| NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router |
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Model: WPN824
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 208
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, 802.11 Super G
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| Features: |
RangeMax router offers an easy way to set up a network with wired and high-speed wireless connections with extended range
Delivers up to 108 Mbps of wireless throughput with enhanced range
Four 10/100 RJ-45 Ethernet ports with auto-sensing technology
Enhanced security includes a double firewall, WPA and 128-bit WEP encryption, and parental control over website access
Device measures 8.8 x 1.2 x 6.0 inches (WxHxD) |
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| Description: |
| The WPN824 RangeMax MIMO-G Wireless Broadband Router gives wireless network users better connectivity. As computers become a more integral part of life, you want the best possible home computing environment. When you set up a wireless network you'll find that Internet connections will fade in and out in spots -- or even drops off completely. The RangeMax Router puts an end to that, giving your the freedom to work and play online, anywhere in the house. Time-based usage controls, Web logging, remote management and URL content filtering Auto-sensing RJ-45 10/100 4 port Ethernet switch with half & full duplex support |
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| User Reviews (208 total): |
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Works for me. . ., October 24, 2005
By user (Mesa, AZ United States)
I bought the RangeMax because I needed something to go wireless between two HOUSES, not just through walls. This does it; I can get a two bar strength on my laptop in the carriage house (across the yard from the main house), and the speed is just fine. I'm not a gamer, so I don't care about the speed of anything except getting me on the net and then not dropping me off. Had a bit of a problem with the signal when my son put the router on top of the metal vcr, but it was fine after he moved it to an open space in the house. Bought another one for our second home and have connected the desktop and laptop with no trouble from den to bedroom. Will soon be connecting a Windows machine (I use Macs), so will have to see if the three change the signal at all. I was going to pay someone to set up my wireless network; am so glad I didn't because the directions were easy to follow for a tech-challenged user like me, and the Macs are pretty intuitive, so it all worked fine.
I admit the blue lights are distracting
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It's pretty good..., October 22, 2005
By user
I think the Netgear RangeMax Wireless Router (WPN824) is good. But there are some problems. Constently I have to reset the router. If you are good with computers this would be good for you. [...]
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Only slightly better than the rest., October 13, 2005
By user
1. Don't be fooled.
The Smart 7 built-in antennas is a gimmick to help sell something that doesn't work as well as they say. I purchased one and it can't move through or around walls any better than any other router. The reason is because all 7 antennas are only 4dbi in strength. Regardless of how many antennas you have attached, the strength will ultimately determine the performance.
2. No option to upgrade.
If you have a 2 or 3 floor house and your connection is at one end of your home (like mine), purchase a router with an external antenna and boost the signal. The internal antennas in the RangMax can't be boosted. And if you think you'll never need to, think about if you're the type of person who uses a laptop outdoors on a patio or balcony.
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Very Deceptive..., October 12, 2005
By user (Ohio)
I was throughly excited to upgrade our netgear 108 WGT624 wireless router to the new "rangemax" sure it costed a little more, but it was worth it right? Well it works ok for the most part, except for the fact that it drops the internet connection fairly often, and when attempting to game online the ping will fluctuate very often making it impossible to play and actually have fun.
It's not a bad router for someone who is just surfing the web or chatting, but for some reason it fails to route our internet speed correctly.
I am also rather dissatisfied with the "netgear support" that is so highly spoke of. Unlike most of their customers, I am not a simpleton. And while simply reseting the router would APPEAR to be the magic solution for all of the problems under God's green earth, it's not. I am returning or selling this one to downgrade to our previous WGT624 108, at least it's reliable.
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wireless internet, October 11, 2005
By user (los angeles, california)
since i cannot get my portable phones to work from the main house to my studio...with 6 walls inbetween, i must admit i was skeptical, but lo and behold...a perfect internet connection.
the only problem i see, is that it slows downloading abit. who cares...i am finally connected wireless-ly and with ease.
installing was a cinch also. you may, as i did, have to adjust the positioning of the unit.
don't know why the unit has a flashing blue light. could do without the dramatics but on the other hand, you can find your computer room in the dark..
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Router was hard to set-up; then it worked for a week & failed!, October 4, 2005
By user (Golden State)
This router has all great featchers announced!
but it was hard to set-up; then it worked for a week & failed!
currently the Router configuration settings are not reachable.
I am planning to send it back.
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Defective Router, October 3, 2005
By user (Palo Alto)
I thought the whirling blue lights were superfluous, but way cool. Clearly you wouldn't want them shining in your eyes while you were trying to sleep. Netgear provides a cap to go over the lights if you don't like them.
I tried using the setup wizard to no avail, so I called customer support.
The Indian accent is very different from the American accent. Also the phone connection was not very clear/loud. This makes it hard for an American to understand what is being said. This is compounded if the other end doesn't speak very slowly.
I made a total of 3 phone calls. The first phone claimed the problem was my DSL modem. However, when I hooked up my old Netgear 624 router, internet access worked as well as before.
The 2nd phone call resulted in an internet connection for the computer which was hard wired to the LAN port. After the end of my 2nd phone call, however, I realized that the wireless computers still received no signal.
I made a third phone call. The third phone made the determination that the router was defective. I already own a Netgear 624 router. My original Netgear 624 router purchase was also defective. I had to return that 624 router to a service center for replacement. I found it odd that both routers were defective after purchase. I have concluded that the quality of Netgear products is very poor.
The performance of the Netgear 624 router has never been good. I have been looking for a replacement router for a year. I was reluctant to purchase more Netgear products because of past experience. However, since I already had Netgear PCI adaptor cards, I thought I should try the Netgear 824 router.
Everyone is telling me that Linksys has a better product with a better range. They also have a one year customer support, rather than Netgear's 90 days. Their router sells for less too!
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Please listen to the others: Do Not Buy! Horrible!, September 20, 2005
By user
Yes, it has trouble getting and keeping DHCP addresses supplied by the ISP (Comcast).
Yes, it takes maybe 20 seconds every single time you apply any change...even if there was no change...to the configuration.
Yes, even the matching PC Card cannot get a valid DCHP address from this router...basically it can't do DHCP/dynamic IP address very well, despite it being a 10+year old technology, should be almost an afterthought.
Yes, the firmware updates to not imrove ANYTHING!
Yes, the blue lights are absolutely obnoxious and you would cover it up if you were stupid enough to buy this and patient enough to wait for Netgear to offer a recall for a new model that works.
Yes, Netgeat should publically apologize and fire many many people, if they don't get laid off first from the coming backlash from computer guys like myself.
No, there's no redeeming value. Wasted 5 hours on two (bought a replacement because I thought it was a dud). A Linksys SRX took 20 minutes flat. No contest.
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Good Router, bad disco lights, September 17, 2005
By user
This product is better than the Linksys router I used to have. Good wireless range and strength of signal.
There are annoying flashing blue lights that don't ever stop, which makes it hard for houseguests to sleep in my guest room/home office. Other than that it rocks.
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Stable and reliable networking equipment, September 17, 2005
By user (New Zealand)
I recently moved my wife's office, making the wireless connection a challenge at best. The access point was now 3 wooden walls and one brick wall (with window) away.
I bought a rebranded access card and attempted to connect to my existing access point. No joy - the card would not connect to my old access point at all. I then decided to purchase the same rebranded access point to match the rebranded card - thinking I'd upgrade to WPA in the process. Again, no joy - the connection would drop a dozen or more times with each period of use. I then thought the signal might need a helping hand and I purchased an antenna, followed shortly after by the purchase of an antenna booster. I now had a signal strength of 70-80%, but alas the connection would still drop.
I then spotted Netgear's MIMO access point and decided it couldn't get any worse than the mess I'd already made. I bought the WPN824 router and a WPN111 USB adapter. This equipment is a pleasure to work with. I found installation straightforward (Windows XP) and it has been running like a dream. Even though the signal strength is around 40% I still have better performance than the last collection of junk. If I set the router's wireless setting to "180Mbps only" I get 70-80Mbps throughput, which is plenty good enough for me.
I've had other Netgear cards in the past and one thing I've found with their gear - It Just Goes!
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Netgear WPN824 Rangemax Router, August 30, 2005
By user (Portland, OR USA)
This router really did the job in my house. I've been holding out on an old 'b' router for 5 years. Suffering through weak points and no signal areas.
Finally wanted to move outside with the Netgear MP101 player. Impossible with the other router. This router had no problems with the distance or signal quality. I'm able to easily move with the laptop down my street and still pick up the signal.
Options are good through the web interface. These seem to be almost standardized between the routers.
I would have really liked to see some ability to interface with the DNS server inside the router. The router nows its own name but there is no way to add aditional names. Having the router as the main DNS point is also a big plus. It makes it simple to configure the hard wired PCs to use static IP addresses.
Locking down the wireless was easy. I got use to controlling everything through MAX addresses and liked the fact that this was available.
Overall, A great router even if the price is higher than some of the cheaper low end models.
Netgear does have a rebate right now where if you buy this router, you get a free adapter for returning that OLD piece of junk. Suggestion for those that don't have an old router (buy a cheap cheap cheap router and return that one [look for some 802.11b's that are free after rebates]).
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Works to perfection with two caveats, August 28, 2005
By user
I set up my home network last January and the connection was inconsistent at best. I replaced my old router with the Netgear Rangemax, which has worked to perfection in my 3000 square foot two story house. Two caveats. The improvement was only minimal until I replaced my D-Link wireless adapter with the Rangemax Wireless USB Adapter. Also the blue lights are so bright, don't even think about putting this router in a bedroom unless you sleep blindfolded. My guess is that in the next version the blue lights will be removed.
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Enjoyment, August 27, 2005
By user
The installation was very easy. The unit performs as promised. I have connected another PC with broadband internet using the PCI card. I also utilize a Dell laptop with built in WiFi. All work well with good speed. I would and will buy more as time passes.
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Netgear RangeMax Wireless Router, August 22, 2005
By user (USA)
well, I am big fan of netgear mainly because its easy installation. however, this product gave me the hardest time to install.. I work as a tech at computer repair shop => I got plenty of experience. So I did whatever is needed to connect to it and make it work... tried it 3 times... finally I gave up and used assistant cd which told me to do exactly the same thing I WAS DOING and suddenly it started to work.. also the range is not as big as "advertised" but it did the job needed.
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Okay if straight sight line, August 21, 2005
By user (NYC)
Claims of speed and range are overstated unless you have a straight sight line from the router to the computer.
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Good range, bad finish, August 16, 2005
By user (Israel)
My Linksys WRT54G was getting a bit old and slugish, so I decided to buy a new router. I decided to go for one of the MIMO routers, to get a bit of extra range. Went for the Netgear, because of price, and previous good experience with Netgear products.
The product worked pretty well out of the box, and I got it up and running pretty quickly. However, the user interface (especially when compared to what I had in the Linksys), could use some work. I could not find control over L2TP and IPSEC passthrough, which is very strange. also when configuring IP's and other things, it was quite confusing.
I also did not like the fact that to manually configure the router (and get rid of the wizard), you had to work pretty hard. The documentation and help is not up to par with what I was used to in Linksys.
Although the product works well, I am not sure if I would buy this product again. I would probably buy a Linksys product (had very bad experience with Belkin products so that is not really an option for me).
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Everything worked exactly as advertised, August 14, 2005
By user (Ewa Beach, HI)
This router is great! It increased my existing Wireless G range by 50% on the nose, and the netgear G-USB adapter (WG111) for my Tivo gets 90-100% reception at almost all times. Yes, the lights are bright, but they can be covered, and, it can be used as a nightlight!
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Good hardware but poor tech support and setup software, August 11, 2005
By user (Jacksonville, FL USA)
I would have given this a 5 star rating, but there is a setup problem in the software and poor tech support. The router works great, I was able to connect to the internet on all computers with a good signal anywhere in my 5000 square foot 2 story house. The instructions for setting up security and encryption are sketchy but I was able to figure it out. The problem I had is I was unable to use file and printer sharing until I spent over 8 hours troubleshooting, and this unit is installed on a brand new Dell 5100 that should have no unusual conflicts or configuration problems. Tech support was worse than useless. Nothing on the web site on troubleshooting file or printer sharing, and the phone rep (in India, it sounded like), didn't even know how Windows XP printer sharing works, and when I tried to explain what it said on his own company's web site, he hung up on me. Thank goodness for Google, as I was finally able to find (on "askmarvin") a fix. XP Home edition has "NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol" turned off by default, and this has to be installed under the local ethernet adapter, and Network Setup Wizard has to then be rerun on every computer. I suspect config problems are common with all wireless routers, but it seems this should not happen on a new computer, and Netgear should fix their setup software. I still recommend the unit but you may be taking a chance on file and printer sharing unless you have the patience to troubleshoot it yourself.
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Not better than regular wireless router (with 802.11b card), August 11, 2005
By user (San Francisco, CA)
1) Not better with 802.11b: NetGear claims a 1.5X better range with regular 54Mbps wireless cards (e.g., 802.11b), and a 10X boost with one of their RangeMax wireless cards. I don't have a RangeMax wireless card yet, so can't speak to how that pair will perform. I found that the NetGear WPN824 performs only as well as my old SMC Barricade 2804WBRP-G when paired with my SMC 802.11b card. The signal fades at exactly the same location in my house. Shifting around my notebook with either router would enable me to pick up the signal, only to have it drop out moments later. The signal has to pass through a couple of walls on the way to the fade-out location, so its possible that the multi-antenna technology is only useful in partially obstructed environments - perhaps when there is a clear path around an obstruction by bouncing the signal off an adjacent wall.
2) Great setup: The setup on this device is very nice and will be useful for beginners. A CD steps you through the process, and detects many settings for you. Very nicely done.
3) Trade-in deal: NetGear is offering a great trade-in deal which makes it very much worth the price. Send them your old router, get a free wireless card.
4) Aesthetics. The router sports an attractive design - until you plug it in, that is. It seems that some geniuses in the marketing department - or geeky engineers - insisted that bright blue LEDs constantly flash to indicate which antenna is active. I'm sure this was great fun during those long boring hours in the trade booth, but I found that at home the excitement lasted only for milliseconds. A dimly lit room becomes a carnival display when this silly device is plugged in. It seems that companies like NetGear (and Creative) are destined to forever try, but never match Apple's legendary artistic sensibility. Oh well. Nice case, though.
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AWESOME Wireless Router - Better than the Linksys, August 1, 2005
By user (Alpharetta, GA)
I just upgraded myself from a Linksys 10b wireless ROUTER to this AWESOME Netgear Rangemax. It was a snap to configure - I have DSL and 3 total wireless computers in the house for the family. It was getting a horrible spotty and inconsistent connection with the Linksys 10 b wireless router even though i had linksys wireless usb adaptors on my families computers... Anyway this was only $99 (and I can send my old linksys router in and get a FREE WIRELESS G adaptor. That means one of my family members will get a free wireless G instead of B adaptor. Guess what ? After upgrading to the netgear for the $99 both the linksys wireless adapters on my other pcs work incredible faster and the signal is 100% strong... Can't beat that and the free Wireless g adapter is on the way anyway. SO I felt I had to let other people know how impressed I am with the Netgear Rangemax wireless and RJ45 router. It also has 4 direct ports in it... By the way; they are serious about customer service as they had a Netgear rep working in Compusa helping tons of people whom were disillusioned or having problems with the Linksys products including range and and signal strength.. There it is ! Good luck and my family thinks Im a genious...
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