I got this router free when I signed up to Sky Broadband. They advertise it as wireless but when I received the router all I got to connect it up to my PC with was an Ethernet cable. I had to buy a wireless adapter seperately to be able to connect to the internet wirelessly.
IN THE BOX
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When I opened the box the first thing I saw was the router itself. You also get the Ethernet cable I mentioned earlier, three micro-filters, a phone cable, the power adapter, a stand to stand the router up with, and the set up disc.
SET-UP
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I found it very easy to set up the router. All I did was insert the set-up disc into my PC and follow the on screen instructions. It took me no more than ten minutes to do. The disc shows you where all the cables have to go, then it installs the required software on to your computer and then it tests the internet connection for you. You are then ready to go.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTER
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The router itself is white and silver. It has four Ethernet ports on the back so that you can connect more than one PC up to it. It runs at 108mbps. I find that sometimes, when I have been using it all day, that things start to slow down and sometimes it overheats. When this happens, there is a little reset button on the back, I just press this and it resets itself and returns back to normal.
SPEED/CONNECTION/RANGE
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This is the first time I have used a wireless router so I do not really have anything that I can compare it to but I have used the internet before using a standard modem and compared to this it is very fast. I find that the internet pages load within seconds. The range of the wireless router is great. I have the router set up in my hallway and my PC in my living room, about fifteen feet away, and I have had no problems with the range/connection.
SECURITY
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To connect to the router wirelessly you have to enter a network key on your PC. This was provided by sky. You only need to do this once and then it is stored on your computer for the next time you connect to the internet. This prevents other from using your wireless connection as without the network key they cannot connect to your router.
You can gain access to your router by entering the routers IP address ( again supplied by sky) into the internet explorer address bar. This allows you to configure your routers options and settings. You do not need to change anything but this may be useful to the more advanced user. The router has its own firewall built in which gives you added protection against hackers and viruses/spyware.
CONCLUSION
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I have no complaints about the Netgear DG834GT Router. It does exactly what it is suppposed to and can be set up effortlessly. I have had no problems with it and would recommend it to others.
by (96%):
by (4%):
29.07.2007 23:11
Good review! I wouldn't want to be using a router that overheats!!!!
16.07.2007 00:39
'tis indeed a good router!
05.07.2007 00:06
Nice review there Lisa, glad to see you wriiting again! Chris x