NetGear WGR614 Wireless Router; My Second, Hoping It Lasts Longer Than My First Router
Written: Jan 26 '09
Product Rating:
Ease of Installation:
Ease of Use:
Pros: Looks good and works fine
Cons: It's white and may look dirty faster than the old one we had.
The Bottom Line:
The good thing is that this was inexpensive at $40, set up easily, and gives enough signal, even to the far reaches of our large home, to work without fail.
popsrocks's Full Review: NetGear WGR614 Wireless Router
I have had the D-Link Wireless Router WBR-1310 for about 2 and a half years. It was an excellent piece of equipment for me. Unfortunately I started having major problems with the D-Link Wireless Router WBR-1310. At first I thought it was my cable connections but soon found out it was the wireless router that was the problem. That was after a no charge visit from the cable man. I didn't even think about having the old router repaired. Out the window it would go. Fact is I don't use it at all right now. I had a couple of laptops, one that I recently won at a business event, but wound up giving the last one to one of my daughters who really did need one for school.
I have a PC on my desk. It was my two daughters who were tapping off my cable connection. My solution was, disconnect the old router so I could have trouble free connections. Hey, if they wanted wireless they will have to go out and purchase their own router. They did.
Of course it had to be installed at a point close to my computer. That meant switching out a couple-a-few wires and then getting them started. It really wasn't much of a problem, but first...
The NetGear WGR614 Wireless Router
My daughter went out and made the purchase. She purchased by price. This was about the least expensive in a brick and mortar store going for $40. It was recommended as pretty good for the price and that they didn't have return problems with this model. The profile on this was just a little larger than the D-Link Wireless Router WBR-1310 I had. The NetGear wireless router measures about 5" x 7" x about 1". It's white in colour and has a small antenna to one side of the rear of the box. Pretty standard stuff.
For those who need it, just click on the details tab at the top of the review. There you will find all kinds of stats like data rates and all sorts of Mbps, numbers along with modulation letters like OFDM,CCK, QPSK and other sort things that I have no idea as to what they are. Some security letters are stated too. Believe me there's plenty of "stuff" there to read. It seems this router can help access use of laptops, other PCs, and gaming consoles.
For the gals they just want Internet surfing, emails and chat, and streaming music.
The router has four ports in back. I don't need all that because we are generally just pulling the wireless connection. My daughter however says she can use those posts, with a little adaption, to get access to my printer. I guess that's good except for the price of ink that I get stuck purchasing.
A length of Ethernet wire was included as was the power pack and a disc for installation along with some installation instructions. All was good.
Getting Started
It was my thought that I would simply disconnect the old one and reconnect to the new NetGear WGR614 Wireless-G Router. Nope it needed more attention than that but the full process only took about ten minutes, if that. Of course my daughter took care of some security things that were built in but needed a little extra attention.
First though, I had to place a disc into my computer and let that do its job with its built in "Smart Wizard". A prompt or a few later I was set to go. Even this "computer challenged" guy could follow what was on the screen.
All was set and in a short time we were ready to see if the NetGear Wireless-G Router was sending out a signal. I'm glad I didn't have to take advantage of the 24/7 Technical support thr box states we have.
Signals in Our Home
We do have a large home so the power of signal of the NetGear wireless router was an important issue but so was the price so we started at the bottom. he signal was full and excellent when right next to the router. I guess that was to be expected. The signal was still good in the living room that is two walls and about 25' away.
Going up to my daughters bedroom was going to be more difficult we knew. It is about 45' away with a few walls and upstairs. The signal there was marked as low but she can do everything she needs. She gets a signal that is uninterrupted and smooth running. I wonder what would happen if she went up into the attic? Nah, not important.
pops last thoughts
I'm glad the gals purchased the router. It got me off the hook. I wonder if they are going to hit me for a couple-a-bucks once I start using my old laptop with it?
The good thing is that this was inexpensive at $40, set up easily, and gives enough signal, even to the far reaches of our large home, to work without fail. I can recommend the NetGear Wireless Router WGR614. Right now I give it just three stars. I hope it lasts more than the two and a half years our old one did. If it does, I will increase the rate.
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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