opinionated3's Full Review: NetGear WGR614 Wireless Router
I went by our local CompUSA a couple of months ago because I needed a second wireless router for computer work I was doing as a side job.
I was working on laptop for a friend because he said he wasn't able to connect to the new wireless router he recently purchased. He asked me if I would look at for him.
I brought it home and figured out what the problem was and fixed it, but I needed a way to test the repairs on the internal wired NIC and built-in wireless NIC. So I went to my local CompUSA and looked for a good low priced wireless router.
What is a router and why would you need one
I am not going to go into a long drawn out discussion about the technology behind a router, but I will discuss what they are and why you might need one.
A router is a network device that is used to route network traffic from one computer to another on a network. In a home network environment it has a very specific purpose; sharing a cable or DSL modem connection to the internet. A router can be either wired or wireless depending on your needs. The more popular of the two for home use is the wireless and that type is the one that I am reviewing.
A wireless router allows you to connect numerous mobile devices such as laptops and PDA's and once connected they can all share a single cable or DSL modem connection to the Internet. The Netgear WGR614 v6 also includes a 4 port switch that will allow you to connect up to 4 computers wired instead of wireless. You simply connect the
computer using an installed network card and an Ethernet cable. This will also allow you to share a printer with all of the computers connected to the router with a little extra setup.
When I was at the store, I looked at the Linksys wireless router first, but it was a bit more expensive than I wanted to spend. I ended up picking up the Netgear WGR614 v6 wireless router.
Netgear WGR614 v6 Wireless Router
Netgear is one of leading names in home networking equipment and that is why it is usually at the lower end of the price scale for networking equipment. I have used some Netgear wireless network adapters at work and they are very reliable. That made me feel pretty confident in my choice of this wireless router.
When I opened the box and pulled out all of the contents I was impressed with size of the router itself, it was very compact and it was able to be stood up on one end with the included stands that clipped on to the end of the router. This meant it took up a lot less desk space than my Linksys wireless router. The package included the software CD, installation guide, power adapter and a 4ft. Ethernet
cable.
Installation
Installation was very easy, but you have to follow all of the directions step by step or it will not operate. I found following the onscreen directions very helpful and easy to follow and in no time I had it up and running. One thing, I highly recommend you use the WEP or Wired Equivalent Privacy and it has the step by step instruction on how to set it up. This will keep anyone from accessing your wireless router without you knowing about it.
After using this router for a couple of months I have been very impressed with it. I really like the range, I have it set up in the living room and I can still get good quality signal all the way in the back bedroom which is more than 30ft. away from the router. For the most part the signal strength stay at the excellent or very good level, that is until our cordless phone rang. The reason for this is because both the WiFi and the cordless phone use the same 2.4GHz frequency band and cause interference. A simple solution to this problem would be to purchase a 5.8 GHz phone and avoid the interefence all together.
I have read that some complaints about wireless routers or access points when they are placed at lower levels of a house and then the signal isn't strong enough to be picked up by their laptop in a upstairs bedroom. Unfortunately, I cannot speak to whether or not this would be the case with the Netgear WGR614 v6 wireless router. This because we live in a single story apartment and I cannot test it to
see if it can penetrate the floor or ceiling without degrading the signal strength.
The overall size of the Netgear router is a definite plus in my book, at 6.75" tall by 1.00" wide and 4.5" deep when standing on its side with the stands in place, it will not only look stylish, but it will save on desk space as well. I really like the look and size of the Netgear router over the larger bulkier Linksys wireless router. The Netgear router is all white with green LED indicators that light up or flash depending on their functions.
Since we do live in an apartment and we have neighbors that are pretty close to us I take advantage of the WEP to keep my neighbors from being able to connect to my router and steal internet access. The setup of the WEP was pretty simple thanks to the step by step instructions on the CD.
I would definitely recommend this router to anyone looking to share a cable or DSL modem connection with other computers in your house or small business.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39.00 Driver Availability: Windows, Linux, and Mac
NETGEAR's WGR614 Cable DSL Wireless Router lets you experience blazing-fast network wireless speeds of up to 54 Mbps making it a snap to surf the Web,...More at eBay
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