| Netgear WGR614 54 Mbps 2.4 GHz Cable or DSL Wireless Router |
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Model: WGR614
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 712
Operating system: Windows
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Router
WGR614
4 port
54 Mbps
Wireless |
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| Description: |
| Netgear WGR614 802.11g Wireless Router with 4-Port Switch - The amount of homes with high-speed Internet access and multiple computers is growing steadily. Wouldn't it be nice to share that high-speed Internet connection with all of the computers in your home? Wouldn't it be great to also share files between your computers? And wouldn't it be amazing if you could do all of that wirelessly!? Well you can, with this 802.11g Wireless Router. Just add optional 802.11g, or 802.11b, adapters to each computer, connect your modem, run through the easy installation process, and you're ready to go. It even supports the slower 802.11b wireless protocol for increased compatibility. VPN pass-through |
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| User Reviews (712 total): |
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Quick, easy, no problems, September 6, 2006
By Bryan Kamenetz (Los Angeles)
I bought this router over a month ago and I am completely satisfied with it. I bought it to replace my older Netgear router which never gave me trouble but which was only the 802.11b variety. The new router was set up using the enclosed software within 15 minutes, and it was running perfectly, and at much higher speeds than the older router. I have had no problems with the connection dropping off. And what a great price!
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Cheap- you get what you pay for, September 2, 2006
By vail guy (Denver, CO)
Got this router to replace Linksys 802.11B. Went between this and linksys, this being $20 cheaper. Bad choice. Router looks nice, but is inconsistent- can sometimes get to setup screen, other times have to powercycle 3x for it to work. Router has actually slowed down internet (even with only one device connected) by 2/3. I get 12 mbps directly off comcast modem, and when hardwired to the netgear only get 4mbps- I can understand a small drop,but cmon! Support is no help...standard troubleshooting from india...tells me its something on my end. Never again will I buy netgear...go linksys
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BEST ROUTER BRAND ON THIS EARTH TODAY!!!, September 1, 2006
By jcenathuganomics (San Francisco, CA USA)
the price value is super good for the price. i have setup 3 netgear routers with no problem (2 of the wireless g's wrg614 and 1 of the super g's WGT624). netgear is the one of the easiest routers to ever setup with the easy setup cd. i setup mine up in a matter of 10-15 mins.. i have had a dlink and zyxel routers in the past. the zyxel never worked, it wouldnt configure for some reason, i brought it back and exchanged for another one still didnt work. then the dlink one wouldnt configure on my pc, got pissed of so i returned it cauze it dint work. then here comes netgear, i set one up for my friend, worked fine, then set one up for my other friend, it worked perfect. then i said hey, y not try it for myself. and it works great! i totally recommend it to everybody, easy setup, everything is easy. greatest price compared to dlink and other router brands. affordable. hope this helps.
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Total Disappointment, August 31, 2006
By poetman (Central Lake, MI)
Had to continuously reboot router due to lost signals; Customer Support useless. Abandon Netgear and Go to Belkin which is OUTSTANDING.
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Great Product, August 29, 2006
By Oregon Rainman (Oregon)
I am very pleased with this product. Great price! Great quality!
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Excellent "G" Router to consider while waiting for "N", August 29, 2006
By ThotWorks (Windham, NH USA)
If you need a wireless router today, before the final version of "N" hits the markets, this inexpensive and easily configured router is a good buy. A strong signal at 300' from the base station has been my experience.
Regarding the overheating issue raised by other reviewers, I have not experienced this problem (I purchased the WGR614 v6).
In addition, it offers the choice between the stronger WPA-PSK data encryption approach and the older 40 and 128 bit WEP security approach.
As another reviewer commented, it is best to initially configure the router using a wired connection - to avoid any drop of service when changing wireless security settings.
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Great Compact Router, August 26, 2006
By Jdogbishop96 (Atlanta, GA USA)
If you're looking for a slim and sleek router that won't make your desk look like a runway at night, then this is the one. Not only does it look great, but it works great too. The small size and polished look do not take away from the performance of this product. It works almost anywhere in the house. I will definitely purchase other netgear products for my wireless needs in the future.
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Not a stable router, August 25, 2006
By cl (dc)
I used comcast high speed internet and have had Linksys router, I was never disappointed. Then I bought this and wanted to get rid of it after several days of use. It lost connection every several days and I had to unplug the power and restart it. Also itdoesn't allow me to use BT. It would just go dead once I start a BT software. I may just have a bad luck but I just don't recommand this product.
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Drops connection., August 23, 2006
By RAH (Appleton, WI)
After 3 months of working satisfactorily, the router drops connection, both wireless and wired connections. It is a botheration to keep unplugging and replugging the device. Tech suppport was reasonable, gave a few firmware updates, but didn't help. I am not keeping this...
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AVOID THIS PIECE OF CRAP, August 17, 2006
By Hungmaniac (Sunny Californiya)
I give this product a big fat zero, but the minimum rating is 1 star.
I'm not a network expert, but I'm tech savvy enough. I've used Netgear hubs and switches in the past when they were blue boxes, and those have always been reliable, but since I bought the WGR614v5, I will NEVER trust Netgear again. If you value your hard earned money, then buy a more reliable brand.
My WGR614v5 only functioned "correctly" for one thing, which is vanilla broadband routing. It did not port forward correctly nor some of the other advertised higher functionalities. Also, it would not close ports consistently; I play online games, and the router did not close the port correctly about 25% of the time, which requires power cycling to undo. This drove me up the wall because closing a port is such a basic operation.
Firmware upgrade was a terrible experience. My WGR614v5 came with the initial release 1.03 firmware. I checked out their website, and there are firmware files for 1.07 and 1.09 that fixes the port forwarding editing, etc. I proceed to upgrade to fw 1.09, but the router would say that the upgrade was unsuccessful; the router still routed but now would disconnect every 10 to 30 minutes. I'm not talking about the wireless disconnecting because I'm using a hard wire instead of wireless during the upgrade. After many attempts and hardware resets, there was no resolution except reverting back to 1.03. Same thing with 1.07.
Netgear support responded several times to my inquiry without solving anything; they stopped responding after a while, then I got a reply about 3 weeks after their last reply asking if I still have the problem. I told them that I resolved the problem by replacing that piece of crap WGR614v5 with one of their competitors' products. My new wireless router (Linksys WRT54GC) port forwarded right out of the box and has been running without any problems whatsoever. It has not left any ports opened after my online gaming sessions. I feel so less stressed by my router now.
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Reliability issues, August 14, 2006
By outcorneru (Silicon Valley)
Well I had been a fan of Netgear up until this router. This is my third netgear router and the other two (both 802.11b) had performed flawlessly. I have owned this router for about 8 months and it just recently started dropping connections. I have seen other reviewers mention reliability issues as well. At first I blamed wireless interference from my neighbors but after connecting direclty to the router via ethernet cable I could still not get a connection. I could not even access the router login and no response to pings. I cycled power but no luck. Then I happened to pick up the router and noticed that I could pretty much cook lunch on the thing it was so hot. After disconnecting power and letting it cool down it works fine until it heats back up again and drops the connection. Not exactly what I am looking for in a router. Now if I was looking for a combo router/hotplate this would fit the bill but I'm not. So this bad boy is headed for the trash and I'll be trying another brand. Any suggestions??
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PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW - DON'T BUY NETGEAR!!!, August 12, 2006
By Britain Turner
I know there are many reviews on here that post 5 star ratings on this product and say it is simple to set up and works great - both of which may be very true. However, I am a computer equipment installer and I can tell you the truth about these routers - THEY ARE JUNK!!! Sure the first few months of operating this router may be a smooth "honeymoon" period - but within a matter on 4-6 months you will find problems beginning to arise. About 8 in 10 Netgear WGR614 (v.6) routers that I installed in the past 6 months have gone bad. And then dealing with their tech support trying to get a replacement is like ordering multiple blizzards in a Dairy Queen drive thru. I WILL NEVER USE NETGEAR WIRELESS ROUTERS AGAIN. Now I'm not a Netgear hater - they have some great networking products such as hubs/switches/extenders which I have used for years and had no problems whatsoever, but the wireless products are total junk. Stick with Linksys - you will have much better LONG TERM success - guaranteed!
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Good router. Works good and looks pretty, August 10, 2006
By Pankaj (Charlotte, NC)
I am using this router for the last 6 months and it is working fine. It looks very pretty. :)
I have read that some people are facing problem with frequent connection drop off. This problem is not related to router, it is related to your wireless driver (as far as I know). If you have Intel Pro wireless card and facing this issue, I am almost sure, updating your driver will fix this problem.
When I installed it, I also faced this problem. I Googled and found the solution. After updating the driver, I never faced any serious problem with it.
Cons:
Sometimes it does not catch the signals and needs reset/restart. Frequency of above issue: once or twice a week
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Better than Linksys WRT54G, August 3, 2006
By S. Gualdoni (San Francisco, CA)
I had the Linksys WRT54G for 3 years and then it recently just stopped working. Decided to try this Netgear because it was $10 cheaper than the Linksys and I wanted to try something new, since the Linksys failed on me. My receptetion coverage is noticebly better with the Netgear. Where I had "Good" reception with the Linksys, I have "Excellent" with the netgear. Setup was extremely easy and pretty much "dummy proof."
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lots of problems, August 3, 2006
By cb (Private)
My computer is
Microsoft XP, Pentium 4
I got a wireless Built in my computer , so I dont need a Wirelss card,
Netgear 614 has had lots of Problems, Resetting password problems, the products came with a Installation disc. and its been going off the Internet every time I install it ,
Every 1 gave it a 5 star rating, I RATE IT POOR ,its good for keeping visuses back ,once u install it once,
the first time we had no problem istalling the disc and making passwords , but later I wanted to Partition my hard drive And start my computer over from scratch , and then I wanted to Re install it ,every was fine but the password was rong or , it could Not conect to the net, or It said my Cord isent conected to net router.
I BOT mine at Circiut City In SANTA ROSA California , by COTTING town mall , $60.oo I paid
Call and Scream and get your money back dont, wait to long , if u do call the toll free number from net gear and tell them the problem
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Will the NETGEAR router connect? Taking all bets!, July 23, 2006
By Michael
My experience with this router has been less than pleasing, to say the least.
I used the router rather happily, without issues, for a few weeks. Then one day my internet connection went down, and when it came back up I couldn't get my computer to connect to the router. Even sitting litterly right next to the router, I would get an error message, stating "There was an error attempting to connect to NETGEAR". After hours of troubleshooting, I finally got it working again. But that success was short lived. Now it seems like just about every day, I inexplicably lose connection to the router, despite being only about ten feet away from it. Then, half the time when I try to reconnect, I get an error message. What's more, there are times where I supposedly AM connected to the router, but the Internet doesn't work, despite my connection being intact. Then I have to play around with disconnecting from the router and then trying to connect again, often without success, and to the point of driving me insane.
To be fair, the router does have its strong points. The password protection is definately a plus. I'm glad not to have to worry about other people using the connection. Still, I don't think that this router is worth the trouble you have to go through just to get it to do what it's supposed to do. I'm sure that there are plenty of better password protected routers out there. Get one of those.
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Mine + a friend's Work Great!, July 20, 2006
By AL Network Guy (Huntsville, Alabama United States)
I have installed two of these routers and both installations went very well. I installed my own at home, plus one for a friend. Actually, I was able to talk the friend through the installation process by telephone. I never laid hands on it!
I recently also installed a Linksys router (sorry, don't remember model #) for a friend who had run into a problem that I couldn't figure out over the telephone. The Linksys installation and initial configuration is done by a Wizard. I quickly came to hate that Wizard because it didn't provide the first bit of failure information. No error message, nor even an error code. I got it working after about 45 minutes, but I have the advantage of being a network professional. I knew all of the PC and router things to check and set.
Important! Always check the software (firmware) version of the router, whatever brand or model. If an update is available from the vendor, install it!
In summary, I believe that Linksys is a good company with good products, but I prefer, use, and recommend this Netgear wireless router.
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Works fine, July 17, 2006
By Taky Cheung (Los Angeles, CA)
It's a router. Nothing all that special. It replaces my DLINK router which drop connection regularly. It's solid, the unit is handsome. The only complain is when I apply any changes to the router, it takes over 30 seconds to update.
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DO NOT BUY!!, July 16, 2006
By DW (Chicago, IL United States)
This thing sucks! I am on my wireless connection 14 feet away and at a 39%. At even though that is horrible the worst thing is the dropped connection. I bet 30 times a day. SPEND THE MONEY AND GET SOMETHING GOOD. If I go out on my deck I get a stronger connection from someone elses router in my subdivision, and no connection from mine.
Complete waste of money!
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Quite possibly the worst router of our time, July 12, 2006
By Eric Iseneker (Florida, USA)
I'm on my 2nd Netgear router. Our first one had the nasty habit of dropping the connection when using a variety of programs. With the only solution being power cycling the router, my roommates and I found ourselves frequently running back to the living room to restart the router, usually several times a day. We eventually took the router, smashed it to bits with a hammer, and replaced it with a better product for $20 less.
I've moved into another home which also uses a Netgear router (provided by our ISP) and it's the same story. Within the last hour I've had to reset it 4 times, and I've had it. I came here looking for any information on how to fix the problem, only to find a slew of people with the same problem on SEVERAL Netgear routers.
I'm calling my ISP tomorrow to have them use a different brand of product, because I simply refuse to use another Netgear product. I don't understand how major problems like this can get by Quality Assurance on several products and still aren't fixed after a long time.
Save yourself time, frustration and money by not purchasing a Netgear router.
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