Netgear WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition user reviews

Pros Good range

Cons Everything else.

Summary I bought this product as-is from CompUSA in January '08. When I got it home I realized that it didn't have a power adapter, so I went back to CompUSA, but as it was an as-is product and they didn't have anything suitable left in stock they told me that I should contact the manufacturer. When I eventually got through to someone, the lady I spoke to could not have been less helpful, I almost felt as though she was mad at me for calling... when all I wanted to know was what I needed and where I could get it. After striking out with tech support I drove to Radio Shack, and they hooked me up imediately.
Once I got the router working.... which was no easy task, I am not a whiz with computers, but I am no simpleton either and usually don't have as many problems as I did. However, I eventually got it installed with a lot help from 2 different tech support guys (and a lot time spent on hold).
But wait, there's more... After using the device with relatively few problems (I would get kicked off every now and then) I find that when uploading from the PC which is hard wired to the router I get kicked off all the time. So I got back on the phone with tech support, but because I've had the unit for more than 90 days, I can no longer use tech support over the phone. They tell me that I can but that I'll have to start paying for it (I don't know how much it is but any price is too much for the lousy service they offer). After a week of back and forth e-mails, where they prompted me to carry out multiple configuration changes/reboots/reinstalls I no longer get kicked off, but the internet connection is significantly slower, and when it comes to streaming video it is so choppy that I no longer bother.
To summarize: I am very disappointed with this product. Not only would I advise against buying it, but I would go as far as to steer anyone away from Netgear all together.

Pros Fast at close range.

Cons Unstable. Requires frequent cold rebooting. Unusable.

Summary Yes, it provides a pretty quick Wireless Pre-N connection, as well as wired gigabit performance. That's where the fun ends.

It frequently loses internet connectivity, and stops responding in any way, even to its configuration screens. When that happens (several times a day) you have to power-cycle the unit to get it going again. When you power cycle it, the wireless transmitter may fail to restart, and you'll have to power cycle it a few more times to get it going.

The best workaround I've found is to set it up only as a wireless access point, and use my old reliable router as the router and DHCP server. Obviously this isn't an optimal solution, but by deactivating the WNR854T's router and DHCP server reliability seems to be mostly restored, though occasional reboots (maybe once a week) are still required.

Additionally, any changes to the device's configuration via its web interface require a cold reboot too. Even if you're just adding an IP address to its routing table, you still have to reboot it. Terrible design.

I held out hope that a future firmware revision would address these problems, but such hasn't been the case. The last revision was in June 2007. As of Oct 2007, we still have no relief.

This unit fails to perform as marketed; it simply doesn't work much of the time.

One more complaint: Though it supports gigabit networking, it doesn't support jumbo frames, even though the Netgear WN511T network interface card most appropriately suited to this router DOES support jumbo frames. So even as a gigabit network switch it's not up to the standards of most other gigabit switches on the market.

Netgear should be ashamed of this product. To allow it to remain on the shelves tells me everything I need to know about this company.

Pros First few months of use.

Cons Connection drops ALL THE TIME. Constant resets...

Summary This product (and probably all of Netgear's product range) is not reliable. I lose my connection all the time and need to switch the router off and then on again. It's REALLY annoying and that's it for Netgear at my place. DO NOT BUY THIS.

Pros Great speed wired and wireless
Sufficient Management Features
Good compatibility (100%, but only about 12 computer/card sample)
Longevity
Decent Reliability

Cons Internal antennas may require leaning the device for max speed
Standard Netgear GUI (good, but it's no ddwrt)

Summary I have owned this router for about three years and it is still going strong. I've read many stories about the 'green light of death' and constant drops, etc. and those had me plenty worried when I bought mine. I've been quite lucky with mine, however, and everyone should know that this is a great router when working as intended.

I've power cycled my setup maybe 20 times since I've owned it, which is pretty solid for a consumer-grade router running on a draft of a wireless specification. Wireless speed is as-advertised, as I hold a 215-240 negotiated speed between floors using a refurbished external netgear N antenna at the client computer. I can't truly speak for LAN switching speed as I only have one port in use, but the router gives me no problems transferring at HDD limitation speeds (and faster burst transfers for small files).

This has been a good purchase for me, and though N is now ratified, if you're looking to save some cash by buying a draft-era device, this may be a good place to start.