Ok to start with, This WNDR3800 is replacing my WNDR37AV. Prior to that, I had a variety of wireless routers such as the Netgear WNDR3700, Linksys WRT54G, a couple of DLinks and others either at home or in an "unsupported" configuration at work. Not saying I'm a guru, but I do have some router experience.
My network devices consist of 2 wired computers, a TCP/IP printer, 3 wireless security cameras, two Wireless laptops, an Iphone, an external USB drive for filesharing/DLNA and a wireless DLNA LED TV. I also have Vonage for my home phone which is an IP phone service that needs an internet connection so the 2 wired computers, printer, and IP phone occupy the 4 LAN ports on the router.
I like the new GUI on the 3800. There are two main tabs (Basic and Advanced). When comparing directly to the WNDR37xx, the new GUI is more intuitive. If you simply need to connect a wireless laptop, smartphone or a readyshare device, you might find all you need under the Basic tab. The Basic settings are going to get your router talking to your ISP, set up your wireless SSID's and security, show you a list of attached devices, allow you to set up parental controls, configure the readyshare (including the new readyshare "cloud"), and set up your guest network.
The Basic tab has a "Home" button which give you a graphical menu to get to the other pages and shows some basic infomation such as "Internet-Status: Good" This is a great quickview dashboard for the status of your routers' functions and lets you see at a glance if and where there might be a problem.
If you need a special configuration for your DHCP, or have to do some port forwarding or want to use DMZ, or setup QoS, you should just start with the "Advanced" tab because the same Internet, wireless and guest network settings pages found on the basic tab also exist under advanced. In fact, I did not do a complete 1:1 but it appears all the basic settings pages exist somewhere in the "Advanced" settings tab. Also under advanced is a home button called "ADVANCED Home" and the page it opens shows 6 panes with basic info for Router info, Internet Port, Wireless Settings 2.4 Ghz, Wireless Settings 5.0 Ghz, Guest Network 2.4 Ghz and Guest Network 5.0 Ghz.
There is also a "Setup Wizard" and a "WPS Wizard" button on the "Advanced" page. I didn't use either one but those less familiar with advanced settings will probably appreciate them.
"Advanced" is also where you can update the firmware, backup your configuration, set password, view logs, configure DynDNS, remote mangement etc. etc. etc.
It took about a half hour to configure. All wireless devices connect including my wireless IP cameras, a couple of which are quite a distance away so good range from under my desk. Laptop and Iphone work from anywhere in the house or yard with all bars full. The setup to block internet access at predetermined times/days works great for those who want to shut it down automatically so their kids will sleep.
There is a "help" bar along the bottom of the page including a "search" box. If you click to open it up, it only opens up vertically about an inch and a half along the bottom of the page and there is no option to expand it vertically which would have been nice but I like it better than the help system on the older version that opened up cramped along the right-hand side of the page.
All in all, the configuration pages are laid out cleaner and less cluttered than previous versions. They even added a little color so it doesn't look like a jumble of geek code anymore. That said, there is a lot that is the same compared to older Netgear routers so if you are used to looking at one of them, this one will be familiar.
The router comes preconfigured with an SSID name and a unique password that is written on a label on the bottom of the router. I elected to change it since all my wireless devices are already configured to look for a specific SSID/passkey and it's easier to change the router than to change everything else.
In addition, Netgear provides the Netgear Genie application. This is a program you download from the Netgear site and install on your PC. You don't have to use it but it's pretty cool. It gives you access you router's settings and you can run it in the background using about 36K memory and almost no cpu cycles so it's not a resource hog. One thing I really like about this app is the network map. Instead of a list you get an actual map showing icons for connected devices that are actually named correctly and if the icon isn't correct, you can click on the device and modify it choosing any one of many different icons available. Mouse over any device shows you it's IP. I love this network map!
As I said, I'm not a pro so I don't have a lab to do throughput testing or a signal meter to measure the db power of the wireless signal or a fancy oscilliscope to measure the jitter of the video stream but I can tell you that I have experienced no problems streaming 3 wireless IP cameras, 2 wireless laptops, an Iphone and a wireless DLNA TV along with all the wired devices.
Pros: Too many to list. It does everything you would expect a router to do (and more) and does it well. I keep coming back to Netgear after exhaustive research comparing them to other manufacturers because they are making the best routers. Some have this but not that. Some have that but not this. The Netgear WNDR3800 has everything, it's relatively easy to setup/configure, you can't beat the price, and it works great.
Cons: Vertically short help window. I think I can live with that...
Update: After a month, no issues. I read another post about drop-outs but I have no issues and have not updated the original firmware.
HD video streaming & multiplayer gaming 
Access files anywhere/anytime 
Reliable WiFi for better streaming and gaming 
For PC and MAC households 
Faster WiFi Speed – N600 Dual Band WiFi delivers 300 + 300Mbps for combined wireless speeds up to 600Mbps 
Gigabit Wired – Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports are ideal for HD gaming & video and ultra-, high-speed wired networking 
Better Range – Powerful WiFi amplifiers deliver improved wireless range for larger homes 
Clear Channel Selector – Dynamically avoids busy Wi-Fi channels for clear and fast wireless connections automatically 
Video Mode – Dedicated wireless network for video streaming 
Simultaneous Dual Band – Wireless access on both 2.4- and 5-GHz bands concurrently, reduces WiFi interference & doubles total available bandwidth 
NETGEAR genie™ – Easy-to-use dashboard to monitor, control & repair home networks 
CD -Less Installation – Easy setup for iPads, PC, MAC computers, smartphones & tablets without a cd 
Push ‘N’ Connect – Secure push button WiFi connections using WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) 
WiFi & Power On/Off – Convenient power savings to power down the entire router and/or just WiFi 
ReadySHARE® Cloud‡ – Access and share files on an attached USB hard drive anywhere you have an Internet connection 
Time Machine Compatible – Automatic Mac backup to connected USB hard drive, wirelessly 
Extended Tivo Storage – Stream TiVo video recordings from a USB drive connected to the router serving as extra storage for your TiVo recordings 
Open Platform – Enhance performance and features by installing open source firmware and joining the open router community at www.myopenrouter.com 
DLNA Media Server – Find and play media stored on an attached USB storage device on DLNA TVs, game consoles and media players 
ReadySHARE® USB – Wirelessly access and share USB hard drives 
Live Parental Controls – Centralized and easy-to-use website filtering for all devices connected to the Internet via the router 
Guest Network Access – Separate and secure WiFi access for guests using your home network 
Highlighted Icons = Premium Edition Features 
