Netgear WNR614 N300 absolutely destroys my old Linksys WAG120N if there is any contest(unfair). Don't overthink, just go for it.
By Ton
This is actually a 5stars review, but one star is reduced because of amazon's delivery, more about it at the end.I'm writing this review after one week of usage. Having accustomed to the standards of my previous router Cisco Linksys WAG120N(my first router, it's actually a modem+router), my new Netgear WNR614 N300(router only) router feels like a rockstar. I had used TataIndicom WiMax with their own modem and Linksys router and currently using ACT Fibernet broadband. ACT gives an ethernet/RJ45 cable connection to home but Linksys had a telephone/ADSL input. To avoid buying another router with RJ45 input, I had configured the first output RJ45 port of linksys as a WAN port so that it acts like a router only device. The experience with Linksys was terrible with frequent packet drops. I work in a cloud company and hence need a very stable internet connection(ISP was fine because no issues when connected to desktop PC), but during the video calls on google hangouts, there were very frequent audio breaks and I was losing important information shared by the American teams. That clearly sucks. Secondly, Linksys was not able to give good performance if 3-4 devices are connected to WiFi, so I had to ask everyone to turnoff their phone's Wifi when I have a meeting(what's the point of having a router then?). Thirdly, if the Wifi is left ON for more than a hour, it stops working until the router is restarted. A router restart was taking 2-3 minutes to get the Internet working. I have a macbook pro which does not have a LAN port, so Wifi was the only way to connect and my Linksys was a nightmare, totally unreliable, so much that I actually started tethering 3G from my phone during meetings! Even ping to router in the wireless layer also had drops, so forget layer3/Internet. Fourth point is that I had the router kept at one corner of the 3BHK flat(<1600Sqft) and there was no signal in the neighbouring room's balcony. Okay, enough of the old router, Let's talk about the Netgear one.I ordered the product from amazon, it had amazon fulfilled logo and free delivery. The seller was Cloudtail. I had read reviews about fake netgear products from others, so it is important to see seller's rating when buying online. Anyway amazon had returns policy so I went ahead to try the router. The shipment arrived with amazon cardboard packaging and it was not tampered. Any tampering of the tape would have been easily detectable. The product inside was boxed packaging again by Netgear themselves, with a light plastic cover packing around it, again not messed by anyone, so good. The first thing I did on opening the product was to note down the serial number on the back of the router, go to netgear website and register the router. The registration was not denied and was successful, hence I was assured that the product was genuine. (The color should be dull white, someone had posted about a fake router in the reviews that had a bright white colour!). This router can be setup even without a LAN cable and a desktop PC by accessing directly from WiFi layer because the default wifiname and password are already printed on the router's backside. Just skip the automatic setup offered by inbuilt netgear software, it did not seem to work for me but just go to the router's webpage and enter the details of wifi name and new password. Encrytion settings are already selected by default. And once done, forget about any other setup stuff, it just works. I'm not even using the two clips provided to make the router stand and have not even turned the antennas from their vertical position because it is working great already.Since I had most basic issues with the previous linksys router, let's do a comparison on the same parameters:1)Booting up:This router is quick to come up and connect to internet, significantly faster than the old linksys. Satisfactory.2)Connection Drops:Very Minimal, not noticeable at all. If at all any, that might be 1% over a long test duration and I think mostly because of Internet service provider. Ping to router's IP is stable.3)Speed:I have a 30Mbps ACT fiber connection. The speed test done on laptop from this wifi router gave more than 26Mbps. I cannot judge this correctly because I don't have a similar reading from desktop PC or I don't know if any MTU settings were meant to be changed. Anyways, I don't have any lag while normal usage and since this router is N300, it's capability is upto 300Mbps.4)Range:Excellent. I have it in one corner of the apartment and it has a signal in all other corners including the diagonally opposite balcony(longest path in the house). The best part is, along the same diagonal on the other end, there is a second elevator(far away) and I can connect from there too, which was unthinkable in the past with Linksys WAG120N. Range is very good for any regular apartment.5)Multiple devices:No issues observed. Connecting 2 laptops and 4 mobile phones, just works fine without any problem.6)Long usage duration:I keep it on for 9-10 hours continuously and does not need any restarts!7)Heating Issues:What? Never.8)Does it make any Noise?So far, None. My tube light makes some noise atleast, this router is quiet.9)Looks:It looks not bad, actually decent and is very light weight, can be mounted on wall also. The stand clips idea is good. Whatever! Looks is the least significant thing for any router. The antennas presence actually gives a feel that it is a router and it is comforting to know that it has a specific job to radiate signals and has found it's place. The old linksys router had inbuilt antenna and better looks but what's the point really?10)Price:I got it for Rs.1069/- which is not a bad deal. A week later, today the same product is Rs.1125/- on amazon. The seller Cloudtail appears to be genuine in my case.The product has some more additional features which I don't care for now, just need WiFi(with a password) to be working, that's all. I'm not even using the manual, the stand and the LAN cable. My video meetings are more productive now since this router seems to be reliable.With so many older issues resolved, I have thrown the Linksys router in a dusty corner(see pic)!(A note about how old the product is.. it is not very clear. The handbook inside is common for N150 and N300 and it also has August 2014 printed at the end. The plastic cover packaging has a sticker mentioning manufactured date is March 2015 and also says imported date is April 2016 from california to India. My order was placed on 29th July 2016 and delivered on 1st Aug 2016/July 31st)And coming to the point why one star is deducted:Firstly, amazon displayed product will be shipped for my location in 3 days I guess but after the order was placed, the estimated delivery date(on or before date) for my shipment was some 4-5 days or more. This is not a good feeling but anyway shipment happened in 3 days if I remember correctly. Secondly, the free shipment was done using India post. I did not like it so much because of the past issues I experienced with India post. Thirdly, on the delivery day, there was no phone call, no email, no SMS informing me that the package is arriving. I would have made my preparations to receive it. Fourthly, I should have gone for Cash on Delivery but since I had Rs.1000 amazon coupons, I did not (and could not. COD cannot be clubbed with gift coupons while checkout). The parcel was left with the apartment's watchman which sounds not so responsible. If you can, go for COD so that they have to meet you personally in order to collect cash. On the delivery day, the order tracking page on Amazon was still showing shipment in progress, undelivered yet. Only on the next day(guess afternoon), they updated the status and informed me the item is delivered. I received the item, so no problem in the end but this whole thing could have been more organized by amazon. Otherwise, this netgear WNR614 N300 router should get a 5 stars review. Go for this one, my friend suggested the same while I was browsing for a router. Buy your peace of mind :)NOTE: While pasting this review, I just went ahead for the 5 stars. No Big worries.
Rethink if you wish for a stable connection..!
By A1on
Pros:-"Wireless repeater" feature at a cheap price point-Customer Care support(over the phone)-Neat look-2 year replacement warranty and unlimited after sales supportCons:-The 2 external antennas don't seem to give out a stronger range when compared to my Netgear DGN1000 V3 which has got no external antennasVerdict:Definitely worth the buy if you're looking for a budget router with good network range, easy-setup, and of course wireless repeater function.I have had no major issues with my earlier Netgear product(DGN 1000) except one instance which got me a free replacement of the product.Again, the support for setting the device up or tinkering with any special settings with the device, is almost impeccable. Unbelievable support from Netgear over the toll free number.P.S.:-I ended up returning/replacing a D-Link router with this one since I was not able to figure out setting it up and the customer support was virtually non-existent.-Using this device as my primary router(at the first floor for a 1000 sq. Ft. area) along with my DGN 1000 as my WIRELESS repeater/secondary device(at the ground floor for a 2000 sq. Ft. area) - no probs with the network range all over the space.-Got this for less than 900.Updated on 26Nov'17:Long story short:-Last few months, I used this device as a wireless repeater along with a Netgear DGN 1000 - and was convinced by the customer care that the cause for my low download speeds was because of this setup versus using a "Wired Access Point" setup.-Got a new TP Link(as my base router) and used the WNR 614 as a secondary device; and set this up as a wired access point.-I still ended up getting 70 Mbps when testing WNR 614 from my laptop via a ethernet cable versus 12 Mbps from the wifi of 614-After months of troubleshooting, got a replacement under warranty-Monitoring the connection for nowP.S:Also learnt from a reliable source that WNR 614 is prone to frequent drops in connection and low speeds over Wifi.The speeds from my ISP is 70 Mbps.
Easy to set up and has acceptable level of security ...
By Schwezifyon
I bought this Wi-Fi router 1 year ago (1199 INR) and it is functioning very well. Received original box pack from Amazon.Easy to set up and has acceptable level of security features.No heating issues, this device @ my home is switched-on 24*7 unless the power supply is disrupted.Pretty good coverage in 1000 sqft 2 BHK apartment, my mobile starts getting my home wi-fi signals even before I enter my home.The internet speed when connected to LAN and when connected to wi-fi is same, no change at all.At my home at least 4 devices are connected at a time to this wi-fi router - mobile phone, laptop, kindle and smart TV - streaming on Smart TV is really good, of course a good speed of at least 10 mbps is needed.This model does not come with UPS backup, so when there is power disruption, need to re-login to connect and get the devices connected back to internet.Good value for money.
Netgear to the rescue!!
By Abhimanyu Krishnaon
I was looking for a router which could give me speeds in excess of 50Mbps on the Wi-Fi mode since I have ACT broadband where I have a 60Mbps plan and the Netgear router, WGR614 v7, that I was using was unable to give me anything beyond 20Mbps.
My search took me to this N300 series router and the price made me buy it, more so because of the familiar Netgear brand as well :)
Product came in beautiful packing, as always by FK, in-a-day delivery, awesome!
Installed in a giffy by using my existing netgear's config. And Viola!! Got what I wanted... Wi-Fi now gives me the speed that I use in the LAN. The router can support upto 300Mbps!!! Awesome.
No hiccups and all devices connected properly!
Plus point: You can download a Netgear Genie app on your phone and control your router from almost anywhere in the world. Parental controls are cool too...
Go for it...
Value for Money :)