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Which is best wireless router choice? Netgear N450 WNDR4000 or N300 WNDR3800 - Page 6

post #151 of 416
6/6/11 at 10:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chambolle View Post

I need a new router -- my old Belkin is not cutting it. The WNDR3800 looks ideal, esp. with the printer sharing feature. But it isnt for sale; netgear doesn't say when available. Anybody know the release date?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobsilver View Post

I would look at either the 3800 which will be available end of July .... .

The joys of reading previous posts.
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post #152 of 416
6/9/11 at 3:05pm
The WNDR4000 has an update. I don't see any difference. It does say I should do a restore to factory defaults. Really?
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post #153 of 416
6/9/11 at 3:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeKustra View Post
The WNDR4000 has an update. I don't see any difference. It does say I should do a restore to factory defaults. Really?
Generally the restore to default is a safety issue. If all is working well then I would leave it be.

Bob Silver
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post #154 of 416
6/10/11 at 11:42am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

Came across this review on the new Netgear WNDR4000 N750 router. This is the first review of this new router and is from PC Magazine, The link to it is http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386679,00.asp. PC Mag really liked it and gave it it's coveted Editors Choice Award. They feel it is the router of choice in today's wireless router offerings.

I think it is a helpful review since it directly compares the WNDR4000 to the Linksys E4200 as well as the Netgear WNDR3700 for comparison. It also compares the new N450 versus older N300 technology. The article does a good job of comparing speed, range as well as features. It will save many of you a lot of time doing research on a new router.

The reviewer also does a good job of looking at multimedia features and performance of the router. Usually these reviews are pretty straight forward but this one was quite inclusive.

The net is the WNDR4000 is the fastest wireless router on the market today. And it is the least expensive N750 product at $149 street price.

Again check it out at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386679,00.asp.

Bob Silver
Netgear AV Consultant
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post #155 of 416
6/10/11 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobsilver View Post

Hey guys,

Came across this review on the new Netgear WNDR4000 N750 router. This is the first review of this new router and is from PC Magazine, The link to it is http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386679,00.asp. PC Mag really liked it and gave it it's coveted Editors Choice Award. They feel it is the router of choice in today's wireless router offerings.

Bob Silver
Netgear AV Consultant

Nice review Bob. I like the unit and it is fast. I still get bugged by the 100Mbs icon with XP, but nothing's perfect. No problems with the new firmware either.

I wish all CE manufacturers of "living space" stuff would have an option to kill the LED display. The LED displays are just so bright anymore I have been building black covers for everything. But, since all my stuff is on a UPS, I guess I will have illumination when the power fails.

Power button is a very nice feature.
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post #156 of 416
6/10/11 at 5:11pm
SO humour me. Which is best performance. Printer attached via ethernet cable or USB? Hard drive attached via ethernet cable or USB? Thanks in advance!
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post #157 of 416
6/10/11 at 6:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trevor JK View Post

SO humour me. Which is best performance. Printer attached via ethernet cable or USB? Hard drive attached via ethernet cable or USB? Thanks in advance!

I don't think humor/humour is the proper word.

As for printer, that's the printer's problem, A printer with an IP address and/or CAT5 interface is usually more expensive than a USB driven printer these days. Remember when it was a serial or parallel/IEEE-488 issue? However, most networked printers provide a lot of status information for remote maintenance.

I know of no stand alone HDD with an internet/CAT5 interface so I can't help there.

A lot have USB ports though. With USB to HDD it is important to use that option of disconnect, since you can have buffered data loss if you simply pull the plug. A read-only USB device on the hub doesn't have that problem, but there is an option to "safely" remove the device on the router admin program.

For further humo(u)r, you could try google or bing.
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post #158 of 416
6/15/11 at 8:41am
First and foremost, thanks to Bob for initiating this conversation and being so willing to answer these questions.

I'm most interested in the Time Machine capability of the 3800. I noticed on the netgear website that the WNDRMAC doesn't explicitly say it will offer TimeMachine compatibility.

Bob,
1. Will the WNDRMAC be TimeMachine compatible?
2. Will the WNDRMAC come out at the same time as the 3800?
3. Is the 3800 still slated for late July?
4. What's been the cause behind the delay in the release of the 3800?

Thanks again for your time, Bob!
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post #159 of 416
6/15/11 at 9:00am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by macmojo View Post

First and foremost, thanks to Bob for initiating this conversation and being so willing to answer these questions.

I'm most interested in the Time Machine capability of the 3800. I noticed on the netgear website that the WNDRMAC doesn't explicitly say it will offer TimeMachine compatibility.

Bob,
1. Will the WNDRMAC be TimeMachine compatible?
2. Will the WNDRMAC come out at the same time as the 3800?
3. Is the 3800 still slated for late July?
4. What's been the cause behind the delay in the release of the 3800?

Thanks again for your time, Bob!

The WndrMac will have Time Machine support. I believe release for that is in August but will need to confirm the dates.

Regarding the 3800 delay it was caused because the engineering team decided to double the memory on the unit to enhance performance specific to the Time Machine performance. This caused a rework and thus the delay. The WNDRMAC is also getting this memory bump.

And before you ask TIME MACHINE functions will be the same between the 3800 and the wmac. The wmac does not have all the added features of the 3800 and thus will sell for less. $129 I believe.

Bob Silver
Netgear b
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post #160 of 416
6/15/11 at 9:01am
Thanks for quick reply, Bob!
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post #161 of 416
6/17/11 at 12:46am
Bob,

Thank you for all of the information you are providing. I'm waiting for the 3800 and I'm hoping it comes out soon. We just moved to a new house that has all of telephone, cable and CAT5 lines built into a media unit in one of the upstairs closets. The only way to have my TV's internet connection hard wired downstairs and my desktop in my office hard wired is to place my (currently Linksys) wireless router into the media unit. Since the router only has 4 ports, I can only have access to 4 ports around the house... also I know have weak wireless connection since the Linksys device is in a metal unit inside of a closet. I was thinking of buying the Netgear 8 Port Gigabit Desktop Switch and placing that in the media unit then connecting the 3800 in my office so I can connect my printer and hard drive to it. Do you think that this setup will work? I was told by the cable company that a switch won't work because of some IP issue that I will encounter when I attached a wireless modem in another room and a TV that is connected to the internet in another room. Will this be a problem with the 3800??
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post #162 of 416
6/21/11 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobsilver View Post

The WndrMac will have Time Machine support. I believe release for that is in August but will need to confirm the dates.

And before you ask TIME MACHINE functions will be the same between the 3800 and the wmac. The wmac does not have all the added features of the 3800 and thus will sell for less. $129 I believe.

Bob Silver
Netgear b

Bob, can you elaborate on the "added features" that the 3800 will have over the WMAC?

I have been patiently waiting for the the 3800, but as I'm running both Windows & MacOS computers I have been considering the WMAC. I cannot find on Netgear's website a way to compare the features of each.

Thanks, Rick
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post #163 of 416
6/22/11 at 11:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobsilver View Post

First off the antenna design and the rf amplifiers in the current generation of Netgear routers are all optimized for one an another. Changing the antenna in any way would negatively impact the overall performance. So that is why there are no external antenna options. That said the built in antenna can limit optimum router placement so it is clearly not a perfect solution.

Regarding the playback of your hd content I am a bit perturbed by your results. You state that you can stream OTA fine but not content from the cable box. Generally the OTA will be the highest bandwidth so to me if anything you should see the reverse. Also how are you streaming? What is doing the ip conversion and what client are you receiving it on? Need more info here.

Since you dont have a 450nic in your laptop you obviously dont get the benefit of the newer tech in the 4000. The reason I like the 3800 is that it is actually has more advanced technology through use of Clear Channel and other features. Clear Channel is designed for the 2.4 and 5g bands so all of our current wifi products will see the benefit. It also will have printer sharing and Apple Time Machine support if those things are important to you.

Keep in mind too that all of the newer n450 products (Netgear/linksys) are using the same chipset. This is the 1st generation of these higher performance chips. So like everything else in technology V1 will not be as good as V2 and on. But we are looking at at least 12 months before we see a V2 of that type of product.

My suggestion is this. I would look at either the 3800 which will be available end of July or a 3700 now. The 3700 can save you some money and is what the 3800 is based on. You will get the video mode capability in the 3700 (as well as in the 3800) which can detect video signals and prioritize bandwidth for it. If you purchased where you can try and return it I would give that a whirl. Otherwise I would wait for the 3800 if you can.

Bob Silver

I don't know the reason HD Cable streaming is more network intensive. It is DRM encumbered and OTA is not. That is my only explanation. I really hate switch from one router to another, the whole thing to me is a PTIA. I am now considering turning off the radio in the 4000 and just sticking a couple of amps on the antennas on the D-Link 825.

I don't mean to be argumentative but antennas being optimal means what exactly? Radio waves even short ones can benefit by more than just antenna positioning. The whole thing with antennas and the way waves propigate is largely vodoo. More gain is generally better, and internal antennas preclude amplifiers and the use of external antennas designed to provide specific kinds of coverage. The antenna array in the 4000 is optimized for a particular set of testing scenarios one would assume. That means the device is optimized for those scenarios in whatever lab or computer model they use in the R and D. Which almost by definition is not my home or my usage model.

What about a 450mbs pc card or usb nic? Is one on the way?
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post #164 of 416
6/23/11 at 5:22am
Hi Bob,

I bought a DGND3700 so I could use readyshare to backup my Mac wirelessly with Time Machine - but it doesnt detect HFS+ formatted drives. Any chance a firmware upgrade could fix this? or are there any other work arounds?

Thanks
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post #165 of 416
6/25/11 at 1:15pm
Thread Starter 
USB 450mbs nics will be available toward end of year I am told. But they are coming.
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post #166 of 416
6/25/11 at 1:20pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kileman View Post

Hi Bob,

I bought a DGND3700 so I could use readyshare to backup my Mac wirelessly with Time Machine - but it doesnt detect HFS+ formatted drives. Any chance a firmware upgrade could fix this? or are there any other work arounds?

Thanks

No firmware update is planned for this. Might I suggest the WndrMac This is shipping now and while not advertised yet will have Time Machine support. I also would suggest the wndr3800 which also has time machine support.

Both routers support hfs+.

Bob Silver
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post #167 of 416
7/1/11 at 5:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobsilver View Post

No firmware update is planned for this. Might I suggest the WndrMac This is shipping now and while not advertised yet will have Time Machine support. I also would suggest the wndr3800 which also has time machine support.

Both routers support hfs+.

Bob Silver

Ive had the WNDRMAC for a few days and i cant even tell if HFS+ is supported or not. Ive plugged in 5 HFS+ GUID drives and it recognized 4 of them but only 1 was actually able to be accessed (Time Machine DID work on it) while the rest just crashed the router. And Ive plugged in 3 Fat32 MBR drives where 2 were recognized but no Time Machine (since its fat) and DLNA picked up all the files from my "Shows" folder but only picked up 5 files from my "iTunes" movies library.

The drive that I got working most consistently is a 5yr old 1TB FAT MBR drive where I am now running my iTunes library off of and streaming mixed media through DLNA. That part is fantastic, but drive access speed is ridiculously slow from the Mac. In fact, nothing about this drive really screams "Mac friendly" other than the name so im not sure if I'll keep this or go for the Time Capsule.
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post #168 of 416
7/2/11 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Urkel View Post

Ive had the WNDRMAC for a few days and i cant even tell if HFS+ is supported or not. Ive plugged in 5 HFS+ GUID drives and it recognized 4 of them but only 1 was actually able to be accessed (Time Machine DID work on it) while the rest just crashed the router. And Ive plugged in 3 Fat32 MBR drives where 2 were recognized but no Time Machine (since its fat) and DLNA picked up all the files from my "Shows" folder but only picked up 5 files from my "iTunes" movies library.

The drive that I got working most consistently is a 5yr old 1TB FAT MBR drive where I am now running my iTunes library off of and streaming mixed media through DLNA. That part is fantastic, but drive access speed is ridiculously slow from the Mac. In fact, nothing about this drive really screams "Mac friendly" other than the name so im not sure if I'll keep this or go for the Time Capsule.

The current WndrMac has a memory limitation that impacts Time Machine performance. There is V2 coming end of July. I would either use that or use the Wndr3800 which will also have Time Machine support too. Plus many more features listed in earlier posts on this thread.

Bob Silver
Netgear
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post #169 of 416
7/4/11 at 8:05pm
So does that mean that the WNDRMAC that I JUST bought today (July 4, 2011) is version 1 and has a memory limitation? Is version 2 a simple firmware fix that I can take advantage of in late July or is it a new router all together? I'm slightly confused because an earlier post in this thread indicates the memory of the current MAC and the 3800 are identical--and that both units are optimized for Time Machine. I, too, am getting mediocre Time Machine performance and am puzzled as to why a Mac router would be released that has a known memory limitation that prevents full use of one of Mac OS X's key attributes (Time Machine). So do I have version 1 or version 2and how can I tell? Thanks.
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post #170 of 416
7/5/11 at 4:50am
If anyone's interested Newegg.com is offering the WNDR3700-100NAS for $110 shipped when using this coupon # at check out... EMCKCKE66 - through 7-6-11
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post #171 of 416
7/8/11 at 11:09am
Look what I found: http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-N600-W...0148518&sr=8-2

Is this a preorder?
Thanks
Mike
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post #172 of 416
7/8/11 at 11:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmikester1 View Post
Look what I found: http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-N600-W...0148518&sr=8-2

Is this a preorder?
Thanks
Mike
Maybe. I does state:

"Usually ships within 1 to 3 months.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available. "
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post #173 of 416
7/17/11 at 7:49am
Should I get the WNDRMAC, 3800 or 4000? We have 2 older PS3's that use the 2.4 GHz g band and 3 Mac's and an iPad that use the 5 GHz n band. Also we have 2 printers. One is an older HP that uses the 2.4 GHz g band and a Cannon that uses the 5 GHz n band. We currently are totally wireless utilizing a WNDR3300. The Macs download and stream content fine. However, we do need to refresh our browsers periodically as they believe they're not connected to the internet. Also the PS3's download content really super slow. However, they seem to stream content from Netflix just fine. All we want is to speed up our PS3's connection to the internet. If I'm not mistaken, the WNDR3300 is dual band but offers only high speed wireless in the 5 GHz n band. We don't really have a need for the USB hard drive and printer support. We just want high speed throughput on both bands. Would the 4000 be the way to go with the increased amount of radio's? Would it be better to go with the 3800 with the Clear Channel Selector? Would the WNDRMAC be the way to go. Thank you in advance for any help and insight.
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post #174 of 416
7/17/11 at 10:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by knighstalker View Post

Should I get the WNDRMAC, 3800 or 4000? We have 2 older PS3's that use the 2.4 GHz g band and 3 Mac's and an iPad that use the 5 GHz n band. Also we have 2 printers. One is an older HP that uses the 2.4 GHz g band and a Cannon that uses the 5 GHz n band. We currently are totally wireless utilizing a WNDR3300. The Macs download and stream content fine. However, we do need to refresh our browsers periodically as they believe they're not connected to the internet. Also the PS3's download content really super slow. However, they seem to stream content from Netflix just fine. All we want is to speed up our PS3's connection to the internet. If I'm not mistaken, the WNDR3300 is dual band but offers only high speed wireless in the 5 GHz n band. We don't really have a need for the USB hard drive and printer support. We just want high speed throughput on both bands. Would the 4000 be the way to go with the increased amount of radio's? Would it be better to go with the 3800 with the Clear Channel Selector? Would the WNDRMAC be the way to go. Thank you in advance for any help and insight.


Given what you described the 3800 has the advantage for you due to it's Clear Channel capabilities which works on the 2.4 ghz band. That should help devices using it. The advantage to the 4000 would be if you had N450 clients which you do not. So you would not gain from it's newer technology. The 3800 will have the same Time Machine capabilities as the WNDRMAC. But as you point out you do not need the hard drive support so that is moot.

The 3800 will also have ReadyShare Cloud which will give you cloud access to your data but that does require you use the USB drive capabilities.

So all that said I would either do this. I would 1st choice get a 3800. It's clear channel tech is most advanced. The added features are nice and you may find you want them later. My other choice would be a budget choice. Buy a 3700. It is less costly and will give you improvements in coverage. But you give up the newer features of the 3800.

For my money I am going to upgrade to the 3800. I like and want the added features. And Clear Channel should be a win. It will be starting to ship by month end. Available at Frys and Amazon.

Bob Silver
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post #175 of 416
7/18/11 at 3:03am
I was already leaning towards the 3800 and have been waiting for it since I ran across the info about it back in March. Before that I was about ready to pickup a 3700 or 37av. What struck me at the time was all the reports about the 3700's buggy-ness with the v2 firmware update. After checking Netgear's site, I then discovered the 4000. What attracted me to the 4000 was the claim that the data transfer rate was up to 300 Mbps for 2.4 band and 450 Mbps on the 5.0 band. If the data transfer rate for the 3800 is up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 band and 300 Mbps on the 5.0 band that would be fine by me. I had actually called Netgear at the time to find out when the 3800 would be available and was told it would be available either at the end of June or the beginning of July. I started checking Netgear's site around then and the page for the 3800 stated availability was "Coming Soon" and has never changed. That's how I stumbled upon this forum when I began to search the internet for information about when the 3800 would become available. Thank you very much for your input and insight!
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post #176 of 416
7/18/11 at 8:55am
I was in the market for a new wireless-n router. I didn't like Linksys' offerings, and my 4 year old Linksys was showing its age. So, based on Bob's recommendations here, I picked up a decently priced WNDR3700 on eBay ($79 shipped). I had never really considered Netgear before, but I am glad I did. Everything is working smoothly and it's much easier to configure things than the Linksys router (not that I mind being challenged). So, thanks Bob!
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post #177 of 416
7/19/11 at 12:14pm
Great thread. Thx.

I have a stand-alone office in my backyard and was wondering if I could get a couple of WNDR3700s and connect them wirelessly between the main house and the office so the office would have both wireless and the 4 wired connections?

This is just a temporary solution until I get my centralized wiring project finished (pulling cat6 and video to multiple rooms in the house and out the office).

I also have an older WNR3500L that I could also throw into the mix (maybe only having to buy one 3700 possibly?).

Thanks,
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post #178 of 416
7/23/11 at 6:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkizer7 View Post

Great thread. Thx.

I have a stand-alone office in my backyard and was wondering if I could get a couple of WNDR3700s and connect them wirelessly between the main house and the office so the office would have both wireless and the 4 wired connections?

This is just a temporary solution until I get my centralized wiring project finished (pulling cat6 and video to multiple rooms in the house and out the office).

I also have an older WNR3500L that I could also throw into the mix (maybe only having to buy one 3700 possibly?).

Thanks,

You can set the 3700 up in a repeater mode where it will rebroadcast the wireless signal. A less expensive option would be to get a dedicated repeater like the 2000rpt or 3000rpt. That will copy your main wifi signal and rebroadcast. Note that all repeaters will not match the original performance of your primary wifi signal. The only way to do that is use an access point which would require a wired connection to the access point itself. I in fact use 2 3700. One is my router and one is configured as an access point. This is the best approach. And is the only way to get completed coverage on both the 2.4g and 5.0g bands. This is important to me as I use the 5g band for all my mobile media devices like my iPad.

But if you are looking for full 2.4g wifi coverage the repeaters are really easy to set up and use. The difference between the 2000 and 3000 is that the 2000 has a 4 port switch built in.

Bob Silver
Netgear.
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post #179 of 416
7/24/11 at 12:04pm
Thanks Bob.

I'll have to do a bit more digging, but I thought I saw an article where you could wirelessly bridge two routers with an option in the dd-wrt firmware. Then I could have my main 3700 in the house with both wired and wireless connections and another 3700 in the other building, attached to my network wirelessly (as just another device) serving up 4 wired connections. Even if this worked it probably wouldn't be ideal as far as speed goes.
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post #180 of 416
7/24/11 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkizer7 View Post
Thanks Bob.

I'll have to do a bit more digging, but I thought I saw an article where you could wirelessly bridge two routers with an option in the dd-wrt firmware. Then I could have my main 3700 in the house with both wired and wireless connections and another 3700 in the other building, attached to my network wirelessly (as just another device) serving up 4 wired connections. Even if this worked it probably wouldn't be ideal as far as speed goes.
Yes you are correct. You can set the router up as a repeater. My only point is if you need to buy two routers buying a repeater would be much less expensive. But setting up an access point wopuld be a no compromise performance solution.

Bob Silver
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