Get a Netgear 802.11 Draft-N router for $19.99
The $20 802.11n router: You're not likely to find a lower price.
(Credit: Netgear)If your wireless router doesn't have the muscle to reach all corners of the house, or you need a faster connection for copying files and streaming videos, it might be time to consider an upgrade.
Newegg has refurbished Netgear WNR2000 802.11n Draft 2.0 routers for $19.99 (shipping will run you a mere $1.99).
In case you're unfamiliar with it, the "new" Wi-Fi protocol (which seems forever destined to be known as Draft-N) delivers better range and faster throughput speeds than 802.11g.
The WNR2000 is backward compatible with older Wi-Fi hardware and comes with four Ethernet ports, two internal antennas, and the usual raft of security features.
Keep in mind that unless you have 802.11n adapters for the PCs in your house, you may not reap the full benefits of the router--but you'll still enjoy better range and, based on my experiences, faster wireless connections, even if you have 802.11b/g gear. (Make sure to download the latest firmware updates from Netgear.)
CNET hasn't reviewed the WNR2000, but the user comments on Newegg's product page are mostly positive. And over at Amazon, it averages four stars out of five. That's pretty impressive, as even high-end routers often get crummy reviews.
The WNR2000 has a list price of $79.99, so you're saving quite a bit by opting for a refurbished unit. It does have only a 90-day warranty, but what is there to break? Either it works or it doesn't. I think it's a steal, and at this price, I suspect they won't last.
Rick Broida, a technology writer for nearly 20 years, is the author of more than a dozen books. In addition to writing CNET's The Cheapskate blog, he oversees BNET's Business Hacks. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers. Follow Rick on Twitter at cheapskateblog. 
Let me just head this one off at the pass - there is nothing wrong with refurb wi-fi routers, it is usually an "issue" with the user rather than the equipment. If you haven't switched to N (supposedly to be ratified this Sept\ember) then steal this one before Newegg gets wise and ups the price (or they sell out).
- "Don't buy what you don't need". (In this case unless your streaming HD then wireless G will probably be fine, if you only use your network for internet access then almost everyone will have no benefit of wireless N
- "Buy it when you need it, not when its on sale". Sounds counter-intuitive, but people never account for the time value of money, plus there is ALWAYS another deal tomorrow. In this case wait until you are ready to go all N and again only if you really need it.
BTW. Rick I've been resistant to put RockBox on my old sansa e200 series. I finally bit the bullet, boy did I miss out. my cheap $39 player is now loaded with more features I could dream of every needing! Sound quality is siginificantly improved, Ogg-Vorbis support, MP3 recording, Dozens of games and apps. Can't beat the price. I recommend anyone with an mp3 player to check it out at http://www.rockbox.org/. Plus its low risk since you have a dual boot option to load the existing player OS
I has a couple of other features also, and the range is pretty good. "Gigabit" throughput on home-user routers is still crap compared to Cisco routers and switches that actually have the horsepower to push the packets. It's faster, just don't expect the moon and the stars.
I'd really like to see a nice gigabit router that can be flashed with aftermarket firmware such as the DD-WRT. I'm using that on a pair of WRT54GS routers, and I have yet to see the features and performance matched (on a per dollar level.)
Good luck with whichever router that you may choose!
Kodak? EMachines? You name it - they all give a warranty and support for their refurbished.
NetGear - they specifically give NONE. And with good reason . . .
The net shopping areas are constantly flooded with NetGear refurbs. They make such garbage they've a ton of refurbs to dump. I doubt they even really refurb them - since they give neither support nor warranty Just ship 'em out and let the vendors & users spend their money on RMA's or until the purchaser gives up.
Never buy NetGear. There's lots of competition and they stand behind their products.
I literally haven't touched it since I set it up with my new desktop and ancient laptop, other than to slap a piece of electrical tape down the front since I don't want the light in my bedroom. Haven't tested it for speed but it's fast enough for me not to care.
If I run into any problems with this, I'll report back.
Thanks Rick!
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1080
I haven't done much testing with it yet, but it looks great sitting on my kitchen desk. I found a detailed review that has all the info you could ever want to know about this router:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30615/96/
Thanks again Rick!
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/965
Thanks again loose_screw!
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3826776
Actually it's funny that you would say this, last week it was announced that the N-Draft will be finalized in September! Which is 'bout damn time!
But anything labled Draft -N and not Pre-N Draft will be fine. So buy this if you want although I hate Belkin products. I prefer D-Link, (Mine is the DIR-625 with QOS and Firewall capabilities) or Linksys with custom firmware.
Here is the link about the N Draft being finalized.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/27/802-11n-finalization-just-a-formality-interoperability-to-be-pr/
and it still costed me $1,199!
Never By NetGear Refurbished - anything. I suffered the consequences
They will supply no support - absolutely none - for their refurbished products - and have you noticed how much of their stuff is available as refurbished. Both of these should set off alarms in your psyche!
I bought their MIMO wireless router and matching dongle as refurbs. The router arrived and worked great if all I wanted was a blue room light. I was luck enough to get that back to the vendor (NetGear will do nothing!). The dongle? I was stuck with it. The signal it picked up was 'one bar' vs. my old DLink wireless b, which had 5 bars in exactly the same location. It also got hot as hell. My solution was to by a new retail of the exact same item, swap, and return it as defective (up yours, NetGear!).
The attitude at NetGear can be best described as follows - they put the broken stuff they get back directly into boxes as refurbs, with a little slip of paper inside tell how they don't give support - and then just ship it out, sit back, and laugh.
They S*ck. By anything else.
- by PeteyBrian July 31, 2009 11:24 PM PDT
- Thanks Rick!
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- by Seaspray0 August 13, 2009 8:41 AM PDT
- Hook a network cable directly between your computer and the netgear. try the following in a browser...
- Like this
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(33 Comments)I received my Netgear router yesterday. However, it was missing the setup disk. Since I am only moderately competent with computers (just like my cooking skills), I attempted to find download software on Netgear website, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. What to do? Exchange the router which would take a couple of weeks? I went to my well known local tech store and purchased the SAME router for like $90 (!), setup the software, and will return it tomorrow (Sorry local tech store!). Works and looks amazing. Couldn't be happier. Coupled with my new USB antenna (missed your $9.99 Netgear deal but only paid about $16 shipped for another brand), my connections are fast and my wifi signal strong throughout the house!
http://192.168.0.1
http://192.168.0.254
http://192.168.1.1
http://192.168.1.254
Those are usually the default IP's of home routers. I've never used a setup disk.