Rating: 
Summary: Unbeatable value....
Review: I bought this router to replace my great Linksys BEFSR41 wired router in order to gain wireless network access with my laptop. At under $50 it represents unbeatable value. It worked straight out of the box and its performance is excellent. It has 1 x 10Mb/s WAN port, 4 x 100Mb/s Ethernet wired ports, as well as 11Mb/s 802.b11 wireless access. It makes an excellent replacement for my Linksys since it provides much of its functionality with wireless access added. It can be configured using a browser and it has one of the best configuration interfaces I've seen. The following comments related to the latest version of the firmware: 4.09. It has a configurable firewall that supports port forwarding and can be set to block specific ports to selected internal IP addresses. All blocking can be scheduled to operate only at specific times. It can also block specific websites, a feature I don't have any use for. It cannot, however, block specific MAC addresses, which is an important feature if you are using DHCP. Even if you are not, static IP address can be easily changed by users on the network. Therefore, in my opinion, MAC blocking is a must for a future version of the firmware. On the wireless side it supports up to 128-bit encryption as well as MAC filtering. It does not however allow you to disable wireless operation. For me, this is another important omission in the current firmware. Being able to schedule wireless operation times would be a nice security enhancement. Why have it run all night when you are sleeping, or during the day when you are at work? I am hopeful that in the future the firmware will evolve to provide more useful features and perhaps drop some of the less useful ones. If it were to gain all of the functionality of my Linksys I would be extremely happy. As a minumum I believe that it should allow MAC blocking and it should allow wireless operation to be disabled/scheduled. Since this is a relatively new model there's a good chance that this will happen, especially given Netgear's excellent past record in home networking devices.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for low burget Wireless option
Review: I had a linksys Router and had bought the netgear MR814 to get the wireless option around the house. MR814 works perfectly right out of the box. It is easy to set up, easy to configure. Configuration is through web interface just like any other router. One good feature is that if you're setting up the router in one machine, you can get to the router pages on the other. The router supports port forwarding, DMZ, Static Routing, all the standard stuffs on routers. It also support Dynamic DNS, one feature that I miss from the Linksys router taht I used to have. The range is pretty good for my standard. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and everywhere I go I have full signal with my D-link Air-Plus DWL-650+, and I heard people living in a 3 stories house and the range is good for them. Some minor problems:
1) The router has no built-in firewall, so if security is your thing, install software firewall on all computers. 2) Default setting have Idle Timeout set to 5 minutes. That means it would automatically disconnect from your ADSL provider, I had to connect to the router and tell it to reconnect at least 3 times a day. I emailed support and they emailed me back like a couple of hours later telling me to set Idle timeout to 0 to maintain connection. 3) There is no way to disable the wireless boardcast, but WEP is supported so turn on the 128-bit encryption if you're worried someone around your house can just listen into your traffic. Now considering I emailed them on thanksgiving, support is really good IMO. MR814 is a really good router to have if you're looking for a cheap way to get wireless in your house.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy to use
Review: I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to configure this router. But, since Amazon was selling it for $27, I figured I'd risk it. It arrived, I plugged it in, when I went to configure it I saw it didn't even need any since the router had already found the connection. 2 weeks later and no problems, would highly recommend even if you are not a "tekkie".
Rating:
Summary: Best Wireless Products out there!
Review: I recently purchased this Netgear MA401 and the Netgear MR814 Router for my desktop and laptop computers. I was able to set this wireless network up in about 15-20 minutes by just following the great step by step directions that accompany the router. The setup for the laptop was just as simple. I was amazed that I had it up and running so quick. My last networking attempt with Linksys was a nightmare. It took me hours and several calls to tech support, who kept me on hold forever. I finally gave up. After reading the reviews for Netgear, I figured I would give it another shot. The installation was a breeze! I had only one question about setting up the Netgear compact flash adapter MA701 for my PDA and contacted Netgear tech support. My call was answered immediately and I had the solution in minutes. I am very satified with Netgear's products and their customer service department. I highly recommend any of the Netgear wireless products.
Rating:
Summary: Quick and easy set up!
Review: I am confirming that the set up was as quick and easy as the other reviewers have claimed. It took me less than 10 minutes starting from the point where I opened the box it was shipped in. Great deal after rebate too!
Rating: 
Summary: Highly, Higly disappointed. Purchase a different router
Review: I read all the reviews of how easy this router was to set up and then saw the price and bought it. Maybe I got a lemon, but I kept the router for 3 weeks, spent 1.5 hours on the phone with customer service, and it never worked correctly. Setup: Appears to be easy, tells you that you are set, but even when the router did function properly my conncetion speed was extremely slow, if pages would load at all. Functionality: Terrible. Simply gummed up my usually blisteringly fast internet. Customer Service: Spent a great deal of time with 2 separate technicians and each was completely useless. They tried the same thing over and over and over and they could never get the settings correct. Range: Okay, let's say you can get this thing setup correctly, the range stinks!!! When this router did function correctly, I could hardly be more than 30-40 feet away and still get a signal. On my deck which is maybe 50 feet away with one wall in between, I had almost zero signal. I think the specs say that you should expect at least 300 feet - no way. Appearance: Cool, small, attractive, deceptive.
Rating:
Summary: Easy installation & works great
Review: I always read user comments when shopping for new products, so I'll include the details of my installation for those who may find it helpful. The short story though is that this is a great product that was easy to install and worked as advertised right out of the box. I was reluctant to go wireless because my home network-to-be would include both an iMac and a PC. I purchased the MR814 router and the MA101 Wireless USB adapter. Within 30 minutes of opening the boxes, the wireless network was active and operating flawlessly. The MR814 router was installed between the iMac and my DSL modem -- the necessary cable was supplied with the router. The router setup required no software installation -- router settings were established using my browser and accessing the Netgear internet site. The instruction manual was very well written and the installation went "by the book". The MA101 wireless USB adapter required a software installation on the PC prior to plugging in the hardware to the USB port. The installation was brief and the software almost self-configured. The MA101 transceiver began communicating with the router immediately with "good" to "very good" signal strength (the PC is located about 150 feet from the router in a single story house). I was extremely impressed with the quality and ease of installation for this product. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: The person below warns about v1, amazon ships v2
Review: The person below warns about v1, amazon ships v2...so don't worry about v1 problems. I have v2 and it works fine. I've had one plugged in for at least 2 1/2 weeks and have not had to unplug it at all and power back up...seems to work flawlessly and stays at a cool temp. I know amazon doesn't make it clear, but you should be getting v2. hope that helps.
Rating:
Summary: PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS DEVICE!!
Review: Just to give you a brief background about myself, I am a system and network administrator of a College department at an elite university in USA. I bought this router last year in february and it has given me a lot of problems. A lot of times, the router just refuses to respond and you will have to power cycle it (turn power off, and then on). Netgear Customer support claims that the issue can be resolved using a new version of the firmware but trust me, it doesn't not. Right now I power cycle my router every 3-4 days.
Also, sometime back, the router started malfunctioning when I would try to share files on my local network. It just wouldn't route packets from my wireless machines to one of the wired machines. After spending hours with the Customer support, I was still stuck with the problem. Then when trying various things, I tried to do a hardware reset after which everything started working fine.
Next, their customer service. It is extremely bad. I have had wait times of 15 mins - 2 hours. They've outsourced to India...those people don't understand the problems too well. If they can't solve your problems, they will transfer you back to tech support in USA..and if they can't resolve the issue either, they'll agree to replace the router with a refurbished one and you will have to pay the shipping for sending your router back. I think with all the problems, they should just recall the product.
I have heard that the version 2 of this router (MR814 v2) has fewer issues (even better range). So I think you should consider buying v2.
If you still feel like buying this router (the old version) then I would recommend you buy it from a store that gives you a replacement plan...you'll need it.
Rating:
Summary: Garbage, Junk, Crapola... What else can I say?
Review: I have been involved with Personal Computers since 1994. I'm currently working in the IT department for a Southern California School District. This router made me question the last ten years of my life and my career choice. The current Wireless Home Networking boom is due to Ease of Set-Up. The average user, armed only with an instruction booklet, can (generally) have one up and running within 15 - 30 minutes after the necessary hardware has been installed in the client workstations. The Netgear MR814v2 is a huge monkey wrench in the works. After cabling the router and powering up I was able to log into it with no problem. After that I was never able to gain access again without re-booting the router. After 30 minutes of operation I had lost both wireless & wired connectivity. Unable to log onto the router I had to hard reset the device three times before I was able to log in again. I spent over an hour on the phone with Netgear's so-called Customer Support before I was able to log into the router a third and final time. Companies need to stop outsourcing tech support to India. I always cringe when read to in a heavy Indian accent. The lady I spoke with was polite enough but, did not digress from her script one iota. After my third loss of connectivity and another call to India, I was told that the router was bad. I returned the router to Frys and with more than a little trepidation and picked up a replacement. The second router failed within 20 minutes of setting it up. I have sinced purchased a D-Link DI-514. That was up and running in 10 minutes. Avoid this router like the Plague. There are better options out there.
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