Recently, I decided it was time for me to replace the old Belkin “B” router that I’d been using for some time with a newer, “G” system. Not that the increase in transfer speed from 11mb to 54mb meant a thing in my particular situation (it didn’t… I use my system purely as an internet access point & rarely connect faster than 1.3mb). I went shopping one day for the best price & I picked up a Netgear unit for what seemed to be an unrealistically low price (after rebate, of course). Netgear was a popular brand & I figured that for that reason I couldn’t go wrong, thinking that they were all basically the same regardless of who I bought from. While the Netgear seemed to be just as good a quality device as others I’d seen; no matter what I tried I couldn’t get the darn thing to work properly. I tried for three days; repeatedly installing then un-installing the software & configuring it in every way that was suggested in the literature (or that I could even think of myself) to no avail. I even took it back to the store with the thought that perhaps I had just gotten a faulty unit. I returned home with another one but soon realized that the whole frustrating cycle was beginning all over again. I even got to the point where I thought about it at work during the day & began to dread the possibility of going home & spending my precious evenings pulling my hair out at my computer desk (while, incidentally, I waited on perpetual hold for a customer-support rep who might get to my call an hour-and-a-half after placing it… if I was lucky). This time though, I decided to take advantage of the lesson I’d learned form the day prior & I returned this one after only two days. This time I wanted my money back. I took that money to the Staples down the street & purchased a Linksys router that I had working FIFTEEN MINUTES after returning home! Now… do I think that Netgear equipment sucks or is otherwise inherently faulty? Of course not. See… I’m like a lot of people; I have some degree of computer acumen, though I’m far from being a Guru. I’m quite sure that whatever problem I was having with my Netgear router was the result of some oversight on my part. That said, I approached the Linksys and the Netgear installations with the same mind-set and the exact same set of personal pre-conceptions. So why then was it that the Linksys router fired up so much more easily (or at all, in this case)? Maybe it had something to do with a sort of non-intuitive way in which the Netgear literature & setup process were presented. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m very happy with my wireless router… and it’s not made by Netgear.

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 29.99
Driver Availability: Don''t Know