Best Buy Ratings and Reviews

Best Buy Ratings and Reviews

Customer Reviews for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

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NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Model: WNR3500-100NAS
SKU: 8669899
UPC: 606449055122
Stream HD video, play games and multitask simultaneously with this wireless router that features draft-N wireless technology for fast connectivity and data transfer. Advanced security features protect your network from intruders while you surf the Web. Take a product tour.
Average Customer Rating:
3.906 out of 5
3.9
 out of 
5
(96 Reviews) 96
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Snapshot 96 reviews
5 stars
54
4 stars
16
3 stars
4
2 stars
7
1 star
15
75% of customers would recommend this product to a friend 
(
72 out of 96
)
Customer Reviews for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch
Review 1 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch
  • Featured

Great

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: Gamer1
from Miami
on 09/02/2008
Value for Price
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
I felt that this technology doesn't deserve $150, maybe no more than $120. Great item, I actually increased my wireless signal's speed over my older wireless N model! Never go wrong with Netgear. Now if only the dual-band came in this design.
What's great about it: everything
What's not so great: nothing
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 2 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Inadequate range

Customer Rating
2.0 out of 5
2.0
Posted by: Revelator
from Milwaukee
on 04/20/2010
Value for Price
2.0 out of 5
2.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
This wireless router works quite well when my computer is within 30 feet of the router. At 70 feet, it is inoperable.
What's great about it: good for close by
What's not so great: it does not work beyond 60 feet
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 3 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Reliable with great range

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ObiWanYJ
from Lincoln, NE
on 04/13/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
My parents needed to provide both wired and wireless access around their house (the source of the Internet access) as well as wireless to my grandma's house 150 yards away on the same farm. Their old G router couldn't reach grandma's house and would occasionally lock up, requiring a power cycle. My mom (Grandma's caregiver) got a new laptop with wireless N, so I figured it was time to upgrade the WAP and let her get online from Grandma's house.
First I tried a Belkin F6D4230-4 ($50), but it required a reboot almost every day (both the wired and wireless connections would lose connectivity), and would barely reach inside the nearest corner of Grandma's house. Exchanged that for a Linksys/Cisco WRT310N ($120), but it had even worse reception inside at Grandma's and required rebooting several times a day. Exchanged that for this Netgear WNR3500-100NAS ($120, but on sale for $100) and am loving it. All three were bought from Best Buy because they're the only local big box store without a restocking fee. Thank you, BB!
After two weeks, the WNR3500 hasn't been rebooted a single time. It also provides a strong connection even in the far corner of Grandma's house (150 yards away through several walls), where the other WAPs didn't have a prayer of connecting. Outdoors, it still gives a strong signal 300 yards away at the end of the back pasture. I like the small footprint of the vertical design. Setup was a breeze with all three routers (but then, I'm a professional sysadmin). I'm now recommend Netgear products wholeheartedly!
What's great about it: Great range, doesn't drop connections, small footprint
What's not so great: nothing
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 4 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Awesome!

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: Leonard4
from Omaha, NE
on 03/23/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Installation took about 15 mins. Very easy and very fast. It has not lost connection once whereas my old Belkin would drop connection at least twice a day. I have a desk top, 3 laptops and 3 game systems running through this with no problems at all.
What's great about it: Easy to install. FAST!
What's not so great: nothing so far
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 5 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

First Wireless Router

Customer Rating
3.0 out of 5
3.0
Posted by: 1953Craig2010
from Rancho Cucamongq, CA
on 03/21/2010
Value for Price
3.0 out of 5
3.0
Ease of Use
3.0 out of 5
3.0
Performance
3.0 out of 5
3.0
Ease of Installation
3.0 out of 5
3.0
I use it to stream Netflix works ok but do not get the highest quality and freezes up some times when watching Video
I have the router in a room that the signal need to goes thru two walls to get to my BluRay player.
I was hopping that it would work better than it does.
What's great about it: No Antenna and it looks good
What's not so great: Does not seem to have a lot of range
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 6 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Good Basic Router!

Customer Rating
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Posted by: Stud85
from San Francisco, CA
on 03/13/2010
Value for Price
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
This NetGear router performance is pretty good. Its small compact design allows you to perfectly hide or tuck it anywhere on your desk. Its easy to both install and add other wired/wireless devices. It has about a 10-15% better signal strength then the LinkSys routers, but it does have about 10% less bandwidth. So with this said it all depends on what matters most when buying this device either speed or signal. To give people more info towards what Linksys router I am comparing it to its the WRT310n. So overall this router is good for basic online gaming, basic computer downloads, music and other small files you downloads. When it comes to large downloads like game add-ons, movies, etc. that's where this unit suffers compared to other routers, which for the price is and isn't worth depending on how big you wallet is.
What's great about it: Design, Signal Strength!
What's not so great: Bandwith
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 7 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Excellent Router!!!!!

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: Damon
from Michigan
on 03/12/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
I cannot say anything bad about this router. It doesn't show it on the site, but this is V2 of the router without the lights, and much smaller at the same time. It fits excellently on a desk, and is about the size of a smaller paperback book.
It is eaxy to install(this is coming from two Linksys routers that went bad on us in a year and gave nothing but problems in the process). Almost too easy! I have yet to dive completely into the features and setup, but this router was setup in about a total of ten minutes on the main machine, with the wireless(including printer and PS3) setup in another five or so.
The wireless and wired performance is also outstanding. We are getting 270Mbs on the wireless and 1Gbs on the wired. It is a bit more than I had planned to spend, but, with Netgear, the setup, the options on the GUI(web based setup and config of course), and the speed boost we recieved, it was worth the extra 30-40 dollars! I highly recommend this router! It is my first Netgear, but I am hooked on them now! If you can pick up one, it is definately worth the amount!
What's great about it: Ridiculously easy to setup and the performance is excellent
What's not so great: Nothing so far.. From what I understand, the CD doesn't install on Win 7 64 bit, but I did manual install
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 8 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Slow Connect Speed Resolved

Customer Rating
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Posted by: HL500
from Elko, MN
on 03/07/2010
Value for Price
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Router installation and set up a breeze. I did not use the disk and set it up through the browser interface. All devices easily found the network. Range is excellent with the router on the second story and wireless reception of 4 bars in lower level. Only issue was a Dell Latitude D360 that would only connect around 18bps. Spent two calls with Netgear technicians to no avail. They would go no further than adjusting settings on the router. After calls, I went to Dell.com and checked driver updates and found one for my system that updated the WLAN settings and problem was solved. Looking forward to connecting new BR player and streaming Netflix.
What's great about it: Fast, Easy Set up, nice design
What's not so great: Tech support
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 9 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Netgear great wireless router

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: jose69
from San Antonio
on 03/02/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
For me works fine I have a small apartment and have 2 computers, VOIP Phone and PS3 connected to the router and give me excellent conection and very good signal strenght and velocity, it's very esy for setup.
What's great about it: It's very easy to install
What's not so great: nothing
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 10 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

bigger is better

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: Siskel
from Las Vegas
on 02/12/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
3.0 out of 5
3.0
alot of people have given this router negative reviews and i can't really understand why. the setup is more in-depth than a basic router like the wnr2000 by netgear (which is a great router for less money). this isn't a basic router, it's got alot more to offer in the settings selections which is probabaly the reason for the frustration people have had with it. first make sure the firmware is updated by going to netgear's site and entering the model number and searching the downloads in support. second take your time with the set-up and reset the router to it's original settings (and start over) whenever you have any issues that prevent you from connecting wirelessly. third wait a few minutes before reconnecting your modem and router when you aren't doing a default reset. the same things apply with this router that do with all routers. take your time and you'll be ok. it's a great router for my needs. i live in a two bedroom apartment and i use this router with a netgear home theatre powerline setup. i got the powerline 4-port ethernet switch connected to my home theatre (xbox 360, ps3) and my modem/router in the bedroom with another xbox 360. so far i have been connected steady without drops and i have two 360's running xbox live for games or netflix at the same time (no problems). even with hd video streaming. anyone with a home theatre should definitley check out the home theatre powerline package from netgear (i love it). hope this helped. oh yeah i bought this router refurbished (saves alot of money).
What's great about it: range and speed
What's not so great: adjusting settings during setup
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 11 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Great router, but there's a catch....

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: cb1974
from St Louis, MO
on 02/04/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
The reason for the mixed reviews on this router is because there are actually two totally different versions of it. The original is the one in the picture, with the really ugly blue LED lightshow on top. The V2 model is smaller, has a completley different chipset, and is actually a good router.
Take time, and look at the box, if it mentions a pre-2009 date on it ( I think it was 2007) don't get it. If there are 2 different box sizes on the shelf, get the smaller one.
What's great about it: Easy to set up, can load custom firmware
What's not so great: Older revision has the same model number, not good at all.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
Review 12 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Great

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: Jim5115
from Connecticut
on 01/28/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
This product could not have been easier to install and use. Hooked it up in 5 minutes and was up and going. I use it in my home and have never lost connection throughout the house. Highly recommend this product.
What's great about it: Very easy to hook up
What's not so great: N/A
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 13 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Works great, for a day

Customer Rating
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Posted by: wingwelder
from spokane, WA
on 01/22/2010
Value for Price
3.0 out of 5
3.0
Ease of Use
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Performance
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Ease of Installation
4.0 out of 5
4.0
I just wish we could find a good replacement wireless N for our outdated broke transmitters. Between this and the linksys wt160, I'd pass. But if it wasn't for it just stop working I do believe this has better transmission than the linksys wt160.
What's great about it: easy set up and price
What's not so great: after 24 hrs it just stopped working, no wireless and no ethernet
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 14 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Reliable Router with N-speeds

Customer Rating
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Posted by: JeffeR
from West Michigan
on 01/17/2010
Value for Price
3.0 out of 5
3.0
Ease of Use
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
4.0 out of 5
4.0
This router replaced a D-Link DIR 655 N-router, whose power supply died (actually not even the original PS - was an eBay replacement that probably wasn't very good quality).
I decided to replace the router rather than trying to find another cheap power supply.
The Netgear router set up fairly quickly (manual setup), and I have my PS3 and TivoHD plugged into ethernet ports. Getting the wireless working took a bit of time - I couldn't get the connections to work until I changed the wireless setting to "up to 145Mbps". I initially set it to "up to 300Mbps", but this apparently was an issue for our Macs. The documentation isn't very clear on what that setting does...
We have 3 Mac laptops in the house - 2 of them with N-wireless, and an older one in the basement with G-wireless. All connect without any problems.
Current uptime for the WLAN (read from the router status page) is 45+ days - where I would have to restart the DLink every couple weeks.
One more thing about those blinking LED's on the top... I thought that the button on the back of the router was a power switch, but it actually turns the LED array on top of the router on/off. These LEDs are supposed to indicate which internal antennas are being used, but they are a distraction under in my entertainment center.
What's great about it: Reasonably easy setup, solid reliability
What's not so great: Obnoxious blue LEDs on top (but these can be turned off), somewhat pricey, wish it was dual band
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 15 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Simple and effective router

Customer Rating
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Posted by: Lucy6157
on 01/13/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Instruction were simple and easy to follow. I was able to add another computer with no difficulty. There seems to be no degradation to speed. My one complaint is that after the fact I wanted to set up separate restrictions for web use for myself and my son, and could not figure out how to do it. Did not read the manual, but I did read online help.
What's great about it: It was very easy to install and set up
What's not so great: I can't figure out how to go back and change some settings that were "placeholders" during the initial installation
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 16 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Absolutely Awful

Customer Rating
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Posted by: evan101
from MD
on 01/10/2010
Value for Price
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Performance
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Ease of Installation
1.0 out of 5
1.0
I fought for 4 hours trying to get this router set up. It would not connect to my computer, I literally tried everyhting i could think of and I'm fairly tech-savy. Absolute waste of money, i will be returning this product.
What's great about it: absolutely nothing
What's not so great: it does not work at all, installation is terrible
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 17 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

I returned this router

Customer Rating
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Posted by: Anonymous
from Detroit Lakes, MN
on 01/08/2010
Value for Price
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Performance
1.0 out of 5
1.0
Ease of Installation
1.0 out of 5
1.0
I bought this wireless router based on a glowing reveiew published by a well-respected computer product website, but I should have paid attention to the multiple reviews of this router on bestbuy.com which mentioned repeated dropped internet connections. Within the first half hour of use, I had to reboot the router three times to re-establish a wireless connection between it and my brand new high-performance laptop. I returned the router for a refund.
What's great about it: nothing
What's not so great: dropped connection every few minutes
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 18 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Netgear Router

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: Pastorc
from Petersburg, VA
on 01/06/2010
Value for Price
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0 out of 5
5.0
My second Netgear router and I love it. Easy setup although I did contact netgear for some support.
What's great about it: Id's my wireless products with easy
What's not so great: can't think of anything
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 19 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

Excellent, Very Pleased!

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: MartyA
from Virginia
on 01/01/2010
I recently purchased a linksys WRT160N as recommended by my IT guy at work. I spent 6 hours trying to get a wireless signal to my laptop. The signal would come and go. Had to constantly reset it. I took it back and exchanged for this Netgear. I had it connected and working in less than an hour. I even had to set is up manually because I had read that the CD didn't support Vista 64bit. I didn't even bother inserting the CD. The router setup site is simple and easy. I took my laptop up the 3rd level of my house (the router is in the basement). I had 4 bars of signal!!! The unit has been hooked up and running for 4 days with no problems, no dropped signals, and no resets. I would highly recommend especially if you have a large house and need the extra range.
What's great about it: Great Range, Easy Set Up
What's not so great: Price
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 20 for NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with 4-Port Ethernet Switch

What I Should Have Bought First

Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: Astroman252
from Dundee, Il.
on 01/01/2010
Value for Price
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Performance
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Ease of Installation
4.0 out of 5
4.0
I went wireless to keep the kids happy when they return home from college, and want to work online anywhere in the house. Purchased a Linksys WRT 160N at first, what a mistake. I had issues with conectivity constantly. For me, If you need a call to a help line for something as simple as a wireless router, the manufacturer didnt do their job right. Returned it for the Netgear WRN 3500. It works perfectly. Install was a breeze. The wireless connections were made quick and easy. Connection to the network is fast and reliable. Strength of signal is very good throught the house. There is no bloatware that shouldnt be needed, if the router does its job of keeping your network secure. If you need a wireless router, try this one, it worked for me.
What's great about it: It worked right out of the box, where the Linksys didnt
What's not so great: Nothing yet
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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