Does the Netgear WGR614 Wireless Router Live Up to Expectations? - Computers - Hardware

The Netgear WGR614 wireless router, along with the rest of Netgear's lineup of products, has been, for some users, tainted by some controversy surrounding the company itself.

If you haven't heard, the truth is that the controversy is kind of silly. A little while back, Netgear put out some ads inflating the data speeds of their Wi-Fi network devices, and wound up getting slapped with a class action lawsuit to the tune of seven hundred thousand dollars USD.

Customers who bought Netgear products while these ads were running were entitled to a fifteen percent discount off of a new wireless device from the company.

Kind of silly, right? The ultimate prize in this lawsuit was basically a bunch of coupons.

However, looking at how this controversy turned out kind of proves how powerful and reliable Netgear products really are. The buyers didn't want their money back, they wanted to keep the Netgear products they had, but they also wanted a discount on the next one they buy, since, yeah, they had been misled.

The Netgear wgr wireless router is sort of the flagship of the company's line of wireless products for the home right now, and it certainly does deliver on their reputation (that being their reputation as the makers of reliable products, not their reputation as guys who like to exaggerate now and then). We'd say it passes the Netgear buyer's test: If you found out the ads were lying, you wouldn't want your money back, you'd just want a coupon for next year's model!

As is always the case with Netgear routers, this one really shines when it comes to performance. It's easy to install and secure, too, but what keeps Netgear one of the top competitors in the market is the fact that they always deliver high speed and high performance in every product from their pricy business routers to their cheaper basic-home-use routers, and the wgr614 is no exception to the rule.

Overall, we'd rank it an A. If you just need it for basic at home use, we'd even rank it an A +. Whether or not Netgear is always as fast as they say they are, the fact remains that they're still amongst the fastest routers out there, and one hyperbolic ad campaign doesn't change that, so if you're looking for a good at-home router and you're having trouble deciding which one to grab, just go ahead and get this one already.

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