Review of NETGEAR WNDR3400v2 N600 Wireless Router (With DD-WRT Availability)

The NETGEAR N600 - WNDR3400 may be listed on the lower end of the latest routers available from NETGEAR... but we got a chance to give the WNDR3400v2 a spin and were quite impressed with it!

It comes with most of the extra features the more expensive routers from NETGEAR have, such as a wireless guest network, live parental controls and their NETGEAR Genie App.

It also boasts, and in our tests proved out, a wireless range similar to the WNDR3700 and WNDR3800 -- which in those tests, was much higher than our trusty WNR3500L router I have used for a couple of years.

Basic Setup of the WNDR3400v2

NETGEAR makes it very easy to setup and connect to the router once you have it installed and powered up. They provide a setup wizard and the NETGEAR Genie app that takes you through the steps needed for basic operation.

If you are connected to the router via wired Ethernet, then going to http://www.routerlogin.net/ in your web browser (or for advanced users, 192.168.1.1) still works as well.

If you wish to setup the router wirelessly, they have the name and password for the router on the pastic bag the router comes in. You can use your compuer to scan and find the SSID and then connect to the router using those provided credentials.

Regardless of the way you connect, the deault login name is 'admin' and the password is 'password' (case sensitive) You want to ensure that you change the password during setup.

In most cases, the basic setup for the router name, password and wireless settings will be all that's needed. If you have a special setup or need more advanced information NETGEAR provides a pdf with manual setup details.

How to Set Up the USB Feature of the WNDR3400v2

The WNDR3400 comes with a ReadySHARE® USB port and sharing capabilites. With this, you can plug in a USB thumb drive or an external USB hard drive and share files on them in both your home or anywhere in the world via HTTP or FTP.

You can also password protect the files so that no one gains unintended access.

When you plug in a USB drive the router immedialtely recognizes it and when looking at the setup page you will see something like this when you click on ReadySHARE.

You don't have to do anything at this point to access your USB drive, but you should check the advanced settings. NETGEAR makes this easy. Simply click on the "Edit" button and you can change the advanced settings for both LAN and WAN access.

Here you can turn on Internet access and which port to use. If you want to setup passwords or change the Share name, clicking edit again will pop up a window where you can do that.

Once set up, you can now share any file to anyone both in the home and worldwide with or without passwords required.

In our tests the transfer rate back and forth between the router and computer via the local network was as expected. There are other routers, as shown below, that are a bit faster but regardless of file transfer speed, the WNDR3400 rate was fine for watching videos or listing to music.

What's That Big Blue Button On My Router?

You may be wondering what that big blue button is on the side of the router. That is the WPS automatic setup button, and is also used to show you antennae conditions. Once you have everything set up, you can press and release it and the blue lights turn off so they are not distracting. It makes a satisfying click when pressed... It almost made me wonder if it was going to say... "That was easy!"

Third Party Firmware

The NETGEAR supplied firnware comes with a lot of options such as the guest network, Wireless repeating, traffic meter and log. With all these options it comes with all the bells and whistles most users need, and as such, you may not want to install a separate firmware.

However, those users who love to tinker with settings, who desire more flexibility and an extended set of options, or who simply just feel like it, will be happy to know that a DD-WRT build has recently been released for the WNR3500Lv2. It can be downloaded here, and make sure to comment in our forums with your experiences using it!

Specifications of the WNDR3400v2 & Comparison Chart

Check out the differences below and the detailed specs.

Which wireless router fits your needs?

	WNDR3400	WNDR3700	WNDR3800	WNDR4000	WNDR4500	R6300
Where to Buy? Amazon.com	N600 WiFi Dual Band Router	N600 WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router	N600 WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router - Premium Edition	N750 WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router	N900 WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router	R6300 WiFi Dual Band Router
Performance
Combined WiFi Speed	N600	N600	N600	N750	N900	1750
WiFi Range
WiFi Transmit Power To Maximize Range	Good	Better	Better	Best	Best	Ultimate
No. Of USB Ports	1	1	1	1	2	2
Ethernet Ports - 4 LAN + 1 WAN	10/100 Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
USB Storage Access Speed	Better	Best	Best	Best	Best	Ultimate
Features
Live Parental Control
Broadband Usage Meter
Guest Networks
DLNA Media Streaming
CD -Less Install With Smartphones/Tablet
Premium Features
Genie - Dashboard Control

  

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	Live Parental Controls with flexible and customizable filter settings
	Simultaneous Dual Band-runs both 2.4 and 5GHz bands at the same time
	ReadySHARE® USB-Wirelessly share a USB hard drive with Macs and PCs
	Multiple SSID guest networks (separate security and access restrictions)
	Broadband usage meter measures Internet usage
	Power and Wi-Fi on/off buttons
	Package Contents
	N600 Wireless Dual Band Router (WNDR3400v2)
	Stand
	Ethernet cable
	Power adapter, localized to country of sale

	System Requirements:
	Broadband (cable, DSL) Internet service and modem with Ethernet connection
	2.4 or 5.0 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n specification wireless adapter or an Ethernet adapter and cable for each computer
	Microsoft® Windows® 7, Vista®, XP, 2000, Mac OS®, UNIX®, or Linux®
	Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 5.0, Firefox® 2.0 or Safari 1.4 or higher
	Standards:
	IEEE® 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz
	IEEE 802.11 a/n 5.0 GHz
	Five (5) 10/100 (1 WAN and 4 LAN) Ethernet ports with auto-sensing technology
	Performance:
	530 MHz powerful MIPS 32-bit processor
	Memory: 8 MB flash and 64 MB RAM
	Five (5) (1 WAN, 4 LAN) Fast Ethernet ports
	Advanced Quality of Service (QoS)
	Supports Wireless Multimedia (WMM) based QoS
	Security:
	Wi-Fi Protected Access® (WPA/WPA2-PSK) and WEP
	Double firewall protection (SPI and NAT firewall)
	Denial-of-service (DoS) attack prevention
	Ease of Use:
	NETGEAR Genie™-Easy dashboard control to manage, monitor, and repair home networks
	Push ‘N' Connect using Wi-Fi Protected Setup® (WPS)
	Physical Specifications:
	Dimensions: 223 x 153 x 31 mm (8.8 x 6.0 x 1.2 in)
	Weight: 0.5 kg (1.2 lb)

For more information you can Download the User Manual in pdf form