Home Networking For Idiots

Advantages: Easiest home network I have ever used
Disadvantages: Slight decrease in speed with four connections

...Do you want to get the internet round your house but fall foul of the technical agility to get motivated? I have found that setting up Wi-Fi connections can be a real strain, sometimes the technology is not compatible with existing set-ups, and sometimes the signal being transmitted is just not enough to get you going. My very first Wi-Fi set up was terrible, I had to sit in certain positions, and could not move my laptop in case I lost my connection. A recent purchase of a BT Vision box opened my eyes to the world of Powerline Extenders, and their phenomenal use. There are three major advantages to using a powerline extender over a Wi-Fi connection, the first that the signal strength is almost as good at the output source (where you are receiving your internet connection), the second is that you can get the internet wherever you...

sghawken 06.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR Powerline Wireless Range Extender WGXB102

Easy wireless extension

Advantages: Easy to install, up and running within 15 minutes
Disadvantages: Wall units seem to get very hot, very quickly

...In the dim and distant past, installing any sort of peripherals for a home computer used to be an exercise fraught with unexpected pitfalls and problems. The wrong jumpers were set, you didn't have enough expansion ports, or your PC was incompatible with the hardware you wanted to add. Times have changed of course, with the advent of developments such as the USB standard and Plug&Play - and the more complex the computers become, the more manufacturers seem intent on convincing us that everything really is as easy as A-B-C. Nonetheless, experience tells me to always approach adding anything extra to my computer with a wary eye, no matter how easy the instructions say the process will be. This is why I was so surprised at how simple it was to get the Netgear WGXB102 wireless booster kit up and running - it genuinely was a 15-minute job...

JVL 02.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR Powerline Wireless Range Extender WGXB102

Netgear

Advantages: No problems with connection
Disadvantages: None

...I used modems supplied my my internet service provider and experienced problems with connectivity and drop out. In the end I got so sick of phoning the ISPs to report problems to be given the same twaddle (updating drivers etc.) that I went into my local branch of PC World and asked for their recommendation. The Netgear DG834G was the salesman's recommendation. It cost £50 and has been one of the better purchases I have made. My desk top PC and now my son's laptop use the same router and the wireless signal has never failed. We do not suffer from connectivity issues and trust the routers security to protect us from freeloaders and hackers. I would personally recommend this router type over those supplied by service providers....

vicke_p 26.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR DG834G 54 Mbps Wireless ADSL Firewall Router - wireless router

Always a Netgear

Advantages: Everything!
Disadvantages: None!

...I have owned this Modem / Router for about 2 years now, and i can honestly say, i have not needed to touch the thing since i set it up when i bought it! It's been sat on the floor behind my desk for as long as i have owned it, Being an AOL user, i was recommended this router becasue of it's easy set up. (AOL Customer care is useless), But i managed it flawlessly, the wireless range is impressive, on my laptop, the signal strength is Excellent/Very Good everywhere in my house, and it remains Good in my garden (about 20 meters from it!), I have never had to reset the router because of wireless problems. I would never replace it with any other brand, if this one decides it's had enough, i will definatly get another netgear router. Hope this helps....

Clifford_Uk 05.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR DG834G 54 Mbps Wireless ADSL Firewall Router - wireless router

Netgear DG834G

Advantages: Great Signal Strength, Multiuse, Easy To Use
Disadvantages: Installation

...Ahhh the netgear DG834G, my first router and still my current router! I have had this router for over 2 years now and it works fine still! The hardest part ever whilst using it was the installation! We actually had to ask a computer programmer, our neighbour, to come round and install it for us! It was that confusing! Depending on where it is located, it gives different signal strenghts, sometimes i dont get signal in my bedroom; but if i move the router around a little bit i get signal! But this can also be due to electronic interference! The connection speed is great with a maximum speed of 54 Megabytes Per Second, which is a great speed for my needs! It connects all the phones, playstations and laptops in our house without trouble so it is good enough for me!!! So if you are a first time router purchaser, this one is great!!...

lallofrall 25.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR DG834G 54 Mbps Wireless ADSL Firewall Router - wireless router

NetGear = GoodGear

Advantages: Does everything its supposed to well..
Disadvantages: Might need a firmware upgrade to work perfectly..

...The following review is based on both my own personnel usage of the Netgear DG834G router and also as a tool in a business environment. Firstly let me tell you what is included within this device and then why I chose it for both environments. This device is made up of the following ? an ADSL MODEM, 4-port Switch, Wireless Access Point and Firewall. Bear this in mind when making a purchase ? if you don?t want all of these facilities NetGear and other manufacturers make other products such as a model that does not include the ADSL MODEM. From a business point of view we had to deploy Broadband access to around 100 remote users in different geographical locations. Because we ended up using a few different Broadband providers we wanted to provide a standard front-end device. Each different provider was offering to supply a different...

Pookie_Rabbit 01.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR DG834G 54 Mbps Wireless ADSL Firewall Router - wireless router

Netgear DG834G v2 - lovely piece of kit

Advantages: stylish, robust, wide range of features, WiFi and wired connectivity
Disadvantages: drops connection during lightning storms, manual slim on advanced features

...*** I should note that my Netgear router has v2 on the bottom of it - version 2 in case that makes a difference. The model number is the same though. *** There are a number of machines (laptops mostly) which knock around in my rented flat, and a couple of years ago, I was looking for a decent ADSL router which would meet the bill. This isn't the first one I bought - but I soon got rid of the other one and replaced it with this one, and have been happy about it ever since. This comes well-packaged up, and is fairly simple to setup and install. Simply follow the instructions and plug it into the phone socket in your wall. The router comes with a DSL filter (nice - saves you buying one) to plug into the wall. You may need to have your broadband user id and password handy for setting this up to connect to the Internet later...

gtsang123 01.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR DG834G 54 Mbps Wireless ADSL Firewall Router - wireless router

Switch to Netgear

Advantages: Easy to use, easy to install
Disadvantages: closeness of the ports.

...Netgear are well known for their networking equipment and it is for this reason I want to tell you about a great piece of kit. The 24 port switch. 24 ports of networking capability.... But what does that all mean??? Ok, let me tell you about what a network is. Even the internet is just one big network. it is simply just a collection of computers that are connected together and can communicate. Simple! But, how do you connect them together? Its not like they shake hands and have a chat is it? Well in a way, that is what they are doing but using some extra hardware to do this. To put a computer on a network, it needs a Network interface card or NIC. This plugs into your computer's motherboard. Its basically similar to installing a graphics card or sound card. You then need to connect the computer via the NIC card to...

andycharger 02.06.2003 (04.06.2003) · Read review
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Review of Netgear 24port 10/100 Switch

Switch to Netgear

Advantages: Excellent quality. loads of features, easy to install
Disadvantages: None

...Netgear are well known for their networking equipment and it is for this reason I want to tell you about a great piece of kit. The 24 port switch. 24 ports of networking capability.... But what does that all mean??? Ok, let me tell you about what a network is. Even the internet is just one big network. it is simply just a collection of computers that are connected together and can communicate. Simple! But, how do you connect them together? Its not like they shake hands and have a chat is it? Well in a way, that is what they are doing but using some extra hardware to do this. To put a computer on a network, it needs a Network interface card or NIC. This plugs into your computer's motherboard. Its basically similar to installing a graphics card or sound card. You then need to connect the computer via the NIC card to...

andycharger 21.07.2003 · Read review
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Review of Netgear 24port 10/100 Switch

Netgear WPN824 Wireless router

Advantages: Wireless and Wired connections, easy to install
Disadvantages: Blue ring of light can be annoying, but can also be turned off!

...I have recently exchanged my Belkin router for the Netgear WPN824 as I was experiencing regular disconnections with my Belkin and found their customer support was not very good. I opted for the Netgear after various recommendations from friends and reading the reviews on ciao. The Netgear has a nice sleek, modern looking design and has a ring of Blue LEDs on the top that flash/rotate when connected wirelessly. Personally, I find these be a little annoying at night because they are quite bright but they can easily be turned off via a switch on the back. It also comes with stands so it can be put in an upright position. It has some nice green flashing lights on the front to show when each computer is connected to it and wether it has internet connection (as most routers do). This model has a wireless connection speed of 108mbps...

fbxiii 21.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router - wireless router