Purpose:
I purchased the product as an intended use to support several functions:
a) A shared storage device for both device backups and home entertainment.
b) A primary router to support my Work-at-Home environment.
Pro:
The product is easy to setup, works great out of the box, and has a sharp and stylish appearance.
Advanced features are well organized, and the embedded help text is supportive of guiding appropriate changes/updates to the configuration settings.
The range and power of the wireless connection well supports a home with a lot of walls between the router and the intended connection point.
Specifics: There is no issue with PnP specific to company provided router/devices. It manages traffic carefully and effectively, multiplexing both work VPN traffic and home traffic. The router easily supports a sizable home wireless foot print, and does not have difficulty in attaching diverse products (phones, DVD players, satilite receivers, PCs, etc.) It is compatiable with current and pre- specs (802.11 b/g/n). It supports/splits the wireless high speed traffic through the use of dual-channel connections (Tx/Rx is assumed).
Cons:
Based on the use with a variety of different devices, with my work-from-home connections, it appears that the processor (and perhaps the firmware supporting it) is a little weak in the ability to effectively multiplex multiple high speed connections. When using as a connection between two or more locally attached devices (wireless and/or wired) the impact to Internet traffic appears to be significant (perhaps a reduction of 20-30% in throughput). This is inclusive of reads/updates to a connected SATA drive (using internal bay).
The only other area that may reduce the scoring from a 10 to a 9 is more cosmetic than anythingl. The wired connections are hard to access and don't leave room for larger fingers to grasp and remove wired connections. Additionally, while the product looks great and should fit with any decor, the material has a "feel" of being weak at certain stress points. Only time will tell on this.
Although the router uses 5.0GHz band for wireless connections, the radio itself is limited in the channel selection within the band. For rural users which rely on a radio/microwave connection to their ISP, this can present real challenges that must eventually be worked out between the customer and the ISP. If you have an ISP with a great Customer support business model, this is not that difficult, though it may take several weeks to iron out the issues.
Conclusion:
For a home user wishing to expand or enhance their network connectivity this product is great. If it holds true to other NetGear products, a long and worry free life is expected. Just depends on the environment and the ability of the cooling fan to maintain operation on a 24x7x365 basis.
The product is highly recommended.
| Wireless Type | 5.8 GHz Radio Frequency, 802.11a/b/g/n |
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