Netgear WNDR3700v1 still a good buy?

[rephlex]

My trusty ole WRT54G is dying and I'm in need of a new router. I have numerous N capable devices now so I figured I'd get a N router. I found a hardware version 1 of the WNDR3700 at RatShack and bought it. I have read the reviews on here and the v2 seems like a step backwards.

RatShack is kind of expensive so I paid $149 for the router. I could get a WNDR4000 for the same amount from Fry's. So I guess my question is was this a good purchase or should I return the 3700 and get a 4000? The Linksys 4200 is only $9 more and might also be a contender. So which would you get 3700v1, 4000, or 4200?

Thanks
-Marc

 

[claykin]

With any of the models you mention, YMMV. Meaning one person will like one over the other and another will like a different one. All are very good consumer routers.

That said, Netgear will likely not provide much future firmware support for the 3700V1. 3700V2 has 16MB Flash storage which is 2x the 3700V1. New firmware is coming for the 3700V2 which likely will never surface on the V1 due to the smaller flash size. Keep this in mind for future support.

 

[Plef5204]

Depends on what your situation is.

Whether it's the construction of my home or whatever, I consistently find issues with weak signal strength result in poor connectivity and slower speeds....even with routers that *should* be able to work better than they do.

I've tried the WRT610N v.1, WNDR3700 v.1, and now the E4200, in that order, and, I have to say that the performance seems to have increased in that same order.

The E4200 is connecting to areas of the house that have a minimal connection from the WNDR3700 v.1, and is getting awesome speeds....oftentimes going between 7.7 and 9 MBps.

I really didn't mind the WNDR3700 either, however.

The WRT610N had the most difficulties. However.....I tried it out at my office, in a business tower, and, despite the presence of far more networks than I can sense at home, it has performed fantastically at 4x the range it does at home (as long as I don't unplug it...it keeps losing all its settings every time there's a power failure. I'm pretty sure that's due to damage from a power surge).

If you never had connectivity problems, probably any of those would work for you. If signal strength (or interference, or building construction or whatever) has been an issue, you might want to try the E4200. It worked for me.

Plef5204

 

[teknojnky]

wndr3700 does not support port redirection

ie you can't port map external port 8080 to internal port 80

 

[stevech]

wndr3700 does not support port redirection

ie you can't port map external port 8080 to internal port 80

that sort of frustrating limitation is present in a lot of mass-market routers. You should download the user manual and look for the features you need before purchasing consumer stuff.

 

[bimmerdriver]

I have a WNDR3700v1. With the most recent firmware it works pretty well, but I do not expect Netgear to update the firmware again. It's a dead product and I do not recommend that you get one. If you want a WNDR3700, I would recommend the v2 over the V1 due to the extra flash which would be preferable for dd-wrt. However, I would go for a newer product such as the WNDR4000 or E4200, particularly if you are expecting "support" from the vendor. (Not that you can say Netgear actually provides anything resembling support and I'm sure there are others who would say the same thing about Linksys.)

 

[claykin]

(Not that you can say Netgear actually provides anything resembling support and I'm sure there are others who would say the same thing about Linksys.)

Sad, but true. Netgear is actually better than most. Recently Dlink has proven to be slow or non responsive to issues with their high end consumer products. I'm done with them unless they change their ways... Now that Cisco is looking to sell Linksys one can only wonder how support might suffer until new owners are in place.