Rating: 
Summary: Works as advertised
Review: My girlfriend uses the Netgear RT314 along w/ a DSL modem to share our connection to the Internet. She gave our computers unique, non-routable IP addresses (192.168.0.x range), and the RT314 got the address that was assigned by our ISP. The RT314 sits between our network and the Internet. She said this unit is very easy to configure, maintain, and includes a simple default firewall.
Rating: 
Summary: Works out of the box without a hitch! Top Quality!
Review: In this day and age of "Plug and Play", I have found very few things that really are. This Netgear product, however, truly is! I followed the tip of a previous reviewer here on Amazon.com to turn off the power to the cable/dsl modem while you connect the router, power up the router first, then the modem, and lastly your PC (my PC was off when I connected it all up). Everything powered up and saw each other without a hitch! I was up and running literally in under 5 minutes and I didn't even need to look at the manual! No software needed either! I then hooked up my laptop to one of the other ports, powered up and "presto" I was sharing my internet connection AND networking with my desktop right off the bat!! One thing to note is that I am running Windows ME on my desktop, and Windows 98 SE2 on my notebook and they sync flawlessly and FAST! This Netgear box has solved the problem of transferring lengthy files between my computers and keeping key files updated fast. Quick note: My Dad has the identically equipped Linksys router/switch and he did not have as easy a time as I did getting it to work. It does seem to work just as well however. I'm glad I went with the Netgear. Hope this helps.
Rating:
Summary: So simple
Review: A company I work for purchased this router so that I could share my DSL connection with the three computers (2 PCs and 1 Mac) in my home network. Setup took less than 5 minutes, and everything so far has worked perfectly. All three computers now have instant net access. In fact, the setup and operation are so simple I really don't have that much more to say :)
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointed. Buy the Xsense MIH-130 instead.
Review: I use Netgear products at work and at home. For PCs and for Macs. This product was a huge disappointment. The only bigger disappointment was Netgear's support. I'm using two Mac computers at home. Netgear advertises Mac on their box. Yet, after not being able to get their so-called 24/7 support on the phone on the weekend, I instead wrote an email for support. The first email gave me information for a totally unrelated problem. The second email, from a different support person, told me that they don't support Macs. Hmmm. Fine, then don't advertise that your product is Mac compatible either. Once I did get a tech person on the phone, he was unwilling to go through settings to see if it was a user error. He said it was broken and to return it. Just for kicks, I bought another RT314. It, too, performed poorly with my PacBell DSL. It crawled. The ROM upgrade procedure is a joke when compared to the way Xsense has you do it with their Macsense MIH-130. Download, double click and its done. With Netgear, you have to go through telnet hoops, which, by the way, only got me Netgear error messages. Don't let that pretty blue metal casing fool you. Sure, it's nice. But you're paying for the stuff inside. Get the Xsense MIH-130. I think you'll be much happier with the product, it's interface and the responsive and helpful tech support. I am.
Rating:
Summary: Beats any proxy/firewall software
Review: I bought this unit and after plugging it in and recycling power on cable modem and the Netgear all I had to do is enter host name on the router and click NEXT -> FINISH and I was up and running. The best money ever spent on a computer junk. Beats all the proxy and firewall stuff available out there. For $50 more you have unmanned hefty piece of hardware without fear that it will crash when your PC does. And it comes with a 4 port 10/100 switch too!!! So if you add up cost of proxy software ($50) and a switch ($50) you pay same money (with $30 rebate) but get much better solution. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY $
Review: I got this router/switch to enable a windows, a linux and a machine to share one dsl connection. It works just fine. The setup took about ten minutes. after pluging the cables in and setting up the router over your webbrowser (or telnet if you prefer) you don't even need to manually reestablish the connection by logging on every time. It does it automatically for you! This is one easy to use piece of hardware that is even uplinkable! The e-mail support by netgear is pretty and very helpful, too. The only thing I think should be changed is that the advanced option during the setup is not available over your webbrowser. Netgear did that not to confuse newbie with a lot of tech-junk they don't need to worry about anyway. But you can however still acces it, for instance with tellnet. Another good thing about htis product is the dhcp-server function. This way you don't have to manually configure the IP addresses any more! Finally I have to say that I am absolutely content with this product. The manual was precise and helpful and the router itself seems to be high quality.
Rating: 
Summary: There has to be something better
Review: After reading all the reviews about this and Netgear, I bought this and 2 network cards. I guess I expected to much. First, you still need a cable modem or a DSL modem if you use this. That was my first mistake. I expected it to have a connection for a cable modem. It doesn't. Second, I expected good documentation. The documentation that it comes with is very sparse and has almost nothing useful. Third, support.... After waiting on the phone for over 2 hours and hearing ringing then music again, over and over again, I finally gave up hoping that someone would pick up the phone. Anyway, during that time, I figured out what I need to make this thing work. It still took the better part of the morning for such a simple thing. I still don't know how to get the DHCP to work nor do I know how to change the admin name or password. Then again, that is not anywhere in the documentation either. I guess I can rule out buying anything else from Netgear in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Rock solid, cheap, router. Don't buy linksys, get this.
Review: I bought this machine because my linksys router was unreliable (it freezes up and has to be power cycled). This is much more stable. Mine has run for 150 days so far (3600 hours) without a single glitch.
Rating:
Summary: Great device with DSL
Review: Excellent performance with my Verizon DSL. I couldn't get it working initially so I called their tech support. All I needed to do was change the standard setup to the PPP over Ethernet in the config wizard and it worked. I also had problems in that I couldn't ping or get the web config wizard to work at all after numerous attempts, powercyclying, checing cavbles, etc. Finicky. Now that it is set up, I never have to 'log in' again. The router logs into Verizon on it's own and grabs an IP address for your whole network. All you have to do is set DHCP on your PC and as soon as your PC is turned on, you have an instant internet connection- like at work ! Great. One complaint: The tech guy said he didn't know what Verizon's DSL parameters were. That seemed odd considering that there must be thousands of Verizon DSL customers using their product.
Rating:
Summary: Works great, but check e-mail accessibility after install!
Review: Netgear's router works as promised, saving you money by allowing you to share your cable/DSL account on your network via your host computer.... w/out having to shell out monthly fees for another IP address for each additional computer on your network. In my case, it'll pay for itself in just over a year. Initial network setup was routine. However, after installing it, I couldn't access e-mail thru my @home account. The somewhat sparse installation guide, CD resource, and online setup wizard weren't much help so I sent my problem to Netgear's tech support. It's been a week and I still haven't heard from them as to a resolution. Ironically, I found the solution on the Linksys web site in their cable router FAQ area! Now everything's working and I can access my cable account e-mail on all my computers.
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