got technical defect due to some fault of it's own, I am the one who is bearing the cost of it. Now I am looking for other company's router.

Don't purchase this item! Very easy set up but since then I've only been able to go wireless once!