Review rated by 16 Ciao members on average: very helpful
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I purchased one of these combined ADSL modem, routers and wireless access point as I wanted the flexibility to be able to get a internet connection anywhere in my flat. I didn't want to have a router/modem and a seperate wireless access point.
I brought the router as part of a bundle with a MA401 pcimca wireless card, I think the bundle was £150 but it was a while ago. The router is the 11mbps wireless which is fine for a broadband internet connection as these are normally less than 2mbps.
Setting up the router is easy through an embeded web page but you will need an ethernet cable to connect your computer to it for the initial configuration. The first page takes you to the basic settings which is the ADSL connection information, once they have been set the internet should be available to you.
The wireless configuration is also fairly simple with the standard options being available, hide SSID, 128bit WEP, and MAC address restrictions. As with all wireless systems even with WEP and MAC restrictions ulitmatly it could be comprimised so the choice to use it is yours.
Moving on to some of the other features of the router, it offers a stateful firewall with the capability to present virtual servers, so you can host a web server behind it with ease. The router offers a DHCP server which is useful and address's can be reserved according to the MAC address of the connecting device. There is also the option to block certain URL's by keyword, ideal if you have children that you want to block from certain sites. The router also supports uPNP if you are running windows XP, this can be enabled.
The Netgear support site is good with firmware updates being published as and when they are released, the upgrade of the routers firmware is a painless process, I have gone through 2 releases with no problems at all.
I would recomend this router to others as I have found it simple to install and the support is very good for a well priced consumer product. The only drawback is that a simple change requires the router to be restarted which results in your connection going down, but it is a small price to pay.
09.03.2005 22:16
Nice review - mine is by Lynksys. Jane x
12.01.2005 19:58
Sounds a good piece of equipment, something we will have to look in to in the future, good review there, Sue
30.12.2004 23:26
I'm generally a big fan of Netgear equipment, well built, excellent interface and great support. Sam.