| Netgear WGT624 Super G 108 Mbps Wireless Router |
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Model: WGT624
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 274
Operating system: Apple MacOS
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
108 Mbps with Super G Technology (when used with Netgear WG511T PC Card)
Smart Wizard gets you up and running in fewer than 5 clicks
Over 10 security and privacy features including Double Firewall (SPI & NAT)
802.11g standard compliance; interoperable with existing 802.11b and 802.11g networks
Compatible with Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, Mac OS, NetWare, UNIX, or Linux |
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| Description: |
| The NETGEAR WGT624 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router is 10 times faster than 802.11b routers. When used with NETGEAR's WG511T 108 Mbps Wireless PC Card, it delivers speeds up to 108 Mbps, using Super GTM Technology. It's the next generation of home networking, with the power to stream MP3 & video, share printers, chat and distribute large photo files Exceptional range keeps you connected at the farthest ends of home or office 4 RJ-45 Ethernet ports, 10/100 Mbps auto-sensing Dimensions - 1.1H x 6.9W x 4.7D |
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| User Reviews (274 total): |
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Too slow to deal with, March 29, 2006
By Guy (Charlestown, MA United States)
The so-called easy setup wasn't particularly easy. I had many issues trying to get an internet connection, setup continued to fail for about 10 times. After going through the steps on the 11th time we managed to get setup to complete successfully (using DHCP). After setup I needed to reboot the computer to get my connection back.
The very big issue was the speed degradation over my wired connection. It's like the bad ole days of dialup. It's going back to the store.
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Unbelievably bad product., March 23, 2006
By John Carr (California, USA)
If there was a 0 star(s) option, I would have chosen it.
This router accepts both hard-wired and wireless connections, however after connecting it, my hard-wired connection speed dropped by 40%. I stuck it out for a few days hoping it would get better, or that it was some glitch, but finally I unplugged it and reverted to my previous router (also Netgear), and the speed returned.
I would expect a slowdown with wireless vs wired, but I would not expect such a degradation of throughput with my wired connections.
[...]
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Not the best choice. Took it back a day later., March 20, 2006
By C. Baker (New York, NY USA)
So I made the purchase of this router yesterday as an "impulse buy" and I really should have done my homework. Just about the only thing I was pleased with was its aesthetics. After installation, I had to completely disable my Norton AntiVirus software in order to connect to the Internet. After some more problems, I had to call Time Warner cable to make sure my cable was still working (they simply had me remove the router from the configuration altogether). After a bit more progress (and about 2 hours into the setup), I realized that my laptop was finally able to connect to the web via the network. However, my desktop still wasn't. I re-enabled Norton and it kept warning me about a "worm intrusion," pretty much freaking me out. I let it sit overnight and the situation wasn't any better today. No Internet connection on my desktop.
My experience with their customer service was also negative. Their webchat did not work (no one was there) and the rep I got on the phone was clearly in India and talking directly from a script. He didn't know English very well at all which drove me crazy!
Today I went back to BestBuy and (after research, talking to their Geek Squad and asking fellow customers) purchased the Linksys WRT54GS. So much better! Everything is working fine now. Took a little while to set up and logged 1 call into support, but everything worked out. I definitely recommend Linksys over Netgear for a variety of reasons. Bottom line - don't buy this product.
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Faulty wireless connectivity, March 19, 2006
By P. Ashamalla (Fairfax, VA USA)
Bottom-line this is the worst wireless router I have ever used.
The DHCP is extremely unreliable. If you try to set up a secure wireless network, the DHCP does not even work. In order for it to function, even partially, the wireless network has to be completely open and unsecure. Even then it will only work for anywhere between 30 minutes and one hour. Afterwards you have to unplug the router and plug it back in to get it going again.
I'm not sure if I simply purchased a bad router, but I'm not the only one that has complained about this. I wouldn't recommend spending the money on something that may or may not work.
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Up and running, no problems!, March 19, 2006
By B. Altevogt (Washington, DC)
Contrary to some reviewers I had absolutely no trouble connecting WGT624 Router to my Motorola Cable Modem and Mac G5. It was as simple as following the 5 easy steps laid out in the instruction manual. Had it up and running in less than 20 minutes. Have not have a problem in the 2 months I have been using it. Use it nightly, both on the T1 ports and the wireless capability. Often use both at the same time and find no bondwidth issues.
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Excellent features, poor engineering, March 3, 2006
By Phillip Jones (Boston, MA)
I've owned this router for 18 months and up untill recently it's been the backbone of my home network without a single problem. After moving apartments though, its all gone wrong.
The router is extreemly vulnerable to interference from DECT cordless phones and other wireless networks. To make matters worse, when it suffers from interference, the router resets itself bringing the whole network down for a couple of minutes out of ever 10 or so. I'm reliably informed that other routers don't do this, it's a product specific problem. You may, however, never suffer from this if neither you nor you neighbours have any other 2.4GHz appliances.
Other users have reported vulnerability to overheating and the cheap, poorly regulated power supply can also cause problems, all of which leading to drop out and resets. Some users have solved problems by installing fans in their routers, taking pannels off the body and replaceing the power supply with a better one.
There are several long threads in the Netgear support forums and a couple of websites dedicated to issues with this router, if you want to track them down. At any rate, the conclusion is that although this router can be fast and have excellent firewall and port forwarding features, it's badly under-engineered and significant work may be required by theend-user to trouble shoot the problem.
Needless to say, Netgear's support is really pretty bad, many users get stuck in the loop of having netgear blame their cable company and the cable company blaming netgear, they certainly can't help troubleshoot problems.
Buyer beware and do some research before you buy this product.
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Good_BUT, March 3, 2006
By C. A. Husted (Indiana)
This unit seems to work great ONCE I got configured correctly. They advertise simple auto set up but don't be fooled. I had to make 2-calls to netgear and one to my dsl provider to get it to work. I had to bridge my dsl modem to the router and that is not somthing for the average user to do. Other than that frustration, it is working great and has great speed and coverage thruought my home. I would recommend it.
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Works Great, March 3, 2006
By J. Baker (United States)
I had no problems seting up a wireless network in my small business. First time I have ever done this. I followed the directions and read the download instruction book. I have computer savy, but not much. I am going to buy another for my home.
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Don't expect DHCP to work, March 3, 2006
By F. Ganter (Tampa, FL USA)
Pros:
- Easy to set up
- Good technical support
- Decent compliment of features
Cons:
- DHCP does not reliably work
- Speed is not as great as others make it sound
As others have addressed the pros, here's my explanation of the cons...
Quite simply, the DHCP feature does not properly work. I use a Netgear WG511T PCMCIA card and a WG111T PCMCIA card - both considered "companion" 108Mbps products to the WGT624 - both products you would expect to work pretty well with the WGT624.
They don't.
Neither could reliably retrieve an IP address from the WGT624 even after applying the very latest firmware upgrades to all products. This is considered a core function of a combined WAP/router and should work flawlessly. Netgear attempted to replace the WGT624, hoping that would solve the problem. It did not. It wasn't until I turned off the DHCP feature on the WGT624 and started using a Windows DHCP server that the cards could reliably get an IP address. BTW - Getting an IP address was also an issue on one of my wired computers, until I stopped using the WGT624.
Regarding speed...
I was replacing a 10Mbps Linksys WAP with the WGT624. I noticed some speed improvement, but nothing close to 10 times, which is what you would expect on the local network.
I will say, the range improvement was noticeable, and I have no issues using wireless anwhere in my 2300 square foot house.
If you're counting on the dynamic dns feature, you'll need to get a firmware upgrade from Netgear (posted on their Web site), as out of the box the router will flood your dynamic dns provider, until they shut you down.
Summary:
As of the writing of this review, there are newer and more reliable products available. Netgear makes some of them. I would buy one of those.
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Great product, March 2, 2006
By Janine T. Wells
This product was everything i was looking for. It had easy setup which took no more then 5 min and has a great settings menu that i can go to; to change them. I would recompend this to anyone who is looking for a router.
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Easy to set up, does as described, right price, February 25, 2006
By Barry L. Bequette
Absolutely no problems with this device so far (2months). It is very, very easy to set up and has worked flawlessly so far, even with disconnecting a couple of times and reconnecting, no settings or anything had to be changed or tweaked. Very close to plug and play, good reception.
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The worst routers I've ever had the displeasure to own, February 23, 2006
By M. Djuric
I purchased a refurbished version of the same router less than a month ago, due to my own mistake (the website listed it as a refurb way at the bottom, where I didn't read). Two weeks later it totally stopped working, basically stopped giving out IPs to wired computers and no internet for either wired or wireless. The company I got it from does not accept returns on refurbs, and Netgear told me they will not RMA refurbs, only give technical support (basically telling me over and over to reset it or renew my IP). I'm out of $45.
Not learning my lesson fully, I still purchased this newer version of the router, thinking that a brand-new one would not have the same potential for breaking. I hooked everything up correctly (as usual)... The router took a good minute to load the settings page, and after I changed some it just went to a "This page cannot be displayed" without wanting to do anything at that point.
I didn't bother resetting it, restarting it, all that bullshizz... I took it back to the store and am now shopping for a Linksys. I've owned routers for years and years (2-3 Linksys-es, 1-2 D-Links) and I've never seen such despicable service both from a company or a particular product.
BTW, Netgear offers a 90 day support free of charge (and 1 year warranty) and afterwards it's email or you pay -- something along those lines.
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Worst Wireless Router Ever!, February 21, 2006
By in4matxdude (California)
This is the worst router I have ever seen. I recieved it as a christmas gift so I could wireless broadban over the internet. I replaced our D-Link router with this one, and immediately my roomates and I noticed a significant drop in performance. Websites would take minutes(!) to load, instead of fractions of seconds, and this was through a wire. The wireless internet was even slower. Please do not buy this garbage and instead purchase a D-Link or Linksys router instead. You save time and money.
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Quick and Easy to Setup with Strong Signal, February 17, 2006
By mitnerd (Boston, MA)
Just like the title says, the installation of the wireless router went flawless. The instructions was very clear and not too many steps. The signal strength is very strong where the router is actually hidden behind a wooden shelf and 1200 sqft condo has perfect connection through out. I'm usually a linksys fan, but wanted to try something new since this looks a lot nicer (less techie). I highly recommend this router to anyone.
My general comment is that the administration website that comes with this router, linksys router, etc... all still suck. Hopefully, some day these company can spend the extra 10k to make these administrative interfaces a lot nicer looking and more user friendly.
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Amazing router, February 13, 2006
By Harshawardhan Gadgil (Bellevue, WA USA)
Had some issues with throttling complete 108Mbps speed (Win xp used to crash when using this router with a netgear 108mbps pcimcia wireless card) but 54Mbps works fantastic. Allows setting mac filtering, firewall, WPI-PSK based security and lots more. Control center has a great intuitive interface with automatic upgrade options. Its a great buy. Highly recommended.
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Terrible customer service, February 13, 2006
By Wayne Bondad
If you experienced no problems with this product then congratulations. However I and several of the other unhappy consumers of this product constantly experience stability issues. If you call customer service, you get some guy from a barn yard in India that tells you that you have to pay $32 for customer support. Where do you get the nerve to charge people to fix YOUR product?
I said screw that and bought a Linksys.
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Intermittent wifi drops, February 12, 2006
By F. Farzaneh (San Francisco, CA)
Good form factor and easy to set up, but the wireless signal drops off intermittently. It does seem to come back by itself, sometimes in minutes, other times much later (although it's hard to really quantify). Most of the time I have to reset the power. The Netgear user forum boards seem to indicate that this occurs often and is not an isolated event.
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Works for awhile, then crashes, February 2, 2006
By S. Chan (Berkeley, CA)
I unfortunately have to give this a single star for effort, its stylish look, and its low cost. The unit worked fine for about two days, then the wireless network started to intermittently disconnect. Now, on its fourth day, its firmware was upgraded in hopes of alleviating the intermittent problems, and it now entirely refused to work and continues blinking the Test light.
I should have researched this product before purchasing it; a quick check on Netgear's forums reveals that this product has a whole host of problems (such as overheating and, again, sporadic shutdowns that require rebooting).
The installation disc also requires Windows and Internet Explorer, which I wish was clearly stated on the box. I have no idea why it needs Windows since other routers (such as D-Link's) simply requires any web browser.
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Excellent Router, February 1, 2006
By Samir S. Savla (CA usa)
I tried this router with a 11 mbps receiver and a 54 mbps receiver and works fine on both of them. Havent had the problem of the router hanging up as people in other reviews suggested. Works perfect for me
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Once I got it set up..., January 30, 2006
By C. Nash (Waldorf, Maryland United States)
I spent many hours researching different products, and ultimately chose Netgear WGT624. Technically, it was a great choice. I haven't had any issues since installation. But the installation was a @#$%$!! Part of it was my fault for refusing to call the help desk (come on, who can't set up a router?). After at least 8 hours, I gave in and called the help desk, thank goodness I did, because the information I needed did not appear any documentation that came with the product. The gentleman at the help desk was pretty rude, too. He never did help me get an internet connection, told me that wasn't their problem. I had to figure that out by myself (which I did, thank you very much). If the manuals were clearer, I'd give the Netgear 5 stars.
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