NETGEAR WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition

by Netgear

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 8.9 x 1.5 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000FGI970
• Item model number: WNR854T-100NAS
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (181 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 15, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The NETGEAR WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition offers: Wireless-N protocol for up to 300 Mbps throughput. Four Gigabit RJ-45 Ethernet ports for fast wired connections. WiFi Multimedia technology for optimized audio, video, and voice applications.

The NETGEAR WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition lets you easily set up a wireless network in your home so you can share a single internet connection with everyone in your household at speeds up to 300 Mbps. You can stream music and video, make internet phone calls, videoconference, and surf the web, all at the same time.

The WNR854T has a Gigabit Ethernet backbone for maximum speeds. View larger. View back.

Easy Setup
The WNR854T makes it easy for even a novice to set up a wireless network: just plug the included Ethernet cable from your LAN into the device and insert the included CD into any computer on the network, which will provide step-by-step instructions. The WNR854T includes a stand for vertical placement.

The WNR854T employs a web-based interface for configuration for compatibility with any computer with a web browser. The firmware is also upgradeable via the web interface so you can be sure your router will always be up-to-date.

New Technology Means Blazing Speeds and Backwards Compatibility
The WNR854T complies with the latest 802.11n draft specification which allows for speeds up to 300 Mbps; this maximum speed can be achieved when used with other TopDog devices. By utilizing MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) technology, the WNR854T has speed and range far surpassing the older 802.11g standard. The preset internal antennas ensure that the device is always tuned for optimal performance, and NETGEAR's Wi-Fi Multimedia technology optimizes audio, video, and voice applications.

If you still have computers that use 802.11g or 802.11b, don't fret as the router is backwards compatible with the older wireless standards and can be set so all your computers can connect to the network. The WNR854T will automatically figure out the connection type and work accordingly.

By using Gigabit Ethernet for the backend, you'll be certain that the router is receiving data at the highest possible speeds. The router also has four Gigabit RJ-45 Ethernet ports in the back for connecting computers to the network via a wired connection that will give the fastest performance.

Security Made Easy
The WNR854T offers many security options to ensure your data is private. Double firewall protection keeps your network shielded from outside attacks. It also prevents Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

NETGEAR's Touchless WiFi Security makes it quick and easy to set up network security on a WiFi network by asking for a passphrase from the user. The WNR854T supports WiFi Protected Access (WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK), and 64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption for 802.11b/g networks. Additionally, you can set security through MAC address authentication, allowing only authorized users onto the network.

The NETGEAR WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition is backed by a 1-year warranty.

What's in the Box
WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition, power adapter, Ethernet cable, stand, setup CD, warranty/support information card.

Product Description

RangeMax NEXT extends the possibilities of your wireless home network by providing a Steady-Stream of up to 300 Mbps, and is compliant with draft 802.11n. This next generation wireless standard utilizes advanced MIMO (Multi-In, Multi-Out) technology, which delivers incredible speed and range, and for the first time provides wireless interoperability at the highest speeds with other products with Top Dog™. A RangeMax NEXT wireless network creates and maintains stable connection and enough bandwidth to surf the Internet, download MP3s, make Internet phone calls, share files, play network games, and stream high-definition videos, simultaneously at any distance or location in the home or office. Because RangeMax NEXT is compatible with all legacy b and g wireless products, you are sure to be connected. Preset internal antennas and 11-n True -Test high-performance testing and tuning, provides maximum performance and high-quality streaming every time. Touchless WiFi Security makes creating the highest level of network security easy and includes WEP, WPA-PSK, or WPA2-PSK. Setup is simple thanks to NETGEAR’s Smart Wizard™ and 24/7 technical support.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

349 of 355 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW, October 28, 2007

By 

TOL (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: NETGEAR WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition (Personal Computers)

First, let's get a few things out of the way: I am not a newbie, I am not bitter, and I have absolutely no incentive to bash any company - Netgear included. I am writing this review because I want to prevent anyone else from making the mistake of buying this product. Why? Because it is a defective design - and, more importantly, Netgear has no idea what is wrong with it. What does that mean to you as a consumer? Your device will most likely fail. And Netgear is not likely to make it right. Here's the story:

After between 3 and 6 months of your router working perfectly, you will wake up one day and only the green power light will be on. The wireless light will no longer blink actively and the network lights will all be dead. Why you ask? Because your router has just bitten the dust. You'll unplug the router several times to reboot it, but nothing will change. Then, you'll press and hold the reset button on the back for 10 seconds or longer - just like the manual tells you to. But that won't fix it either. After a few more tries, you'll finally suspect that the thing is dead and, if you're like me, you'll go to Netgear's site and find no documentation of the problem in their knowledgebase. Then, you'll go to the trusty forums where they can't hide their problems, and you'll see hundreds - yes, hundreds - of posts by users just like you and I who are having the exact same problem. And those are only the small percentage of troubled users who actually bothered to write about it. They'll share stories of nightmare phone calls with Netgear, and some will tell you about the same problem happening to 2, and sometimes 3 replacement routers. Frustrated before you even begin, you'll probably call Netgear to confirm it all and to see if maybe you're reading outdated posts. Certainly the problem must be fixed by now. So you'll call them and get placed on hold for anywhere between 10-45 minutes while you're treated to a selection of awful music, paused only by a shameless pre-recorded message telling you how much Netgear cares about you. Yeah, right. Finally, one of the interruptions will actually end up being a real-live person. What you'll have reached is a tech support agent (friendly, but fairly useless) who will confirm the problem (but only if you're saavy enough to tell them that you already read about it online) and then they'll offer you three return options - all of which have you, as the victim, paying to ship the unit back to them (provided you are still within the 1 year warranty period). Option 1 is for you to ship it and get a replacement within 5-7 business days. The second option is for them to ship you a replacement for $16 within 5-7 business days, along with a prepaid shipping label. This way, I guess, you don't have to bother with choosing the shipping company. And, unbelievably, the third option is to have them expedite you a new unit within 2 days, for the bargain price of a brand new router. How this option is helpful to us, I have yet to figure out. But, it will be presented to you as an option nonetheless. It seems they are making a tidy little business out of selling us defective units.

After all of this, hopefully, you are still calm, cool, and collected enough to ask if they have actually fixed the problem - a logical question to be certain since you don't want to pay to replace a bad router with another bad router. And then, if you get an honest person - as I did - they'll tell you that they actually have no idea what the problem is and that the replacement router will be no different from the one you are returning. So, although I haven't quite made it this far, I'm certain that you'll be doing the whole thing over again in another 3-6 months.

So what can we learn from this little story: 1) This router is sick; 2) There is no cure; 3) Netgear doesn't care; 4) Your time is worth more than all of this.

Stand up for yourself and, if you would be so kind, for me as well. Don't buy this item. Believe me, you will regret your purchase. Remember, this is not an opinion. It is a factual account of what happened to me and to hundreds of other consumers. Don't let it happen to you too.

Thanks for listening...

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not stable, troublesome in establishing connections., October 25, 2006

By 

ThomasH (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: NETGEAR WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition (Personal Computers)

Today, Oct 30 2007 our router died the "single green light" death, observed here by so many others. It is just out of warranty. I am glad to see that my primary warning about the "New Netgear Standard" found so many confirming voices. If we helped you to make a better router selection, I am glad. If you still consider to purchase this horrible product, you are misguided, and most likely you will be sorry...

This is the original review:

Based on excellent experience with Netgear wired router, and on the so enthusiastic promotion for this "RangeMax NEXT" technology we got this router and the laptop adapter.

To my surprise my router would not establish the network connection at all. I have spend almost one hour (56min) with a support rep, whose Indian English was difficult to follow. We checked the settings of the basics, rebooted everything a few times. He seemingly gave up on me, and recommended yet again to power down everything, and power up in the proper order, after which the connection via cable modem should be established. He was eager to hang up. Of course, we did this pulling of power cords a few times already... The next 10 min of power up modem, than the router, than the computer was not helping either. And so I called again, another Indian person agreed with me that something must be wrong with the router, because as soon I attached my older wired router, the connection was established in no time, with download speed around 7Mbit/sec.

And so a few days later I received a replacement device. This one connected at last, but also as if "unwillingly." It took me over 2 hours to get the connection established. At some time it just connected, without me really knowing why it happened only after so many seemingly similar attempts.

The worse part of the router firmware is the connection wizard. For some reason, connection wizard claimed that I use a static IP configuration, and asked "yes or no." No, I said, and then the advise was... you got it: Power down everything, power up the modem, wait for several minutes, power up the router, wait for several minutes, power up computer and you are a lucky men, or so they would hope. I hoped rather to have been paid for the time lost on their RangeMax NEXT technology. Netgear promotion says that it will liberate you from dead spots and mayhem alike. So far they merely "liberated" me from my free time on a few weekends.

To my astonishment, I saw here quite a few positive reports about this device. Before buying, weight well the happy and unhappy voices. You might become the RangeMax NEXT unhappy. Especially, be careful if you live in a densely populated area with severe interference.

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coverage, August 12, 2006

By 

Hayato Iriumi "coldfusion" (Covington, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR WNR854T RangeMax Next Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition (Personal Computers)

I just bought a house and Linksys G wasn't good enough to cover 2040 sqft house. So I went out to get this one hoping the range is going to be good. Yes, this router can cover the whole house. I have my router at one end of my house and it covers to the other side of it although signal is goes down to 50%. Good stuff!

Update:
This product was working pretty well up until last night. It suddenly died. So I have had this product for less than a year (about 10 months) and it ended its life.