Is the Netgear MR814v2 junk?

Ive had the Netgear MR814v2 for a while now im not sure how long but ive been experiencing internet drops and disconnects at random times and it seems stupid i was looking online to see and some people say they have the same problems and others say that this thing works great i just plugged the modem directly to the computer without the router to see if the internet connection would stay active so far it good anyone have any suggestions for routers if the netgear is no good i have 802.11b cards on the laptops thanks in advance

Hello jjq587,

If you haven't already try upgrading to the latest firmware on the Netgear router you have and see if that corrects the problem. Also, see this page on Troubleshooting Routers.

Additional Troubleshooting for the MR814 or MR814v2 Routers
http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/n101224.asp

Unfortunately, you can find this sort of problem across all three major consumer router manufacturers (Linksys, D-Link, Netgear). A lot depends on the hardware revision level and what features you're trying to utilize. I went round and round with a D-Link DI-624 once I tried to use WPA security. Up until then, it worked just fine.

If you haven't changed any settings, then you could be experiencing a dying router. These things are not made to be terribly robust. Also, if the problem has become more common as the temperatures have climbed, the unit could be overheating.

If the problem began occuring after turning on WPA security, that could be the difference. WPA processing puts more of a strain on the hardware, generating more heat and/or exposing marginal components.

As for a recommended replacement, I really like the D-Link DI-524. It's just sort of a workhorse G speed wireless router without frills.