Netgear N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (WNDR4000)

Five months ago my old wireless AP was on its last legs and needed to be replaced. Nearly every day, wireless access in my house simply wouldn't work and after unplugging the power and plugging it back in, wireless would work for a few short hours. That got tiresome, so I started searching for a new wireless solution.

I knew I wanted something that supported 802.11N, had Gigabit Ethernet ports, and could either be used as just a wireless AP or a router if necessary. I searched for hours, read reviews, and ultimately settled on the Netgear N750 450 Mbps Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router
.

Initial setup was a breeze. Out of the box, it comes with a power adapter, a severely kinked patch cable (which I didn't use), and a CD with documentation. After plugging it in, I connected a patch cable to one of the four GigE ports on the back and accessed the web-based configuration menus with a browser. A few minutes of clicking and typing completed the wireless configuration. I didn't really change any of the other settings because this device is acting purely as a wireless access point and a LAN switch. Since I already have a Cisco ASA
as my edge router, I don't need to use this as a router.

I placed the N750 near the center of my house behind my TV since I have a CAT6 drop to feed the entertainment center. Using the built-in switch allowed me to connect several game consoles and my Tivo to the network using patch cables instead of wireless (since some of them don't support N yet, this freed up the wireless spectrum for my devices that do support N).

I haven't performed any scientific bandwidth transfer tests, but I can say that file transfer speeds between my MacBook Pro and desktop computer are faster than the previous wireless G setup I had in place.

Signal strength appears to be strong enough for an average house. I can be anywhere in or around the house and get a strong signal. However, across the street the signal barely shows up. If you plan on feeding wireless to your neighbors, the stock antennas in this device might not meet your needs. If you just want wireless in your apartment or house to power your phone or other mobile devices, this will likely work.

Overall, I've been running the N750 around the clock for 5 months and haven't had a single problem. I've noticed some users on the amazon reviews slammed the device for either not working or not having a strong signal. Since wireless is a shared medium, I can't say for sure how this device would perform in your area. What I can say for sure is the N750 has performed flawlessly in my house which is why I've written this post about it.

If you have a wireless AP or router and have had good results (or bad), feel free to share your experiences below.