NETGEAR FWG114P ProSafe 802.11g Wireless VPN Firewall 4-Port 10/100 Switch with USB Server

The FWG114P has been the center of my family's network for 5-6 years. I purchased it specifically for the printserver feature. After several years, we have replaced our PCs and now use Vista. The "install" CD will not install on our 64-bit machine. Although the software does work on Vista 32-bit, I found (after much research) that the printer port may be configured without any software at all. It's a simple and widely available port option on both Mac and PC called LPR and works well. The only flaw to a printserver like this is that any two-way communication is dead. No ink level warnings, etc. can be sent from the printer to the computer. Likewise, you can't scan from a multifunction.

As for obsolescence:
Although wireless b/g is more than enough speed for sharing a DSL connection, apparently wireless n is the new defacto standard. Also, many reasonably priced inkjet printers already have a cat5 jack on the back, so you may not even need the printserver feature at all.

Reliability:
My only reason for needing to replace this router is that the power jack has gone bad. Nudging the low voltage plug causes it to blink out and restart. I could probably buy a new jack and solder it on, but why risk ruining the whole thing? Its had its run and now it's old. Coincidentally, the power jack is failing due to years of manually resetting by unplugging the low voltage cord from the unit. The router only causes trouble when a user tries to print without paper or on low ink. The printer goes haywire when this happens and, once the ink or paper is restored, it prints out page after page of garbage. The only way to fix this is to pull power to both router and printer, plug in the printer, then plug in the router. This is the nature of electronics, I guess. I would suggest adding an inline switch to the low voltage line instead of pulling the plug, as pulling out the cord each time makes a tiny spark and will eventually oxidize the contacts.

All in all, excellent workhorse but could handle printer errors better.

I got one of the early versions of this Router/access point/switch/firewall/print server. That is a lot of function for the money. It has NEVER given me problems. Mine has been on the entire 4+ years. I can remember rebooting it once in that time. Also, it has great range.

However, this is an office product not a home product, so you should know a little about firewalls, routing, DHCP, IP, etc., or you should be ready to spend a few hours educating yourself. So, this is a very versatile device.

I used support when I first set it up and they did a good job for me.

There is a very good reason why this is one of the oldest product still in production by Netgear.

I have had a lot of problems with this router. Its wireless connection is intermittent and sometimes totally freezes up, requiring the router and the DSL modem to be rebooted. Also, the wireless connection does not work with Dell laptops for some reason. As a result, I only use it now as a LAN router until I can afford something else. I have upgraded to the latest firmware and that hasn't helped. "Customer service" is Mumbai Hell; the waits are interminable and customer reps are clueless. If you want to use this as a print server, be sure to check for compatability on the website: the number of printers that are not compatible (or just have not been tested, why should they actually go through the trouble of verifying compatibility before advertising it?) is huge. It also has problems with online and LAN games. All my friends are playing Civ IV online with no problems, but my ability to connect has been very spotty (I've never been able to complete an online game). Also, with some LAN games (e.g., Dawn of War, Warcraft III) it will allow certain computers to connect to the game server and not others, without any discernable reason why. Netgear's website is spotty as well: the contact list for ISPs regarding ISP connectivity issues was last updated in 2005. If I'd known I would face these kinds of problems I never would have bought it.

I would not recommend this product even if you got it for free; the time and headaches it will cost you are probably much more than what you'll pay for a dependable wireless router/print server. Even as a simple four-port LAN firewall/router it has gaming issues. Look elsewhere, unless you are a masochist.

I use this router to serve up a wireless connection via a serial modem. Unless you need to connect to the Internet through a serial modem or need a modem as a backup connection you can save money with a cheaper router. The dial-on-demand feature works well and I've only had to reboot this router a couple of times. I get a strong signal and the router itself is in what feels like a sturdy metal case.

If you are among the 5 of us out there still using dial-up and are tired of being tied to a phone cord I recommend this router. Be sure to visit the manufacturers web site to see what serial modems are supported. Mine wasn't on the list and it still worked but I may have gotten lucky.

I am on my 3rd RMA with this device. I really love the functionality of this firewall, thus all of the RMA's. The main issue I was experiencing, was the wireless conneciton. The speed of the connection would fluctuate between 54Mbps and 1Mbps. And I would randomally get disconnected for some time until it would reconnect. I also am running the higest security settings one can run. Data encryption is WPA2-PSK. I have done some extensive research as to what could be causing this. Tech support is very poor. When you know more about their product then they do, do yourself a favor, and either demand for an RMA, or hang up and fix it yourself. Well, I got fed up and I did exactly that! I found some rumors that heat is causing the wireless issues. I cracked open the firewall and found that the broadcom IC(Wireless) was very hot at idle. When I was streaming video it got hotter. Well, that makes sense. Sad thing is that there are no heatsinks on it. I went to the store and purchased a VGA heatsink and slapped it on there. It runs much cooler, and my speed is stable. Best thing is that I don't have the disconnects as often. I generally get 1 disconnect/week. When I do experience them, I go into my site monitoring software, and I find that my firewall is still active and has a strong signal. I think it has to do with my wireless card in my laptop. It's a Dell, with the built-in WiFi. I'm sure I can drop down to WPA-PSK to help out, but I like the heightened security.