Netgear RangeMax NEXT (WNR854T) Review

The WNR854T is a snap to setup and configure thanks to the bundled wizard, but it's not without its shortcomings. Most noticeably, there is no wall-mount option (which is where you'll get best reception) and the upright case with internal antenna makes positioning difficult. The cords also tug at the very light case. It also lacks configuration for QoS, has support for only one DDNS provider, and port forward/port triggering options are sparsely populated. But for many, these advanced features don't mean much. The back of the router has the usual four-port switch, and the front has a nice array of easy to read indicator lights. Ultiamtely it's speed, security and manageability that counts, and Netgear's WNR854T is the fastest of the draft-N routers we've tested. It also has some great extras, such as a Gigabit switch, but it does disappoint slightly at long range. Nevertheless, if you are thinking of making the move to draft-802.11n, you can't do much better than this top wireless performer.