Rating: Summary: Perfection Review: This little guy has everything I needed and more. I replaced a failing Linksys 4 port router and buggy Linksys wireless access point with one solid metal box that works better and does more than both. It was recently the recommended wireless gateway after a review of 11 competing products at P>It has a real firewall, an area that is seriously lacking in similar products. It can email you an access log at specified times or when it fills. It can immediately email you if it detects a DoS attack or a port scan. It can also block sites on your network based on keywords if that's important to you.The wireless features are nice too. In addition to WEP it handles Mac authorization (this never worked on my Linksys). You can setup "Trusted PCs" based on a unique address that all network cards have so only computers you setup can access your wireless network. The software is well laid out and easy to use. For new users it will run through a quick setup wizard that will get you up and running in a few minutes. When you start poking around you'll find a context sensitive help frame always open on the right that explains each setting. There's also no initial software to install, all you is point your web browser at the IP address for the router. Of course it has all the basics you would expect like port forwarding (needed if you want to run a web server, game server, etc.). You can even setup port forwarding on a schedule. It even ended up solving problems I didn't even consider when buying it. For example, I generally like to use Static IP addresses, but still need to run DHCP. The Netgear software lets you setup a reserved IP table, allowing you to do just that. I honestly have zero complaints so far, this is exactly what I've been looking for.
Rating: Summary: So far so good Review: I've been using the box for a couple months now, so far so good. I really do like it and it has proved to be what it supposed to be. I don't have a big network yet, I just have one computer. Huh? Yes, I had a specific need, I use a laptop as my only computer, as a work from home consultant w/ a growing family, I spend a great deal of time on the computer. I don't mind being in the office during the day, but in the evening I like to do some casual surfing and emailing from the living room. This box allows me to hit my cable modem w/ a firewall, and also print to a standard parallel printer wirelessly from downstairs. Amazon did send me an open defective item at first, and I had difficulty understanding the 'English' of my two Netgear support people, but it all worked out, they sent me a new one. Make sure you take the time to go through your settings and activate the WEP encryption and manually enter the MAC address of your specific machines while turning off 'allow all machines' otherwise you may be at risk w/ the default settings.
Rating: Summary: Not Recommended Review: I've had two of these units over the last 3 months. When they work, they work great. The feature set is nice, the wireless connection is strong throughout my house and the print server is a nice option. The problem is that the first one I own died after 3 weeks. I was able to return it to the store where I bought it because it was within the 30 day limit. The second unit died after 6 weeks. I spoke with Netgear tech support and they informed me that since it worked for 6 weeks that the issue was not due to manufactures defect and therefore was not covered under warranty. I spoke with 2 supervisors and they both seemed completely indifferent to the idea that their products may have an issue. It's a nice piece of equipment when it works, but I wouldn't take the gamble of buying one again.
Rating: Summary: I would not buy it again Review: The 'content filter' is a useless string match within URLs and does not work for IP addresses. The FM114P does not work when connected to a micro repeater, support is not existent and my box died after only 2 month.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful product Review: After getting my PhD in computer science and moving into a new house, I wanted a good wireless access point/switch to go with the cable modem so that my wife and I could work on the net at the same time. I first tried the Linksys 4-port switch and wireless access point, but after being unable to get it to work properly despite the best efforts of linksys tech support and my networking knowledge, and taking the original back for a different one, I gave up and got the Netgear FM114P instead. The Netgear box worked like a charm out of the box. I took it out, plugged it in, and connected to it. It was easy to configure, with very straightforward instructions, and it worked the first time I tried. Unlike the linksys box, it also includes a very nice print server, so that my wife and I can also share our HP laserjet, and I can print to it while sitting in the living room. In addition, the netgear's logging facilities and configurability are very nice for more sophisticated users - the box can email you if it detects break-in attempts or DoS attacks, for example. I've been very impressed with this product. I have heard less-than-flattering things about netgear's technical support, but unlike when I was trying to get the linksys one working, I didn't need them.
Rating: Summary: Easy Setup Review: This was practically a plug-and-play setup. I have never used a router before and when I decided to get DSL, I needed a router to hook up two computers. I installed the router and the DSL modem at the same time, powered them on and went through the on screen setup. It was that easy. Everything was working in under 15 minutes! This unit has adequate range for my wireless needs. I am using the MA101 USB adapter and can go anywhere in my house. I highly recommend this unit.
Rating: Summary: Really one of the best brands around. Review: Bought my just yesterday and spent the whole night trying to set it up. Couldn't get anything to work till i found out that the problem was with a faulty ethernet cable supplied by my ISP. Other than that, the set up of the router and FOUR wireless lan cards took no more than an hour. cool! Used 2 MA401 and 2 Cisco Aironet 350 series with my FM114P. No problems whatsoever. Only problem faced was when I was trying to set a new SSID. Somehow when i tried to apply the new settings it wouldn't work. But after a few attempts at refreshing the page and re-applying the setting, everything was ok. Maybe i'll go download the new firmware. In the meantime, everyone will be enjoying the upgrade over our old 56k modem. On the side, a friend bought a linksys WAP11 access point at the same time with me. Its almost a day now and he still can't get it to work. Watch out for that problem.
Rating: Summary: Easy to install-great speed! Review: Based on Amazon.com feedback, I took a gamble and purchased the Netgear FM114P instead of the D-Link Airplus 614 and couldn't be happier. We have two MACs at home - powerbook and imac, both equipped for wireless - and the added expense at [money] for an Airport base station lead me to search for another alternative. The Netgear firewall/router was VERY easily installed and I was up and surfing the net in less than 15 minutes. And after feeling more secure about the whole setup later in the day, switched both computers to wireless and the difference is imperceptible. The added benefit of the firewall and higher security level were worth the extra cost, too. Thank you to everyone who posted positively about this product.
Rating: Summary: Poor support powerful product Review: I'm very happy with the performance. I had a problem with the epson printer driver and the windows 98. After 2 hours and 3 calls to india support they told me that they would call me back. They never did. I did some research on the internet, and I found that if I install the generic windows driver instead of advanced epson driver it would work, and it did. Well, support didn't know that. Great product if you won't need to call support. I used Linksys before and performance was very poor, and I returned it.
Rating: Summary: Up and running in just a few minutes Review: I looked at lots of products and read tons of reviews before selecting the netgear FM114P. Set up was no problem. My access provider, comcast.net, uses dynamic IP addresses, so I didn't have to change any of my network properities. Just remember to clear and re-acquire your dynamic IP address, I also had to shut down and re-start my cable modem. The only reason I gave this product 4 stars instead of 5 is that I haven't gotten the print server to work yet. It dosen't "see" my printer. This may be because I have an older printer.
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