what do you think about the netgear WGR614

there was a deal for it at www.buy.com and www.newegg.com for like 55ish and i was wondering what you guys thought about this? this comes with a card for a laptop too. I was also wondering if laptops usually ship with pc cards if they support 802.11g. here is the link to the laptop my sister bought: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=1069301995506&skuId=6249703
I was also wondering if that laptop needed the pc card that the router came with, what would be a good pci card for a desktop? Would it also be fine if the router sat right next to me and i had it just connected with a wire? I would rather not connect it with a wireless card if my speeds would be faster with a cable since the router and modem would always sit on top of my tower and probably never leave there.

here is the link for the router+pc card deal: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=33-122-052&depa=0

I just read somewhere that netgear doesn't believe that WPAis necessary for the home user and may not be implemented in some of their routers. With an attitude like that, i'd stay away from their wireless products.

the netgear wgr614 is an excellent router. i have been using one for a good 6 months or so. i get the occasional drop with alot more recently but the recent drops i beleive are due to one of the comps connected to it, not the router itself.
a firmware upgrade would probably stop the other drops but it happens so rarely its not worth the time to upgrade.


the wireless range is pretty nice outside. indoors it is somewhat limited. a single wall isn't to bad but 2-3 walls between it and the client and you only get a range of about 30ft. i should mention though that the wireless pc card for my laptop seems to suck so it could be the reason for the short distance.

the wired function of it works beautifully. and access to the settings are simple with their browser based settings screen.


$55 for the router AND a pccard is an excellent deal. i payed $60 just for the router when i got mine. it was on sale with a normal retail price of $110 or so.


i probably wouldn't bother with wireles access for a desktop. with the distance your talking a short cat5e cable will due just fine.