[vmpaul]

So my Netgear MR814v1 802.11b router just crapped out. Died after about 1 year of service (9 months great, 3 months flaky behavior). Planned on buying the same since it was easy setup and range and features were fine for my needs.

Anyway, I went to Amazon to replace it since they've come down in price about 60% since I originally bought mine. The trouble is there are HORRIBLE reviews for this product now. Flaky connections, doesn't work out of box, etc, etc.. Plus horrible reviews because of their outsourced tech support.

So. I'm a little spooked. Has this company gone down the tubes? Is it a crapshoot to order from them now? I know that's all anecdotal information (as are the replies here) but really.

Looked at the reviews for the other brands listed and it's just as bad. Is this just normal for all these low-priced routers now?

[djohnson]

I have a Netgear router at home and at work. They work fine as long as the net connection doesnt drop. When it does, maybe once every 2-3+ months, all you have to do is unplug then plug back in. I suggest another Netgear. Make sure you get the silver colored router.

[vmpaul]

Originally posted by djohnson:
I have a Netgear router at home and at work. They work fine as long as the net connection doesnt drop. When it does, maybe once every 2-3+ months, all you have to do is unplug then plug back in. I suggest another Netgear. Make sure you get the silver colored router.

Well, that's what I have. Been generally pleased with it, except that it died after only a year of service, but you should check out the negative reviews on it at Amazon. Seems like it's a stroke of luck if you get a good one instead of bad.

That's what I'm concerned with. Has this company's QC gone down the drain?

[tooki]

My Netgear MR314 failed twice in less than a year. And that was before they switched to the cheap plastic housings.

I have a D-Link DI-624 and am much happier with it. It also has a far more complete web interface than the Netgear. (And D-Link has a web interface simulator on their website, so you can try it out before you even buy one.)

tooki

[pliny]

I used a hardwiring linksys for a couple of years and it would occasionally drop out. The netgear wireless one i have now is the wgr614v4 g router, it's been working just fine, no dropouts, and was pretty easy to configure. it has very good range too.

[wuzup101]

I'm using a linksys wireless b model here. We've had it for quite a while now... atleast 2 years... probably like 3. Never had a problem with it. I'm sitting outside right now and the router is on the other side of the house on the second story and I have abouut half signal on my powerbook...

[davecom]

I have a Linksys B model wireless router and a 4 port Linksys 10/100 router, nothing amazing. They once came out with a new firmware update that made the 4 port stop working properly for months until a newer firmware came out. Also the signal strength is nothing to write home about on the wireless. It is a workhorse though, on 24/7 for years and never broke.

[Zim]

About Netgear in general, see my thread on their service being outsourced (ie. expect no service)

As for the WGR614v4, I've had one for 2 months, and you can surmise that if I'm writing about the lack of service, I've been forced to try to use it.

Finally I came up with my own script that checks the 614 every 20 minutes (cron job) and resets it when it has lost its connection. For whatever reason (overheating is one explanation I have heard), the thing will lose its WAN connection and nothing short of a reset/repower of the router will fix it. Obviously that is tough to do remotely, so I wrote the script to run locally.

For the short term the problem is worked-around, but my next purchase will be from anyone BUT Netgear.

I find the fact that Linksys has open-sourced their firmware to be a very attractive concept. Doing it over, I'd have purchased their box instead.

Mike

[ginoledesma]

Like Zim, my next home network product will most likely anything but a Netgear. I have the MR814v2 which I replaced with the WGR614v4. Both work fine, except that they are known to "hang" now and then. My WGR614v4 seems to fare much better, as it has not given me problems in quite a while now.

The reason why I got the Netgear (aside from price) was that they used to make pretty decent products. I guess competition has made them lean on the cheap side. Now my choices are pretty much going to be either D-Link or Linksys. The attraction I have with Linksys is the ability to use custom firmware to take advantage of some undocumented features available to the device. As for D-Link, well, I've always had them around and they've rarely given me trouble.

[vmpaul]

Well, I ordered the Netgear again. Should get it sometime this week.

But after reading this thread you can see why I was weary. I suspect they are using cheaper parts, their Quality Control standards have lowered, and they've outsourced their Tech Support offshore making it almost unusable.

After reading some experiences here and on Amazon, I'm not going to play with it if it starts acting flaky. I'm saving everything to ship it back if it starts dropping connections.

I'll report back when it arrives.

[Sarc]

I have the MR814v1. It works fine, except when the iNet connection drops.
I have also used D-Link routers, but I liked the NetGear's config pages much better, easy to use, yet powerful.

[f1000]

I've had several D-link and Linksys routers and access points. I've never had any major hardware problems with any of them.

I also have a DI-624, and it has worked pretty flawlessly for me.

[Zim]

FWIW, here is my script that I use to reset the NG (works on a WGR614v4)

Code:
#!/usr/local/bin/perl

my $net_down = 0;

sub reboot_ng {
   `curl -u admin:your_password -m 10 -d connect=Reboot 192.168.0.1`;
}

$mismatch = '';
do {
   #get the IP that dyndns has for me, or put 
   $ip = `dig +short www.google.com`;
   chomp($ip);
   $netdown = 0;
   if (($ip =~ /timed out/)) {
      $netdown = 1;
      $mismatch .= substr(scalar localtime,4,15)."Net down, rebooting router\n";
      print $mismatch;
      reboot_ng();
      sleep 30;
   }
} until ($netdown == 0);

run it on a cron job, once/hour (or more)

19 * * * * /Users/zimmy/bin/ng_test.pl > /dev/null 2>&1

I run all of this to a log file and see, hmm 0 reboots over the past 3 days, but do get one every once in a while.

Mike

[TailsToo]

Linksys is supposedly the best!

[fisherKing]

i just got a dlink di-524; setup took minutes. works great, a better, more consistent signal than my previous router (a netgear...)

about $60. on buy.com but go to dlinks site, they have a $25. rebate offer (download it)

[vmpaul]

Since I started the thread I figured I'd give an update.

Got my replacement Netgear MR814v2 today. I was struck how much the unit had shrunk. Seems like it's about 1/3 the size of my older MR814v1. It was also about 1/3 of the price.

Didn't work out the box. I had to go to the Netgear website and d'l the latest firmware upgrade. Still didn't work when I configured it manually. For some reason it only seemed to work after I erased all the settings and used the Wizard for an automatic setup. After that it seemed to work fine. Strong signal, good encryption, etc..

I'm still keeping the box and receipt handy in case it starts acting flaky like people here have experienced.

[gperks]

My WGR 614 v2 just broke for no good reason after almost a year. The uplink port has stopped working so it won't talk to my cable modem. CM is fine, I can plug a Mac direct into it and surf. The LAN side of the Netgear works fine too.

Switched it out for an Airport Express (borrowed from playing music through the hifi) and it works great.

Reset the Netgear etc etc. No reason for it to break, been sat in a closet no-one's touched it.

Had had to call Netgear before (to ask when they would finally support WPA) and the Indian support tried to be helpful but didn't know the answer.

Last time I checked the WPA driver was still "beta". They must have been the last supplier to support WPA.

I think I'll skip Netgear in the future. Having configured an Airport Express as router now, it's twice as easy and twice as fast to configure than the Netgear.

What to replace the Netgear with... I do have some hard-wired devices so the Airport Express is out. AEB would be lovely but only has one LAN connection. I guess I could insert another (wired) router in there, but that's even more $$$ on top of the AEB price.

Still, the ease of configuration.... :-)

[vmpaul]

My original Netgear router died because of the same thing. The uplink failed.

While your experience with the Airport Express sounds great, it's 3 times the cost (not counting rebates) of the Netgear.

Now, I may change my mind if this new Netgear router becomes a continual headache. I can only hope it's not.

[SSharon]

I am about to buy a linksys wrt54g (4 port switch with g wireless), but before I do I would appreciate some advice from the people here as this will be my first wireless mac. My plan is to plug the router into the wall and my MDD into one of its ports and use the ibook wirelessly. I have heard good things about the linksys from one person but like as much input as I can get.

[vmpaul]

- Update -

So, my Netgear worked fine......for 3 days. All of a sudden it stopped working yesterday.

I get a signal, according to my iBook, but I can't connect to any server. I've reset back to the Factory Default settings twice and that fixed it for a while, only to have it stop again.

I suppose it could be my iBook or the Airport card within but I doubt it. Mostly because resetting it seemed to work. Plus, I took a cable directly from one of the LAN ports to the iBook and it didn't work. Given that, I can't imagine it being anything other than the router.

Unless somebody has another idea?

3 days. 3 friggin' days. Never Netgear again. I'll go to my local Fry's and try a D-Link.

[djohnson]

Well here is an update with out home network. We added a Netgear 5 port switch and an Airport Express. With the AE plugged in through the switch and then to the router, it would cause that connection of the router to drop every 10 minutes... I plugged the AE into the router and now it has been working for 10 days with no problems.

[C.J. Moof]

My original Airport base station has had nearly no downtime or stupid behaviors since I first plugged it in, back in 1999. My office uses 4 Airports for wireless access, which have been running continiously since I got here in 2000. They cost a bit more, but I just simply don't have to waste time fighting with them and looking for solutions online.

Lowest price != best value.

[vmpaul]

Originally posted by C.J. Moof:


Lowest price != best value.

I think you're right.

[rastatero]

I have been using a Linksys Router, BEFSR81 for the last three years and I have had very little problems with the router, but problems nonetheless. There were times when I would have to hard reset the router at least once a month, and now my biggest gripe is that its dropping packets. After doing some google search I have found that my SSH error, "corrupted MAC on input," is most likely the fault of my linksys router. The router has very poor packet handling and it seems that the router may be great for home/consumer use. But if you are in an office situation or a power user, I would personally recommend something else. -- Tony

[MrForgetable]

I have used D-Link for 2 1/2 years and I am very happy with them