Customer Reviews
exactly what you expect 
2008-05-11
I got my parents this router last year (the similar version), so when my old one died, I immediately got this one. They have yet to have problems and I dont expect to have any. The router was easy and quick to set up (maybe easier with a PC) and it has been reliable since it was plugged in.
First one broke on day 39, But it was cheap and straight forward so I got it again 
2008-05-11
The first one I bought, the wireless portion simply stopped working just after the month return policy, since it was the cheapest one available, and fairly straight forward to configure, I just got another one.
Good product for the money 
2008-05-09
VERY easy to set up. I did have to call tech support for some additional laptop config issues but they were very helpful with a short wait time. I have yet to have any problems with connecting wireless in any area of my house. All in all, seems to be a great basic wireless setup.
If you see this review, you'll be one of the lucky ones 
2008-05-07
I got this router to replace an old 5-year-old belkin. Big mistake.
1) Terrible customer service. Just look at all the other bad reviews this router has gotten
2) Hardware issues. Netgear knows the problems, has ACKNOWLEDGED the problems, but still has NOT fixed the issues. Best example? Read on.
3) PORT FORWARDING DOES NOT WORK. It does not work with the original firmware that CAME with the router, it does not work with the LATEST firmware. It is an issue known by Netgear and has never, ever been addressed.
Pay an extra $10 and get a belkin. You will save yourself a LOT of trouble
Small, inexpensive and works 2008-05-04
I had a Netgear MR814 that worked pretty well for around four years and then for some reason stopped transmitting internet wirelessly. Bought this through Amazon for $40 and it works fine. It's smaller and lighter than my old MR814. The only reason I dinged it for a star is that when I followed the instructions on the included setup CD it didn't work. When I just did it manually it worked fine. If you know anything at all about wireless routers then I suggest you just set it up manually without the CD. I also like that you can turn off SSID broadcasting with this unit, as I live in a densely populated area where I can already see around 15 other wireless networks -- no need to add mine to that mix.
Works like a gem! 2008-05-02
Netgear WGR614 802.11g Wireless Router with 4-Port Switch - The amount of homes with high-speed Internet access and multiple computers is growing steadily. Wouldn't it be nice to share that high-speed Internet connection with all of the computers in your home? Wouldn't it be great to also share files between your computers? And wouldn't it be amazing if you could do all of that wirelessly!? Well you can, with this 802.11g Wireless Router. Just add optional 802.11g, or 802.11b, adapters to each computer, connect your modem, run through the easy installation process, and you're ready to go. It even supports the slower 802.11b wireless protocol for increased compatibility. VPN pass-through
A solid router for the price 2008-04-27
Yes, the Linksys routers can be hacked to make them uber. However, this Netgear is usually priced 10 to 15 dollars cheaper and is more than competent with day-to-day activities. I've had no problems with overheating, as others have previously mentioned. I keep the router upright in the included stand and there's about an inch of space all around. There is no on/off switch, but I just pull out the power cord when i need to power cycle it (which has been almost never in 3 years of use).
So satisfied with it that I bought another one recently to set up my sister's home network.
Good router for basic/mid needs. 2008-04-27
I purchased this router used.
When I first checked it I noticed it only had WEP security which is quite weak if you have a persistent snooper around that may want into your connection.
I upgraded the firmware through Netgear's website which added WPA security which is far more secure.
The performance and range of this wireless router is what you would expect for basic/medium usage and standard internet browsing. I could stream music and Youtube videos without problems on it.
If you have a big house or one with multiple floors you may need to look somewhere else for one with greater range and able to handle more than 3 computers streaming or sharing content with each other, especially if you are a multimedia junkie streaming heavy and high definition multimedia files throughout the whole house.
Settings were easy to follow. Just one piece of advice:
In regard to the connection dropping/rebooting issue make sure to turn the router's integrated firewall off (SPI filtering) as it seems to interfere with some DHCP leases and causes the connection to drop on one or more machines.
This happened to me while setting up this router. The router's integrated firewall can also conflict with a computer's firewall (Windows Firewall, Zonealarm, Comodo, etc) not letting a computer access the internet, so it's your choice if you wish to use the router's firewall or your computer's firewall but you're better off using a firewall on the computer itself. Especially if it's a laptop you need to take to other places or networks and keep it protected.
Make sure also to add the router's wireless network to the trusted network zones as some firewalls won't let you access a network if it is not in its trusted zone.
It seems to heat a bit so it is better to keep it in an upright position. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with this router as it is exactly what I purchased it for, regular wireless internet usage, gaming and connection sharing.
Again, look for something else if you need something for very heavy wireless internet and home networking usage.
General guidelines:
This doesn't refer to the router itself but are more of guidelines to better protect your wireless network and access.
- Change the router name from the factory default and try to give it a unique name and toss in some numbers. Ray's router is not something secure. Also make sure to change the router's password.
- Use WPA and use a long key (you can find WPA generators on the internet), that will keep the connection more secure and change it every now and then, this to prevent a determined snooper from learning the key after a few days (weeks) of packet sniffing.
- If possible, keep the admin login and passwords written down and stored in a secure location.
- Turn off SSID broadcasting when everything is set. This will make your network invisible to other systems equipped with wireless cards or adapters, Windows automatically scans for open networks and lets you know that there are networks nearby and which is yours so you can connect to it. (how many networks can you see in your neighborhood?).
In the case of a network with SSID broadcasting turned off only you will be able to see the network as you are the one with the information regarding the wireless network name.
- Try to use MAC filtering, each Ethernet or wireless access card has a unique MAC address. This information can be provided by the Operating System on the card's information application, with this option turned on and the MAC addresses set on the router's settings you will ensure that ONLY the systems you specify can access your network.
These settings will keep most wireless networks piggybackers and snoopers away, with SSID broadcasting turned off, it is difficult for them to find your network.
And unless they REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY want into your network and have a few days (weeks) to spare in doing so, they just usually don't want to spend that much time and effort and move on to easier prey.
Hope this is helpful.
this will be my second WGR614 2008-04-25
This is my second WGR614 (my first one is a v6). The new wireless will replace an outdated Netgear MR814 wireless firewall which is configured as an access point on my wired network. My first WGR614 has been running solid with WPA-PSK encryption for a year or two; it's configured as a separate network and firewall on my wired network.
I've had excellent uptime availability from the v6 version of this product and hope the same is true of the current version; however, it will be configured as an AP on my wired network replacing the MR814 (so I won't be using the firewall and WAN features of my second WGR614).
A step up in speed, but a step down in features 2008-04-21
I bought this as an upgrade from the netgear Wireless-B router which had served me very well for a number of years. Installation was quick, easy, and relatively painless. I have a mix of wireless-g and b and both connected right away to the new router. I upgraded to get a speed boost as I have added a NAS device for central backup to my network. I also use the router to provide access to broadband internet for my family. The day after the initial installation, I began to have issues. I use VPN to connect to work, and my VPN connection was dropping nightly. I also run backups to the NAS device and they were being interrupted. Investigation showed that the DHCP leasees on my client PC's were expiring. I checked with Netgear and sure enough, DHCP is set to only last for 24 hours before it expires and has to be renewed. Renewal is simple, but then I have to re-establish my VPN connection, and restart my backups which is painful. To this point, there is no way to increase the DHCP timeout. I had no issues with DHCP on the wireless-b router that I replaced and found this very frustrating with the new router.
