NETGEAR WNDR3700v2 N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Reviewed

[thiggins]

I know you said you were going to leave it alone at this point, but how about testing the replacement V2 unit with the original firmware? Maybe the changes in performance are all software related?

Sorry, but I'm spending no more time on this.

 

[claykin]

Sorry, but I'm spending no more time on this.

Until the WNDR3800 comes along.......

 

[sparks]

personally I feel it was just a way to make it cheaper.
Get it into more markets and hoping no one would know the difference.
Of course one guy knows and told us



ps on so many places I have read about the wireless drops with V1 and if I have more than 1 wireless connection look out.
So wonder if that was fixed with V2 ?

 

[Unregistered]

New router experience e4200 vs. WNDR3700v2

so i am getting high speed from a local provider as i am in the mountains of Va.
i got the E4200, showed great connetiveity to multiple computers in various distances from the router...5 bars at 100feet and 2 floors away, etc... it takes static IP, Subnet, BUT it would not take manually loaded DNS...called cisco, DUUH!... said "EFFE IT"...returned the #4200 , got $27 back and a WNDR3700v2 ...took it home, dialed it up just fine...was online and surfing in a about 15mins...interface is easy and ovbvious, security was a breeze...
i will say that the 5g has not knocled me out of my seat... and often the 2.4g seems as fast...and more stable, but havent really played with it long enough to make that a solid call yet...

so, does it work? yes it works...is it easy to use?...yes it is easy to use...
but if you going to game, get a clable, nothing has changed there...or please educate me...
if you folks can point me to setting to make the flow of information faster, i am all ears...

I was kinda of aamzed that the E4200 would not allow a manual save to the DNS...
FYI...

Ps: i did do the firm ware upgrade today and wil lsee if /what difference that makes in usablilty...

Thanks for letting me take part,
Eliot

 

[Chadd]

Firmware v1.0.0.8

I got the 3700v2 a few days ago, and it came with firmware 1.0.0.6. I had problems from the start with it dropping game connections, hanging when loading web pages, and failing to host google talk. I upgraded to the new 1.0.0.8 firmware, and so far, all the problems have gone away, and I am happy with the router's performance.

I would say if you are going to buy this, upgrade the firmware right away.

 

[JW113]

Missing Key Features

I recently bought a WNDR3700 v2, due to a positive review here and because it's well supported by DD-WRT. I thought I'd start with the factory f/w because of tests here (on some other model router) that showed the factory f/w had faster and steadier routing performance than DD-WRT.

However, I was soon forced to switch to DD-WRT when I found that NetGear's f/w is missing some essential capabilities:

• Port mapping while forwarding: I could find no way to map, e.g., incoming connections on 8443 to 443 on a local server. I've never seen a router where this wasn't possible.
• HTTPS option for remote admin: not all routers have this, but I certainly expected one at this price point to include it.

DD-WRT solves these issues, but I just hope the NetGear hardware is better designed than their software.

(And while I really appreciate the SNB reviews: I think that both of these capabilities are "core" enough that reviews should mention if they're not available.)

 

[stevech]

I recently bought a WNDR3700 v2..
I could find no way to map, e.g., incoming connections on 8443 to 443 on a local server. I've never seen a router where this wasn't possible.

My experience differs- I've seen few consumer routers that can port-forward from the WAN and change port numbers while doing so. Perhaps 10%. But yes, the pricey ones should do so.

 

[JW113]

My experience differs- I've seen few consumer routers that can port-forward from the WAN and change port numbers while doing so. Perhaps 10%. But yes, the pricey ones should do so.

I guess I have limited experience brand-wise, but all the inexpensive routers I've dealt with have had this: old SMC7004VBRs, older D-Link DI- and newer DIR-models, various Linksys WRTs (and cheap but not consumer BEF- series VPN routers), and even some not-very-impressive Belkin wifi routers. It didn't occur to me that a router wouldn't provide this...

 

[thiggins]

I've been mentioning the separate source and destination feature. I'll try to remember to also call out HTTPS admin.

 

[mayerling]

Just got a Netgear WNDR3700v2 N600 router to replace a Cradlepoint MBR1000.
(Setup: cable modem to router to desktop and several laptop computers.)

Set up the WNDR3700 and installed the latest firmware.

Extremely frustrating. Testing just the wired connections, not the wireless functions, the router would only maintain an internet connection for a few minutes at a time. Kept dropping connections while browsing. If there was no activity for more than 3 minutes or so, the connection would drop. Would have to reset the connection (sometimes either by disconnecting the cable between the router and the computer; sometimes by powering off the router completely) then wait several minutes to get a connection back.

I see that many other users (though clearly not all) have had similar problems. Sent this dud back.