Netgear WPN824N N150 Wireless Router

This is the second Netgear router I've purchased. The first is in my apartment and this one was a Christmas present for my parents, who wanted to be able to use a wireless laptop in their house. We hooked the router up to their cable modem in the basement and it works very well in all parts of their large, ranch-style house. The wireless works no matter which room we're in, upstairs or down. Set-up is exceedingly simple, as it was with the one we purchased for ourselves. Including plugging in cords, restarting the cable modem, and setting up the wireless account - it took less than 10 minutes.These routers are great for people who are not experts at networking. The instructions are clear, short, and easy to follow.

I purchased the Netgear RangeMax N150 as a replacement for my old Netgear router. My old router had become balky after years of dependable use, and would not allow my wireless devices to connect to the internet, even though my devices all recognized a strong signal from the router. I kept having to restart my old router a minimum of once a week, in order to get a temporary work-around to the problem. The N150 has a relatively larger footprint (approximately 9 inches by 5.5 inches) than my old router (approximately 7 by 4.5 inches), but the blue LEDs in the middle of the N150 are a nice addition; the pattern of the blinking LEDs provides various pieces of information, such as if the router's drivers/firmware have been corrupted and needs to be replaced. The N150 also has an internal antenna, so you have a sleeker looking piece of hardware if you install it out in the open.Set up and installation was cumbersome when I tried to use the included installation CD. The install process would not finish when I used the CD, because the self diagnostic kept saying that it couldn't detect an ethernet connection, or an internet connection. Of course, I was connected to the internet at the time, since part of the step-by-step CD install instructions included connecting the ethernet cables between the router, PC, and internet connection point. Anyway, after slogging through the CD install process about a half dozen times, I gave up using that method. Instead, I went to the Netgear website (even though their CD install process said they couldn't detect an internet connection) and used their web-based set up and installation feature. BINGO! I had my new router up and running within five minutes! No fuss, no muss. I've been running the N150 router without problems ever since (over a month since installation) without any need to restart the router. Aside from the lousy, worthless set up and installation CD, I'm very happy with the way the N150 router has operated so far.

I bought this router for my parents so that they could use their new iPad 2. It was very simple to setup, and I got it working in less than 5 minutes. Right out of the box I plugged it into the cable modem, plugged in the AC adapter, and loaded the CD that came with the router. I followed the simple instructions, and viola, the iPad was connected to the internet in no time. The range is solid, and could probably be better if I put it in a better place (right now its on just a shelf that is kinda low), but they get 2 bars in their living room which is 70 feet away and 3 walls.I only set it up yesterday, but so far so good. Its not being used as a repeater or range booster, so I can't comment on the use of that. But for what my parents use it for, it perfectly suits their needs.

I have the previous version of this N150 and it worked well. Got this one and was a breeze to set up (if you're computer-literate). It connected easily to my iPhone and laptops. I only plan on using to stream some videos and mostly work so I needed something solid and consistent. Not worried about high speeds. Don't plan on doing any intense gaming or downloading multiple things at one time. With my isp (Comcast) I am getting 65mbps using this router..plenty for what I need. I will update if there are any connection problems.UPDATE: There have been no connection problems and router is doing a great job. All my devices (iPhone, iMac, HP Laptop, Macbook) all connect with no problems. This is a great budget router that will get the job done for the average household. It's perfect for my needs. Changed rating from 4 to 5 stars.UPDATE 2 YEARS LATER: Have had this router for 2 years now and worked great.. until now. I am constantly losing connection, sometimes over 5 times a day. Then I have to restart the router (turn off, let it sit for a minute, then turn back on and wait for the connection to establish). Granted the process only takes maybe 3-4 mins, but it can be quite a hassle when trying to stream via Apple TV or get some work done and this process needs to be repeated a number of times. I've adjusted the rating to a 3 out of 5 because when it is working, it's great.Did some research and I replaced this router with an Apple AirPort Express, hopefully this one won't stink out on me after 2 years also..