Hardware ReviewsNetgear Cable/DSL Phoneline Router (RP334) This Netgear router does so much, we had a hard time determining the appropriate subsection of our hardware section for this review. The RP334 includes several features that otherwise might require three separate devices to provide those same functions. As the name suggests, it's a router, a switch and a phoneline bridge (more on these features below) all in one. While there are plenty of router/switches in the market, the phoneline bridge is the extra feature in this router and that's why we decided to post this review in our phoneline section. For those who have a phoneline network already installed or are considering one, this is the perfect network device. As we've mentioned before, phoneline networks are great for those who would have trouble running Ethernet cable in their house (such as old homes) and who have distances that make wireless networking unavailable or unreliable. The RP334 would be perfect for you, for example, if you have several computers in one room connected via Ethernet or Fast Ethernet and another computer in a far away room connected via phoneline. Typical of Netgear equipment, the RP334 is solidly built, functioned well and installed with ease. The price is a bit high -- we found it for $254 (including shipping) at Comp-U-Plus -- but remember the three-in-one feature set. Read on for more details. Overview
The Netgear RP334 comes in a shoebox package. On the box you'll find graphics that show a typical network setup, as well as details on the features and advantages of the router. The package includes the router, a power adapter ("brick "), a Fast Ethernet cable, a phoneline cable, a user guide, resource CD, warranty/registration card and support card with the website address and toll-free phone numbers in multiple countries. The manual is really a 16-panel flyer that covers the basics of router connections, information on Windows networking, details on configuring the router and a few troubleshooting hints. Frankly, it may be all the information most folks need, but beginners may want more thorough step-by-step instructions, particularly since broadband Internet providers can have lots of specific setup requirements. Luckily, the resource CD includes an easy-to-use web based guide for the router and basic phoneline networking information. The CD also includes a comprehensive, 150-page manual in PDF format. So...the information is there if you don't mind digging in to the electronic files. The router itself is roughly 10 inches wide by 7 inches deep by just over 1 inch high. It's in a standard Netgear dark blue, metal case (which exudes solid construction). As we noted, the RP334 incorporates three primary features:
Like many routers, the RP334 provides Network Address Translation (NAT). That means the router allows every computer on your network to access the Internet as if it was the same computer with only one address provided by your cable or DSL provider. Since each computer on your home network actually has a local address provided by the router through a system called DHCP, you have some security from hackers. Experts say NAT can easily be hacked, but it's easy enough to add a third-party firewall program to your computer if you're concerned. On the front of the router are LEDs to show active links and data flow for the Internet connection, each of the three 10/100 LAN ports (which have an additional LED for 100Mbps connections) and the phoneline port. On the back is the port for the cable connection to your cable or DSL modem, the three 10/100 LAN ports, and two phoneline ports: one that connects to your phoneline network (usually via a wall jack) and one that connects to a phone (replacing the wall jack outlet). There's also the connector for the power adapter and a power switch. Finally, the router includes a couple of nifty features that add functions to your home network and shared Internet access. One feature allows you to filter out content that you don't want users on your network to see. For example, you could filter out adult sites so children on your home network can't view such sites. The filters work by domain name and "keywords" but we found the domain names really the most effective way to filter. The router also keeps a log of all activity and can send e-mails on that activity to any address you select. It can even send you an immediate alert if someone tries to view a site on the filtered domain list. It's a bit like being "big brother" but the e-mail feature can come in handy. For example, if you want to make sure the router is working even while you are away, you can have the e-mailed logs sent to you. Nifty. Installation Installation was easy enough, with only three minor hiccups. Two of those problems were NOT any fault of the router or the instructions; the third might have been avoided with slightly more comprehensive directions from Netgear. More on those later. Per the instructions, we connected a cable from our DSL modem to the port on the router, connected the included cable from the router to our computer and connected a phone cable from the phoneline port to a Netgear PA101 USB phoneline adapter on another computer. We then powered everything on in the exact order suggested by Netgear in the installation guide: router, each computer and then the cable/DSL modem. You then enter the router's default address in your computer's Internet browser. If everything is connected properly and working, you will be presented with a logon screen. Netgear provides a default username and password. Unfortunately for us, this did not happen. However, it was not the router's fault. We were using Windows XP and, as we've noted in our software section, we discovered a problem with XP and the Netgear FA310TX adapter (and perhaps others). In short, we had to go into the card configuration and manually select the speed of the connection (in this case 100 Full Duplex) for our local computer to detect the router. Once we did that, the router configuration screen opened on Internet Explorer. The configuration program (see screen shot below) includes a good wizard that takes you through the setup based on your Internet provider and local computer network. The setup went exactly as suggested in the installation guide.
Once we finished that configuration, we went to our normal home page. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer did not find the site. It appears that since our IE was set for a dialup connection (as it was before connecting to the router), it was not looking for the connection to the web site via the router. It was easy enough to select "Auto Detect settings" in the connection tab of Internet Options (under the Tools menu). Still, it would have been simple for Netgear to point out in the installation guide that you might need to make that change. The final minor hiccup we had involved the PA101 USB phoneline adapter. We could not successfully connect to the RP334 until we installed the latest driver (from the Netgear website). Not a major issue, but it took us a while to figure out the problem since even the description of the new driver on Netgear's site did not indicate the new driver was necessary for communication with the RP334. Performance The router performed exactly as advertised and we have really no complaints about the performance. We do not test the speed of routers since there are some many variables involved in Internet connections. Suffice it to say that we had no problems with the router. We do, however, have one minor complaint with the router's operation. Namely, that it can get very, very hot. How hot? After a few seconds, it becomes "uncomfortable" to keep your fingers on the metal case. Now, we're not talking burns or anything, but in a hot home office, this is going to add some heat. Technical Support Netgear does an excellent job pointing out all of the technical support options available to you and, as we mentioned, even includes a card with toll-free numbers in the package. There's also comprehensive web site support, including e-mail and FAQs. Summary Overall, we think this is a great router and an absolute solid choice if you have an existing phoneline network. Like everything we've seen from Netgear, this router is solidly built, has great features and some nice extra value add-ons. It certainly isn't the cheapest router on the market, but the phoneline bridge obviously adds cost. Other than that, we really have little to mark off against the router except for the heat issue. There are lots of other router/switch combinations out there, but if you have a phoneline network or are planning one, make sure you consider the Netgear RP334. Grade = A Details
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