NETGEAR WNDR3700 Reviewed

[thiggins]

Routing and wireless results have been posted in the Charts. Review is in progress.

 

[digitalfreak]

From the different data sets I looked at, the 3700 comes out at or near the top in every one. Looks like I found my new router! Too bad they don't offer it as an AP only for less $$$.

 

[dkyeager]

Good work! Appears to be especially good near the edge of its range (I thought the lack of an external antenna would be its weakness.) Wonder if the 5 MHz might even function in locations e & f. Of course the real proof will be the performance with the simultaneous use of 2.4 & 5.

 

[thiggins]

All locations were checked. If you don't see results for a location, it's because the router would not support client connection there.

Internal vs. external antennas are not a major factor in wireless router performance.

 

[claykin]

Routing and wireless results have been posted in the Charts. Review is in progress.

Will the review include a comparison to the DIR-825 B1? Given that the B1 and the WNDR3700 are of the same hardware design (except antennas), it would sure be nice to see a faceoff. Based on the charts I suspect you found a new dual band favorite in consumer routers...

 

[thiggins]

Will the review include a comparison to the DIR-825 B1?

You never give up, do you?
Just wait and see.

 

[adisor19]

Interesting..

Thanks for the great review ! It looks like the latest Atheros based routers have better wireless performance compared to their Broadcom brethren.

I'm very close to buying one but i'll wait for the review of the 825 rev B1 since it is significantly cheaper.

Also, are there any planned routers out there with a 4x4 MIMO 600Mbps config yet ? So far i haven't seen any but was wondering if you heard of such beast through the grapevine...

Adi

 

[stephenju]

Great review and nice to know it's as good as hyped.

I don't see it in the review. Does it allow setting 2.4Ghz to G/B only and 5GHz to N only?

Thanks.

 

[jacobp]

Compatible with Linksys WGA600N adapters?

Hello. Please excuse me if this is a stupid question. I have gone through a number of routers including the Linksys 610N. I have a need for using the 5Ghz range to support multi-room viewing on my DVRs and I use 2.4Ghz for all other wireless and internet traffic. When I was using the 610N, I purchased the Linksys WGA600N adapters that support both 2.4 and 5 GHz range. I only use the 5Ghz side of those adapters. My question is will the WNDR3700 successfully communicate with the Linksys WGA600N adapters in the 5 Ghz range? Thanks.

 

[claykin]

You never give up, do you?
Just wait and see.

And for those of you who have been asking about a test of D-Link's DIR-825 [B1] (I'm looking at you, claykin...), I've asked D-Link to send one. It will be interesting to see if the B1 matches the 3700's performance, since it uses the same Atheros AR7161, AR9220, AR9223 design, but sells for about $100 vs. the 3700's $160.

Tim, you rock. Lets hope DLink doesn't disappoint. Now that you've asked for a review sample I wonder if they'll pull a beta firmware out of their programming lab. The current release is V2.02NA. If you receive a newer firmware please test with it as I know they are working to resolve a few issues.

 

[claykin]

Does Readyshare require software be installed on the client PC to access? Will it allow multiple simultaneous connections?

Right now the DLink shareport solution is terrible. The forum moderators have said that the engineers are working on a completely new design for shareport to hopefully make it....less crappy?

 

[beisser]

no it doesnt require a software. you can access it like any other nas using unc-paths.

 

[DaveMcLain]

I found the test where you used multiple streams to test bandwidth to be quite interesting but it got me wondering.... Lets say this router is put to use in a coffee house atmosphere with lots of wireless clients. It should handle those clients very well but what if they are a crazy mix of hardware B, N, G, A etc? How will this feature handle those condidtions? Will it drop back to 54Mbs on all streams?

 

[vashthestampede83]

Hi all, i have some question about this router.
In the review i read "I also verified that the 3700 dropped to a maximum 54 Mbps link rate when using a WEP or WPA / TKIP connection."
this means that using any wireless security the speed is limited to 54Mbps? Quite strange!

Regarding ReadyShare, if i have an USB NTFS exteral drive already filled of data, can i plug in directly in the router (without formatting)and share all data?

 

[thiggins]

Thanks for the great review ! It looks like the latest Atheros based routers have better wireless performance compared to their Broadcom brethren.

Broadcom really seems to be fading from the N router market.

Also, are there any planned routers out there with a 4x4 MIMO 600Mbps config yet ? So far i haven't seen any but was wondering if you heard of such beast through the grapevine...

Products were announced in January @ CES, but nothing is shipping. Don't expect 600 Mbps (three stream) N routers to be any better at supporting HD video streaming. I expect manufacturers will continue to optimize for maximum throughput at the cost of throughput stability.

And don't forget you need a three-stream client to get the higher throughput. And they will suck power like crazy on portable devices.

 

[thiggins]

I don't see it in the review. Does it allow setting 2.4Ghz to G/B only and 5GHz to N only?

No. As noted in the review, the only mode settings are 54, 130 and 300 Mbps modes for both radios.

 

[thiggins]

My question is will the WNDR3700 successfully communicate with the Linksys WGA600N adapters in the 5 Ghz range? Thanks.

Yes. Both products are certified N and will interoperate.

 

[thiggins]

If you receive a newer firmware please test with it as I know they are working to resolve a few issues.

I review only released firmware, claykin. I might look at a Beta, but any results posted in the Charts will be based on released firmware. I've been burned in the past by basing reviews on "soon to be released" firmware.

 

[thiggins]

Does Readyshare require software be installed on the client PC to access? Will it allow multiple simultaneous connections?

Beisser is correct. ReadyShare is like the sharing feature on the Linksys WRT610N, requiring no client software.

 

[thiggins]

I found the test where you used multiple streams to test bandwidth to be quite interesting but it got me wondering.... Lets say this router is put to use in a coffee house atmosphere with lots of wireless clients. It should handle those clients very well but what if they are a crazy mix of hardware B, N, G, A etc? How will this feature handle those condidtions? Will it drop back to 54Mbs on all streams?

The WNDR3700 will behave like any other router with mixed clients attached. It does not drop to a 54 Mbps link rate. But both N and "legacy" clients (A,B,G) will have lower throughput because of the inefficient bandwidth sharing mechanisms. Remember, that bandwidth drops only when N and "legacy" clients are active. If clients are connected, but idle, throughput is fine for the active client.