Rating: 
Summary: Easy and Fast!
Review: Well, I had a Linksys 4-port router/firewall whose AC adapter gave out. Apparently this is common. I decided to pay the extra $$ and get a wireless router. The Netgear seemed to get good reviews so I chose it. Now, I'm pretty familiar with setting up a router. My Linksys was pretty easy - just plug it in and access the setup menu via a browser. The Netgear is similar - it just uses a different IP address. It took me all of 30 seconds to setup the wired access and another minute to read the instructions and configure for wireless clients.
Now, my friend had brought over the Linksys 4-port wireless router to my house a few months back but got terrible reception due to the thick concrete/plaster walls so I was a bit worried about range. At the furthest reaches of my house, I get 100% max signal. This thing rocks!
Rating:
Summary: Better than the ad says!!!
Review: The instructions said it would take 30 minutes, but it was more like 10. I took it out of the box, plugged it in, reset my network settings and it worked beautifully. Amazing, that it could be this easy.With my MA401 PCMCIA card, it took about the same time because I had to install off the CD. These Netgear products are altogether excellent, and almost like plug-and-play. ...
Rating:
Summary: Great value and performance!
Review: I must say that this is my first purchase of a wireless router including a PC card (MA401) but I'm not a newbie to PCs. I have to admit that I had problem with configuration to get an internet connection at first. But after calling technical support, everything just went easy. The support was very helpful and he took me step by step into the process. I'm really satisfied with my first wireless experience and its compatible with Windows XP. Trust me! The PC card (laptop) just detects the connection automatically after you have the main PC (direct) configured. I would say that it took me about 30 minutes at the most for configuring both the PC and laptop. Installation includes installing drivers to both computers and configuring the main router control window so you can access the internet. The router has built in firewall, dynamic IP, etc. You can also network both your PC using "My network connection" and share files wirelessly. The router includes a stand and a CAT-5 cable so pretty much everything is laid out for you. The router looks professionally built and it works perfectly with the PC card (MA401 802.11b).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent product. Change default settings for security.
Review: I waited long enough to set up wireless network at home. I read the reviews of different brands at Amazon.com and over the net. Netgear has the best reviews in the low price range suitable for regular home usage. So I bought MR814 with Netgear's MA401 wireless card. The router is easy to set up. The installation instructions are concise and easy to follow. In a few minutes I set up the router using the wired portion. Then in a few more minutes, I installed the wireless card on a different machine and finished the setup of a wireless home network. A few reminders though. First, don't be too ambitious to change the settings of the router before you finish the wireless setup. Simply use the factory defaults, especially when you have the wireless access point and the wirelss card from the same manufacturer. The common default settings save you the initial tweaking time. Second, and more importantly, is that you'd better change the default settings as soon as the network is working. Specifically for MR814, you could and should use Maintenance/Set Password to change the administrator's login password -- the one you use to monitor the router and change other settings. Then, you should change almost all the entries under Setup/Wireless Settings, and change the wireless card's settings correspondingly. As a further precaution, change the default Advanced/LAN IP Setup from Using DHCP Server to Address Reservation so that only the few computers in your home can use this router. Remember to assign static IPs for your computers accordingly. Now you have a moderately secure wireless network ready. For better security, set up all 4 encryption keys, and rotate once in a while. If you have kids at home, set up the Content Filtering as well. If you play interactive games online, you might want to tweak the Advanced settings. After all the settings are to your satisfaction, save a copy using Maintenace/Backup Settings. The last reminder is that you should be patient when the router updates the settings. It takes quite a while before the next screen shows up. Don't worry if the settings sounds unfamiliar at the moment, Netgear did a pretty good job explaining the meanings of the settings and providing the possible choices for you. For example, you don't have to know the MAC address for every computer you have, MR814 will find them out for you. All you have to do is to make sure the ones in the list are actually your machines. Other than the good security features, the signal is good for a 4-bedroom house, the throughput is excellent for the wireless connection with 128 encryption, the connection is stable. All in all, MR814 is an excellent product with a reasonable price for home computing. Highly recommended. After encountering a problem that was confirmed by another owner of MR814, I feel obligated to report it: If all your computers on the network governed by MR814 are turned off, you might lose the connection and need to restart the router. In my particular case, our cable company used dynamic IP assigning, which is a common practice nowadays. My friend actually hooked up his older wired router to solve this problem. I solve the problem by simply leaving a computer always on. A minor nuisance not worth point deduction. :)
Rating:
Summary: Easy, easy, easy
Review: Based on my experience don't worry about the setup - it was a complete breeze.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Installation
Review: I just finished installing my home network and am happy to report that it went almost flawlessly. I purchased a cable modem, wireless router, wireless USB adapter, and mini print server - all made by netgear. I was able to get everything connected and working in about 2 hours. I now have one wireless laptop and a hard wired desktop, both sharing a printer. The laptop is connecting consistently and flawlessly from about 50 feet away through a floor and several walls. I am particularly pleased with the printer operation since it works faster, I think because of the buffer. The only thing I didn't really like is the utility used to add the printer. I was able to work around my problem in a couple minutes and eventually got everything working . I think it's easy enough for just about anyone to install if they are capable of following directions.
Rating:
Summary: Meets my needs very well
Review: [...] worked perfect out of the box. Signal strenght 95-100% top level (where router is located).
86% level below, 56% on deck out back. Stayed at 11 Mbps at all times.
Don't forget to enable WEP, change network name from Wireless to something else and change password from the word "Password".
I picked up a neighbors router and they had not done any of the above. [...]
Rating:
Summary: Set-up was so easy!
Review: Instructions were simple to follow. Plug it in, follow the orders, and it works! My computer is using Windows ME, and there was not a single hitch in the install. Can't beat the price for the value.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Value, Incredible Product!
Review: Even aside from the incredibly low price, this router is an excellent product. It was easy to install (took me about 10 minutes, if that) and works seamlessly with both my SMC and my Netgear wireless PC cards. The range so far seems excellent. I am a home user, but get full 11/MPS reception on the other side of my house (two story/2000 sq. ft. home; router upstairs, laptop downstairs) I actually purchased this product when my Linksys Wireless router died after 13 months (1 month out of warranty). This Netgear product actually comes with a 3-year warranty. Hopefully I won't need it, but it is good to know they are there if I need them. And the performance of this wireless router well exceeds that of my old one. I am very happy with this purchase so far. So if you are thinking about making the leap to WiFi, this is a great way to do it. The product is excellent, and you cannot beat the price.
Rating:
Summary: Works great with Mac and PC
Review: I bought this router after reading positive reviews here on Amazon.com. The whole process was smooth and easy. As I was also installing a cable modem for the first time, I did that first with no problems. Them following the Netgear simple instructions, I was up and running with the router in only a few minutes with my hard wired iMac with OSX. Next I plugged in my IBM T20 laptop. Here is where I thought I would have problems. But on starting up Windows 2000, it established the proper networking without me having to do anything at all. I could access the internet and establish my VPN with work. I've had no problems since installation and now I am going to put a Netgear MA401 wireless card into the laptop to see how that works out.
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