NETGEAR FVG318 ProSafe 802.11G Wireless VPN Firewall 8: Complete Network Security Solution Review

This is a great wireless router, way above average. It has several disadvantages, which I will discuss later. What's good: It has many features - wired ports, WiFi, VPN. It's pretty easy to set up, especially if you're savvy with the internet. Not-So-Good Stuff: The web configurator is good, but a bit oddly organized, especially for content filtering. The screenshots all work but are a bit confusing. Content filtering works well but isn't as flexible as I was hoping. I bought it to keep kids…

I bought this with another Netgear device (same type but no WiFi) to VPN between sites and manage my network. I had some stability issues with this device and the VPN was almost always disconnected. Most of the time I had to recycle the device to get it back. I ended up having to replace these devices as they didn't meet my needs. I contacted Netgear support and they told me to reapply the same firmware and test again. Eventually I gave in and bought a Zywall to replace them and I'm very happy…

This unit was purchased for a dental office. The standard antenna has a good range. Setup was easy, configuration was easy. Provides adequate security for small business WiFi.

Bought cheaply used, so no support, outdated, but you just have to update the firmware, great price and great security. I wanted more security and on a budget so I bought this for my main router. I don't use WIFI but others use it so I need it. So friends and chrome cast, untrusted devices, guest phones etc etc are all on the first router. I never use WIFI on my phone because I think it's just not a safe time. This product is an all in one device but it's my first line of defense and it has a…

I also had bad experience with this machine. There are LOTS of updates and fixes for the issues described by another reviewer, but unfortunately they are only available for the "V2" device. Revain is partly to blame for the problem as I ordered my NEED device after the V2 release, but Revain sent me one of their "legacy" V1 devices. After doing all sorts of V1 updates, tweaks, tweaks, etc., I was ready to return the device. Thought I'd try the V2 firmware (yes that might void your warranty but…

The product worked fine initially. Setup was pretty easy as far as routers go, and it increased my throughput by over 4MB/s. It also allowed many of my network devices to work plug-and-play without having to open specifically obscure ports. However, I was disappointed with the features of the VPN. I wanted to use it to encrypt my internet connection in places with free Wi-Fi, but after looking around many forums I decided that IPSec is not compatible with Apple iOS devices. Although the…

Stay away from this device and get the FVS318N instead. This has known issues with issuing duplicate IP addresses. In this case, the entire network goes down, not just two systems with the same IP address. I bought a second one thinking the first one was bad. When the same thing happened, the third NetGear tech I contacted told me there was a known issue and suggested I buy another model that works great. I have to say that I was also very disappointed with the technical support. He tried to…

While researching this product I found a lot of negative reviews. But in the end, getting a VPN, firewall, router, and WiFi from Netgear for $100 less was too expensive than buying a VPN and WiFi hotspot separately to pass up. As I've often found with networking products (especially wireless ones), the main problem with many negative reviews is that people don't understand the network and/or don't set up the device properly. With this device, the setup problem turned out to be a real headache…

I bought this as part of our business networking solution and it's the only part that breaks down every day or two. From time to time the router freezes and reboots resulting in loss of company website, remote access, email etc. and it takes about 10 minutes to get back on itself. I then have to manually enter the settings from our Windows SBS if I found that the router was reset. Otherwise, it will continue to go unchecked like losing mail for a week because the reset doesn't affect outbound…