Rating: 
Summary: Didn't work for me
Review: I struggled with this router for about 2 weeks. I never did try the wireless features. I had problems with it dropping packets and dropping TCP connections. I also use a VPN connection and the VPN connection went down frequently with the router. I had no trouble before installing the router, and after I removed it the problems went away.Netgear's tech support took a few shots at solving the problem but didn't have anything that helped, and in the end they stopped replying to my emails. I finally returned the router. I gave this 3 stars instead of 0 because I think this router would probably work for the average user. I'm running 6 systems behind the router. One of these is a server, so I'm doing port forwarding of several ports. I use a VPN to connect to work. I also typically open half a dozen telnet windows at a time and leave them idle for long periods. All of these are things that _should_ work with a router, but they're not things most people do. If you're surfing the web this router might work just find for you. But I couldn't get it to do what I wanted, and I didn't get timely responses from Netgear's customer service. As a followup, I got the following reply from NetGear tech support:
It seems that this router, with a small percentage of ISP and/or network configurations has trouble with TCP disconnects. The problem has been isolated and our engineers are working on it. A new firmware fixing this problem should be available soon. Unfortunately, I have no exact date as to its release.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor documentation and poor support make for bad combination
Review: I made the mistake of purchasing this router. File sharing, internet access and the wireless connectivity work fine but I use my home network for online games. I tried to configure my new router to allow me to act as a server for several different games. The online documentation is very sparse, as is the KB on the Netgear site. I sent a question to their support staff, asking for expanded documentation on port-forwarding. After getting a canned e-mail response asking for my serial number (which I had already provided), I was told that this question "fell outside of the scope of support", and I would have to pay $28.95 (or $1.95/min) for "Premium Support". This is almost 30% of the price of the router itself for a single support incident. It's too bad that 1 star is as low a rating as you can make. I will never buy another Netgear product again.
Rating: 
Summary: This one actually works
Review: A friend recommended Netgear. Did I listen? Nooooo, I bought DLink because of rebates and the hype about double speed data rates when you use their router and wireless card combo. Getting the DLink internet connection working was difficult. It took two calls to tech support. The second call did the trick, it also directly contradicted the first tech. Waste of time and a lot of frustration. The double data rate only worked when the computer was next to the router. When I left the room signal strength dropped rapidly. Sitting on the couch 20' away I was borderline. In my bedroom it was off and on. Today I returned the D-Link stuff and bought Netgear. Internet sharing went up almost as easy as can be. I had to call tech support (hence the four not five star rating) and they actually helped. All I had to do was uncheck a couble of XP menu boxes. Signal strength is MUCH better. Walking around the house, in most places it's good to excellent. Going into the basement it drops the connection but that's as far from the router as I can get and stay in the house. I will say this, tech support is free for internet sharing. They charge a pretty penny if your computers won't talk to each other. I have two XP computers, the XP network wizard was useless and it took somework to get file sharing up and running. This website www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/net-xp.asp helped. Along with this tip, from their discussion board: "uninstal "File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks" under the "General" tab of the "Network Connections Properties", restart the computer, and reinstall "File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks" and then going to the files or drives I want to share and turning sharing back on." Netgear worked, not as easily as I would like, but so what else is new. Now I'm a happy guy surfing the web with no strings attached.
Rating: 
Summary: Wireless Home Network
Review: I have a PC running Windows XP downstairs (hooked up directly to the cable modem) and a PC running Windows 98 upstairs for the kids (probably 30-40 feet away). I purchased the Netgear MR814 router and the MA101 Wireless USB Adapter. Had a little bit of trouble getting the router and modem to "speak" to each other, but it basically had to do with the fact that you have to fully unplug (electrical, cable, etc.) the modem and let it sit for a few minutes prior to re-plugging in the router (so it can reset). Upstairs I loaded the driver for the adapter and had to go through the process a few times before the PC would actually recognize it. But, once it did, the amber lights went on and we were live! All in all, it took me about 45 minutes from opening the boxes to being wireless. Pretty painless and no lag at all from the wireless network. We can both be online with no delays. It works great! I would highly recommend this setup and with the prices coming down/rebates, you can probably pull it off for arond [$$$]. Hope this helps! Joe V.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't work with Verizon D-SLAM
Review: I live in an apartment building that is wired for Verizon DSL. No DSL modem needed, the building has a D-SLAM in the basement so I plug my Ethernet directly into the wall. It took me 3 calls, including one with a Level 2 tech, to figure out that this router won't work with this equipment lineup because the router can't handle the speed of the pipe coming out of the wall. Very frustrating! The first tech told me that the router was faulty, so I sent it back and ordered another one. It wasn't until I got the 2nd router and had my call escalated to the Level 2 tech that they admitted the router wouldn't work with my equipment.
Rating:
Summary: Exellent product
Review: The product works like a charm. Worth every penny!
Rating:
Summary: I love this setup Works great with Macs and Window Machines
Review: I bought this unit after having a Linksys 4 port Router for 1.5 Years, Lets just say that I will never go back to linksys... I had no issues setting up the netgear MR814 for my wired PC and then I Connected my Powerbook G4 to it wirelessly with very little effort. I am running web servers, and I run VPN to my Network at work and I am able to administrate the whole company fast. Love the features of being able to block Full domains and Keywords. So much to offer for anyone, I am Running 128 Bit Encryption with no problem with the wireless Powerbook and you can go a step farther and set it up so that it takes the MAC Address from you wireless card and will only allow that Wireless card to attach (which means you will not be sharing your broadband connection with people you dont want too.) I would Recomend this Router To everyone. Does not matter on your Knowledge of networking.. It has Wizards on the Router to help you set it up... I am MCSE and A+ Certified and I work as a Network admin and love the Router so much We recomend it to the Users of our company so they can connect VPN to the company securely!
Rating:
Summary: Seems to have VPN issues
Review: I bought this router for a home network. According to the Netgear website (which is always extremely slow), the router is supposed to support outbound VPN connections using PPTP. After configuring everything, I found their claim to be only half right. VPN works fine for strict TCP/IP-based traffic (Intranet websites, etc.) but does not properly forward other types of traffic, such as what is required to map a network drive. (Anything using Netbios?) They had me talk to their support people three separate times to try to resolve. At the point they told me they would escalate my call to a system engineer, I returned the product and bought a Linksys, which performed flawlessly on all counts. With that said, however, as long as you are not doing VPN, the Netgear router should perform very well for you. It seemed slightly faster than the Linksys. (Though my signal strength was typically better with the Linksys.)
Rating:
Summary: IMPORTANT for Macintosh users
Review: If you buy this router as an alternative to Apple's airport you need to update your Airport software to version 2.0.4. I was having trouble and tried calling Netgear's tech support and can confirm that their "free" tech support extends only to Windows users. I began to worry that I would have to return the MR814 for a more Mac friendly device when it occured to me to see if there was an update from Apple for the Airport card. Sure enough there was and after installing I am able to establish a network with the MR814 with encryption enabled. The range of the MR814 is pretty good as is the price, but it's overall support (Netgear's website is slow and poorly organized) and it's almost complete lack of Mac support earn it a 3 star rating.
Rating:
Summary: Works great, easy setup
Review: I installed this product last night along with an Actiontec 1520 DSL gateway to a new iBook, and everything went very well. Here are the steps I used to get the router working with the DSL gateway and iBook: 1. Removed it from its box.
2. Connected the router to the gateway with the provided Ethernet cable.
3. Plugged in the router. Et voila. That was it. The iBook's Airport card saw the router immediately, and I was surfing away. I can heartily recommend this product to Mac users, if easy setup in a simple home environment is what you're looking for. Did I mention it was less than 1/3 the price of an Apple Airport Base Station (with rebate)?
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