Customer Reviews

NETGEAR DG834G Wireless-G Router with Built-in DSL Modem

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

This is a real masterpiece. Loaded with features, elegant package and very easy to use.

I just got it, plugged it and logged on to the web administration. First thing I did was applying the latest firmware which was a very smooth operation that took less than 5 minutes, then it suggested it should figure out automatically my ADSL connection and I clicked yes, but it took forever so I cancelled and entered the configuration manually. Unlike some other routers, it doesn't require a router reboot to apply new settings which is a very good plus. I was up and running in very few minutes. Then I started exploring the features and found a whole lot of them.

The wireless AP can be set to support b, g or b and g (default setting), the only drawback is that you must select a channel manually. I believe it should be better to hop to the clearest channel automatically.

Other features contain extensive network logging with flags to enable/disable logging certain events such as DoS attacks or attempted access to blocked sites. Advanced website blocking which eliminates the need for a proxy server, you can activate it per schedule or all the time or disable it. You can also exclude some trusted clients from the blocking. Firewall is also a nice feature and can also be scheduled, turned on or off all the time. You can also email the logs to a certain address. The drawback here is that u need an SMTP server, I believe the router should've had its own.

You can also dignose the router and the LAN and WAN through the diagnostics page, set static routes, enable remote management of the router through the WAN, and my all times favourite service : the router has a built-in DynDNS client if u have a dynamic IP and u wish to have a fixed hostname ! Finally you can backup and restore your settings so u don't have to go through all settings again in case u had to reset ur router !

Truly, I believe this is worth the money I paid for and the few drawbacks I mentioned are no big deal at all, and the pros outweigth them by far. If you want to save your money, save your desktop space and have a 5-in-1 device for all your needs (ADSL modem, advanced router, ethernet switch, wireless access point and a firewall) then go for it ! I'm glad I bought it !

Installation was not difficult at all - much more difficult than the software installation was getting AT&T on the line to provide a dummy account, addresses, etc. If you can install software like MS Office, for instance, you can definitely do this. It will take about 15 minutes and you are guided through every step of the way.

Reliability is excellent. In nearly a year of constant use, left on almost constantly, this modem has never crashed. DSL router modems are essentially little computers, and this one is built well both in terms of physical and software architecture. My connection is a low cost one, about $13 a month through ATT, and it is capped at 75kbps. I am consistently getting download rates of between 56-76kbps. I am confident that if I had a faster connection it would perform correspondingly better.

Heat distribution is also excellent. I am not sure why some claim that this modem overheats easily, but I am in Los Angeles where the temperature indoors often reaches into the 90s. Remember that I leave this on almost constantly... and bear in mind that I didn't use the little brackets that let it stand upright (improves heat dissipation) for about 10 months (I put the brackets in when I decided it would save space). It has never overheated.

Signal strength is great. I run two laptops off of this wirelessly. Not a problem. Laptops auto detect and handshake almost immediately. On the few occasions I turn it on after turning it off, it reassumes a connection and begins broadcasting almost right away.

Cost to Efficacy is extremely high because this is a device that saves a lot of money over a piecemeal solution (modem, router, wireless point, etc) that works extremely well. Quality product.

Security measures and internal software are also excellent. I can easily tell who's logged onto my router and there are a variety of security methods to choose from. This is much better than my fiance's linksys, for instance, which aside from frequently losing signal also has very limited security measures.

My only complaint is that it says there is an on/off switch but there isn't. if there is, i can't find it. Not necessary anyway, though, because I simply hit the button on the power strip in order to turn it off if I'm not going to be home for a while.

This is a very good DSL modem combo. It runs 24x7 with no problems at all. The only trick for it to work with ATT DSL is setup the right VPI/VCI as 0/35. Otherwise it won't find any dsl signal. Different ISPs might get different VPI/VCI. Just google and try it. Or let the modem search it for you. But you need to wait pretty long time until it finishes the search routine.
The DDNS only works with dyndns.com. But that's not a big deal. dyndns.com is pretty good for free DDNS service. The port forwarding also works good. Firewall setup is very straight forward. The Wifi signal gets excellent range. It also gets Mac address list filtering.
The wireless printer server, VOIP (Italkbb) and Skype all works excellent with it.
The ONLY problem is that it cannot send the logs files to my email address. The reason is the netgear router send the emails through the default SMTP port 25 without TSL/SSL encryption. But port 25 is blocked by almost every major ISPs in United States. So that's the dilemma. Either ATT needs to unblock port 25 specifically for your account or let the netgear fix their bad firmware to embed the TSL/SSL SMTP on other ports at your choice.
Maybe I am asking too much for this little dsl combo modem. All in all, it is perfect for home use.

I plugged this one in and setup was easy. LAN networking was painless using default settings.

The problem is that it won't connect or maintain connection with SoCal AT&T ADSL (using my reliable fixed IP), where other modems will. When it's connected, it's fine, but when there's a power outage or other interruption it will not re-connect. Tried everything, including tech support. They think it's defective, but I don't. Anyhow, back it goes.

I bought this to replace a d link wired dsl modem that went belly up in less than a year. This was easy to set up and inexpensive costing roughly half what a d-link wireless modem cost. It was relatively easy to set up recognizing my isp in less than a minute. You will need att password and username. My biggest complaint has been with customer service. Calling them you get somebody in India. I only speak english and apparently not very well because I cannot understand most of what they are saying. A call to att of course is also routed through Delhi. I have sent three emails to netgear asking for a password reset none of which have been answered. Since getting dsl service through att I have gone through 3 modems. Don't know of the reliability of this one. I have had no dropouts or disconnects in the 3 weeks I have been using it. Amazon 2 day shipping was incredible!

Bought the French version of this unit in Paris at FNAC. It was easy to install on FrenchTelecom using 512kb service. Just be sure to have your connection ID and passwords. With a few days of use, I can report it works well with our IMac and Win XP HP notebook both in wired and wireless mode.

I like it because it has 4 ports and is an integrated solution. This can become a problem if you want to upgrade any of the parts.

Wish it had a dual voltage adapter (110 and 220). The adapter is a step down AC type which I'm seeing more of lately. Unfortunately, it makes it harder to find an adapter in the US.

I purchased this to replace my 2Wire DSL modem that Qwest sold me. Since my DSL speed was 2 MB less than what it should be I called and Qwest Tech Support blamed it on my DSL modem (familure story, huh?), but they would be only too happy to sell me another of theirs. I looked around online for a new DSL modem (screw you Qwest!!!) for a new replacement. I paid particular attention to reviews on all the candidate items, noticing most seemed unreliable, with overheating being a major problem for most, as well as connectivity and installation problems. This DSL modem had better reviews, so I hit the old purchase button.

First: NO heating issues so far (after two days)as my DSL is on 24-7. Modem feels moderately warm on the base, but no more if not less than other components on my desk.

Second: Installation was so easy it was scary! All you need do is have your log on (ID and password)from your provider and the installation software does the rest. It has preset options for four or five different major ISP's and software detects protocal (PPPop etc.) and sets everything correctly. Again, you'll need your DSL log on from provider as they usally establish that themselves so you probably don't know yourself. Wireless setup for 802.11 was just as easy with WPA-802.1x+WPA2-8021x, WPA2-PSK, and WEP security available. I usually connect to my iPhone wireless and speed with WPA2-PSK was very good.

Third: You can configure just about everything you want from website blocking to access schedule (and more), so us techies can have oodles of fun rearranging all the sets to heart's content. Good logging too!

The only thing I don't like (which is really petty) is that the wireless light stays on all of the time instead of only going on when a wireless connection is active.

All in all: VERY GOOD DSL modem, extremely good bargain (at $39.99 plus free shipping), EXTREMELY easy to install, and very flexible for changing sets, parameters and security profiles. I highly recommend this product and I'm very happy I chose NetGear!!!

*** No- I do not work for NetGear, own stock or have any relatives or friends working there.***

As many other users pointed out if you are planning to use it on AT&T DSL in California you will need to download and install an older North American firmware from Netgear website. Otherwise the unit will either not sense DSL in the line or will fail to reconnect.

However, after the firmware downgrade, you get an excellent, reliable modem for a very attractive price.

Router was constantly dropping connections and I was about to throw it out with the trash but then I upgraded the firmware and tried it again. Never lost a connection after that, worked great. I would recommend, but you will definitely need to upgrade the firmware.

Getting this thing set up was a bit of a hurdle. I followed the instructions exactly, inserting my ISP username & pass and filling out information as needed, but it wasn't able to authenticate with Qwest. I spent a while fighting it and tweaking options in the config page, then noticed the very first option on the config page's sidebar: auto-setup. It turns out this is much smarter than the setup instructions, and it worked. Whatever it did, it got the settings just right to talk to my ISP and connected. I don't think it would cost them much to mention this simple feature in their instructions - even a passing reference would do - but for some reason they neglected to do so. Thank heaven for google.

Hurdle two was Teamspeak -- I could transmit fine, but received audio was garbled and distorted (and major packet loss reported). This took even longer to figure out. Long story short? Download the firmware update and install it. This modem does not like VOIP and related packets until its hunger for new firmware has been sated.

So now I get to celebrate: "Yay, I completed a remedial technical task! And it only took me several hours!". I'm so proud.

After this awkward and time-wasting start, the modem now works well. I'm coming from Qwest's 2-Wire brand modem which rejected downloads greater than 2 GB, so downloading large games I'd purchased off of steam or the PS3 was impossible. This modem had no such problems, and so far appears to play nicely with the PS3 out of the box.