Customer Reviews

Netgear FR114P Firewall Cable/DSL Router with Print Server

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I read the other reviews here with some dismay before I bought this unit. I decided to go ahead with the purchase because I had spent a lot of time researching router/switch combos with print server capability and true SPI firewall capability. There are not a lot of reasonably priced options out there. In summary this unit has performed like a dream. I had two PC's, a NIC laserprinter, and a parallel port printer (via print server) all plugged in, configured with my DSL service, and all up and running in less than 30 minutes. Please note that BEFORE I purchased this unit I made 3 separate "pre-sales" calls to Netgear tech support and received what I considered to be good information in each instance (I even placed a call at 3am one morning to check if they really were 24/7). Read the installation guide from cover to cover BEFORE you actually DO anything and you will probably find (as I did) that this is a no-brainer deal.

I have three computers in my home, two of which I built myself. I needed a way to share my internet connection, share files between each machine and share a printer. I had a D-Link router that worked just fine but I had to have my main computer up and running to print. I didn't like that at all. So, I decided I needed a printer server. After looking at a lot of "stand alone" print servers I decided to just replace the entire router. I never really cared for the D-Link I had. It was difficult to set up and the packaged instructions were terrible.

When I recieved my NetGear Router I opened the box with dread in my heart. I remembered how difficult it had been to set up the D-Link and expected the set up of the NetGear to be just as gruesome.

I was totally surprised. The instructions were clear and concise. I walked through them step by step and had the router up and running in about 10 minutes. What a relief!

Then I set about setting up the print server. The included CD-ROM contains the step-by-step instructions for installing the printer port and for configuring your systems. I had the print server up and running in about a 1/2 hour.

I have been running this router for about two months now and have absolutely no complaints. I do a lot of downloading and my speeds have not been negatively impacted by the installation of the router.

The print server is solid and spools jobs from each machine and then prints each job effortlessly with no problem.

I highly recommend this router.

This router rocks. Setup was as easy as any other router I've used.... I have SWBell PPPOE DSL and after typing in my name and password, it worked right away.

I have a 1996 HP 820Cse printer, and it works perfectly with the printer port - even turning itself on when a job comes from the router. Although, after using the setup disk to install the FR114P Printer port, I could not find the printer by browsing the LAN network. I had to add the printer as a local printer and the FR114P printer port showed up in the drop down list (Win XP). On my wife's XP system, installing the printer port from the Netgear disk continued to installing the printer without a problem (go figure - two identical XP systems).

If you buy this router just add the printer port with the driver disk and then cancel when the network printer installer comes up (if it doesn't find it). Then just add the printer as a local printer and in the drop down list of ports (LPT1, LPT2, etc) will be the FR114P.

I paid for a full security test on dslreports.com and tried a few others.... the FR114P got a perfect score evertime on every security test I tried....I've been using routers for 3 years at home (D-Link, Linksys, Firebox, UGate-UMAX) and I've very happy with this one.

No problems at all so far.....

:)

As a previous owner of Netgear RP114 router, it was only natural to upgrade to the FR114p. I wanted a router for the following reasons: 1) to network my family's computers, 2) to provide security for my network, 3) to play games, 4) print server. While the basic functionality of the router works as advertised, there are major issues with port forwarding for games and the print server.

Simply put, port forwarding does not work. When trying to add new rules for port forwarding, the router would lock up and crash time after time. Also, if you wanted to forward more than one port to the same computer, the router would give you an error. The problem is fixed if you upgrade from v1.3 of the firmware to v1.4 but it is a beta version and not supported. In fact, by upgrading you actually lose functionality because the content filtering no longer works. Come on Netgear, you are supposed to fix bugs, not create new ones!!

The print server is an after thought. Any time I cancelled a print job, the printer would hang and require a restart. After a call to Netgear support, they recommended turning off the spooling feature and printing directly. That works better, but now my computer is fully occupied with the print job until it is completed.

I do not recommend this router. Why should you pay the extra money for features that dont work? Netgear has obviously released a product before it is ready. Read the forums at ... for more info. Save your money and get something that is tried and true like the RP114. I'm only sorry that I got rid of mine too soon.

I tried the Linksys firewall router and spent over 4 hours on the phone with their technical support. Nice folks but not much help. I returned the unit and purchased the Netgear FR114P. Within 15 minutes it was up and running - no problems and no calls to technical support were necessary. Wish I had tried this one first!

The router & firewall functionality of the FR114P are fine. Print server took hours of effort with varying error messages but no printing.

Netgear offered to send me a new box for $15. Charge even though I am well within the warrantee period. New box seems to be working fine, but it has only been a few days.

This box has a documented issues with HP printers. They are (now) clearly addressed on the Netgear web site. Be sure to look there before you try to use this with an HP printer. It will not work if you follow the instructions in the manual.

As for the other features, I followed the instruction manual to the letter. On line with 3 computers in no time. Networking between the computers worked out of the box. But no printing.

E-mailed back and forth with Netgear tech support. Reasonably prompt replies, but nothing more that pointing me to the same material I had already reviewed on their web site.

Called tech support. Typical 30 minutes on hold. Tech rep was very professional, but unable to get the printer printing after about 45 minutes of trying. Then offered the replacement box.

It runs well right out of the box, has a friendly online menu and is fairly speedy. Matter of fact, when a family member got a laptop I replaced it with a Netgear WGT624SC wireless router, but the slowdown in throughput was so severe that I put the FR114P back on as the router and used the wireless box downstream as an access point instead. I have never had to reboot it except for when NG issues a firmware update. With two teenaged kids the web blocking served me well, but it's limited to keywords in the URL and not page content.

However the FR114P is getting a bit long in the tooth: I haven't used the print server in a year or so since there is no USB support for my newer printer, the firmware updates aren't coming quickly anymore, and it does not support multifunction printer/scanners. If all you want is a packet-pusher, though, it does the job well.

Based on the previous reviews, I decided to give this product a try. After trying several similiar devices, I was about ready to give up on the whole concept. I had Netgear's product up and running in 30 minutes, which included 5 minutes of technical support. Tech support was helpful and prompt (I called at 1030 am EST on a weekday), and helped resolve a simple issue. I was able to connect an HP 1200 laser printer, an XP laptop and a Win98 desktop, all without problems.

If you're someone who is comfortable with computers but by no means a computer specialist, I would recommend this for ease of connectability, tech support and simple enclosed materials.

Had the exact experience as thorshammerhomebrew but I was lucky enough to have mine last 12 months. If you want a nice router for a year this one is great....

I looked at over 10 different cable/DSL routers and decided on the Netgear FR114P based on features, price, and reviews (and past bad experiences with LinkSys.) Being a Network Engineer, this puppy was a no brainer to setup. Now I have port forwarding setup and Dynamic DNS working like a charm! When the RPC worms hit and was shutting down Microsoft computers all over the planet - I never even noticed! The print server was a snap to setup and didn't even require drivers to be installed if you are running XP or Linux (I run both) - I use LPR and it works great! The only issue I have had is with Shareaza (Gnutella client) when I enable EDonkey2000 support - It floods the router until it refuses to pass traffic.... no big deal. Speeds are excellent and management is a breeze.

The only complaints I have are:
DynamicDNS doesn't update unless the IP changes - if it's on all the time, the IP never changes and eventually I get an Email from DynDNS.org stating no updates in 30 days and if I don't update within 5 days my account will be suspended.... <sigh>
Not enough versatility with port forwarding... I want to have the ability to accept requests on port 9945 and forward to an internal port 80 instead of being forced to have both port numbers to be the same.... no big deal though....