Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Perfect for low burget Wireless option
I had a linksys Router and had bought the netgear MR814 to get the wireless option around the house. MR814 works perfectly right out of the box. It is easy to set up, easy to configure. Configuration is through web interface just like any other router. One good feature is that if you're setting up the router in one machine, you can get to the router pages on the other. The router supports port forwarding, DMZ, Static Routing, all the standard stuffs on routers. It also support Dynamic DNS, one feature that I miss from the Linksys router taht I used to have. The range is pretty good for my standard. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and everywhere I go I have full signal with my D-link Air-Plus DWL-650+, and I heard people living in a 3 stories house and the range is good for them. Some minor problems:
1) The router has no built-in firewall, so if security is your thing, install software firewall on all computers. 2) Default setting have Idle Timeout set to 5 minutes. That means it would automatically disconnect from your ADSL provider, I had to connect to the router and tell it to reconnect at least 3 times a day. I emailed support and they emailed me back like a couple of hours later telling me to set Idle timeout to 0 to maintain connection. 3) There is no way to disable the wireless boardcast, but WEP is supported so turn on the 128-bit encryption if you're worried someone around your house can just listen into your traffic. Now considering I emailed them on thanksgiving, support is really good IMO. MR814 is a really good router to have if you're looking for a cheap way to get wireless in your house.
Rating:  - This is the real deal.
I've owned a Linksys wired 4-port router switch (BEFSR41) for over 3 years and wanted to go wireless; an office supply chain store had mail-in rebate offers on MICROSOFT's router and PCMCIA card, and thinking it was a good deal, I bit. Their product felt cheap coming out of the box, and was it ever -- it couldn't keep the connection on my Cable modem. My IM program kept getting booted off, about every 20 seconds... try to have a conversation! The salesperson swore to me that he's never had problems with those before, that maybe my wireless phone was interfering (so much so that my WIRED computers had the same problems??) but sorry - I know everything was set up correctly, and the quality just wasn't there... and I'm not paid to be their beta tester, I wasn't going to wait for a firmware upgrade! Back to the store with you, next please!So I surfed around for a better option, looked at the reviews here and at CNET, and found this router. Most reviews were good, and the cliche "Acme co., NEVER AGAIN!" posts weren't too numerous. I thought I would wait to replace my Linksys with another Linksys since I've been relatively happy with it, but aided by a generous mail-in rebate, I gave this - and Netgear's MA401 PCMCIA card - a shot. One word: FANTASTIC! My IM programs work great, websurfing is spotless, and DMZ works well for my gaming 'needs' (although I'm not a "hard-core" PC gamer... PS2 rules!). It worked great out of the box, it accepted my advanced settings (disabled DHCP, etc) without a hitch, and I get a good signal & throughput across my house (above 80% anywhere indoors, always at 11mbps). Let's not kid ourselves, the installation of ANY network device requires a minimum of computer knowledge, so I won't tell you that "it's so easy anyone can do it"... but even if you're a complete novice, at least this machine will work invisibly once you have someone help you install it. If you know the difference between an IP address and an e-mail address, you'll likely have no trouble. And if you're a wannabe-techie, this machine isn't so dumbed-down as to be completely neutered... you can configure it to do what you want it to do. BOTTOM LINE: Rock-bottom price, yet works great. Easy to install as networking gets. Thoroughly configurable. Looks really cool in your office. Look no further.
Rating: - Excellent Router for Mixed MAC/Windows networks
This is the second router I tried to link together the three PC's in our house -- two Windows machines (running Windows XP and ME) and an iMac with OS 8.5. Most wireless routers don't even discuss Macs or provide any documentation. Netgear did both, and the manual was excellent. After trying for 2 days (assisted for hours by tech support) with the initial router (An SMC), I was able to hook up the Netgear successfully to all three machines by myself in less than an hour. The installation instructions for installing the router for all three operating systems was clear AND accurate. The iMAC was hooked up directly via its built-in ethernet port, while the Windows machines are hooked up with SMC Wireless USB adaptors. These function perfectly with the Netgear router. Best of all, the Netgear's range is excellent. The router is on the second floor of our house, and the signal remains excellent in our basement office. My only wish is that the router included a printer port so that we could hook up a network printer that the iMac (without running DAVE) could easily access. But this is a small quibble. Especially if you're a MAC-WINDOWS household, this is an excellent value.
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