Firewall/Router/Wireless All-in-One ?
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 16

Thread: Firewall/Router/Wireless All-in-One ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NW of Houston
    Posts
    2,855

    Question Firewall/Router/Wireless All-in-One ?

    Hi All,

    I am thinking of replacing my current and dated hardware firewall (Netgear FR114P) and Wireless AP (Netgear WG602v3) with a single unit to reduce components and increase speed.
    (I won't be missing the print server of the FR114P)

    I am looking at the Netgear WNDR3400 (N600) but I am unclear as to whether this is actually a complete hardware firewall solution.

    The FR114P has a lot more "security" features listed if I compare technical specs, but I think a lot of it could be marketing talk.

    What do y'all think?

    Cheers
    KGG

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
    Posts
    18,063
    The WNDR3800 (N600) was announced at the CES this month. It should be available later this year (Q2?). It has more features, but if you really need a lot of firewall features, you might want to look at Netgear's small business product line.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565
    Definitely look at the Netgear ProSafe range, you get a serious firewall, they are built like tanks, and don't cost all that much more than the consumer range. Also, you get an unlimited lifetime warranty

    One thing to watch, if you are likely to have fibre broadband or high-speed cable now, or in the future, then check the WAN to LAN throughput. Many firewalls are surprisingly limited in that regard.
    Nick.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NW of Houston
    Posts
    2,855
    Thanks Guys.

    I am looking to update my home network after our move south... cable speed is just under 15Mbps, more than enough for surfing and Internet TV I think. My bottleneck is the AP that tops out at 54 in the best case and triggered my replacing idea.

    As long as I can configure it with my own IP settings, strong PW, create a guest network etc I feel comfortable... plus it can't break the bank.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Maryland, USA
    Posts
    17,806
    54Mbps is 3.6 times faster than 15Mbps.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NW of Houston
    Posts
    2,855
    Perhaps I am getting the units mixed up?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Maryland, USA
    Posts
    17,806
    802.11a and 802.11g are up to 54Mbps (theoretical).
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11

    --

    Mbps = Megabits per second
    MBps = MegaBytes per second
    (There are 8-bits in a Byte. A Byte = a single character).

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565
    In theory the a or g WiFi standards ought to be more than enough for a 15 Mb connection, as Doc says it is more than 3 times as fast. However, in the real world, the actual throughput that you get with WiFi can be woefully short of the theoretical speed, and that could be what is happening in your case.

    If you are getting very low WiFi speeds, the first thing to do is to start trying to investigate why, as a new router may help, but it could also be a complete waste of money. This article may help:

    http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/de...eless-networks
    Nick.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NW of Houston
    Posts
    2,855
    Hmmm... I may have screwed up and believed the Comcast installer too easily... he said I won't get full speed with the gear I have... now it looks like I won't actually get any speed increase on my network then with the new equipment... :-o
    (I will have one less device and added options, like guest network etc though).

    Much more to learn for me about networking and tying in all these gadgets at home, making it secure etc.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NW of Houston
    Posts
    2,855
    Excellent link to Netgear SuperSparks - Thanks. I will go through that thoroughly and learn!

    SpywareDr - 1 Byte = 8 bits and 1 bit = a single character yes (typo above?)

    BTW - the new router crapped out on firmware update and is being RMA'd as we speak

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
    Posts
    18,063
    From what I have been reading, it seems that Netgear firmware updates often have problems.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NW of Houston
    Posts
    2,855
    Hi jdc,
    I have had no issues thus far with Netgear updates.. actually just did 3 other devices before this new one and they went flawless, even keeping the custom settings perfectly.
    Only difference here is I ran it via web update. The "good" ones were done with d/l files.
    Cheers
    KGG

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565
    Same here, I've been a Netgear fan for years, and I've never had any problems at all with firmware. Nor do I see many issues at all on the Netgear forums. It is important to follow the recommended procedure though, and always do a reset to defaults before the upgrade.

    The nice thing about the ProSafe range, is that if you do manage to brick the thing Netgear will still replace it
    Nick.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Maryland, USA
    Posts
    17,806
    Quote Originally Posted by K G G View Post

    SpywareDr - 1 Byte = 8 bits and 1 bit = a single character yes (typo above?)
    No. A bit is the basic unit of information storage. It's a single binary digit that is either 0 or 1. (A magnetic signal that is either Off/On). For example, the binary representation for the letter "A" is the eight bits "01000001".

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NW of Houston
    Posts
    2,855
    Yes of course SpywareDr - my bet.
    My brain bytes (or bits) weren't properly charged yesterday
    ASUS K55N with W8.1 (64bit) and plenty of other legacy systems :-)

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •