NETGEAR WGT624NA Wireless G Firewall Router

by Netgear

Product Details

Data Sheet [653kb PDF]

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Product Manual [2.92mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches ; 10.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000C0XS0
• Item model number: WGT624
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (328 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,731 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 8, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The NETGEAR WGT624 Super-G Wireless Router offers: Up to 108 Mbps via 802.11g wireless networking. 4-port Ethernet switch for wired connections. Double Firewall protection to defend your computer from external hacker attacks

Wireless networking is constantly evolving, and the need for increasingly faster speeds and greater range is not only sought after, but expected. If better wireless speed and range with consistent wireless connections is what you're looking for, then NETGEAR has you covered with the WGT624 Super-G Wireless Router. With this handy device you'll have no more dropped connections, and you can kiss dead spots goodbye.

With Super-G networking, the WGT624 can deliver speeds up to 108 Mbps. View larger.

This compact, stylish router provides a simple and secure way to share your high-speed Internet connection. The WGT624 has a 4-port switch, and delivers twice the speed and four times the coverage of the standard Wireless-G protocol. And to achieve maximum performance, NETGEAR suggests using Super-G wireless adapters, such as the Super-G Wireless PC Card, Super-G Wireless PCI Adapter, or the Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter.

If security is a concern, you can rest easy knowing that your network is being powered by this router. Designed to be configurable for private networks or public hotspots, the WGT624 features double Firewall protection to defend your computer from external hacker attacks. And with Touchless Wi-Fi Security, this device makes securing your network a breeze.

The routing protocols for the WGT624 are both static and dynamic routing. This device works with most Internet gaming and instant messaging applications, and other applications that support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for automatic Internet access. Other functions include:

• Automatic ISP detection
• Exposed Host (DMZ)
• MAC address authentication
• Time-based usage controls
• "Trusted User" controls
• URL content filtering
• Logs and e-mail alerts of Internet
• Wireless Access Control
• Wi-Fi Protected access (WPA)
• Pre-shared Key remote management

Setup is made quick and easy with the Smart Wizard install software. System requirements include a broadband (cable or DSL) Internet Service and a modem with an Ethernet connection; 2.4 GHz wireless adapter or Ethernet adapter and cable for each computer; Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, 2000, NT, Me, 98, 95, or other operating systems running a TCP/IP network; and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, Netscape 4.7 or higher, or Firefox 1.0 or higher, and Safari for Mac. Microsoft Vista Beta drivers are available at www.netgear.com/vista.

What's in the Box
NETGEAR WGT624 Super-G Wireless Router, setup CD, power adapter, Ethernet cable, vertical stand, setup guide, and warranty/support information card.

Product Description

Netgear Wireless G Firewall Router

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Easy setup, poor quality, May 1, 2005

By 

KS (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NETGEAR WGT624NA Wireless G Firewall Router (Personal Computers)

A month ago I bought the Netgear WGT624 Version 2 wireless "Super G" router, on the basis that it was affordable and that Netgear had always given me good service. Having professionally installed networks in the past, I have always been happy with Netgear's commercial products and was expecting this one to be the same quality. The router was super easy to install and set up, their setup wizard was great, and when it worked, the router was blazing fast. I only got to use the cable connections, never got time to setup a wireless connection. As other reviewers have said, it was setup and running within five minutes of plugging it in.

***CAVEAT*** - It worked GREAT for two days, then began to randomly drop the LAN connections, resulting in the dreaded "Network Cable Unplugged" message (search for "netgear wgt624 network cable unplugged" or search Netgear's forums for pages of similar complaints with no resolutions). This got worse, beginning at a few times per day, finally getting down to every few minutes - it now only worked a few times per day! After a week of swapping NIC's, cables, and confirming settings, I finally broke down and e-mailed Netgear tech support - who was kind enough to reply after two days with the same things I had already tried (confirm settings, hardware reset, update firmware, etc.), and a request for more detailed system info if the problem persisted. Even with the most current firmware release, it would not work reliably - so I sent them back every detail they had requested but got no response after a week.

When I finally called them, I got their tech support department in India who confirmed that I was eligible for free tech support (they only offer it for 90 days from purchase, then you have to pay) and then began to go over the e-mails we'd swapped. After 10 minutes with no luck, he suggested that I try the Beta version of the firmware release, AND that this beta version would void my Netgear warranty. After making this suggestion, he said goodbye and hung up in the middle of the conversation. When I immediately called back to India, I got a different tech and was told that I was already out of the 90 day free tech support period (I bought the router a month ago mind you) and that I would have to pay for any support or to get the router replaced under the warranty. After some argument, he finally agreed to help me, but found that the router was indeed defective - and pointed out that there is a known problem with these particular models and he could not guarantee that a replacement would work any better.

In order to get the router replaced under the warranty, I would have had to fax or mail my receipt to India (not a toll free #), and wait a week for them to confirm that my Router was within the warranty. After this was done, I would have to call them back and PAY for the "Extended Tech Support," since their computer showed that my router was out of the 90 day free support period (again, it was only a month old). If this return call to tech support proved that my router was defective, I would then get an RMA and have to either ship the defective router to India at my expense and wait three weeks for them to ship a refurbished replacement unit back, or pay them $30 to have a replacement shipped to me first, then ship the defective unit back to them at my expense.

***SOLUTION*** - I returned the router and bought another brand. In searching the Internet, I found that the equivalent D-Link model (the DI-624) has strikingly similar problems so I bought a Linksys and have been happy thus far. I agree with the reviews that the Linksys is not quite as foolproof to set up, but it's worked great for two days now. We'll see.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Performance problems with SPI?, October 27, 2003

By 

jeeames (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NETGEAR WGT624NA Wireless G Firewall Router (Personal Computers)

That's my observation. Ever since I installed this as a replacement for my D-Link DI-764, I noticed a drop in performance - downloading web pages and such. I thought it might just be some slowness to my cable provider but the problem persisted - Upon tinkering, I noticed that performance went from 1300-1700 to 2600-2900 Kbps when I disabled the router's Stateful Packet Inspection. That's a pretty big performance hit for SPI (in my book). Other than that, it's delightful and the wireless works great, can't use 108 much since it only works on channel 6 and my neighbor laid claim to channel 6 a long time ago.

83 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Issues - Great router, August 30, 2004

By 

J. Sundquist (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: NETGEAR WGT624NA Wireless G Firewall Router (Personal Computers)

I bought this router to replace a Netgear MR814 v1 that I outgrew.

Right out of the box, this router worked without changing any settings at all! I turned off all pc's and my cable modem, connected the router, turned on my cable modem, then the router, then the pc's. Everything worked like a champ.

Next I went into the web interface (which you can get to by opening Internet Explorer and typing 192.168.0.1 into the address bar, then type in the user and password) to setup the security settings. I was very impressed to see all of the latest security features included. Probably the one feature that I like the best was the auto firmware upgrade feature. The firmware of the router is what tells the router how to work. New versions of firmware can fix problems as well as give you new features. On many other routers the process of upgrading the firmware can be quite difficult for "normal" people that aren't techies. With this router, you just click "Firmware Upgrade" and it will go out to netgear, find new firmware if available, and install it all automatically for you. Great feature.

Range was also a big deal for me as the house it was being installed in was a split 3 level house with the router being in the 2nd floor. I never used to be able to go outside at all with my old router and the signal in the bottom floor was always very weak. This router lets me have full coverage throughout the house and venture off into my backyard to the edge of my property! Amazing improvement. I am using the Netgear WGT511 card in one laptop, the 802.11b pci card in a desktop downstairs, and a wired card in a desktop upstairs, all with no problems at all.