In Brief

The NetGear WGT624 may be the best confluence of design, software and performance in a wireless router. This curvy metallic creature with the iconic indicator lights has extremely deep firewall and routing features, as well as great performance and range second only to one other router, not to mention that sexy 108Mbps mode. Even better, those advanced features are clear and easy to access thanks to contextual help files that appear alongside every configuration page -- there's no guessing about what things do with this system. Together with aggressive pricing, you can't go wrong with this router.

In Depth

NetGear has come a long way with its latest router, the WGT624. The familiar utilitarian blue metal boxes and hacker-like setup software of old are gone forever, replaced by silvery curves and the best Web-based configuration utility we've seen in any router. And did we mention great performance? This gateway really has no weak points.

The packaging screams 108Mbps, which of course you won't get. But the WGT624 comes pretty close when used in a controlled environment free of interference from other Wi-Fi devices other than 108Mbps client adapters. Just how do you get 108Mbps out of a 54Mbps standard? Simple, by using TWO channels of 54Mbps each and "bonding" their signals, in much the same way a disk array stripes two hard disks together to achieve nearly double the throughput. The only catch is that NetGear only guarantees its own 108Mbps adapters will work properly in "Super G" mode. Other vendors' cards may work, but this is not guaranteed.

We did have one major installation issue with the NetGear that had us scratching our heads for a while and fumbling around with settings and documentation; but it ended up being due to a cabling problem with our older Alcatel DSL modem (read more about this in the Cool Tips section). If it hadn't been for the cable snafu, we would have been up and running in no time thanks to the excellent WGT624 setup software, and our experience with Tech Support showed that even email queries are answered correctly in a reasonable amount of time.

Networking pros will find everything they always wanted in a router, and more, with the NetGear. From extensive logging and alert options (including automatic email alerts), to WDS support and a smorgasbord of access control and blocking features, the WGT624 has it all.

But the bottom line on the NetGear is its super performance. After all, most people configure their routers once, and then forget them. Even if you don't have a fully Super G network, the WGT624 offers throughput and range far superior to most competing routers, all for a bargain-basement price.