| 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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It Will Eventually Fail on You, January 24, 2006
By K. Lewis
I have to say that at first this product was amazing, and it worked very well. However, because of the firmware upgrades and possible overheating, the product has now been rendered usesless to me. I may still be able to return it (shipping paid by me) for a new product, but I almost don't even want to deal with the problem anymore, since I know the next one will eventually have a problem. I replaced this with Belkin's Mimo G+ router, and I am happy to say it works beautifully, has a much better range, and has a lifetime warranty. Think before you buy this one.
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Excelllent wireless router, January 20, 2006
By B. Little (Hamden CT, USA)
I have used this as model in both wired and wireless modes for several months with never a glitch. Easy setup with clear menus and clear explanations of each feature. It's styling is a bit simple, but considering the speed and ease of use is the one to get.
BIG PLUS: it allows you to assign a static IP using DHCP to each MAC address in your network...most competitors don't have this on similarly priced models.
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Useless Software, January 16, 2006
By S. Jhagroo (Miami)
This router comes prepackaged with some of the most useless software I've ever come across. I bought the WGT 624 (v3) to replace my broken D-Link DI-514. Thought it was a bargain at the time of purchase - an illusion quickly shattered.
The router's forced auto setup first incorrectly detected my cable modem settings, telling me I had a Static IP, when my IP was being dynamically assigned by Comcast. Internet connection only came after two or three reboots. And here's the rub, the vaunted work-through-walls signal people associate with this brand couldn't even register at full strength when I was sitting 2 feet away from it on my laptop. I took my laptop downstairs and the signal dropped to 24Mb/s (down from 48 when I was 2 feet away).
I returned this router the next day and got myself another D-Link, DI-524. Within 10 minutes, I had a full strength wireless signal throughout my entire apartment - upstairs and downstairs.
Stay away.
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Easy setup, Extremely reliable, January 16, 2006
By Joey Buslon
I replaced my old Linksys wireless b router with this one. Setup was a snap. I can easily wirelessly conect to my hp 2710 wireless printer and, more importantly, my xbox 360 which is downstairs in the family room. This router works great for connecting to xbox live and/or your PC with XP media center edition to stream video, music, and pictures to your xbox 360. I highly recommend this router. Installation tip: When connecting your xbox 360 to your PC with XP Media Center edition, make sure that some/all of your antivirus settings are turned down...otherwise, you won't be able to connect to your PC. In my case, my Norton Antivirus "Internet Worm Protection" setting had to be disabled. Once I did that, I was able to connect and stream data/files from my PC to the xbox 360.
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Requires frequent re-booting, January 14, 2006
By Trainer124 (Chicago, Il United States)
I have a Netgear WGT624 router. The router was easy to install and provided excellent service for 7 months. Now, I am forced to re-boot the router daily. I have tried netgear assistance on the phone but they do not have a solution. There are numerous complaints of this router on netgear web site regarding over heating issues. I would look up comments regarding this product before making a purchase. I even typed in the model name and number in a google search site and found the same complaint. I am currently looking for another dependable router. Research before you buy this product.
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Has worked great right out of the box, January 8, 2006
By J. Brett Howell (Roswell, GA USA)
Granted, I've got a relatively home network setup, but this router has worked great right out of the box with several different wireless nics as well as supporting a couple older machines hardwired to the router. Great router for the price.
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This unit is for SUCK!, January 7, 2006
By John M. Beaston (PA)
So far I have had nothing but trouble with this router. It will randomly drop the PPPoE connection. You can go to many different web pages & then all of sudden, it will time out. Connection gets dropped & you have to try & reconnect. Most of the time this does not work & you will have to unplug the unit for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Once powered back up, sometimes it will reconnect on it's own but most of the time you have to make it connect manually by logging in through web interface. Netgear Tech Support is useless & the forums just have a bunch of worthless posts from kids that cant download their pron through a BitTorrent client because they can't figure out port forwarding.
I always had good luck with Netgear in the past, but I am done after this unit. I am going back to a reputable company, Zyxel.
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Be sure you're getting the v3 model...!, December 29, 2005
By R. Vonderhaar (Leesburg, VA)
My WGT624 replaced a D-Link router that never worked well. Likes: The Netgear unit worked perfectly (at least when new) and was easy to configure. Dislikes: Even using the matching Netgear wireless card for my laptop, it's hard to consistently see 108mb speeds, especially as you get further from the router.
WARNING: I had a lot of problems with my original WGT624 after a month or two of use. It started regularly dropping the IP connections to both my Ethernet-connected desktop as well as the wireless-connected laptop. The client PC never showed a dropped physical connection, but all of a sudden you lost the ability to reach anything -- you couldn't even talk to the router itself via its browser configuration page. The only fix was to either reboot the router or do a 'repair' on the connection within WinXP.
After many frustrating hours with Netgear's India support center, they finally agreed to RMA (exchange) the unit. New one did the same exact thing: Fine when new; problems with dropped connections a few months later.
Back to Netgear support again. With a lot of pushing, the Indians finally escalated my issue to their U.S.-based Level 2 support team -- hurray! It was then that I learned that inadequate cooling had caused MANY WGT624 failures (and mine was sitting out in a wide-open area). They agreed to send me a new WGT624v3 (the "v3" is key!), which had been redesigned for better airflow/ventilation as well as having newer firmware. It looks very similar, but the v3 has holes all the way around the top and bottom edges of the unit and the side band is a very light gray (vs. black on the earlier two units).
The WGT624v3 turned out to be a fine router - works like a charm, and not a single failure since I turned it on six months ago. Just be SURE you're getting a v3 and not one of the older WGT624 models!!
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Astonishingly easy setup on Mac and PC!, December 23, 2005
By The Science Chick (Atlanta, GA)
I timed it. Twelve minutes after removing the shrink-wrap, I had a Mac, a PC, and an Ethernet printer connected and running. The browser interface makes setup on a Mac or a PC, a piece of cake. It includes four LAN ports for wired devices. You can choose security options (either WEP or WPA-PSK) and they're well-explained in the same browser window you use to change the settings. You can also restrict wireless access by IP address or (even better) MAC address. If you're a parent you can restrict site access. It's also on a short list of routers that support Open Source firmware flashes for greater flexibility in the options or -- let's be honest -- the geek factor. (Note that WILL void any warranty, so do not do that unless you know what you're doing!) After monitoring with a bandwidth monitor, I notice no speed penalty of any kind, either wired or wireless. A snap to set up, with plenty of powerful options.
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Nice wireless router, December 7, 2005
By Paul Mavrakos (mass)
After having many problems with a linksys wireless router (taking it back to the store twice)I decided it was time to go a different route. I had done lots of research online regarding wireless routers. I decided to purchase this one hoping that this one would not loose it's connection every five minutes. I received this in the mail. Opened it up. Read the directions, followed the directions and within 5 minutes I was up and running. No problems as of yet and it has a great connection. Even a beginner could set this up with no problems. The directions were extremely clear and understandable. Anyone thinking of purchasing a wireless router, don't buy a linksys it will just give you a bunch of headaches. Buy the netgear wgt624 super g 108 mbps wireless router, you won't be sorry.
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Skip It, December 6, 2005
By Bill (Raleigh, nc United States)
After several days of intense side by side testing, under a variety of situations I can say, without a doubt, this router is slower than the Linksys BEFW1154 v4 model I was going to replace it with. What stunned me was download tests and page loads across a WIRED ethernet connection. Netgear WGT624 V3 was consistently 50% slower loading pages after doing 40+ measurements on both routers. I can't wait to return it.
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When it works, it is good. But you have to reboot it every couple of weeks., October 27, 2005
By Netgear User (Birmingham, AL, USA)
This product is fair good when it works. But it becomes unresponsive in every couple of weeks, all the lights are on but it does not response to anything and connection is dead. The only way to fix it is to unplug and replug the power. I had this product for a year now and I reboot it every couple of weeks. I suspect this is caused by a memory leak in the firmware, but a firmware upgrade did not fix it. Somebody on the Internet said this is a known issue by Netgear, but they have not fixed it.
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Super-G causes serious interference issues, October 19, 2005
By RoyalEF (New Rochelle, NY United States)
This router is nice as long as you don't have neighbors.
The Atheros chip that Super-G is based on has a nasty design "feature" where it uses all 11 channels of 802.11 spectrum, causing problems for neighbors. My neighbor has it and we're trying to solve the interference. Me being on channel 1 or 11 and him on 6 didn't work well. I'm researching it now and I'm hoping that if we turn off some of the speed features we can co-exist. Why make a product that only works as boasted when you have no neighbors?!
It has all the standard features and performance seems good, but if you cause problems for all your neighbors, or have to hobble it to be a good neighbor...
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Frustrating, September 23, 2005
By aspiring artist
My experience: frustrating consumer support...difficult access and slowness of the support website and once you get through lack of responsiveness, unexpected connection breaks.. I am very sorry I bought it.
Suggestion: Maybe the company should outsource their support site to the USA.
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Good router, nice firewall features and affordable, September 17, 2005
By INJUX (chicago,il)
Good router, nice firewall features and affordable
I have had this router for about 3 month now, it works great. Excellent firewalls features, and for the price you can't do much better. A lot of bad review on this piece of hardware, most of the complaints is about the dropped connections. I happen to know a lot more about networking then those people, and can tell you how to solve that problem very simply. I too was experiencing a lot of dropped connection, I rebooted the router and changed a few of the setting and now it work perfect. No dropped connections.
Take the following steps if you are having the same issue:
Access the routers setting through your browser by going to http://192.168.0.1/ , default user name should be Admin, and the password, is password.
Go to the "advanced" category and select WAN SETUP and make sure Connect Automatically, as Required is checked.
Then go to "basic setting" under the SET UP category. Go to Idle Timeout (In Minutes) the default setting will be I believe 10 or 15 min. change that to 0 (ZERO). This will prevent you router from disconnecting when it is not in use.
This should solve you dropped connection issue. It did for me.
Enjoy....
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A once outstanding company now with horrible quality, September 6, 2005
By A. Borst (Havertown, PA)
In the past I have been a strong proponent of Netgear's products.
They were always one of the most innovative wireless router companies. Howver, they seem to be yet another company who's quality has been destroyed by outsourcing.
I bought this modem for its new security features, but it lasted only 5 or 6 months before it failed. I believe it failed after I updated the bios with the built-in upgrade wizard. It now is not able to establish an IP connection with my cable modem.
I tried installing an old version of the router bios, but this has not helped. I know the configuration settings are correct - I tried every combination that should work.
Netgear customer support will not honor their warranty because they claim upgrading to their new bios is a "configuration" problem, not a hardware problem.
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Plenty of problems, even with latest revisions, September 6, 2005
By Busy Executive (Long Island, NY)
I've only had mine a few days, but that's been enough time for me to become completely dissatisfied and to return the unit.
The major problem I had was performance - using an older Linksys gateway, I routinely achieved throughput of 5800kb/sec (cable modem to my cable provider's test site). With the Netgear, I averaged 60kb/sec, even on the hard-wired ports...that's nearly 100 times slower than my old Linksys unit and barely faster than dialup!
Netgear proved unable to find the problem, or even to suggest a plausable explanation. I happen to be a networking expert and after spending many hours with the Netgear unit, I could find no other explanation other than some type of internal problem to explain the problems I was seeing. I did try exchanging the unit for another just in case my results were a fluke, but I had exactly the same result.
By the way, the unit does seem to run abnormally hot: I measured the surface temperature on mine to be nearly 120 degrees in spots. Internal chip temperatures must be higher still...can't see how a device like this will have a long life running at these temperatures, especially if installed in an environment having poor cooling or air circulation.
Taken all together, I ended up returning the unit and trying another brand.
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Horrible Rounter, August 31, 2005
By glum4 (Santa Cruz CA USA)
This product has (like with many other reviews) stopped working around month six, I would also like to confirm that it does drop the connection and require a reboot about every six hours... do yourself a favor and buy a compeditors product
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WGT624 - great product at a good price, August 29, 2005
By D. Sutton (Fresno, CA)
This router was easy to install, easy to upgrade the firmware, and the best part is it works! The firewall has cured one of my adware issues and my internet access runs seamlessly.
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Utter junk, August 24, 2005
By Vonage customer
This the fourth or fifth wireless router I've used, and it's a worthless piece of junk. It overheats and crashes. It constantly reboots and loses connections. The latest firmware upgrade has destroyed thousands of people's routers, leaving them to try to return them to the company which accepts no responsibility for destroying your equipment. Netgear has outsourced all development and tech support to India, and it really shows in this product. I strongly urge you to buy an 802.11g router from any other manufacturer except Netgear. I'm planning on throwing my Netgear router in the trash and purchasing a different model this evening.
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