Home :: Computers :: Components :: Networking :: Broadband Access  

Broadband Access

Telephony
Wired Networks
Wireless Networks
Netgear FR114P Firewall Cable/DSL Router with Print Server

Netgear FR114P Firewall Cable/DSL Router with Print Server

List Price: $154.00
Your Price: $81.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointing... not for gamers.
Review: As a previous owner of Netgear RP114 router, it was only natural to upgrade to the FR114p. I wanted a router for the following reasons: 1) to network my family's computers, 2) to provide security for my network, 3) to play games, 4) print server. While the basic functionality of the router works as advertised, there are major issues with port forwarding for games and the print server.

Simply put, port forwarding does not work. When trying to add new rules for port forwarding, the router would lock up and crash time after time. Also, if you wanted to forward more than one port to the same computer, the router would give you an error. The problem is fixed if you upgrade from v1.3 of the firmware to v1.4 but it is a beta version and not supported. In fact, by upgrading you actually lose functionality because the content filtering no longer works. Come on Netgear, you are supposed to fix bugs, not create new ones!!

The print server is an after thought. Any time I cancelled a print job, the printer would hang and require a restart. After a call to Netgear support, they recommended turning off the spooling feature and printing directly. That works better, but now my computer is fully occupied with the print job until it is completed.

I do not recommend this router. Why should you pay the extra money for features that dont work? Netgear has obviously released a product before it is ready. Read the forums at ... for more info. Save your money and get something that is tried and true like the RP114. I'm only sorry that I got rid of mine too soon.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT PRODUCT
Review: Based on the previous reviews, I decided to give this product a try. After trying several similiar devices, I was about ready to give up on the whole concept. I had Netgear's product up and running in 30 minutes, which included 5 minutes of technical support. Tech support was helpful and prompt (I called at 1030 am EST on a weekday), and helped resolve a simple issue. I was able to connect an HP 1200 laser printer, an XP laptop and a Win98 desktop, all without problems.

If you're someone who is comfortable with computers but by no means a computer specialist, I would recommend this for ease of connectability, tech support and simple enclosed materials.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brainless security
Review: Being the paranoid type when it comes to computing security, this box is a good step for novice and expert alike. It's an affordable gateway that provide 85% of any security you'd ever need for even the most paranoid, and on 1 Mbps DSL I have observed no negative performance drain running with 2 Windows XP Pro systems (450 Mhz and 2.53 GHz). Netgear is also offering business class solutions in networking, so they're stepping up in the world (meaning you can expect new products and ongoing support from the company). No complaints for the money; this is a strong value when accounting for the print server as a bonus!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rock Solid, Quality.
Review: Excellent product. Perfect for the home or small office. I've been using this router for over a year and it works perfectly. I've recommended this product to several clients and none have reported the hardware failures that others have posted about. The print server is a very nice bonus. I have six computers behind my router and the performace is outstanding.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great product ... for a while
Review: For about 9 months this has been a great firewall/print server/router switch. Very fast and easy to set up via a web browser. Newer firmware features really enhance this product. However, beware of hardware failure in time. It seems that Netware routers have a very cheap capacitor that fails frequently in time. (There is the telltale test lite that remains on after a reset, and the odor of a burned out electronic component) Why do I say this? I have had two netgrear firewalls fail in the same way within a month of one another -- this FR114P and the similar FM114P (essentially the same unit with built-in WAP). Great features -- all that I wanted and needed, easy setup (within minutes), but terrible quality. Now I have to decide which of the competitive brand firewalls I should buy.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Printer Server function never worked, then box died.
Review: Got a good deal on a very gently used unit, and the print server was a nice 'extra'. But I never succeeded in getting the server to recognize that a printer was connected! Decided it simply wasn't worth the hassle as the router/firewall/access point functionality worked OK (after a few upgrades to the software). Then one of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply of the box exploded. Perhaps Netgear is a victim of counterfeit components... or maybe the design is simply too cheap. No matter. The less-than-satisfactory ownership experience will lead me to try a competitor out when I shop for a new box.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Warning this product will fail - second edition
Review: Had the exact experience as thorshammerhomebrew but I was lucky enough to have mine last 12 months. If you want a nice router for a year this one is great....

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Warning this product will fail - second edition
Review: Had the exact experience as thorshammerhomebrew but I was lucky enough to have mine last 12 months. If you want a nice router for a year this one is great....

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Should have kept my RP114
Review: Horrible product. I "upgraded" from my Netgear RP114 to this product so I could ditch my software firewall. Well, I wish I hadn't. I get constant lockups and dropped connections on both WAN and LAN. Noticeably slower web access compared to the RP114 it replaced (Although I'll chalk this up to a true SPI firewall). Finally, after years of good tech. support from Netgear, I had the added bonus of talking with a tech. who didn't have the slightest clue about the specs of this router. She spent nearly half an hour insisting that my router had a "check" light, indicated by a check mark shaped LED. I kept arguing that my router had no such light (although another popular Netgear router does). Furthermore, her official answer to everything was "just reboot". I felt like I was stuck in a real-life episode of Dilbert. Anyway, numerous updates, countless resets (full and partial), and a mountain of frustration later, I'm ditching this paperweight and going in another direction. Save yourself the time, money, and aggravation and avoid this puppy at all costs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great functionality, but thankfully a 3-year warranty
Review: I am a small office user who purchased the FR114P after much research, and was concerned about some of the negative reviews I'd read here and elsewhere. I have been very impressed with this product. Set up could not have been easier, and I am not very experienced at installing hardware. I liked the fact that as a less experienced user, the default settings did all the work and I did not have much to program in at the outset. This will enable me to make changes later as I learn more, but didn't prevent me from getting up and running in only a few minutes.

Edit: I am adding to this review after having owned the product for 15 months. Last month, after a little over a year with no problems, my unit failed in the same way as a few other reviewers have described. The test light wouldn't shut off, and there was a "hissing" sound like something was fizzling inside the box. I called customer service, and they were extremely helpful. They walked me through a few steps to try to reset the unit, and when that didn't work, they gave me an RMA to replace the unit, no hassle. There is a 3 year warranty. About a week later, I had a new unit (you can get it faster, but you have to pay). I still like the functionality and ease of use of the product. I just hope the new one lasts. I have downgraded my rating from 5 to 4 stars for this reason.


<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates