Thread: Netgear WGR614 Wireless routers

UNLIKE ITS BIGGER sibling, the WGR614 is a standard 802.11 Grouter. The router looks very nice, in bright white, and Netgear's attention to detail must be appreciated. There's a single external antenna, and the usual assortment of four LAN and one WAN port. Setting up the router is easy as pie, with the same Web-based interface or wizard-based setup as the WNR834B. The router checks for firmware updates automatically, and updating it is a sim¬ple process of a few clicks.



Like the WNR834, this one too auto detects your LAN settings and adjusts its own IP address accordingly. Besides the standard set of features, this router can log all Web sites visited, block specific URLs (or sites containing certain keywords), and even send e-mail if someone tries to visit a blocked site. You can also block specific computers on the network during a specified time period on selected weekdays. This can be useful for small offices, educational institutions, or even if you want to keep the kids off the network during the week.

In our performance tests, the WGR614 did well at short to medium ranges. It had a maximum throughput of 15 Mbps at a short distance, dropping to 2.5 Mbps at a distance of forty feet, with four walls in between. The performance, while not earth-shattering, is adequate. The low price, great design, and extremely easy Web-interface gave this router extra points.