Customer Reviews

NETGEAR WPN824NA Wireless Mimo Router

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(72)

 

 

I have sitting in my garage, a pile of recently purchased routers which have all become dust catchers after hooking up this WPN824 and the accompanying wireless cards. I read the reviews here at Amazon and noticed the negative ratings did not mention whether they were using RangeMax cards on their wireless devices so I thought I would take a chance.

I have both RangeMax and other older "g" cards and the RangeMax cards make a huge difference though the other "g" cards still work better than our previous Linksys and Netgear systems did. Our router is in a back room with the wireless systems through two walls in the front room in the house, and for the first time in years we get a good solid connection to our wireless devices. I should also note that we placed the router on a non-metallic box away from other electronic devices and that seemed to help quite a bit. I am going to purchase a WGXB102 Netgear extender kit to see if it helps the other cards, though I see it is limited to 54Mbs, so I am not sure if it will help the RangeMax system or not, but figured it is worth a try considering the great reviews the kit is receiving. Anyway, I highly recommend this RangeMax system.

PROS: Great range and speed. Nice design.

CONS: The blinking lights cannot be turned off at night and light up the whole room like a disco ball.


4-12-06 Update:
There is a problem and Netgear doesn't seem to want to fix it. They do not address it on their forum nor will they respond in an email. Many users (myself included) are getting random network disconnects which are requiring a reboot of the router. It is not fun. The firmware has not been updated for a very long time. Also, in the version 2 model (identified by a v2 on the model number - there is now even a v3), you can now turn the disco light off.

I bought this to replace an Apple Airport that died an early death.

Setup was easy as soon as I figured how to bypass the "wizard"--more like a junior apprentice, really. It falsely claimed that my ISP gives me a static IP address. Had I followed along, it probably would have worked for a while and then failed mysteriously. The cheat sheet has bypass instructions, and then the setup is very nice. It is completely web-based without forcing you to install any software on your computer.

I run Linux, Mac and Windows, and all connect just fine.

The range improved nicely, as advertised. Having internal antennas is an advantage--one less thing to break.

The only irritation are those blinking blue lights that you cannot turn off. (I read that you can open the box and disconnect the ribbon cable, but that seems a drastic step.) Covering them with cardboard is not a perfect remedy since light still emanates from the air vents.

In summary: (1) DO NOT install the CD (2) DO NOT use the "wizard"; go directly to the advanced setup (3) Wear dark sunglasses when facing the device

So I've had one of NetGear's first routers, the MR814 and haven't been too impressed. The NG's wireless card that I got back in the day was so bad I returned it. In my house which is 3200sq ft and the walls are filled with insulation, getting range is a huge problem.

So I did a lot of research and read various articles and for range it comes down to Belkin's Pre-N or NG's RangeMax router. From the comparisons if you want just sheer raw speed and maximum distance the Belkin was the way to go as long as you also used their Pre-N cards. I don't care for N, I've got 3 laptops with internal wireless cards, 2 PCs, and an Xbox in the house and the NetGear RangeMax wins when it comes to extending range for existing b and g devices. At the extreme end of my house where the TV is (compared with the location of the router) I could barely maintain a signal with the 802.11b router I had, 1Mbps connection at best. With the RangeMax at this same location my signal strength drops to only 80%, everywhere else is a full 100%.

The other thing is VPN. I've found with some routers, specifically the MR814, some VPN software (e.g Nortel's client) has troubles making a connection to the vpn gateway, and even if you do connect to it (wirelessly) the speed isn't that great. I found with the RangeMax my VPN issues went away; it was like having the speed of when I'm at work. I also found that XBOX games are very sensitive to settings; I used to have to endlessly tweak my other router to prevent choppiness. With the RangeMax it worked perfectly out of the box.

So I'm a happy camper. The main drawback I found was setup. It's designed for a total newbie/non technical person. For hard core tech users you'll find it frustrating getting past it's huge desire to make you run their setup wizards. Even though you can go directly to the admin screen, it still wants to do a bunch of detection nonsense, when I'd prefer to just set all the settings myself because I know what they have to be.

My friend with the Belkin Pre-N said his setup was a breeze. But really you have only two choices if you want to do the multiple antenna MIMO route. The Routers using the AirGo Wireless chips (Belkin, LinkSys), or the Video54 chips (NetGear RangeMax). Realistically who cares about 108Mbps when your internet connection at home is 4Mbps at best (380Kbps-754Kbps for most people).

Also for those that complain about not being able to replace the antenna. Ya that's a strategy used for single antenna routers. The RangeMax has 7 antennas (internal).. so if you had your way you'd add 7 powered antennas?!? On the AirGo routers like the Belkin you'd have to replace 3... that's adding a lot more wires (from A/C adapters) when you're trying to be wireless.

But once you get past that you're rock'n and roll'n. Plus it has this funky blue dome on the top with an array of LEDs that blink with activity.. It's all star trek like n stuff, kinda cool in the dark to watch when you're really bored. :)

Summary: Max Range + Max Speed + Max Budget - use the Belkin Pre-N router and replace all your wireless cards with Belkin Pre-N ones.

OR

Max Range on 802.11b/g cards - use the NetGear RangeMax.

I just moved in to a larger space with 2 levels and needed to replace my aging WGR614v1 wireless router. It worked fine, but in certain areas of the unit the signal wasn't strong enough. I did a lot of comparisons online and reviewed many customer comments. I was a bit discouraged at first to buy the Netgear due to many negative reviews, but I wanted to see for myself because my experience with them has always been positive.

Setup took about 20 minutes to hookup all these devices using 128bit WEP and MAC Address Access Control List, ensuring that only my known devices can connect.

1 - Desktop to LAN port.
1 - ATT DSL modem
1 - TiVo Series3 HD DVR - Wireless G
1 - TiVo Series2 DVR - Wireless G
2 - Laptops (IBM & Mac) Wireless G and Airport

In addition to these devices, when I bring up available networks on any of my devices, there are about 16-20 other accessible networks in my building. All these networks run various B, G, Super-G, MiMo technology and can cause lots of interference and routing issues. With the WPN824, I am able to get "Excellent" or "Very Good" connections from all my devices, even when all are powered on at the same time and connected. I'm not even using the MIMO technology feature and setting the router to pure G only mode because none of my end-points have compatible adapters.

If you are getting dropped connections, I suggest that customers try changing their station channels to either 01, 06, or 11. See which gets the least amount of interference. Also, under wireless settings > internet service provider > Idle Timeout, set this value to 0 and not the default 5. Setting it to 0 means keep alive and will keep the connection between your router and ISP active at all times. I think customers who suffer problems connecting is partly due to how their ISP handles connections. I read customers having to reboot their routers to re-establish a connection. This is because most ISP's is not friendly to frequent connects and disconnects. My philosophy is, connect once and stay connected. So make sure to set your "Idle Timeout" to 0.

So far I have had no problems with the WPN824. It looks really nice and can be placed just about anywhere in your house without having to see antenna prongs sticking out. Connection is great and working from home over IPSEC/UDP works great.

This router is defective -- according to Netgear -- but unless you figure it out before your 1 year warranty expires they will not replace it and they have no intention of fixing it.

I purchased this router over a year ago. At first, I was satisfied with its performance but after a while I noticed that the "random" network failures (or "disconnects") had a pattern to them. I figured out how to recreate the error consistently by using an ssh shell (like "telnet" if you aren't familiar) and scrolling over a large amount of text. (More recently, I have noticed that other conditions can cause failures, such as downloading a lot of small files at once -- such as the case when reading a blog or a myspace profile). These conditions cause failures due to regular usage and the only way to resume usage of the product is to physically walk over and unplug it and then plug it in again (to reboot it).

Once I figured it out that the defect wasn't just my usage or something about my setup, I contacted Netgear support. After discussing it with a tech support representative he confirmed that the router was defective, that Netgear had no intention of fixing their defective product, and that because I was past the 1-year warranty period that they could not replace my product or provide any further assistance.

I have purchased Netgear routers, bridges, and switches at work and at home for over 6 years. Considering this experience, I will avoid their products in the future.

I have had great success covering houses that have the router on one side and the notebook/pc on the others side about 60ft+ and on different floors. Here are a couple of hints though:

1 - do not use the installation disk, just hook up a pc to the router and follow the instructions in the quick-install sheet.

2 - do the firmware upgrade, most of them ship with 1.0.3 and now there is 1.0.10

3 - enable the xr feature under "advanced wireless"

4 - use the corresponding notebook/desktop card: while strongewr than most routers, MIMO needs an intelligent counterpart. So if you cant get a signal where you need it, drop the money on the card the resukts are great - in one case I was able to connect through 60ft of house and into a yard an additional 150 more feet away and downhill!!!

Just purchased this router a week ago. It was recommended by a tech person. We have DSL service and needed a router that could handle three XBOX360s, a laptop, and a PC at the same time.

Installation was a breeze. We were replacing an existing router and the wizrd walked us through the process in 20 minutes. No manual adjustments were required. Don't disconnect the existing router until instructed to.

Range and performance improved dramatically. No longer have any 'lag' issues with XBOX Live. The blue light on top can be turned off. I have no problem with VPN access for work. Have not experienced any interruptions in service so far.

This router is by far the best one that I've had. I've seen poor reviews on this post and they seem to be from people that do not know what they are doing. This router is easy to set-up and I will recommend to install the CD contents, follow the easy installation set-up and you will be ok. Things to consider will be what kind of security option you have on your wireless cards, more likely you will have WPA encryption so you will be ok, as long as your key matches on both ends. The problem people is having with disrupted connections is due sometimes to people "playing" with their IP settings. If you know what you are doing with static IP's and reservations then do so, you will have no problems, id you don't, DON'T TOUCH IT, in short don't fix what ain't broken! All in all this router is excellent, great security with WPA, access control by MAC address and the option not to display your SSID. My setup includes 1 DNS/DHCP server, 1 E-mail server, 3 wired stations, 2 laptops with wireless access cards, and VOIP through Vonage. I just added a storage device for my movies and music and can stream it through my network with no loss in quality and great range. Hope this was helpful. (Tip: Buy the Pre-N cards for greater speed and access, I have combined a, b, g and Pre-N, so far I've seen improvements in a, b & g and abismal difference with the Pre-N cards...).

I was going to give it two stars because it did work ok for a while, but my boyfriend convinced me to give it one, because his argument is that this thing was top of the line and had just came out when we had originally purchased it, and we should never have had so many issues with it for the price we paid, so his logic won me over and one star it is. We didn't even have this router for a year. And as a note - let me say that I work for my cable ISP, doing tech support for internet, so my modem connection has never been the issue because I can check and test my modem from home. We had originally purchased this router as a replacement for our POS Linksys router, but that's a different story.

Pros (sort of):
Whenever my modem would reboot or update, the router would usually repair the connection, which many routers do not do.
When it worked it did work great, It's just that it wasn't very long after we bought it that it stopped working (for wireless). We even got the compatible mimo usb wireless adapter to try and see if it improved the issue, however that was yet another headache (the wireless adapter that is made to be compatible with this router won't connect at the advertised speed without a BETA driver... which would let you connect for about a day and then the adapter would stop functioning altogether. When you tried to reinstall the driver it wouldn't let you - it gave error code 10 and the adapter wouldn't even load the driver so basically the $100+ adapter that is marketed as compatible with this router was completely useless)

Cons:
After a couple months it would only broadcast the wireless connection sometimes - at random. You could even be connected, it would then kick you off, if you refreshed the network list on ANY wireless computer, it still wouldn't show up until you had refreshed it several times, and then maybe in five mins it *might* let you connect. The router was on the second floor of our house, and the computers we use wirelessly are on the third, directly above it. Our wireless connection was actually so infrequent we had to run an ethernet cord out the window to the router downstairs, because about 85 percent of the time the router would not let you connect wirelessly. Neither resetting to the factory defaults nor firmware updates resolved this issue (nor did several hours with Netgear support, tier 1 and 2...).
You can't change the wireless channel to anything other than six if you are using the mimo setting.

We finally junked it today for a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 (I'm going to give it a couple months before reviewing, because you never know about the quirks until you've had something for a while). So far the buffalo works great, but their firmware updates are a bit of a process...
Pretty much, today I was completely and totally fed up, because for once it was letting a wireless pc on just fine, however every fifteen seconds (like clockwork) on my wired pc (the one running ethernet out the window to the router...) it would say "network cable unplugged"... then within five or ten seconds it would reconnect and let me back online, and then fifteen seconds later it would say "network cable unplugged" again... Imagine over an hour of this... So I junked this netgear.

WPN824: (aka WPN824v1)
- Everything works fine as long as I don't play World of Warcraft (WoW) with the wireless. Otherwise, the router crashes and then loses all the connections. You can't even go to the NetGear router page either. And you can't go Internet without rebooting the router.
- A wide regions supported including UK, Asia, Austraila, Europe and etc.
- The antenna blue lights cannot be off unless you turn off the wireless signal broadcast (meaning no wireless). Luckily, a black plastic cover is provided for this.

WPN824v2:
- no issue with wireless when I play WoW.
- Wireless coverage range is larger than v1, about at least 10 feet away. V2 signal is much stronger than V1.
- Only one region supported: United State. So you want to carry this to another country, you'd better not to have the v2 version.
- On/off switch provided to turn on/off the antenna blue lights.

I don't find any issue on port forwarding, dynamic dns and remote management.