1. DHCP sometimes hand out IPs out of the setting range.
2. Wireless keeps on droping and reconnecting. That makes downloading large files almost impossible.
3. In b/g mix mode, b mode client may not be able to connect.

I know people will argue that interferrence (from 2.4GHz appliances) is the cause of disconnection, but my MN-500 never has the same problem. Microsoft seems slow (or not at all) release the fixes for this model. :(

I tried the MN-700 and it works great. 100% internet connection, better signal for the same distance from the node, less interference from wireless phones and the microwave. I've now replace all my Linksys equipment with these and have excellent coverage, no drop outs, consistent connection etc.

What a great product!

I bought the MN-700 for use in my home office and my first impression of it was that it seemed very clumsy to set up and use compared to my non-wireless Linksys router I've been using. The documentation was very sparse and somewhat confusing. The setup program also reset my computer's network settings without my permission, which really iritates me. Eventually, though, I was able to get my ethernet clients on the Internet, but I was never able to get my wireless clients connected, nor was I able to get the port forwarding to work. I didn't bother to contact tech support because (as you'll read in the newsgroups) the support for this product has been outsourced to India and appears to be pretty useless.

I get the feeling after using this router that it's designed to be fairly plug-and-play for non-technical home users, but I think that might be its greatest problem. It tries to configure everything itself and does not provide enough control or technical documentation to the end user. So when something doesn't work right, its much more difficult to figure out the problem.

So why I'm only giving it three stars? In short, I'm dissapointed in the router performace and functionality. This is really only going to impact those of us who like to tinker with things like this, so for those of you who don't know your DMZs from your DHCPs, go ahead - this is probably a very good choice. The wireless aspects work great!

Here is my beef: As a router, it's quite limited and I find the NAT and firewall to be sluggish. Also, you can't disable the firewall without shutting down the routing functionality altogether (switching it over to Access Point mode). Which, of course, disables NAT and DHCP as well. This is fine if you only have one PC on the network and are running WinXP firewall but not so great if you want to share the connection without messing around with ICS.

In router mode, it seems to make for slow page loads with new DNS lookups and/or when loading a page with multiple DNS redirected images. If I bypass the router and connect to my ISP directly with the Windows XP PPPoE client and XP firewall, I get much faster page loads. However, java speed tests are exactly the same with either config so for file downloads and VPN connections (tunneling through the firewall) it works perfect.

If MS doesn't release an upgraded firmware soon, adding more functionality to the router, I'll probably buy a stand-alone firewall and keep the MN-700 as a great WAP.

So, in short, if you need strong router performance, look elsewhere but keep this in mind for a great, inexpensive home WAP.

I left and came back with my own old DI-614+ 802.11b router and it worked like a charm - no need to configure the DSL Modem or anything else - all it needed was to put PPPoE in the router and put in the verizon user name and password in the router as well, and everything worked perfectly. Incidentally, Verizon DSL only supports Linksys routers specifically, but will give you general instructions for any router, in my experience.

Also, avoid the software utility if you can - it's better to configure it via the web interface.

The LAN part works fine, so if that's all you need, it'll be OK.

Bottom Line: Avoid this one and get a D-Link or Netgear instead - if not, a linksys may work, too, though I've had some bad experiences with the quality of the WRT-54G router as well.

5) Wouldn't work with PPPoE (DSL) at all without firmware upgrade - would randomly drop connection
6) When open the browser after turning computer on, have to reload the page few times just to get DHCP working
7) Loses wireless connection from 2.4 GHz phones
8) Some pictures are not displayed in the browser - was told to clear the cache (???). Hm, never had that issue with wired router before

Overall, I am very dissatisfied with the product, considering the fact that at least I am able to surf the net and download files. Look first on microsoft's website to find disscusion groups on this router and see for yourself what to expect before buying it.
I would give it a 1 star but at least I was able to get it "working".
I noticed some positive reviews here too. Did you try to connect directly to the net to see if there is a difference in speed?

The farthest I have taken the laptops is out on my deck which is 2 or 3 walls and maybe 50 feet from the router. I have the router conncected to my Comcast cable modem and am surfing the net usually at 1.2-1.7 meg per sec. I would recommend this as a simple, effective way to set up wi-fi at home.

The setup,
I am a novice and didn't want to be hassles by a lot of informational inputs. This device worked on the first try with Wizard setup. I first plugged it straight to a network card with a cable it worked fine. I have a window 98 and a win2000 computer on. I am using Linksys's Dual band A&G on my XP laptop and all I had to do is enter the network key on the card and it will work. You might have to plug the router with an ethernet cable before you can set up the wireless connection; that is what I did.

Conclusion,
I read that you can not extend the range with a wireless bridge with the MN-700 and I was a little bum (never had to also). If you want to compare performances with this device to other go to CNET first. This is a simple device, which doesn't have much configuration to play with. The exterior design is nice; I like how it looks standing up or sideway on my desk. Most of my friends said go with D-link, but I am happy with this pick.

The stability of the .g version versus the .b version is inexplicable. I have had my .b up and running for MONTHS - never had a problem. I couldn't get this .g router to be stable for more then 20 minutes at a time. I did all the updates, ran through the setup just like MS said to do - nada, nothin.

After struggling through this on a Wednesday night and Thursday morning I bought her a .b to replace it on Saturday. Got that one running and working fine in about 15 minutes and haven't had a problem since. Sticking this one in the mail in the next few days to return it.

I really don't know what the hell the problem is between these two but MS has a homerun with the first one and this one pretty much blows.

r.

I bought this to replace a Linksys wireless router that I had set up on an existing network as a wireless access point for my wife's laptop (which wasn't located in a spot convenient to our Ethernet connections).

The Linksys was very unreliable as an access point and I am not a networking expert. So I decided to try the MS solution (where I knew the focus was on ease of installation). Since I was upgrading anyway, I bumped up to G.

Installation went completely by the book (including an auto update after I installed the base software). Within 30 minutes, I had the hardware set up, the software installed, the new notebook adaptor in my wife's laptop and the connections made.

It has worked flawlessly for 6 weeks since then. I also have a Dell laptop with the Centrino B wireless adaptor built in and it connects easily and reliably as well.

I also like the vertical setup over the Linksys. It looks better and is more space efficient. And the status lights are visible from more angles.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily this setup and how well it has worked. Recommended.