However after the initial day or 2 of happiness, the router shows signs of stress. It reboots every 2 days and I have done everything like upgrade to new firmware and change or customize settings but nothing will stop it from rebooting in 48 hrs.

Other features I wish this supported and are not part of rating the product are

- Static NAT (1 to 1)
- Support for 108mb super G along with G and B

- Firewall with proper rule set

The WiFi card will always default to 54 Mbps mode even if you are only using NearGear's Super G 108 capable cards for WLAN.

The only way to force Super G mode is to select the router at 108 mode, but then you can't use your regular 802.11g cards with this setup. Bummer !

I should have bought WGT614 54Mbps router !

It took less than 10 minutes to finish basic setup after I had attached WGT624 (version 2) to my wired router so that my notebook with Windows XP could talk to WGT624 wirelessly. I then tighten up security on WGT624 with the following:

1. Change admin password from 'Set Password' menu.
2. Basic Wireless Settings:
Change SSID Name
Select 'WPA-PSK' (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) from Security Options, Enter a Pass phrase. Apply the same settings on the notebook.
3. Advance Wireless Settings:
Uncheck the option 'Enable SSID Broadcast' to make my wireless network invisible. Only authorized clients with the correct SSID can connect to my network. Then I add my notebook to the access list.

It seems that it takes a little longer for WGT624 to update the settings. You should be patient. I change one setting at a time so that I can change it back with a wired connection. Sometimes, I have to reboot the notebook to re-connect to it.

You can turn off wireless feature whenever you want.

When everything works, I replace my wired router with WGT624. I update firmware without problems. The security features are great.

The firmware on this unit is problematic, the firmware "upgrade" is even worse. Do not bother calling tech support unless you are willing to have someone wo doesn't know a much at all reading off a scripted card insult your intelligence.

To top that off range is quite poor. I would wait til the next generation of this product or for them to work out the many bugs.

It seems like a good price but if you have to spend hours on the phone with bad tech support it wouldn't be worth it if it were free.

It reboots continually, causing you to lose anything you were working on, phone calls to drop, etc.

Spend your money on a product that works.

The only problem I ran into was when my dsl provider (Verizon) replaced my modem. I used hours of Netgear support and yes their support is in India. But it wasn't bad. They even called me back to try one last thing. Of course they were of no help. I found the answer on Google in like 2 minutes.

It was Verizon's Infospeed modem/firewall/router/DHCP server. The factory disabled everything except the modem. The annoying 3 day chuckle was it still had an internal IP address that was the netgear's default. I couldn't get the two to work together mainly due to the modem being crippled at the factory. I had Verizon send me the model with the full features and everything was kosher.

Good idea: upgrade my wireless network and get VPN functionality;
Bad idea: using this product to try to accomplish either.

After 3 calls to my ISP support (Bellsouth, who has been awesome for the last 3 1/2 years I have had their DSL) and 2 calls to Netgear support, I finally gave up trying to get connected to my ISP through this device. Netgear's support staff was not only technically inadequate and difficult to understand with the language barrier (thanks Netgear for outsourcing overseas!), but they were downright rude to boot. When I told the second support rep that I did not need all this information for my Linksys B router to connect with my new static IP, he recommended that maybe I should go back to Linksys...and that I will. The moral is that, as with most things, you get what you pay for: I tried to save a few bucks and I paid for it with this debacle.

Make sure you get version 2 (which is being sold basically everywhere at this point so it shouldn't be a worry), and you can see 'V2' on the bottom of the router itself if you're not sure. To realize the full 108Mbps speed advantage you need to buy the matching NETGEAR Super G adapter for your computer (which is also rated highly).

Cons: the only con i can think of, is that it helps to be remotely computer savvy. I could see someone with no computer experience getting a little lost, but even though this is my first wireless router, I was able to set it up without even reading the directions (to give you an idea of how easy it is).

This is my first time at writing a review. But after reading so many of the negatives on NetGear, I decided to post my opinion. My second time at using this product was a charm!

(...)Although all wireless units have their specific advantages/disadvantages, I feel that this unit strikes a good balance for my needs.

I would recommend though not to just stick to the default settings that netgear provides (I felt that they did not give adequate instructions as to how to use the robust set of security features they have available). Take the extra 10 minutes or so and actually change the default security settings (they are OFF by default). That is, I would do the following tasks the second it comes out of the box: (1) change the router's password; (2) enable WEP or WPA-PSK (preferred); (3) change the network SSID name from its default; (4) disable the SSID broadcast; and (5) use the Wireless Card Access List to filter MAC addresses. With those tasks accomplished, you should actually feel somewhat secure. (I emphasize this because at my house I can access over 6 wireless networks that are completely wide open and have zero security whatsoever)

I bought Netgear because of great products and support in the past. I have to say that both have declined greatly. I have the v2 of this router, and its buggy. In wireless mode, the router begins rebooting itself! I have spent some time with this so I will break down this issue here:

Wireless mode turned off: no reboots whatsoever, stable.
108Mbps enabled: reboots every few hours
G and B mode: reboots every 2 or 3 days
in B mode only: reboots every 5 to 6 days.

When I contacted Netgear (and contacting a call center in India), it took 20 minutes to explain the problem only to have them parrot back a misinterpretation! Its not their fault, its Netgears fault for contracting with them - sure it saves money but at what cost?

Their suggestion was to diable SPI firewall which did nothing. They will RMA the unit. What is strange is if you search Google for "WGT624 reboots" and you will find a host of people with this issue. Problem is Netgear is neither aware of the problem, nor willing to acknowledge the problem.

I will send this in for RMA. In the meantime, I decided to buy a new wireless router - the Microsoft MN-500. I read the reviews and it received good press. I must concur that the Microsoft router is problem free, greater range, much cheaper, and simple to setup. I will review the router so look for it.

Bottom line, avoid this router. If you are still willing to shell down money for a gamble, I would wait until Netgear finally acknowledges the problem that way it can be fixed!