NetGear WPN824 Review

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Darko • July 23, 2005
Rating: 4.5/5
I love auto firmware upgrade, I can get my signal about 8 houses down from mine using regular Broadcom Wireless card, lights do get little annoying if router is located in the bedroom. Router port forwarding can’t be set for same port on multiple ip’s, like linksys
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
craig • August 3, 2005
Rating: 1/5
I have wireless PCs and laptops all over the house. I recently put a NetGear PCI card in my daughters PC and it went so well I decided to try out the rangemax router as well. Other than ease of setup, it has problems in every fundamental way. The claimed 108Mbps only shows up on (compatible) devices within a very short range with no obstacles and even then it’s flaky (doesn’t seem to actually speed anything up but sometimes DOWN). All devices are just as effected by obstacles as they would be with any router (so much for smart antennas). And, most depressing of all – I measured the actual bandwidth on my cable internet at the cable modem and at the router (using Ethernet, not wireless)… the router was consuming 4Mbps of the available bandwidth just to route onto the WIRED LAN. This “technology” isn’t worth any $$ – my older Linksys G router with high gain antennas does MUCH better in every respect.
Rating: 2 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Malt • August 12, 2005
Rating: 2/5
I previously had a microsoft 11 mbps router with an integrated lan card. My labtop is located far from the the router location due to various reasons. I was having some connectivity problems with the microsoft router and was looking to upgrade. I went ahead and bought the whole rangemax setup (wpn824 router and wpn511 pc card). This setup totally sucks and will barely connect. My integrated lan card connects better than the rangemax pc card in the same location. I’m very dissapointed in the fact that I spent over $200 on the whole setup. It claims to have up to 500,000 sq. ft. of coverage….. yet it can’t connect 100 feet away from the router (500,000 sq ft is roughly a square area with 700 feet on each side). My problem is that I tried to fix something that wasn’t broken…. my original setup was better than this $200+ setup and I learned a lesson. Make sure you know what you’re buying before you invest $200+ in a rangemax setup
Rating: 4 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Chris • September 23, 2005
Rating: 1/5
The subject sums everything up. Poor bandwith reliability. Horrible with Port Forwarding. Does extremely terrible with multiple connections and using P2P apps. I am WIRED into the WPN824 and I still have connection losses and very poor bandwith.
The only positive remark I have is the signal range.
Visit the Netgear forums and you’ll see that Netgear products have a ton of problems, especially the WPN824…
http://forum1.netgear.com/support/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=500288bae06b81bf8076fa72baf3623b
Rating: 2 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Preston Le • December 28, 2005
Rating: 4/5
Had dead spots using a Linksys WRT54G & bought the WPN824 hoping to eliminate them. It worked great. Farthest computer connects at 54mbps using a Belkin G USB NIC. Overall impression is good. Only issue I had was setting it up. I use 100% wireless in my home since the router is not located near a computer (I use bridges and USB NICS to communicate with the router). The WPN824 pretty much requires a wired connection AND an internet connection which is ridiculous. After solving that single problem, setup wasn’t too difficult and all my bridges/USB NICS readily connected to the WPN824 without any issues. Works as expected so far and worth the $99 I paid for it at Frys Electronics.
Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Jim • April 21, 2006
Rating: 1.5/5
i bought the wpn824 range max figuring
it would improve my signal over my current belkin 54g router.after all ,it claimed a 1000% better coverage over g devices without mimo technology.DONT BELIEve THIS MARKETING HYPE. there was no improvement at all . in fact,if you have a mixed g and b devices the performance is much worse. my home is about 3000 sq ft . so fairly large but this item is not worth the monet at all. trust me
Rating: 3 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Brian C • November 15, 2006
Rating: 1/5
I bought this also because I needed the range because my house is big. the biggest problem I had is that the router dropped the DSL signal a lot. It was so un predictable sometimes every hour and sometimes every 5 minutes.
It wasn’t the settings and also not the ethernet because I have spent weeks and money eliminating this possibility. Aquaintences tell me they also had this problem too.
I am now back on my old D-Link
Rating: 2 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Nick • February 7, 2007
Rating: 4.5/5
I have a 4 story concrete house (3 floors + basement), and was very worried on how I can get the signal from my small office at the 4th floor to the kitchen floor, 2 levels down. This little gem manages to send the signal down the stairwell with an intensity level of 3 out of 5. I fully recommend it.
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
eddie • March 1, 2007
Rating: 5/5
Easy setup via the one-step at a time process that comes on the cd.
Easy firmware updates.
Excellent range capability–it’s in a 3 story house & haven’t found a dead spot yet.
It hasn’t dropped, nor have I had to reset it.
Great value for the cost.
Rating: 10 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
RJ • May 21, 2007
Rating: 0.5/5
I bought the WPN824v2 RangeMax to replace an older NETGEAR router to improve the signal strength to my daughter’s laptop upstairs. This it did well except every week or so over the past year the unit would reset to the default setting requiring time to reset the SSID, Encryption, etc. Last Friday it reset to default again except this time I couldn’t get out of the setup wizard before it would reset and start the wizard all over again. I tried setting it up from each of my computers and it wouldn’t complete the setup. I had few choice words my wife mistook were at her – sorry dear.
I am now a proud owner of a Linksys WRT350N router which so far has not had any problems: speed on wired connections are showing 1.0 Gbps and wired connections with g-version MiniWireless Cards at 54Mbps and Strenth Excellent. I am so pleased I may opt to get an N-version miniwireless card to see what it will do wirelessly.
Rating: 1 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
John • June 22, 2007
Rating: 5/5
This is a great router. Easy to set up.
Rating: 10 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Gregory • October 18, 2007
Rating: 2/5
Bought the WPN824 after losing two DLINK wired routers through power fluctuation and liked the promise of higher mobility around the house with wireless. No problems with set up, speed or coverage and the unit would be a winner EXCEPT that it keeps on locking up and needing to be powered off to reset.
Seems that whenever the wireless unit is doing a lot of work the unit crashes (overheats or whatever – basically just stops being a functioning device) and suddenly the network is down. Bloody nuisance and not just isolated to my unit – google for “WPN824 freezes”.
Rating: 4 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
M. S. • October 26, 2007
Rating: 1.5/5
After upgrading from previous NetGear model due to weak signal strength. Happy with all functionality EXCEPT that router reboots itself randomly. Who knows… maybe its poor manufacturing but I know other people with the same model and same problem.
Rating: 3 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Larry • November 12, 2007
Rating: 4/5
Own stock in Linksys and liked their routers so 4-5 prior routers for me or my customers have been excellent BUT newer Linksys routers have a HIGH Failure rate.
This led me to Netgear 824 Rangemax – and I am glad for it. This unit has not failed once in 6 months! Nor has it rebooted itself nor needed a single reboot.
I did have to set up the network a second time but that was my error and Netgear was easy enough to work with.
I recommend this one – doubled my wireless range (tried 3 Linksys before without luck).
Connection speeds are usually double the speed that Linksys routers connected. Range is outstanding for a consumer level wireless router.
Nice looking, in version 2 they put a switch so you can turn off the blue ‘orb’- you only need it for diagnostics as it shows which of the SEVEN antennas are in play at any given moment.
CONS:
1. No indicator for 10/100 speeds;
2. Ports are not numbered
3. Feet stand do not seem real stable but it has never fallen over so maybe that is just my perception on the feet.
All in all, this is as good or better than comparable Linksys routers. Keep in mind I have been a Linksys fan for years…now, the Linksys that died after 5 months, hassled me before they finally replaced it is in the closet as a backup router.
Buy it, you will like it.
Cheers,
Larry
Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Marc Lucas • December 27, 2007
Rating: 1.5/5
I have just upgraded my old Netgear wireless router as it was playing up, the range on this was perfect, and I got a strong signal in every room of the house & even in the garden! So when I upgraded to the WPN824 I expected (as the specification says) a very strong signal in every room of my house yet this was not the case, when I take my laptop upstairs it loses the signal, even on the landing just a few feet away from the router. I got the item from Ebuyer & hoping send it back for a refund. In short (in my experience) do not buy this one.
Rating: 3 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Arthur • January 24, 2008
Rating: 1.5/5
Netgear wpn824 looks pretty but it loses signal EVERY DAY and at least 5 times an hour! I wouldn’t waste my money on this rubbish again, very disappointed!
Rating: 3 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Dawn • January 30, 2008
Rating: 4.5/5
Having used this router in Fl for several years (2600 SQ FT home) with no real issues when we moved to MI. My daughter is currently using the same router and has had up to 5 laptops on the network without any issues what so ever in her home. I was able to get another one for 50 bucks on sale at Best Buy 2 months ago and haven’t had any issues with this one either using it with 2 laptops in a 2 story apartment complex.
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Viker • February 7, 2008
Rating: 1/5
This stupid router always loses connection; at least twice a day…I will never buy a NETGEAR product again. Terrible & unreliable.
Rating: 2 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Ben • February 20, 2008
Rating: 2.5/5
Hello to everyone. I just want to say I read all your opinions and I’m sure about one thing. This router is very good but is not compatible with all wireless adapters. So please don’t be so angry, that’s why you have 24 or 48 hours to return an object (If you bought a new one from a serious market place).
Rating: 5 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Michael Flynn • February 26, 2008
Rating: 4.5/5
I bought one about two months ago …hassle free installation…very easy installation guide…great coverage throughout house even though my walls are mass concrete.never lost connection yet..Lovely design. Top marks all round.
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Steven Johnson • April 3, 2008
Rating: 4.5/5
Bought this router about 5 weeks ago now. My PS3 was only getting about 80% signal from older router, it’s now a full 100%, gaming also feels smoother, low pings.
My PC in the loft was also dropping connection from time to time with my old router; it hasn’t dropped once on this new one.
Very happy so far!
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Matt b • May 11, 2008
Rating: 3/5
I had the OLD (3 year or more) Linksys range expander (wrt54gs). Storm blew it. So I replaced with Netgear router (Rangemax).
RANGE? range my butt. It just about the same as my old Linksys system. So NO WAY, does it have a good range.
If range you want DO NOT BUY this router.
As for set up etc…All went well, and I have had no problems with it.
Rating: 6 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Joseph • February 5, 2009
Rating: 4/5
The router seems to do what I need it to do but I see where the output claims to be up to 108Mbps. Mine is always at 54 or 48Mbps.
Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
Nate • June 18, 2009
Rating: 5/5
My Linksy’s router could not reach my room as there was some unknown obstacle in between but once I got this bad boy, I’m getting 48-54mps a second on my standard wireless G card for my PC, same with my laptop. And I also get a full 10-11mps for my iPod Touch. Just have to work on getting it to go farther so I can get range from my school (300 meters~).
Rating: 10 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
David George • July 28, 2009
Rating: 2/5
I have to agree with the previous poster. I have no idea how Netgear is getting away with saying this has 10 times the distance of a conventional router. I replaced my Linksys WRT54G with this router in hopes I would get a better signal in two areas of my house that are pretty weak. Guess what. Those same two areas are still weak. I guess if you have a snazzy looking package you can print anything you want on it whether it’s true or not.
Rating: 4 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.
johndoe • July 29, 2009
Rating: 5/5
It’s range is twice that of the D-link DI-624 I had before.
The signal reaches my laptop across a few brick walls from one corner of the house to the backyard without any effort.
The best part is it has 7 antenna, all hidden inside the box.
Rating: 10 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.