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I'm trying to decide between these for FIOS upgrade, I like the Netgear vertical tower form factor better but not if it will be more problematic-less functional-reliable:
Why start another thread? Folks that can help you regularly read all the posts and your question was already asked...just not answered yet. Just sayin..
Anyway...I have had the 610n for over a year now. If you can keep it in an open space (mines on top of computer armoire/cabinet) heat shouldn't be an issue. Since the 3000 is the same thing basically, I would imagine similar heat tolerance. Unless you get a stand, or make one, because I don't think there is one to buy, horizontal is only way to go.
Having said all of that, if I was buying right now, and didin't have either of the two routers and based on ratings and reviews, then I would probably buy the WNDR3700. Go to this link and cycle through the benchmark comparisons above the graph and compare the two routers. You can select just the routers you are interested in to make the chart easier to read for comparisons.
The 3700 beats the E3000 on virtually every setting. You can check how this guy sets up and runs his tests, if you aren't familiar with it already. Fairly comprehensive and sound method for comparison purposes.
I hear you & did not mean to offend, if I could have edited the other thread title to include the Netgear WNDR3700 to attract owners-knowledgeable users I would'nt have started another thread.
Ideally I'd like a router designed to work in both horizontal and vertical positions with a detachable base with guest networks configurable via the Web interface hence my interest in the Netgear WNDR3700 over the Cisco Linksys E3000 but not if the overall performance-reliability is to be compromised so I was looking for more feedback before purchasing..
Here are a couple cnet reviews & will look over more online reviews. I really appreciate your feedback!
I got a E3000 on Tuesday. Figured it would be a good upgrade from my old Netgear. I thought with the cd, that it would be an easy set up...wrong. Set up was a nightmare, I spent 3 hours on the phone with a very qulified tech. that solved all of the networking issues. Now that it works properly, it is a kickass duel band that runs multiple laptops and I can get a great signal a block away. Overall, if you can handle the set up process, it rocks!
Thanks for the feedback, sorry to read about the setup nightmare as it's supposed to be relatively "easy", what was the problem?
Currently I'm still leaning toward the 3700 due to its versatile-form factor-attributes-
ratings-reviews (thanks hovercraftdriver):
"Closing Thoughts : For everyone who has been asking for a test of the WRT610N V2, well, you finally have it, since the E3000 is the same product with a new name. While the E3000 is a decent router and I'm sure that Cisco will sell plenty of 'em, it isn't as good as NETGEAR's WNDR3700, which is still the best-performing dual-band simultaneous N router that I've tested so far."
I know that neither is perfect & both appear to be class leaders.
My setup will be very specific for it as a secondary router connected LAN-to-LAN to FIOS' Actiontec MI424WR full instructions described below
(unless someone presents a counter-argument that the following is not the best way to set them up):
"To summarize: Actiontec is set to serve DHCP addresses from 192.168.1.11 to 192.168.1.254, and your secondary router has a static network address of 192.168.1.2 and DHCP is disabled. Both are connected with a patch cable from LAN to LAN. Straight or crossover cable doesn't matter because the Actiontec is self-sensing.
Some people may still have problems with their network because of known limitations of the Actiontec router up to and including Rev. D. If this is the case for you, consider using your router as primary, with the Actiontec as secondary router. Follow the instructions above using your router in the primary setup section, and using the Actiontec in the secondary setup section."
That last paragraph provokes me to want an easy return policy such as at Staples in case there are issues as Verizon's FIOS will not provide support for any router but
their Actiontec..
-Any Netgear WNDR3700 users out there-ideally with FIOS? -Thanks
BTW geneo696, how do you like your Dell Precision M4500?, I found the keyboard-palm rest flex of the E6500 relative somewhat disappointing..
LoveNotebooks, all I did was take the 2 cables out of the netgear and plug them into to E3000, run the set up cd, and it changed and deleted all of my settings. I dont know why it happened, and the tech guy did not know why.
I posted a short review of the M4500 in another thread, im still getting used to it, need some more time to play and then i'll post a better review.
Finally, my short armature review of the M4500. First impressions: Solid laptop. Love the backlit keyboard. Screen res. is nice (1600x900 HD+). 9 cell sticks out of the back about ¾ inches, small price to pay for extra battery life. Feels warm, not hot, but some heat from the keyboard and palm rests. Key board does have some give or flex, not much but somewhat noticeable. Overall I am happy with it. Im going to install Solidworks and see how the graphics run with the NVIDIA and CPU.
I'm a Netgear WNDR3700 user with FIOS and have the Netgeat setup as the primary. It's not very hard to do. For someone with no networking knowledge or technical prowess, it'd probably take 30 minutes to do. Took me less than 5 minutes to switch from the Actiontec to my own router.
I'd recommend the WNDR3700 over the E3000. The WNDR3700 has higher throughput than the E3000 and is priced around $20-$40 cheaper. The WNDR3700 is well worth and you can always use DDWRT if you don't like the factory firmware. Tested the Netgear, bought from Staples, for 4-5 days before I decided to permanently add it to my network. Found it cheaper at Amazon and returned the other one to Staples.
Thanks metril, why did you setup the Netgear 3700 as the primary I was planning on the secondary setup as suggested at:
3.0 Networking Verizon Online FiOS FAQ
I'll look into the GUI version update but if you're not having any GUI issues there likely isn't a compelling reason to upgrade it ATM.
If you try to enable your guest networks, they likely wouldn't work with latest firmware anyway but was curious. I'd like the guest networks to be functional for security purposes & to simplify Wi-Fi connections for guests..
"4. If you intend your secondary router to handle all the wireless connections, you may choose to disable the Actiontec Wireless. This might be the case if, for instance, your secondary router is Wireless-N. Disable Actiontec Wireless by clicking Wireless Settings icon, then click Basic Security Settings. Click item 1. Wireless Radio to Off. Then click Apply, wait for the Actiontec to reconfig, then click Apply."
I only tested Wi-Fi the other day while the DHCP enabled Actiontec Wi-Fi radio was off as described in FIOS FAQ above & (the DHCP disabled) Netgear 3700 Wi-Fi radio was enabled but can't these both have Wi-Fi enabled on the different floors simultaneously?
The Verizon FIOS provided router does not have a large enough NAT table to support many simultaneous connections. This means things like torrents would be limited in speed because you would not be able to connect to many peers at once. Furthermore, with a limited NAT table, your FIOS connection is never really maxed out because each connection pulls on the order of kb/s.
By using the WNDR3700 as the main router and using the FIOS as a bridge for the coax and ethernet, I can get the STB guide and VOD to work. Plus, since my network is no longer limited by the small NAT table, my computers can make many a lot more simultaneous connections. Thus, even my web browsing is faster because pages load faster. My torrents actually hit over 3MB/s down and over 2MB/s up. I'm actually using the full potential of FIOS now.
The wifi signal from the WNDR3700 is much stronger than that from the Actiontec. So, you shouldn't need to have another access point. Multiple access points can increase your wifi latency and ping times due to interference.
Appreciate your thoughts metril, so I was able to set the 3700 up (still secondary) via the
Actiontec Ethernet over Coax MoCA Adapter on the second floor where the Wi-Fi signal is essentially non-functional with both router's Wi-Fi radios enabled (even with both broadcasting the same SSID devices automatically connect to the significantly stronger signal) without interference issues so far.
I had tested the 3700 Wi-Fi from the FIOS entry point in the home office but its signal upstairs here was still not strong enough either. I have a 50 foot flat Cat-6 cable that I could reposition the 3700 to better cover the large layout but would rather not run more cable if avoidable ATM. That's why the
Actiontec Ethernet over Coax MoCA Adapter have proved so helpful as they use the existing coax cables.
I understand your rationale for setting the 3700 up as the primary router which I may want to do at some point so was curious how yours is setup. I should be able to do it with an Ethernet over Coax MoCA Adapter at the home entry point but how are you doing it?
Do you have ethernet instead of coax running from
the ONT connecting to your primary 3700 as it does not have a Coax MoCA Adapter built in like the Actiontec router or are you using an aftermarket Ethernet over Coax MoCA Adapter (or does it simply work from the Actiontec router with disabled DHCP? & run ethernet into the 3700 LAN port)?
Also are you able to get guest networks working with latest firmware & how much faster is it your FIOS before & after setting up the 3700 as primary (I have 20/20 but sometimes get over 30)?
I have an ethernet line running from the ONT to the WNDR3700. If you did not ask for ethernet when the ONT was installed, you will need to run some ethernet and then call up Verizon to switch the ONT from coax to ethernet. I have setup the Actiontec as an ethernet to coax bridge. DSL reports has a guide on how to do this.
I have not set up guest networks, but I am currently running separate 5GHz and 2.4 GHz networks. My FIOS consistently hits over 25 Mbps down and over 25 Mbps up. When I ran the Actiontec as the primary (using ethenet from ONT) Speedtest still showed results over 20/20, but my torrents and remote desktop connections suffered. Furthermore, I noticed slowdowns with the Actiontec when using multiple programs that needed internet access (torrents, video chatting, online gaming, etc.) However, the WNDR3700 had no program and churned through it like butter.
Using the adapter will add another node to your network. The more nodes you jump through, the great the latency and ping. Besides, why spend more money when you only need to run a simple cable and make a phone call?
Furthermore, the adapter is actually a router pre-configured to bridge the coax to ethernet. However, it also has a NAT table that is much much smaller than the provided Actiontec router and even smaller than the WNDR3700. Thus, you would be limiting yourself even more.
I haven't noticed latency-ping issues with the adapter yet & the ONT is on the other side of a huge house but when needed could probably do it without too many complaints..you bring up a good point regarding NAT tables, will have to look into that more. Was this
the guide you were referring to? -Thanks again metril
I believe that is the guide based on a quick glance. You should find instructions on making your own router the main router and turning the Actiontec into an ethernet to coax bridge. This would give you the benefits of your own router (larger NAT table, better routing performance, less lag/latency/ping, more security) and allow you to have VOD and guide through the Actiontec.
In this scenario, an ethernet cable is connected from the ONT directly to your own router. From your own router, a LAN port is connected to the LAN port (not WAN) on the Actiontec. The Actiontec is configured such that the LAN ports on it are bridged to the coax. The DHCP and wireless are turned off on the Actiontec.
The following post on the DSL forums tells you how to configure the Actiontec as a bridge.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
