Nightmares with Netgear Wireless Networking Products

Introduction

While this review is primarily about the quality of Netgear wireless networking products, I am also going to spend a decent amount of time touching on wireless networking as a whole. Note that for a more detailed overview of wireless networking (including the various types and security protocols) you'll want to review nickspohn's guide in our forums.

Wireless Networking

First of all, there is a very good reason Best Buy charges you $160 to set up a wireless network in your home, but there are also two very good reasons why the wireless networking section of any local electronics store is rife with open box and returned items:

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1. Setting up a wireless network is hard. Ungodly, stupidly, moronically hard. While many wireless routers have easy-to-use wizards (though I question the ease of use of Netgear's), the desktop adaptors don't. Ignoring that for a desktop, you usually (not always) have the open the case to install a wireless adaptor. Notebook users have it easy this way. Sort of. But when you take into account all the configuration you have to do, this instantly goes way beyond Joe Average Consumer.

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Number two is the big one, though:

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2. Wireless hardware has a nasty habit of just plain not working properly. While my skillset with wireless hardware is admittedly only a couple steps above "survival," I know enough of my way around a computer to know that if I use the same settings on one router and they work fine on that one, that they should work the same way on the other.

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No. Wrong. I'm an idiot.

I work in the information services department of my county health department, and I had the privilege of picking the brain of a coworker and technician about wireless networking, and we pretty much arrived at the same conclusion: that sometimes, even though something should work, it just plain doesn't.

So assuming Joe Average Consumer has gone through the hell of actually installing all of his hardware, and assuming that he was actually successful in configuring it all properly, it still may not work.

You see why this can be problematic. It becomes unnervingly easy to anthropomorphize computer equipment and think that it does not like you and doesn't want to work for you. You, specifically.

If you're afraid of wireless networking, good. You have a right to be. For some people it goes swimmingly. For the rest of us, it's a terrifying journey into the heart of darkness.

Mercifully, there are the forums here and on various other sites that can guide you in the right direction, and we have guides here that'll get you going. The benefits to wireless networking can make the whole ordeal worthwhile, too. Those of you who use your notebooks as your primary computers like I do know the joy of having one less cord to plug in.

And what's worth mentioning is that if you buy the right brand and the right parts, you can save yourself a world of grief.

Your Notebook's Built-In Wireless Card

...is generally going to be perfectly fine. I've used my share of integrated wireless notebook cards and for some odd reason (I'm going to assume because none of them are Netgear or D-Link) they all seemed to work just fine.

My notebook is using a Broadcom adaptor; my old Sony TR2A had an Intel card; the Fujitsu I reviewed last year was running an Atheros. None of these had any problems connecting to my home network.

Reviewing Netgear

Due to a negative experience with a Linksys product (an isolated experience to be sure), when it came time to set up a wireless network in my apartment, we tried Netgear on for size. Later, when called upon to set up a wireless network for a friend, I used Netgear products.

This was my mistake.

NETGEAR WIRELESS ROUTERS

WGT624 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router

We're currently on our second one of these in our household. The first one lasted a good year, maybe a couple months more before it started randomly dropping connections and for what it's worth, configuration is easy enough. The menu system Netgear provides is logical and if you have some idea of what you're doing, it's fairly easy to work with.

Connection remains constant and drops once in a blue moon. If you aren't a gamer or if you're a light gamer, this would probably be a good fit for you. It's my understanding that the newer ones offer fairly simple to use wizards (if they're anything like the 54 Mbps Netgear routers).

But there's one major problem with this router: it really, really doesn't like World of Warcraft. My connection to World of Warcraft has seen better days. Sometimes I can game for a good two or three hours, but sometimes it doesn't just drop the connection to the game. It drops the router's entire connection to the internet, at which point the router must be reset. Apparently this isn't an uncommon problem and according to Netgear forums, the problem isn't isolated to World of Warcraft. Buyer beware if you game. Note that the router performs perfectly fine for network gaming; it's internet gaming that becomes problematic.

However, if you don't do internet gaming, like I said, this one can be a good choice.

As far as range goes, the range of the router is actually pretty decent but nothing exceptional. One of the computers in our household is about twenty feet from the router with no obstructions between them, and it only sometimes gets the full 108 Mbps; usually it gets around 48 or 54. Farther away, about forty feet, I average about 36. Of course, none of that really matters much unless you're transferring data between computers; your broadband connection can't use anywhere near that much bandwidth.

I waffle on this router. It basically works, but our last one only lasted a little over a year, and internet gaming is really hit and miss with this unit. Additionally, it's rare you get the full 108 Mbps advertised, so if you're looking to do substantial file transfers over wireless, that's something to keep in mind. For what it's worth, these 108 Mbps routers usually aren't worth the premium.

WGR614 54 Mbps Wireless Router

Avoid at all costs. While the wizard to set up this router is helpful, one look at Netgear's forums will tell you this router aggressively drops connections. I'd made the mistake of recommending this unit to a friend whom I was setting up a wireless network for, and invariably, not long after I left, it'd start dropping the connections on its network.

This unit has a horrible reputation on Netgear's own forums. A good alternative to it would be a router from the Linksys WRT54G line.

NETGEAR DESKTOP ADAPTERS

Understanding this article is largely being read by notebook users, I feel it's still relevant to review the other Netgear hardware I've been able to use. If you're setting up a wireless network in your home, you may very well need to bring your desktop up as well if you have one.

PCI adapters are pretty easy to install, truthfully, if you have a general idea what you're doing, and there are guides online that helpfully explain how to do it.

WG311T 108 Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter

We've had two of these in our apartment. The first was brand new, the second refurbished. The first one is still kicking after a year and a half, the second was virtually DOA. The refurbished one dropped the connection constantly. CONSTANTLY.

There isn't a whole lot to say when something either works or does not, but Netgear's software is frigging annoying. First, you can't just install the driver, at least not easily. Second, according to Netgear you have to install the driver BEFORE you physically install the card. This is partially true, as things can get tricky if you install the driver with the card already in your system. You'll notice almost no other hardware in our day and age still acts like this.

Probably the most egregious offense, though, is that you absolutely have to use Netgear's miserable wireless networking management software. Software that's kludgier than Windows XP SP2's wireless networking management tools and worse, just plain doesn't coexist well with Windows XP's tools at all. The problem is that it leaves XP's wireless icon in the system tray, and heaven help you if you ever accidentally click it.

To say I have a low opinion of the software Netgear forces on the consumer would be understatement of the year, and it single-handedly makes me want to dissuade anyone from buying a Netgear wireless adapter, PCI or otherwise.

WG311 54 Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter

This one has pretty much all the same problems the WG311T has and then some. Even after switching from the two miserable routers (WGR614) to the one that worked (WGR624) for the friend I set up the network for, the two computers on that network still kept dropping connections.

I know what you're thinking: wouldn't it be possible that the WGR614 actually worked fine and it was really the desktop adapters the entire time? While it's certainly possible, the remarkable stream of vitriol on Netgear's forums towards the WGR614 leads me to conclude that it's entirely possible that these were three terrible pieces of hardware.

These cards drop connection aggressively in addition to having the awful Netgear software. We replaced them with a pair of Linksys WMP54G adapters. They both work perfectly, use Windows XP's wireless networking tools, and maintain constant, solid connections. They also have massive antennae, so for those of you in my readership that are slightly insecure in your masculinity, well, these are pretty butch.

Fry's Electronics also carries a small, next-to-no-name brand called AirLink. For $15 I picked up a 54 Mbps wireless PCI adapter that worked flawlessly out of the box. This was a year ago and it's my understanding that the adapter is still going strong, so that's a good recommendation too.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately I have to advise against buying any Netgear networking products. I've found them to be unstable and unreliable, and worse, they tend to be one of the more expensive brands. Additionally, my brief dalliance with a D-Link wireless router left me with a bad taste in my mouth when it would connect our desktop but not my laptop.

I have to grant a hearty recommendation to Linksys, a brand which is spoken of quite highly in the county department I work in, and was used in the Geek Squad department I worked in at Best Buy. Linksys also solved my networking problems with my friend's wireless network.

I also tentatively recommend AirLink. Despite being substantially less expensive than any of the competition, the adapter I used worked and worked well. If you're the adventurous type, this might be a good choice for you, and maybe you can report back on our forums about the reliability of this brand. I'll actually likely be picking up one of their routers in the near future, so I may report back as well.

Ultimately, setting the wireless network up is going to be difficult, but it helps when you can eliminate the potential errors on the hardware end. Random problems with your hardware can be frustrating, but if you're able to depend on the hardware, your life becomes a lot easier, and all of those guides on the internet suddenly make a lot more sense.

As always, further questions should be directed to the very knowledgable and friendly members of our forums. I don't pretend to be a wireless networking guru - the people on our forums are going to be more knowledgable than I am - but I am a fairly well-informed consumer, and if I'm having problems with some of this hardware, a neophyte is going to go through hell. Likewise, if I can get the hardware to work with minimal fuss, chances are you'll get them going with minimal difficulty.

 

I kinda agree with the one router, the WGR614, when I first got it, it dropped connections, like crazy. I tried everything support was bull****. However, after tinkering around with it, somehow, SOMEHOW, it's doing great as of now. I never get dropped connections.

My old comp had the WG311 wireless card, and it worked fine. There was never a problem at all, it connected to the WGR614, and a few others as well. My neighbours NetGear and my aunts SpeedStream's.

As for their forums, yea. It really sucks. Alot. Avoid.

 

I used to work in IT and i do alot of wireless networks now. I have used every kind of laptop card atheros intel broadcom.and netgear routers and dlink linksys and some others.I have to say by far the best wireless is linksys fewest issues out of the three. i would not use any other brand for wireless. the other brands either cant connect to certain laptop cards or certain PDAS just a pain linksys rarely ever fails me.

 

those ads (which are added automaticaly I gues) looks a bit funny in your post

EDIT: ads with NetGear WGR614 I mean

 

Gee, I bought a WGR614 well over a year and a half ago... Set up was a breeze, including enabling WPA-PSK. Router has been on 24/7 ever since and I think it's only ever been unplugged a handful of times (by my little boy who doesn't like the lights). Never lost a signal. Only trouble I had was connecting w/ Linux- I had to turn essid broadcast back on.

Now, I haven't been to the netgear boards or anything, but what you describe is the exact opposite of what I have seen. Maybe I am lucky? Maybe quality dropped off since I bought mine. Companies change vendors all the time...

 

Good review Pulp! It was a painfully great read!!! Proves that technology doesn't always make things easier....but once up and running, you learn to love it very quickly.

...and yes, Linksys seems the way to go with wireless connectivity...

 

Although i agree linksys is probably the way to go... it is still not 100% fool proof.

I've done 2 linsys routers. One works flawlessly, the other cannot connect to the internet... unless set it up in a specific way (which is annoying)

 

i personaly don't have any wireless cards.. but i bought a wireless router, about 6 months ago. Linksys WRT54GC its 4"x4"x1" and has 4 ports. and all those protection functions.

I also don't have a laptop yet.

But i have 3 desktops all wired up to it. and it working flawlessly..and then i messed around with some settings to make it even better .

I had a friend who came to my house with i his Dell I9300, and he was able to see a ton of connections, uncluding mine, and then i put the password in, and bingo it worked... his laptop had internet and we were able to transfer files. His laptop was like 5 feet away from my router.

But I was happy that someone could atleast connect to my internet, wirelessly.

For Wired Connections Tweak:
Open my network places > right click on your network card and click properties> click configure > click on the advance tab > click on linkspeed/dublex mode> set this to 100 half or full = then your done and click ok.
- This will stop wired connections from Dropping


Router Tweaks:
use www.portforward.com
- this will help you get some games and programs to work properly
Use your router page and if you know what some of these options do, then turn em on or off...Then go to the section of portforwarding and put in those values for the thing you wanna port forward.

Also you may wanna use DMZ, enable it, set your ip, mines 192.168.1.50, you need to know ur internal ip, and then set the last number lower than your internal IP.

Once you done that, go back to the properties of your network card, and click on TCP/IP, click properties and set your IP. once your done, restart your computer.

And then your done... everything will work flawlessly..also you may still wanna port forward just in case...

Wireless Tweaks:
SORRY i have no experience with this , cos i don't have a laptop nor a wireless card.


When i do get my Laptop, it will be used for everything my desktop does.
I will definately be playing online games, downloading (torrents), surfing.

My router and computer run 24/7, same with my 2nd computer, but my third computer is only used periodically.

I do not get any dropping problems, but once in a while (roughly every 2-3 months) you WILL hafta power cycle the router, despite the fact you turn off the log... it will be bogged down.. so just quickly unplugg it.. and then plug it in after 1-3 mins and your good to go.

Also for wireless networking, i definately hafta agree tho, it will be alot harder than we can expect... people do get lucky wherby they jsut havta plug it in and play and everything works.. that's good for them.

Yes all brands do work slightly differently, i've heard that netgear was good, it really is a subjective matter. Heck those Hawking routers can be good for some people.. LOL... it really just luck/or something like that lol.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

WOW

PS!!! I just implemented the DMZ enabled last nite, and roughly 20 mins ago, i put a 700mb movie torrent for download... next thing you know its donwloading at over 300kbs, its gonna finish in a total time of 50mins which is my fasted torrent download ever! hehe

hopefully someone can provide us with wireless tweaks so others can speeds like this

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Very nice

Linksys is a very strong router make, but their setup and configuration is horrible...if they can work on making that better, it would be a fantastic router all around

 

I have no idea why, but electronics always work well around me. When a hard drive from Quantum goes 10 years and is STILL in operation in a Gateway 350 Mhz PII computer (which still works too btw) it's a pretty big accomplishment. Only things that have ever failed around me is a tube monitor and cheap power supply. The other stuff has always worked. Not sure why, but I never have problems with my networking stuff either even if the brand is one I've never even heard before. Sure, sometimes the net or Vonage randommly decides to go out, but that's once a week at the absolute most and it's normally when I'm not using them.

You know what they say about about dragons though. They're good with fire and electricity. I've read a lot of things suggesting it's the way I am that seems to affect the things around me and their ability to always work. It sounds absolutely rediculous, but so far it's true. The netgear products I've had have always worked flawlessly. Maybe it's all my configuration settings or something else...dunno.

 

I had a netgear router 3 years ago from amazon.com. It drop connection like crazy. I return it to amazon and get a linksys and my connection is stable since then. After I go back home I bought another Linksys and it works great as well. When I moved to georgia, I got the Dlink router with Dlink cable modem. Both of them work great.
I willl never get another netgear again.....for an inexpensive wireless solution I will get Dlink.

 

Well that's weird, because I just got myself a Netgear WPN824 wireless router and WPN511 wireless PCI adapter and both were fairly easy to setup. The router hasn't dropped a connection as yet, and the the adapter is getting an excellent connection at 54 mbps, mainly because I limited the access to only g connections. My laptop's wireless adapter picked it up, along with other nearby connections, and once I allowed it access, I was up and running on the net. Haven't played any games online as yet, but internet browsing is pretty fast

 

Same here. My WGR614 has been running strong for 2 years now with various desktops and notebooks running Linux, Mac OS, and Windows. My kids play WoW, Guild Wars, Halo, etc. through it and have never had any trouble. I'm wondering now also if Netgear's quality might have dropped off since that time frame. I've had almost the exact opposite experience as Pulp. My Netgear was a breeze to set up and configure, but setting up my mother-in-law's Linksys was about the biggest pain in the you-know-what I've ever experienced with any computer-related peripheral. But who knows, wireless networking product manufacturers make such a dizzying array of models that one or two are bound to be worse than the others.

 

I got the netgear super g kit (router plus notebook card) at the staples president's day sale for $20. So far it's great, I stream huge movies from the pc to the notebook across the house. When I tried doing that with regular 54g, it would stutter and freeze.

From reading a lot of stories of problems with this router, it seems as though heat was a major factor. If you have version 3 of this router and stand it upright heat won't be a problem...it barely gets warm.

 

did NOT read your review ..

AGREE 100% that Netgear sucks , I bought a wgt624 from amazon a while back and it was a waste of time and money .

1. didnt get my rebate of 35$ .
2. router does NOT support a dial method I needed although it claims so on the box .
3. random crashes , disconnects , lockups etc. Will not handle anything above medium load of traffic .

To be honest there are plenty of bad reviews about their products around the web , but I was tempted by the style and price . So I ended up paying a high price and the stylish router gathers dust in the carton box - serves me right .

 

If you read the forums, many have posted problems with all brands of routers. Personally, although I am generally a bargain hunter, there is something to be said for buying at a local store where you can easily return the router if it doesn't work right for you.

That said, I don't think you should summarily dismiss all Netgear routers. I was one with the Intel 2915 card nightmare (dropped connections galore). I first tried the netgear WPN824 and it worked very well; upgraded to the WPNT834 since it was touted as the newest and best and noticed a small improvement with my husband's PDA, even over the original Rangemax. The Rangemax 240 (the WPNT834) has worked great since January. My daughter's laptop connects perfectly without dropping every few minutes like it did with our prior D-link 624 router.

Read through the wireless forum's discussion on connection problems with the Intel cards and you will see that, at least for this hardware combination, problems exist with brands across the board. For us at least, this Netgear router was the solution.

 

I have been working with netgear products for more than 7 years and i find them EXCELLENT. I use on a daily basis netgear wireless cards , router , switches and access points all made by Netgear with zero downtime in 7 years. Never had a singleproblem.

 

I have to chime in and say that I had an older Netgear wireless router that was fine. Absolutely no issues setting it up or using it - in the end it was replaced because it was "only" 802.11b and I wanted the faster speeds of g to transfer files between PCs.

Now I am using two Buffalo Technology routers (one is setup in bridging mode to connect the XBOX, TiVo, PS2 to the 'net) and these have been my favorites by far. They were a breeze to setup and have worked flawlessly. I think that they use a linux kernel internally which probably explains some of the stability.

 

I just bought a netgear rangemax 240 (the latest one) on the advice of compusa store rep who said that's what they used in their store and it had fewest problems of all the brands they tried.

I've hooked up two computers (one with a pci card and one with a usb2 adapter) and one centrino notebook with no problems.

 

I have had a Netgear (not sure which model) 54G router for almost three years now, it works wonderfully. Never had any problems with connections, etc. All my notebooks have worked fine with it. Very satisfied.

Can't comment on the setup though, I paid Comcast to do that.

Chaz