| Netgear MR814 802.11b Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router |
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Model: MR814NA
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 715
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
Connect to a cable/DSL modem and get wired or wireless Internet access for all your computers
Compatible with most 802.11b wireless networking devices
Firewall, 128-bit Encryption, Parental controls
Smart Wizard automatically detects ISP type, Port Range Forwarding, Exposed Host (DMZ), URL Content Filtering, E-mail Alerts, and Wireless MAC Address Authentication
Compatible with Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, Mac OS, NetWare, UNIX, and Linux |
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| Description: |
| The Model MR814 Wireless Router provides continuous, high-speed 11 Mbps access between your wireless and Ethernet devices. Also, the Model MR814 router enables your entire network to share an Internet connection through a cable modem or DSL modem that otherwise is used by a single PC. With minimum setup, you can install and use the router within minutes.The Model MR814 router provides multiple Web content filtering options, plus e-mail browsing activity reporting and instant alerts. Parents and network administrators can establish restricted access policies based on time-of-day, website addresses and address keywords, and share high-speed cable/DSL Internet access for up to 253 personal computers. Network Address Translation (NAT) protects you from hackers. |
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| User Reviews (715 total): |
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Great for home or small office (even with a Mac), June 17, 2004
By Thelma Davis (Everett, WA United States)
I was afraid having a Mac would make it hard to adminster this router. No way. It didn't even require any software. I simply turned it on and enabled my AirPort connection on my Mac to join the default network called "Wireless." Then I used my browser to access the IP address provided in the setup instructions and entered the default user name and password. I was right in the adminstration screen. There is help text right on the page so you know what everything is and what everything does. My cable Internet connection is nearly 3000 bits per second. The wireless bandwidth is high enough that it let's me get the the full bandwidth from my ISP. It also comes with nice stand so I can tuck it between a dresser and the wall out of site.
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Cheap but Flawed, June 17, 2004
By Richard R. Harman (Elkridge, MD United States)
My previous router was a Netgear RT311 wired router. It worked perfectly requiring perhaps one restart a year. I added a D-Link DWL-1000AP access point to the router and had problematic wireless capability. I later acquired a used Linksys access point and had similar bad luck. Since then, I have installed for friends and one small business a variety of D-Link and Negear wireless routers. All have worked flawlessly. Once I saw the price of the MR814 v2 drop, I jumped at purchasing it as the reviews were quite good. I have been quite disappointed with my MR814 v2 purchase. It requires frequent resets. My first MR814 progressively required more and more resets and died. I was on the phone with the now notorous Netgear tech support for over an hour and was told to return the product. I exchanged my MR814 for another one and was able to keep it up and running for over a week and it now requires a reset every couple of days. Sometimes I can just power it down and back up. Other times, I must do a hard reset. It seems I'm not the only person with this problem. As far as the actual wireless performance, I have not been dissatisfied. It was reasonably easy to set up though I did initially have problems with accessing the network. The range is reasonable. Compared to my previous D-Link and later on Linksys access points experience, the netgear experience has been pleasent. So, my wireless experience and the ease of setup are the only reasons I gave the product 3 stars. The instability of the MR814 v2 is enough for me to warn any prospective buyer to keep away from this product.
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Poor Wirless Router, June 16, 2004
By unknown
Slowing down my cable, and poor signal even i use my laptop within 10ft.
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Great Value in a Wireless Router, June 15, 2004
By unknown
For the money, this is a wonderful little router if you want to set up a small wireless network in your home. Installation was simple using the step-by-step CD; the only issues I had were with the server and software settings, which can not be attributed to the router itself. Signal strength is good in all areas of my house, even through walls. Transfer speeds are just as good as with a standard "wired" connection for my internet. Aesthetically, the router is also pleasing. With its small size and wall-mountable brackets, this Netgear router is also very space-efficient. Also, the fact that this router is compatible with either cable or DSL internet is also a plus; if I move or switch providers in the future, I can still (likely) use the same router. Actually, this router can be configured to work with almost any type of internet connection, even dial-up (there are several ways to do this; they are more complicated than the standard installation procedure... but it can be done!). All in all, with a price tag under $20 after rebates, this router is a must-have for a light-duty wireless home network.
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So.....what's the problem??, June 14, 2004
By unknown
So.....what's the problem with this router?? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING as far as I can tell. The people who couldn't make it work and gave it a thumbs down had to be doing something wrong!! I got this Netgear mr814 to replace a D-Link wireless router that worked fine but had no range. The Netgear router not only was up and running 5 minutes from the box but is much more powerful than the D-Link I was using - the Netgear unit gets the signal through 5 walls about 50 feet away to a laptop in another apartment.Pros - EASY setup, good range, small cons - none that I can discern
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An ultimate return, June 13, 2004
By celeus (New York, NY United States)
After being excited of having a router that would allow me to roam freely at a reasonable price, I was sorely disappointed after the item arrived. I had to call tech support three times, each time it took forever to get through to a rep (who, btw, are outsourced). Each time, it was for a connectivity issue. Finally, on my last call, the rep determined that my router was defective. What a waste of my three hours on the phone. My advice: spend a little more on another one so as to save lots of time with this temptingly inexpensive one.Pros: hmmm...can't tell aside from the price.
Cons: customer service, usability, connectivity, poor support docs.
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Following the instruction, It works like Plug and play, June 12, 2004
By minyi (Cupertino, CA USA)
I have this product for about 4 months since February, 2004.
I use SBCYahoo for 16 months. I replace the D-link(not wireless) router. I followed the instructioin for intallation, and it worked excelent. I have 2 PC and 1 notebook. Those PC use wired ethernet cable. The notebook use wireless UBS. They all work together.
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Great Router!, June 12, 2004
By unknown
Just plugged it in and it all worked.
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Decent Product, but worth the price you pay for it., June 12, 2004
By unknown
This is a decent wireless router and the price sure is enticing. The wireless range on this is poor and signal is low when used in a two story home about 45 feet away. But overall, if you are using it within close proximity, its enough to get you running smoothly. Linksys will probably give you more range and better performance from what I experienced in the past but its bulky case is not attractive at all. All in all, get this product if you dont have much to spend on a wireless router, and plan to stay close to the router. Very easy product to get it up and running; took me less than 5 minutes.
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Misleading reviews in some cases, excellent product, June 11, 2004
By nobaboon (Chicago, IL United States)
It is beyond "Easy" to set up, truly, I didn't do anything. I plugged the product in and renewed my dhcp leases on other devices, and everything worked just fine. It's tiny and looks nice. The web interface is fine, doesn't do all that much, the logs are not very useful, but UPnP looks kind of neat, and you can do mac address access control lists.(...), I can't think of a cheaper device that could possibly perform these tasks. neat.
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be patient and it'll work, June 10, 2004
By D. Luong (Los Angeles, CA)
I live near Downtown Los Angeles, in a 2 story house. I think there's only one other resident in the neighborhood using wireless, that's what my DLINK USB detecting. within range.
(...).
Had this router for maybe 2-3 weeks now and it works pretty well. I've hooked up the dsl modem to this and used up all the wired ports for the first week. Connection does go on and off, but i don't know if it's because I have SBCYahoo, but they do have the new 5.3 firmware upgrade that supposely fixes that. But I haven't upgraded since it's working fine now.
DSL modem-Netgear 1st-2nd week.DSL modem-SMC wired-Netgear connection now.
Since the connection goes on and off, I decided to hook it up to my SMC wired router that had prefect connection. So I have the SMC hooked up to the modem, and then the Netgear wired to the SMC. took some time to figure out how to make router-router connection to work, but was patient. The Netgear is in the 2nd floor, in the middle of the house, and i have my DLink USB in front of the house...and i'm getting 40-60% connection, normally around 50-60%. depending where i point the USB. And it's working perfectly now. The firewall is better than my SMC wired, since it's harder to get programs through the netgear firewall. But with router-router connection, i think the Netgear firewall is useless, since i'm able to get past with some programs.
Upside, i have my many computers seeing each other, i have Wireless working
If you want the Netgear firewire to work at full, then your computers hooked up to the 2 different routers won't see each other. maybe with the 5.3 firmware, connection will be flawless. but since i just got the whole network to work, i don't really want to mess with it. I do have software firewall running in every computer so i guess Netgear firewall not working is fine with this router-router setup. all security are on. WEP 128bit, MAC address. DHCP off, SSID not broadcasting. firewall on. No WPA yet.
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You get what you pay for, June 9, 2004
By Admin (Santa Clara, CA United States)
I bought this router a year ago with a Netgear wireless card thinking I got a good deal. Little did I know I ended up with one of the worst wireless routers out there. The range is only about 100ft, and you can't add an antenna or signal booster like other routers. I lost reception in the room next to the router almost everyday for no reason. The connection speed is sloooow on a good day. It is not compatible with many other wireless cards such as Linksys. And the list just goes on. I guess it is true you get what you pay for. There is a REASON this router is so much cheaper than other similar products out there. Nobody will buy it if the price is remotely comparible. Do yourself a favor, spend twenty more dollars and get a router that is worth keeping.(...)
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Mac users beware, June 9, 2004
By Ben (MA United States)
For all you mac users out there, this is not for you. I have an iBook and G5 and neither could connect well. Web pages loaded at a painstaking pace while file sharing is even worse. I am generally pretty easy on wireless products because wireless itself is still relatively new, but this is unacceptable, completely. Buy an Airport. One Final thought, and one that didn't occur to me until after I bought it: This costs 16 dollars, and you truly get what you pay for.
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it does work on my friend's cable modem, but not my SBC yaho, June 7, 2004
By unknown
it does work on my friend's cable modem, but not my SBC yahoo. I spent more than 1 week and called their supports, wait like 30 minutes, still can't run through my DSL modem after several phone calls. I returned it back and bought a Belkin wireless router. Setup just under 10 minutes and work quite well.
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Garbage, Junk, Crapola... What else can I say?, June 5, 2004
By Computer Geek (Castaic, CA United States)
I have been involved with Personal Computers since 1994. I'm currently working in the IT department for a Southern California School District. This router made me question the last ten years of my life and my career choice. The current Wireless Home Networking boom is due to Ease of Set-Up. The average user, armed only with an instruction booklet, can (generally) have one up and running within 15 - 30 minutes after the necessary hardware has been installed in the client workstations. The Netgear MR814v2 is a huge monkey wrench in the works. After cabling the router and powering up I was able to log into it with no problem. After that I was never able to gain access again without re-booting the router. After 30 minutes of operation I had lost both wireless & wired connectivity. Unable to log onto the router I had to hard reset the device three times before I was able to log in again. I spent over an hour on the phone with Netgear's so-called Customer Support before I was able to log into the router a third and final time. Companies need to stop outsourcing tech support to India. I always cringe when read to in a heavy Indian accent. The lady I spoke with was polite enough but, did not digress from her script one iota. After my third loss of connectivity and another call to India, I was told that the router was bad. I returned the router to Frys and with more than a little trepidation and picked up a replacement. The second router failed within 20 minutes of setting it up. I have sinced purchased a D-Link DI-514. That was up and running in 10 minutes. Avoid this router like the Plague. There are better options out there.
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PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS DEVICE!!, June 5, 2004
By pyroGeek (California, CA)
Just to give you a brief background about myself, I am a system and network administrator of a College department at an elite university in USA. I bought this router last year in february and it has given me a lot of problems. A lot of times, the router just refuses to respond and you will have to power cycle it (turn power off, and then on). Netgear Customer support claims that the issue can be resolved using a new version of the firmware but trust me, it doesn't not. Right now I power cycle my router every 3-4 days.
Also, sometime back, the router started malfunctioning when I would try to share files on my local network. It just wouldn't route packets from my wireless machines to one of the wired machines. After spending hours with the Customer support, I was still stuck with the problem. Then when trying various things, I tried to do a hardware reset after which everything started working fine.
Next, their customer service. It is extremely bad. I have had wait times of 15 mins - 2 hours. They've outsourced to India...those people don't understand the problems too well. If they can't solve your problems, they will transfer you back to tech support in USA..and if they can't resolve the issue either, they'll agree to replace the router with a refurbished one and you will have to pay the shipping for sending your router back. I think with all the problems, they should just recall the product.
I have heard that the version 2 of this router (MR814 v2) has fewer issues (even better range). So I think you should consider buying v2.
If you still feel like buying this router (the old version) then I would recommend you buy it from a store that gives you a replacement plan...you'll need it.
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Awesome, June 1, 2004
By John Masone (Stoneham, Massachusetts United States)
This router is perfect. I'm an IT guy and I set these up in people's homes and my friends and family's homes all day long. They always work great, never a problem. Not like the crappy linksys routers that have one problem after another.
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plug and play, May 29, 2004
By unknown
This router works very well, I just bought a second one - couldn't pass up the price (have had one for a year). I will carry it with me to a couple places that I need to sync up from time to time and I will be able to get much more comfortable with the wireless connection. One feature I really like is the wireless access control list (ACL). It shows the wireless MACs that are available so that you can easily add the ones you want. Since I use ACL, I don't bother with encryption. This router has been very reliable and is very easy to setup - it basically configures itself.
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Gets the job done.... sorta, May 28, 2004
By Winter Gets Me (Stamford, Connecticut - United States)
I purchased this router to set up a wireless network for my pocketpc with built-in wifi. I have not used it with another "computer" in my house, strictly my pocketpc.- It was pretty easy to set up. Took me like 5 minutes, so that's a plus. - Decent Range. For the price, it has decent range. I can sit outside with it, but not in my living room where the cordless phone can interfere with it (even when it's not in use). - Slow signal. If I'm sitting within 15 feet of the router my internet goes at a fairly fast pace, comparable to dial-up. Unfortunately I'm running a DSL line, so the slow speed can get very irritating! My signal drops a lot at home, whether from neighborhood cordless phones or just the unsteadiness from the router. I've pretty much given up talking on AIM with it because of dropped connections.
- Weak Signal. My neighbor's wireless network router will actually overpower mine, even when I'm sitting right next to my router! If I were you reading this review, I'd want to spend a little more money and get a high-quality router. It's great to save a few dollars, but not at the sake of dropped connections!
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Great router, and now very cheap, May 28, 2004
By brandondrew (Ypsilanti, MI USA)
Virtually no one needs 802.11g speeds, so nows the time to buy an 802.11b router while they're still available but very cheap. i have this router (a replacement for a crappy D-Link: both D-Links I've bought have been lemons, so I recommend avoiding them) and it's worked great. No problem setting up, all the config options you could want, but if you're not clued into networking you can ignore them and do the simple setup. I've had no problem. Good distance, and the antenna is removable if you want to put one on that gets even more distance. You can't go wrong with this one. And (I believe) Netgear is owned by Cisco, so think of this as getting a Cisco router for six-teen buc ks!
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