NETGEAR GA311 - Network adapter - PCI - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet - 10Base-T, 100Base-TX, 1000Base-T Review

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(More customer reviews)Original Review (December 7, 2010):
I decided to give this NIC a try, since there several reviews indicating it works right out of the box on Windows 7. I received the package today and installed it in my computer. Sure enough, after my Windows 7 came up, it recognized the NIC (Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family PCI Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)). However, there's no connection because Windows 7 thinks the ethernet (media) cable is "unplugged". I made sure both ends of the cable are securely connected to the NIC and router port. On the NIC, I can see the LED is lit on the "DATA", but the 1000 LED is not lit. Ran the ipconfig /renew in an attempt to reconnect the NIC and even rebooted the computer again, but the same problem persisted. I googled for updated driver (even from Netgear.com) but none is available. I decided to run the driver setup from the accompanied resource CD. The driver installation complained that Windows 7 is not supported and terminates.
I've used many product from Netgear in the past and have very good experiences until this one. Windows 7 has been out for a while now, but netgear has yet to update this driver to work with Windows 7. I'm contacting J&R to returning this product.
=================
This is an update of my review above (Feb 21, 2011).
I did contact J&R to return this product, which J&R authorized the return. However, I never got around to returning this item because I had to go on business trip and vacation one after the other. I forgot afterward until having to deal with VPN connection brought me back. I decided to give it second try. I plugged it back into the PCI slot 1 and powered up the computer. After the login to the Win 7 64-bit OS, Windows immediately detected new hardware and started to install the driver all on it's own. I remembered reading about Windows installing it's own driver for this and worked for someone, so I just let it finished. There was a small message indicating the install was complete and device ready for use. I immediately brought up a DOS box and typed in ipconfig /all and the devices was listed with IP address. I pinged www.yahoo.com and they were successful. I was blown away at what just happened. Now it's working great, and it is detected as being Gbit interface as well. I have VirtualBox with Ubuntu running on Windows 7, so I reconfigured the network to use this new nic as bridged network. Tried my VPN connections and that worked as well. So now I'm a happy camper. This is what should have happened the first time around. I would have given this product a 5 stars, but because of the original troublesome installation, I'm now giving it 4 stars.

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NETGEAR's Gigabit PCI Adapter injects dynamic force into your home or small office desktop PC so you can transfer huge files at astonishing speeds. Whether they're video files at home, or the largest CAD or database files at work, this powerful 1000 Mbps adapter moves them up to 10 times faster than Fast Ethernet and 100 times faster than 802.11b wireless! It's designed for easy operation as it instantly connects you to other networked computers, printers, routers, network storage, and the Internet. NETGEAR's unique Smart Wizard performance dashboard lets you monitor actual speed, while 10/100/1000 Mbps auto-sensing ports speed up performance and eliminate any need for manual switching. Wide compatibility with all major operating systems, other Ethernet products, and both 3.3-volt and 5-volt PCI systems does away with potential user hassles. What's more, installation is simple in fewer than five clicks, Smart Wizard install assistant has you up and running full speed ahead.

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861W Ethernet Security Router Review

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(More customer reviews)This is not your office-store router nor is it from Ciscos "Linksys" line. This router runs full IOS and therefore is best configured with the CLI. I have never seen a gui or web interface for IOS routers that were worth mentioning. The wireless AP, while built into the router is treated as a separate unit. It runs its own IOS image and maintains a separate config. This adds to the complexity of configuring the box. You will want to have (or hire) someone with at least some experience with Cisco routers for this unit. On the other hand, this is a perfect practice router if you want to take a video or online Cisco Certification course. I used a non-wireless version of this unit for that very purpose years ago.
This router has every advanced routing feature you can think of available to it depending on the IOS image you install on it. If fact the one that came with it had them all as far as I can tell. I have been running it for weeks now with no hiccups and no rebooting needed. A great router well worth the price.

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Cisco 861W Ethernet Security Wireless Router CISCO861W-GN-A-K9 Routers & Gateways - Wireless

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Intellinet 524445 Wireless 150N 4-Port Router - Wireless router - 4-port switch - 802.11b/g/n - desktop Review

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(More customer reviews)The router seems like it will do the trick. Having difficulty getting wi-fi printers to communicate with them.
Sure if I study it more it will work.
My internet identity was stolen 1 year ago, he has hacked all internet accounts and NOW with the help of this router I PRAY that he will no longer be able to take over anymore accounts. Hopefully he will be blind as to all our accounts.
Cudo's for such a really inexpensive unit that can finally protect us from him.
Thank you for carrying such a device.
God only knows it is our LAST HOPE!

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IC Intracom USA 524445 Wireless Broadband Router - 150 Mbps 524445 Routers & Gateways - Wireless

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Ant 5DBI 3X3 Omni -directional Review

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(More customer reviews)What is this device? It's a replacement antennae set for a wireless network interface card (NIC). Specifically, for "Wireless N" type cards, and specifically the higher-end "3/2" cards.
What does it do? Simply stated, it replaces the three antenna which stick out the back of your NIC card. You unscrew the three antenna on your card and screw the cable from this into those three sockets on the card.
Why would you want to do this? Well, remember that electronic devices create interference, and metal (especially grounded metal) is a very effective shield for electromagnetic radiation (ie, radio waves, just for example). With the antennae at the back of your computer, if you don't have direct line-of-site between those antennae and your wireless uplink point, you inherently lose signal strength and increase signal noise. This is the main reason that most wireless networking situations fail.
In my case, I use this device for my "home theater pc" (HTPC). This is in my stereo cabinet, surrounded by other high-power, high-frequence electronic devices... the electromagnetic noise in there is pretty significant. And every one of those devices is in a shielded metal case... which totally eliminates any "direct" signal and reduces me to only being able to see my wireless uplink through reflected signals. NOT a good situation.
But by using a remote antenna, I've managed to virtually eliminate both of these issues... going from an intermittant, "one-bar" signal, to a full "five-bar" signal. I can stream HD movies from Netflix, or download data at rates virtually indistinguishable from a wired connection, from a router on another floor and the other end of my house.
If you have a pretty decent setup already... with the router behind your computer, with unobstructed line-of-site between the router and the antennae, you don't need this. If you've got a very strong signal already, you don't need this. And if you plan to stick the antenna in an equally bad situation, you should know that it won't gain you anything over your already bad situation.
See, the antennae in this device aren't necessarily any better than those which come with your card. It may be slightly better... in some cases perhaps even slightly worse. There's no "amplification" in this device. THE SOLE PURPOSE OF THIS DEVICE IS TO PERMIT YOU TO MOUNT YOUR ANTENNAE AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER. As such, it's exceptionally effective.
I have one complaint about the device. The cable provided is shorter than it ought to be. The minimum length for such a device's cable should be six feet... ten feet would be better. As it is, I've had to use an extender cable to mount this were I wanted (behind my bookshelf, far away from any metal objects or live electronic devices). I bought a 6' extender cable, so I've got some slack now... but without the extender cable, I wasn't able to mount this as far away as I needed to.
For most computer applications, the computer is immediately adjacent to the wall, however, and the cable is perfectly adequate to mount it on the wall, above and behind the computer, where it will provide dramatically better reception due to elimination of "shielding" and interference.

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The Netgear ANT32405-10000S Prosafe 5dBi 3x3 Omni-Directional Antenna is for multiple-input-multiple-output wireless devices such as 802.11n access points. Using three dipole antennas, the Netgear ANT32405-10000S Prosafe 5dBi 3x3 Omni-Directional Antenna supports 3x3 or 2x3 streams of traffic, as supported by the 802.11n standard. Integrated magnetics enable optimal placement of the antenna element, offering mounting capabilities on file cabinets, white boards and ceiling T-bars. Desktop and wall mounting are also possible. With an integrated 1m cable, the Netgear ANT32405-10000S Prosafe 5dBi 3x3 Omni-Directional Antenna can connect directly to an access point. Includes wall-mounting kit.

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TRENDnet GREENnet 300 Mbps Concurrent Dual Band Wireless N Gigabit Router TEW-673GRU (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I get suddenlink 10 MB down/sec:1 MB up/sec cable internet service
Speed: With this router I get about 10.1-10.4 MB/sec downspeed and 1.03 upspeed via [...] via BOTH wan and wireless! With the cisco e3000 I would get about 8.5-9.7 MB/sec downspeed and similar upspeeds.
Set-Up: The Cisco set-up is pretty idiot proof, but the interface for advanced settings is lacking. With the Trendnet, while not as easy to set-up, it's pretty intuitive if you just follow the instruction booklet.
Range: Have yet to carry my laptop outside and really test it out, but I get "excellent" signal on my crappy lenovo x60 with Class G wireless.
Wired Printer set-up: Once you install the driver from the included CD printing to my usb-linked-to-router printer was very painless and easy. Cisco e3000 only supports wireless printers (so if you're like me and don't have a state-of-the-art wifi printer you're sol for network printing with the e3000).
LCD monitor: e3000 doesn't have one... but... on my model it kinda sucks. If I try to change any settings via the web-interface or install new devices onto the wireless network the picture on the screen scrambles. I just downloaded the newest firmware and it still has this problem. Hopefully future firmware updates fix this because otherwise, the 673GRU is phenomenal.
Network shared storage: I attached a 2gb usb jumpstick to the router (note the 673gru has 2 usb ports, e3000 only has 1) and it was easy to access via the network software. I really wish it would just appear as a removable drive under "My Computer" like a native usb port, but I'm happy with the performance. The e3000 didn't even recognize my jumpstick - in fact, on the e3000 you had to go through this annoying step of creating shared folders (ugh...).
I bought this router knowing I'll be getting a sweet Class N Dual band capable laptop within the next few months, in the meantime, I'm very happy with this purchase!
*Note to TrendNet* This is a 5 star router if you can fix the screen scrambling with a firmware update.

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The 300Mbps Concurrent Dual Band Wireless N Gigabit Router delivers unsurpassed Dual Band wireless speed, coverage, and reliability with up to 14x the speed and 6x the coverage of a wireless g connection. Concurrent Dual Band technology creates two separate 300Mbps wireless n networks at the same time-one on the 2.4GHz frequency and the other on the less congested 5GHz frequency. A color LCD management interface provides real time performance, security, and device information thereby reducing the need to login to the router. Share content by connecting USB flash drives, hard drives, or printers directly to two USB ports on the back of the router. Gigabit Ethernet ports offer exceptional wired throughput performance. Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology reduces wireless dead spots, advanced wireless encryption protects your digital content, and WMM Quality of Service (QoS) technology prioritizes gaming, Internet calls, and video streams. Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) connects WPS compliant computers at the touch of a button. Wirelessly stream HD multimedia using the uncongested 5GHz frequency while surfing the Internet using the 2.4GHz frequency

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NETGEAR Wireless Router for Video and Gaming WNDR37AV Review

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(More customer reviews)Introduction
This is my third router in 5 years. I upgrade when the technology takes a jump or when I start to see a lot of network outages or both. This time I replaced a router that was 802.11n but it was not dual band (netgear 3500 series). I used the 3500 about 2.5 years and I was starting to see more and more network outages. Maybe because the router was getting old or maybe because I'm starting to add more devices to my network and it simply could not handle the traffic. Currently I have the following equipment on my wireless network: (1)Desktop, 2(laptops),(1)iPhone4, (2)iTouch, (2)Sony PS3, (1)Kodak Digital Picture, (2)Flat Panel TV's streaming video. I also support a number of devices wired directly to my router including: (1)Desktop, (1)Network Printer, (1)AT&T 3G Microcell, (1)Synology NAS, (1)Sonos Bridge, (1) Vonage Device. So, I have many devices trying to communicate through my router.
Router Review
Installation was a snap. Out of the box, follow the quick install guide. Power off modem, connect router to modem, connect computer to router, power on modem (2 minutes), power on router (2 minutes), power on computer (2 minutes). Type in [...] to access router. Default configuration will get you online. Have the router check for firmware updates with the netgear website. If there are any upgrades available, download and install. I always change the router password from default. Setup wireless network both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. I named them both the same and added a 5G to the 5GHz band :). Setup security preferences (WPA2-PSK [AES] for me) , type in passphrase (network password). Done.
I use my Synology NAS as an ftp server that can be accessed from outside my home network so I had to setup some port forwarding. This is outside the scope of most setups. Suffice to say that this operation went smoothly with no problems.
I had a secure network up and running with no problems in a matter of minutes. I added both TV's to the 5GHz band using WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) and I added the other wireless devices to the 2.4GHz band using the passphrase.
The network has been up and running for a week now with no outages. I have really taxed the network too by streaming HD movies, moving large files from my computer to my NAS, while uploading large files to a remote backup site. No matter what I throw at this router, it doesn't miss a beat.
Pros
Easy setup
Easy to add devices to network (WEP and passphrase)
Strong signal throughout the house (much better than 3500)
Cool looking design, low profile and lights
Reliable (so far after a week of heavy use)
Reasonable price
Cons
Could have included a Gensu knife or Salad Shooter with router.
Based on the ease of setup, performance, and reliability under heavy traffic, I highly recommend this router.

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Why Netgear's Wireless Router for Video and Gaming? Dual Band Wireless - Twice the bandwidth for better connection and less interference Gigabit - High speed wired connection. Ideal for transferring large HD Video files DLNA Media Server - Stream video and music from a USB drive to media players and DLNA TVs-no PC required! Video mode - optimized to stream HD without glitches, stutters, or lags Dedicated video network - Stream video on one network, while surfing the Internet on the other networkWireless Connectivity - Wirelessly connect notebooks and wireless printers as well as networked home theater devices

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NETGEAR N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Review

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(More customer reviews)We've had this router for a couple weeks now, and I must say I'm nothing other than happy.
One person streaming movies to Xbox, playing shoot-em-up game on PS3, and surfing the web all at the same time and everyone is happy. I didn't have any trouble with setup (I did not use the setup CD). Instead, our old router was a netgear and I just copied most the old configuration and used my brain to figure out the new wireless settings. (they're not so hard)
My only complaint is the ring of blinking blue LED's on the side. In a dark room they are a bit irritating. Maybe there's a way to turn them off?
Oh, and I decided on this router over the next wndr3700 because we don't need a gigabit wired network in the house. So far as I could tell, that was the only difference and I couldn't see paying $70 more for something we wouldn't use. I don't even think our computers have gigabit ethernet on the built-in network cards.

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Simultaneous dual band Wireless-N offers twice the bandwidth with better connection and less interference, ReadySHARE provides fast and easy shared access to an external USB storage device, Broadband Usage Meter ensures accurate measurement of Internet traffic daily, weekly and monthly with customized alertsLive Parental Controls, powered by OpenDNS, Blocks unsafe Internet content and applications, Flexible and customizable settings through Web interface, accessible remotely, Protects devices connected through the router such as PCs, gaming consoles, and iPod touch, And it's FREE! See CD inside for installation, To learn more visit www.netgear.com/lpc, Multiple SSID support – Set up a second network for guests with restricted access or a dedicated network for video and gaming, Automatic Quality of Service (QoS) – Enjoy enhanced media, gaming, and Internet telephone performance with automatic application prioritization, Push ‘N' Connect securely connects devices at the touch of a button, SmartWizard installation CD – Spend less time installing your router and setting up your network and more time gaming, surfing the Internet, and conducting business, NETGEAR Green, Convenient one-touch on/off switch and Wi-Fi button conserve energy, Efficient Energy Star compliant power supply, Packaging manufactured with at least 80% recycled materials

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Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR3700 Review

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(More customer reviews)This router is fast, easy to set-up and smartly engineered. Although this is a high-end feature-rich consumer router, out of the box, I had this running in just a few minutes. Using the simple color-coded 1-2-3 step setup process, an expert, or a novice, can have this router up and running very quickly.
Modifying the two dual band networks for different names and passwords is straight forward, and I preferred to do it manually. After logging into the firmware, the screens are divided into three panels. The left panel is the list of the feature sets, such as "wireless settings," or "guest network" settings; the middle panel has the pick list of options for the feature set; and the right panel on the screen explains, in the easiest of terms, what the features and options mean. There is little need to refer to the product manual or other help. Everything is in one place, and in the right place.
I attained maximum speeds with each of the dual bands when my laptops were in close proximity to the router. My throughput on the 5 Ghertz band using the "n" protocol was a blazing 300 Mbps. With my previous router, I was never able to achieve anything faster than 130 Mbps. As is the case with the 5 Ghertz channel, this speed drops off quickly as I moved my laptop away from the router. By 30 feet, I was down to 100 Mbps a second, but still relatively fast when compared to the legacy "g" speeds. On the 2.4 Ghertz band, using the "g" protocol, I saw very little degradation within 50 feet of the router.
I streamed a Netflix movie to an HD television flawlessly through a Toshiba laptop and an HDMI cable. There was no stutter in the picture, and the picture quality was excellent. Unlike past video streaming, I did not experience a dropped picture while waiting for the video buffer to reload.
I connected a USB disk drive to the router and shared it among three laptops without incident. I established read and read/write passwords for various file folders on the disk drive. I also made the drive available for access through the Internet, and again this process was straightforward in creating. I plan on backing up the three laptops to the USB drive on the router, as well as sharing photos and other files with family and friends by having them access the password protected IP address of my new network-based disk drive.
In total, you can establish four networks on this router. One for each of the dual bands, and two more as guest networks for each of the dual bands as well. The guest networks are nice as they can completely isolate guests from accessing sensitive information on other PCs or devices on the network. (Or you can open up the guest networks to everything on the network.)

Some other features worth noting are the automatic checking for firmware updates every time you log into the router; the "traffic meter" that shows daily, weekly and monthly internet usage that can be configured to throttle it; and the ability to backup personalized firmware settings in case of an emergency restore. With regard to the latter, it would be nice to also get a saved PDF file of what the settings are for each of the backed-up firmware configurations.

The Netgear WNDR3700 replaced two Linksys routers that I had connected together to essentially create a "dual band" environment. One was an older "g" unit, while the other was a newer "n" router. Together they got the job done in a mixed environment of video and Internet surfing. But the WNDR3700 takes routing to a newer level, with faster processors driving the dual bands to faster speeds and better range; and a big feature set that is easy to use, understand and configure.

SIX-MONTH UPDATE - This router has been powered up constantly for six months now, and it continues to run flawlessly. During this time, two firmware updates have been automatically flagged and applied without incident.
I use many of the key features of this router across the three laptops that are connected wirelessly to the dual bands. Video streaming from Netflix and other Internet sites continues to work smoothly.
Being able to connect a USB disk drive to the router has become a heavily-used feature. The router-based disk drive is the central location for backing up the data from the three laptops. I can backup these laptops locally, or from anywhere using the Internet. When traveling with a camera and a laptop, I am able to easily backup digital pictures to the router's USB disk drive. It is another way to save and protect files when away.
This router is my third, and best to date.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR3700

The NETGEAR N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router delivers the ultimate in wireless performance for home and small business networking. With twice the available bandwidth, separate wireless-N access points for media and data, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports, you enjoy more reliable connections, faster wireless, and maximum wired speeds— ideal for connecting multiple computers running multiple applications. The Dual Band Gigabit Router manages network traffic too, so there's less lag in streaming, VoIP, and other critical tasks. Centralizing an external storage device and file sharing is easy. Just connect your USB storage device to the router, and every computer on your network can easily exchange media, documents, music, and more.

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