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Electronics : Netgear DG834PN RangeMax MIMO-G Wireless ADSL Modem Router with 4-port 10/100 switchRating: - Good ADSL Connection, horrible Wi-FiI've had the router for a little over a year now and will be changing it to something more reliable. Being a staunch Netgear customer I have always sang their praise but sadly no more. The router is easy to install and configure, as expected with a Netgear device, but I have been plagued with issues relating to Wi-Fi since I unboxed it. Contacting support was easy, however talking to an engineer with real technical knowledge is an exercise in futility. Having to go through the same procedures time and again because the phone engineer is reading from a script is exceptionally frustrating, especially when you work in IT and perform basic checks as a matter of course. I have RMA'd the device only to receive a new device with the exact same issue of intermittent packet loss (read dropped connections) with this supposedly new device. Contacting Netgear support I was told that nothing more could be done. Needless to say I am not pleased with the lack of support and will not be buying Netgear devices again. The whole MIMO angle is little more than a sales ploy as I have seen no enhancements in range or strength compared to other routers with identical setup and location. Rating:  - Blocking ports does not work!I have spent over 3 hours on the support telephone trying to get this router to work to block ports so the kids can't play certain games during the night, but its just not possible, even though this router claims to have those powers. The Firewall Rules section of the control panel just DOESNT WORK. I even took my router back to the shop and got another the same, but that one doesnt work either. Technical support are fine for an easy problem, but their guys are no good if you have a faulty machine. They promise call backs which never come and although the router works great for everything else, I have to drop two starts because the reason I wanted this router was to be able to block ports, but it just doesnt do it! Rating:  - Tried to make it work, but is now toastedI bought this a while ago with the WPN111 USB card. I had been using a Linksys WAG354G. I wanted to increase the range and reliability as promised by MIMO technology. I was having problems keeping an acceptable signal, i.e. something above 1 bar in Windows. I have to be honest, it was no better, it did not solve it the problem. Also I was always worried about the Linksys getting too hot, not any more, because the Netgear gets (sorry got) hotter. Maybe I am wrong, but I am beginning to think that these MIMO routers were designed with American houses in mind, i.e. thin walls and one floor. So the obstacles that blocked the signals could easily be circumvented. Not in this country though, if you have thick walls and more than one floor. I have now given up trying to get this to work, since following the BIOS upgrade instructions has left the router US. It said hit check the LEDs and hit the OK button when ready, I have to be honest, not being a Netgear engineer, I did not know what the LEDs would do when ready, so, after 40 minutes of rapid flashing of the LEDs, I finally hit the OK button. The router is now scrap. As for my signal strength problem, I solved it, now getting constant 4 bars, with a simple aerial extenstion kit. Rating: - Unreliable and RangeMax offers no coverage improvment over other routers...RangeMax technology offers absolutely no coverage improvment over other routers, and even with the latest firmware, the DG834PN regularly drops connections, or slows existing connections to a crawl. WiFi speed is nothing remarkable. The router runs extremely hot as well, mostly underneath - i.e. where it will have no ventilation at all (if there were any vents) - and when it gets hot, it gets even more unreliable. On the upside, you can at least switch off the tacky blue LEDs that would otherwise drive you to distraction. Avoid. Rating:  - Brilliant productI have bought netgear routers for the last 5 years after an early Belkin unit proved unreliable and needed constant resets. I have them at home and have always specified this model for colleagues at work (I work in IT) who want reliable equipment at a decent price. This product is simple to setup, has great security for the price and I find the range is brilliant... I can even get the signal at a decent level (and speed) in the garden in the summer through a solid brick wall. Mine just sits there quietly doing its job 24/7/365 and has happily connected to PCs, Macs, Ipod touch, Internet radios and other devices with no problem. If the blue LED ring annoys btw, turn it off! Netgear support is also very good, they provide firmware on the website to solve issues on equipment long after it has left the store shelves. This is rare for other manufacturers. Great product. |
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