Rating: 
Summary: Very nice
Review: I actually have the RT314 which integrates the RT311 with a 4 port switch (a note on switches vs hubs. A hub shares the bandwith between connected devices. So, if you have one computer going through the hub to the internet and a second connecting to a third over the lan for a file transfer, they have at most 100mbs total between them. A switch actually routes a dedicated connection for each pair of communicating devices so that they can communicate at full bandwidth).Anyway, this is a great device. I pulled it out of the box, plugged in the wires and everything worked immediately. I'm sharing cable internet between a windows 2000 box and PowerMac (running OS9 and DAVE 2.5) with no problems at all. It's 4 stars because the web interface is really quite useless. To properly configure this device (including the very cool dynamic dns capabilities) you need to telnet to the box. Not a *big* deal, but still a minor nuisance. There's no reason the web interface couldn't handle these other configuration options as well. I had considered the Linksys box which is very similar in capabilities, but searching usenet archives revealed that the netgear is a much more reliable device.
Rating: 
Summary: Works very well...
Review: I bought this cable modem router a few days after getting cable modem service. It was a little difficult to get set up because the "FirstGear" software they provide for configuration does not (I think) work with Windows2000. (Note that this is not the fault of Windows2000.) Instead, I read the reference manual (in the form of a .pdf file) that was on the FirstGear CD and configured the router by telnet-ing to it and using the ASCII interface. After about 20 minutes, it was up and running and I was using the RT311 as a DHCP server for both my desktop and laptop machines and both computers were on the internet at the same time (via a hub I already had.) I comes with all the cables you will need and the instructions are fairly clear, but you definately have to read them. Finally, multiplayer Quake 3 Arena still works thru the router!
Rating:
Summary: Very slick
Review: I bought this in conjunction with the Netgear FS-108 switch and had planned on selling it later, but decided to keep it after reading more about all the features it has. It's extremely easy to set up. One side plugged into out cable modem, the other into our hub. Once I reconfigured a machine to use DHCP and rebooted, I was able to access the router's web-based configuration wizard. After a few screens, the router was ready to go and I was surfing the web. Whole setup from box to surfing was five minutes. The web interface offers only the most basic configuration. For a more geek-level config, you'll need to telnet into the router. Luckily the telnet menus are layed out well and are easy to navigate. After a bit more configuring, I'm able to send inbound DNS and SMTP requests to our Linux machine and HTTP requests to our Windows 2000 machine. Only problem I had was my Windows 2000 machine not being able to get an IP address using DHCP. Very minor though, since DHCP is not required and you can configure your machines with static IP addresses. Overal, I'm extremely impressed and satisified with this router.
Rating:
Summary: Much better than Linksys BEFSR11
Review: I bought this product at CompUSA as a replacement for a Linksys router. Linksys was extremelly unstable. The Netgear router worked immediately (5-minute installation). No more reset-button-pressing, which was the case with Linksys. It works great (real plug-and-play) with RoadRunner (Ericsson PipeRider cable modem) in Tampa.
Rating: 
Summary: money wasted -- and bad support, too.
Review: I bought this router so I wouldn't monopolize the DSL line in our house when playing Everquest. The problem is that when I use this router Everquest always disconnects within 5 minutes. I made three calls to tech support without resolving the problem, though we did eventually narrow it down: the router seems to insist on holding onto a few port addresses that Everquest expects to use for itself. After several long waits for short and unsuccessful conversations with tech support I tried using their web site to reach a resolution. I posted my case in July. Now it's October. I can still see my posting on the site, but I never received anything other than an automatic acknowledgement of the problem report. The box won't do the one thing I need. The phone support is ineffective. The web support is non-existent. Money wasted.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Product for Beginners and Advanced Users alike!!
Review: I decided to write this because I read a less than wonderful review below and felt that it wasn't accurate. I purchased the Netgear RT311 after purchasing and returning a Linksys DSL/Cable router. Despite several firmware updates to the Linksys unit, it would continually lock up and would require that I shut down the unit as well as every computer connected to it. Using Gamespy would lock it up immediately. This was completely unacceptable. Imagine that in a corporate envrionment! The internet gateway locking up requiring people to shut their computers off? Simply awful! So on the advice of a friend, I picked up this router and a switch. Installation was very very simple. I was up and running within minutes. It's been in operation for over a year and has never locked up once. As far as configuration goes, the interface definitely isn't as slick as the Linksys product. There's two ways to set it up, however. One way is to install the windows software and configure it there. It's very easy and user friendly. The other method is to "telnet" into the router. This is also easy, but it might be a bit more confusing for the average user. I consider the average user to be someone that got DSL or Cable and simply wants to surf the net or play games online. If all you ever want is to surf, send email, play internet games (Quake, Half-Life, etc.) then you can take it out of the box, plug it up, and use the standard Windows program to configure it with your username and password for your ISP (it does PPPoE for you.) If you are a more advanced user and wish to set up, say, a DMZ and a web server, or would like to set up an FTP site or some other way of accessing your network from the Internet then you'll need to telnet into the router to set it up. The firewall that is built into this thing is already configured at the factory and needs no adjustment for average users. You're completely protected yet you can still play games online. I guess the think I like best about this router is that it covers a wide array of possible users. If you're just wanting simple stuff you simply take it out of the box, plug it up, and go. If you want to get more complex then this is also the box for you as it allows much more complicated filtering schemes and configuration options, if you want to get into it. As far as DHCP goes, I've never had a problem. I had 4 computers and a print server connected to it and never had an IP problem. I'm not sure what the other individual was talking about as I've never had a problem. All in all, I would buy this thing again in a heartbeat. The only thing to consider, I believe, is whether or not you want a built in switch to connect more computers to it. It has only two connections on it, one for the internet and one for an internal network, whether it's just one computer or one switch or hub. If you have a couple computers that you'd like to share the internet connection with, then you'll need to get a separate switch or hub, or you could consider getting the RT314 which has, I believe, four ports on it so you can connect four computers to it. I'm pretty sure that's the correct model number. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Simple and Effective
Review: I found this device extremely simple to configure and begin using. While I program professionally, I am not a network person, so I had some concerns setting up and configuring a router. When I installed this one, however, it was a snap, and I was up and running multiple PC's on one cable modem port in minutes. My one major concern would be how to configure additional filters, should I desire them (which, right now, I do not need). The documentation could be more extensive in this area. However, for a simple home application like mine, it is all golden.
Rating:
Summary: RT 314 Great Product!!
Review: I got the Netgear FA311 Network Card and the RT 314 Routerwhich as many people have alreay said, is similiar to the RT 311 buthas 4 ports. ..., I sent their stuff back and ordered the Netgear products. I know little about networking but I was able to install the card and get the router set up. The only thing I had to figure out is that the browser needs to be set to "Never Dial A Connection" and you need to uncheck "Automatically Detect Settings. When I failed to do this, I kept getting "connect" dialogue boxes and it did not seem to be working. I have not figured out Netscape yet but in IE you go to "Tools" and then "Internet Options" and then "Connections". You will see the radio buttons at that point and just make your selections. Anyone wanting to connect 2 cable modem lines etc, should consider this product. If you get the RT 311 you can only plug one computer into the 1 port and then you need to connect that to a hub, so why not get the RT 314? Don't be afraid to jump in!!
Rating:
Summary: Netgear Vs. Linksys -- Netgear wins!
Review: I had the Linksys 1 port router and used it along with my D-Link 8 port 10/100Mbit hub. The Linksys router has to be the worst router I've ever used! The thing would constantly die on me requiring me to unplug it and restart the unit. When I picked up the box for the Netgear unit, I noticed it weighed twice as much as the cheaply constructed Linksys router, which is enclosed in a plastic case. The Netgear unit comes in a hefty 7-pound steal enclosure. Installation literally took 5 minutes! I connected my cable modem to the router and the router to my hub. I used the web driven program to setup the router. I set everything for DHCP and it took me about 45 seconds to setup the router. After that was done, all 4 of my machines were able to access the net without a hitch! The performance of this unit blows away the Linksys. With the Linksys router, I could see a noticeable drop in speeds while the Netgear actually improved my net connection and even cleared up my Collisions I received when transferring data from my other machines. I just flashed the ROM of the router to the latest version and it actually improved my speed even more! You also no longer have to telnet into the unit to setup FTP and WWW servers. Everything is adjustable from any web browser on your LAN. I rate this unit 100% -- I've never been this happy with a computer product! GREAT WORK NETGEAR!
Rating: 
Summary: major problem with pppoe and some isps
Review: i have been using the rt311 for some months now and was loving it except for the annoyance of having to reboot it about every month. it turns out the problem is due to the fact that the router does not reestablish the pppoe connection if it is ever dropped. my isp (earthlink/mindspring dsl) has recently been dropping the connections more frequently so i now have to reboot it between every couple of days and a week. thus i have no internet connection unless i am there to reboot it (i finally wrote a script to do this). after talking to a gaggle of customer service reps they all told me that it is the isps problem and that the only way of correcting is to manually reboot. i finally found out that they may be working on a fix but there is no eta. this might be a nice product when they finally get around to updating the bios to correct this serious problem.
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