Rajbir Singh | 
Product- Netgear WGR614 v9 Wireless Router (Without ADSL modem)
Price- 1700 INR with bill & warranty.
Product rating- 
Pros- Price, Signal range(in this price range), Looks, Data transfer speed.
Cons-The antenna can’t be detached as a result more powerful antenna can’t be used. However you can find various ways to increase the signal range on the internet which I am not going to discuss here.
The Netgear WGR614 v9 is a sleek device & the build quality is very good. It beats any other router in looks and boasts of some great features. It is a 802.11g compliant device. The router has web interface for setting up the Internet/LAN connection. The interface is clean & easy to understand. The device did not heat up & hung up as claimed in some reviews on the internet. In fact it was a little warm even after 24 hours of usage in summers. I am totally satisfied with Netgear WGR614 v9 & can’t find any reason to complain.
Setup:
Setting up of my broadband connection was a breeze with the setup wizard. I just had to enter the IP address, Gateway address & DNS addresses & it was ready. The router provides DHCP addressing to the clients which means absolute zero overhead of client configuration. The router has 4 Ethernet ports & supports unlimited wireless connections theoretically. You can view the connected devices in the web interface provided by the router. Port forwarding & triggering, Static routes and UPnP can be defined easily.
The router automatically checks for firmware updates after the login process and if an update is available a message is displayed to download the new version.
Security & Filtering:
You can secure your network with WEP, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK encryption technologies. Securing the network was also a breeze.
Sites & services can also be blocked and you can schedule the network connectivity too.
Wireless Connectivity Range:
The wireless signal range of this router is pretty good. It covers every nook & corner of 225 Sq. Yards home. A couple of points in the building had 1-2 bars of signal available but the internet speed did not suffer. The signal was also available across a 30 feet wide road outside the building. It transferred data at the speed of 2.5 - 3 MB/second when the signal meter had 4-5 bars on a Windows Vista based computer.
The range & data transfer rate is pretty good considering the price of the router.
Specifications:
Antenna- 2 dbi, internal antenna
Ports- 4 ports 10/100 Mbps (auto-sensing) Ethernet, RJ-45
Power switch- No
Detachable antenna- No
Wireless Network Speed- 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, & 54 Mbps (auto rate capable)
Modulation Types- 802.11b: DSSS, CCK, DBPSK, DQPSK, 802.11g: BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM
Protocols supported- TCP/IP, IPsec, L2TP, NAT, PPTP, PPPoE, DHCP (client & server)
Encryption Supported- Yes. 40-bit (also called 64-bit), 128-bit, WEP encryption, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK
Firewall- Yes. Stateful packet inspection (SPI) and DoS attack protection
Dimensions- 28 x 175 x 118 mm (1.1 x 6.9 x 4.7 in)
Weight- 0.26 kg (0.57 lb)
Power Adaptor- Input: Country specific, Output: 12V, 1.0A
Package contents:
- Wireless-G Router (WGR614v9)
- Setup CD
- Power adapter- Country specific
- Ethernet cable
- Vertical stand
- Warranty/support information card
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Great, nice review. So max range is 30 feet or you meant, signal is pretty good even at 30 feet ?
Also any comparison with Linksys ? Better ?
Offtopic
I clicked the second image to view it enlarged, and saw the ‘Tag’ there lol.
By Din on July 15th, 2008 at 8:46 amLooks nice, my uncle had bought the Linksys one. he is quite happy with it, though for him range is not an issue. I have been planning to get one but waiting for the N-range prices to come down a bit. Then will go for it.
Nice review. A few steps on how to secure it would have helped, ‘coz that’s one thing everyone looks for.
Dugg.
By Manan on July 15th, 2008 at 10:00 amNice.. Helpful info… 1.7k is a reasonable price for this router…
By Ani on July 15th, 2008 at 10:17 am@Din Sir- It covers the whole house of 225 sq. yards + you can get the signal outside the house. Signal is available in every room on ground floor & first floor. We have about 30 feet wide road & I can easily get the signal there. I haven’t checked the signal in the neighbours house across the road.
I don’t know much about Linksys. It costs more than the Netgear & I don’t think it’ll have more range than this Netgear. Infact in a test by Chip this Netgear performed better than the Linksys WRT54G. Anirudh has that model & if you want you can ask him.
And you mean the watermarked logo or someting else?
@Manan- Well I shall write about securing the network in another article. Thanks for the idea
@Ani- Thanks!
By Rajbir Singh on July 15th, 2008 at 11:18 amLOL, no, not the water mark. You didn’t get it ?
Zoom the pic and guess what ?
Made in China
By Din on July 16th, 2008 at 1:07 pmOh okay
Yeah I was thinking about the Made in China thingy when I took the photo
By Rajbir Singh on July 16th, 2008 at 11:23 pmI have this thing and it doesn’t nearly cover my three-story house. Not even close. Even my Time Capsule doesn’t cover the whole house, though it does a slightly better job than the NETGEAR.
You, my friend, have never seen an AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule.
By Aayush Arya on July 19th, 2008 at 9:21 am@Aayush:
Oh well you need to follow some basic rules. Hope you now have shifted it away from other electronic devices. I guess you said on the forum that this Netgear has better reception than Apple Time Capsule (in 802.11g mode). :-/
I’ve seen TC in pictures & in reality as well. To be very frank I like Netgear in looks. I know now you’ll say that you hate that antenna
I admit, at the time of writing Apple TC wasn’t even in my mind & I compared Netgear’s looks to other available models.
Also TC isn’t actually just a Wireless router it’s more like a backup device. Who’ll buy TC for using it just as a wireless router at that hefty price tag!
By Rajbir Singh on July 19th, 2008 at 12:06 pmThe AirPort Extreme is just a router and it looks much better than the Netgear as well. Apple used polycarbonate and Netgear uses plastic. That alone makes a significant difference. And then you have Apple’s minimalist, clean approach to hardware design—straight lines, smooth curves, no flashy lights, hidden ports and no external antenna(e). Pure class!
However, that’s not to say the Netgear’s design is bad or anything—it’s pretty good. And at the price it commands, this router is practically a steal, man. I do not disagree with you one bit. Sure, Apple’s routers are sexier but even Apple’s cheapest router is at least twice as expensive as this one. Go figure.
—————-
Now, have you heard about the DD-WRT open firmware? It’s supposed to be awesome. Lifehacker has an article on it: Hack Attack: Turn your $60 router into a $600 router. Unfortunately, I have v7 of the device and the firmware can only be installed on v8 and v9 devices.
But you’re in luck. If you decide to try it out and it turns out to be awesome, be sure to thank me in the post you write about it. :p
By Aayush Arya on July 19th, 2008 at 1:23 pmThanks for the info, Aayush.
Can I switch back to the original firmware if I don’t like that modded firmware?
By Rajbir Singh on July 20th, 2008 at 12:12 amYes, you can.
I just pointed it out because it seems to be very promising and there are a lot of rave reviews. Plus, it’s software based so there are no ugly tin foils involved and you run no risk of voiding your warranty.
The geek in me would definitely want to try to get this up and running one Sunday.
By Aayush Arya on July 20th, 2008 at 3:34 pmThanks, I’ll take a look and report back if I decide to try it.
By Rajbir Singh on July 21st, 2008 at 1:06 pmnice review…looks sleek.
Guess I need an excuse to buy these things but currently there are none :p
By T on August 4th, 2008 at 7:06 pmusername and password is not working
By dee on December 30th, 2008 at 3:25 amHi Dee!
Default username is- admin
Default password is- password
If these don’t work for you then you’ll have to reset the router by pressing the reset/restore factory settings button near the antenna (it’s the one with round top) using a pen or a pin for ten seconds.
Disconnect it from mains power and computer before resetting it.
Resetting the router will erase your custom internet settings and you’ll have to enter them again manually.
By Rajbir Singh on December 30th, 2008 at 10:11 amI have the version 9 Netgear. I was wondering if you can install a repeater function through the firmware. Thanks.
By Eric on January 1st, 2009 at 3:11 am