Netgear WNDR3700 tips & tweaks?

hey guys,

i finally decided to pull the trigger on a dual band N router the other night. i heard great things about the WNDR3700's raw speed, and decided i'll try a router that isn't DD-WRT compatible this time (i have a DD-WRT equipped linksys WRT300n). since it won't have the tweakability of a DD-WRT enabled router, do any WNDR3700 users have any tips and tweaks to maximize performance? thanks in advance!

 

Fortunately you are wrong
WNDR3700 is DD-WRT compatible however you should take this into account before using 3rd party firmware on it.

 

dang, that's even better news. i guess the WNDR3700 became DD-WRT compatible recently?

i've heard so many great things about the WNDR3700 and it's out of the box performance. that's why i wasn't really worried about goin with something that wasn't DD-WRT compatible, but now i have the best of both worlds. thanks.

 

Yes, it only happened recently.

And I wouldn't buy a router that only had DD-WRT on it. It's a great option to have, but it's not perfect.

 

On newer faster routers, full-blown DD-WRT is a step back if only because it's so bloated. DD-WRT is a good idea for old routers that lack functionality, but the WNDR3700 doesn't fall into that category. The things is doesn't do, DD-WRT doesn't do particularly well either. I'd make sure you have a copy of the factory firmware and easy flash back before jumping to DD-WRT.

 

I disagree...
It does do things stock firmware cannot but if you don't know why you need it, you probably don't (and more than likely shouldn't). Like any tool, it can do amazing things, or wreck havoc, you just need to know how to use it.

 

That's why I dislike DD-WRT for newer routers (or any routers really). To properly configure DD-WRT in the areas the stock firmware is lacking, a fairly deep understanding of DD-WRT is needed. DD-WRT has the longest list of features in aftermarket firmwares, but it's mostly a mishmash of code that got cobbled together. I push for Tomato (w/modifications) on older routers because it's alot harder to mess it up and doesn't need to reboot on every change.

 

Tomato is much better for most home routers and in most every way over DD-WRT. It even shares much of the same code. The only problem is Tomato is very limited in terms of what it can run on. I don't think any N routers can use it.

Like they claim though DD-WRT makes your $50 router into a $600 router, true, but it comes with the configuration hassles to match.

 

I just think of dd-wrt as a cheap insurance for routers that come equipped with crappy OEM firmwares. It's definitely not a must for me. I would much rather spend a little extra on something that will perform like it's supposed to, right out of the box.

I guess it just depends on the router cuz dd-wrt really opened up my linksys wrt300n. The router was complete crap on the OEM firmware. It was night and day after dd-wrt, and I didn't even have to really make any tweaks besides some security stuff.

I just got my wndr3700 from my mailbox. I have to say that this is easily one of the sleekest routers I've owned so far. Do u guys think I should upgrade the firmware as soon as possible?

 

Most things DD-WRT runs on, run well out of the box. However, I have seen firmware that started off decent and regress into mediocrity.

Besides, with most of the better routers able to run it, there is no reason to not choose them over on that can't.

 

well i had a bit of trouble with my initial set up. i called the tech support and they were pretty helpful. i finally got my wireless network up and running, but i'm still connected at 54 mbps. the tech told me that a quick update of my wireless adapter's driver will have me connecting at higher speeds. i found it kinda weird cuz i usually connect at 130 mbps on my townhouse's linksys WRT300n. i'm not sure if he's pullin my leg or not but i guess there's only one way to find out.

i also noticed that, while i'm still connected at only 54 mbps, everything seems a bit faster. sites are poppin up quicker than they used to with my G's 54 mbps.

i'm gonna give the driver update a go and hopefully everything turns out well. i'll let u guys know how it goes.

 

i just got done uninstalling my 4965agn's old driver and installed the newest one i could find (13.1.1.1 i believe) from the microsoft site. i then clicked the new driver icon and the driver automatically installed. after that i restarted my laptop, filled in the necessary security stuff, and i'm still connected at only 54 mbps. i'm on the 5ghz channel, so i'm not sure what else there is to do. does anyone have a clue?

 

Are you sure you set security to WPA2+AES?

 

Have you in the router configuration turned off WMM?

If so, turn it back on. I found turning this off made me connect at 54 (where before I was connecting nornally, at 200 to 300).

 

do i have to have this setting on to be able to connect at higher speeds?

@black xavier: i'll check the WMM settings. thanks.

edit: my WMM was disabled. after "enabling" it, it didn't really do anything. but after i changed my encryption from the WPA (TKIP) to WPA2 (AES), it seems like now i'm connected at 270-300mbps. thanks a bunch! i rep'd u guys for helpin me out. NBR is so fast now.

 

RC4-TKIP protocol uses a marginally weaker encryption than AES-CCMP, but it is mostly fine for just about anybody. The real problem is that "TKIP" breaks far more often, mostly because (as I understand it) WPA is really WEP+TKIP, both of which like to break, while WPA2 is just AES and not stacked together (both being based on 802.1x). In AES vs. TKIP, AES is more reliable, while TKIP is more broadly supported (mostly for older hardware/drivers)

 

Did anyone download the latest firmware. The thing I noticed was you have to set the channel for 5g.

Is it better to leave the 2.4ghz at the default 130mbps or change it to 300mbps? I'm not sure I notice any difference of speeds with my intel 6200.

 

if the netgear tech i spoke to really knew what he was talkin about then my WNDR3700 should have come with the latest firmware. if this is correct then the firmware seems fine to me. after a bit of troubleshooting (thanks to NBR's fine members), i have a very stable 270mbps - 300mbps connection on my 5g channel. i would leave the default settings for the 2.4g channel cuz the 2.4g channel won't even be able to reach 300mbps. correct me if i'm wrong, but the 2.4g channel's max speed is 130mbps (same speed as my linksys WRT300n on 2.4g N channel).

 

You can reach 300mbps on both channels. It may be easier on 5GHz as it has less interference (also known as other users ) on it.
Also keep in mind that standard radio-physics still apply so the higher the frequency the lower the range the radio waves travel so in some cases it's better to stick to 2.4GHz in other (apartment blocks) 5GHz is better.

 

thanks for the correction about 2.4g's max speeds. i've also heard that the 5g channels can't penetrate through solid walls as well as 2.4g channels. luckily, my living room is an open floor plan so i don't have too many walls to disrupt my connection.

so far, i'm really loving this router. i already like it better than my linksys wrt300n with DD-WRT reflash. i really missed clicking on a link and not havin to wait for any pictures to load up.

 

yes i to have the netgear wndr3700. I Can see the 5ghz connection but when i try to connect it seems to fail. any ideas. i am using an alienware m17x to connect if that helps

 

what kind of install/setup did u do? CD or through the router's online page? i had a similar problem when i initially set up my WNDR3700 as well. all i had to do was mess with the security settings and viola! 300mbps

 

It would be helpful if you gave us a Wi-Fi card model.

 

I got a question.


do you have to run security settings to get the 300mbps connection? 'cause well...I live in the boonies. don't have much of a use for security.

 

Yes you do and it's gotta be WPA2 +AES

 

hmmm...well that sucks

I have a couple of things that don't support wpa2 + aes

 

What would that be?
If your hardware that supports WPA2 works @5GHz you may want to create two SSIDs and run one at 5GHz with WPA2+AES for better speed (300mbps) and another at 2.4GHz with 54mbps and some ancient security setting.

 

well the thing that doesn't support WPA or WPA2 is a DS.

the thing that may or may not support WPA2 is a wii.

edit: of course neither support N either, but I would like for 'em to be able to connect to the internet.

also the other computers in the house don't support N either (just this new one I'm getting).


not sure how 100% worth it N would be in this case (if it's like 130 bucks minimum)

 

the WNDR3700 is a dual band router, meaning it runs a 5ghz channel (for wireless N capable devices) AND a 2.4ghz channel (for everything else) simultaneously.

take my WNDR3700 for example:
- 5ghz channel (wireless n): laptops
- 2.4ghz channel (wireless a/b/g): iphone, laptops, everything else
- my PS3 is connected directly to my router.

downloads gave some good advice about security settings.

 

I see.

well that's kinda awesome then. Does it have 4 ethernet ports too?

 

yes sir. i have my ps3 connected to one of the four gigabit ethernet ports.

 

In the case of Netgear's consumer-grade routers, there is one very glaring and serious exception to this statement: Port-Address-Translation. Netgear's stock firmware doesn't permit it. If you want to map various incoming ports to different machines, you are out of luck. One obvious application is where your ISP blocks something like SMTP. Most DNS services offer mail forwarding to a non-standard port. Another example is mapping a variety of external ports to port 22 (SSH) on LAN machines. This has two advantages. You can ssh directly to any interior box and you can shut off port 22 on the WAN interface (don't underestimate the value of security through obscurity!)

There are almost always workarounds but why should you need to reconfigure the default server ports on your LAN?