Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3 5 GHz router review, is it worth it?

The Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3 (WNDR3400v3) router released in 2012. It is powered by Broadcom BCM5358UB0 @ 530 MHz chipset, 64 MB of RAM and 8 MB of flash. The N600 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with N600 WNDR3400 v3 is 300 + 300 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN and 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN ports.

The N600 WNDR3400 v3 is a powerful and feature-packed router that caters to advanced networking requirements. This router features USB connectors that provide additional functionality and expand the capabilities of your network. Netgear offers networking solutions that cater to different scales of networks.

Table of contents:

• Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3 specifications
• Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3 pictures

Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3 (WNDR3400v3) specifications

Body

If you plan to move or travel frequently and need to take your router with you, the dimensions become important for portability. Smaller and more compact routers are generally easier to transport, while larger routers with external antennas or multiple ports may be bulkier and less convenient to carry. The weight of router is not typically a critical factor for most home or office setups.

System

The Broadcom BCM5358UB0 @ 530 MHz CPU provides processing power to handle various tasks and services within the N600 WNDR3400 v3 router. The router's memory (64 MB) cannot be expanded. When choosing a router, it is important to consider both the flash memory and RAM specifications. The N600 WNDR3400 v3 has 8 MB of flash. A larger flash memory allows for more space to store configuration backups. It enables you to save multiple versions of your router's configuration settings, which can be useful for restoring previous configurations or reverting changes if needed.

Within the N600 WNDR3400 v3 router's interface, look for a section related to firmware or system settings. The exact location and wording may vary depending on the router's make and model. Alternative router operating systems often provide more customization options and advanced features compared to the default firmware provided by router manufacturers. This router is OpenWRT compatible. OpenWrt has an active development community that continuously works on improving the security of the firmware. The Netgear packages the N600 WNDR3400 v3 router with 12 V / 1.5 A PSU. A good PSU is an essential component of a computer or electronic device that converts electrical power from an outlet into the appropriate voltage and current required to power the internal components of the device.

Network

The N600 WNDR3400 v3 router supports multiple networking standards to ensure compatibility with various devices and systems. The IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses, represented as four sets of numbers separated by periods (e.g. 192.168.0.1). The N600 WNDR3400 v3 router also supports IPv6 protocol, allowing you to utilize the latest version of the Internet Protocol. The LAN ports are physical connectors on a N600 WNDR3400 v3 router that allow you to connect devices to your local network using Ethernet cables.

WAN ports are the entry point to your local network, making them a potential target for unauthorized access or attacks. It's important to secure your WAN connection by using strong passwords, enabling encryption protocols, and keeping the router's firmware up to date to mitigate security risks. The N600 WNDR3400 v3 is equipped with Fast Ethernet WAN port, which have a maximum speed of 100 Mbps.

Wireless

The 2 x 3.5 dBi, internal antennas of N600 WNDR3400 v3 influence the quality and stability of the Wi-Fi signal. A properly positioned and well-designed antenna can minimize interference and signal degradation, leading to a more reliable and stable connection. The N600 WNDR3400 v3 is compatible with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. 2.4 GHz is the most widely used frequency and in some cases may be overcrowded.

This router is 5 GHz capable. The 5GHz band provides faster data transfer speeds compared to the 2.4GHz band. This is primarily because the 5GHz band has more available channels and less interference from other devices like microwaves or cordless phones. The N600 WNDR3400 v3 is a Wi-Fi 4 router, with slower data transfer speeds. This can result in slower downloads, video buffering, and reduced performance when multiple devices are connected.

The N600 is a performance indicator that represents the router's theoretical maximum speed. The theoretical maximum speed (300 + 300 Mbps) represents the highest data transfer rate that the router is capable of achieving under ideal conditions. The TX power of N600 WNDR3400 v3 can be adjusted by the user or set automatically by the router firmware. Higher TX power values indicate stronger signal transmission, which can result in a larger coverage area.

The N600 WNDR3400 v3 router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2. The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure.

Connectivity

USB ports can offer additional functionality depending on the router's capabilities. The USB 2 port has a maximum theoretical data transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps), which is equivalent to 60 megabytes per second (MB/s). By connecting a USB printer to the N600 WNDR3400 v3 router, you can make it accessible to all devices on your network. This eliminates the need for individual printer connections and allows multiple devices to use the printer simultaneously. The USB file server functionality of this router allows you to connect external storage devices, such as USB flash drives or hard drives to your network. This enables easy file sharing and access among devices connected to the network.

Administration

The default IP address of this router is 192.168.1.1. Explore the router's configuration interface to access more advanced settings such as port forwarding, DHCP settings, parental controls, firewall settings, and QoS (Quality of Service) settings. Regularly changing the password is a good security practice to protect your network and devices from unauthorized access. It is also recommended to use strong, unique passwords for other devices and online accounts connected to your network for enhanced security. By changing the default password, you improve the security of your router and reduce the risk of unauthorized individuals gaining control over your network. It helps prevent unauthorized access to your router's settings, network configurations, and sensitive information.

The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3 (WNDR3400v3) pictures

If there’s information about the Netgear N600 WNDR3400 v3 that you would like to see on this site, then write to our webmaster@routerchart.com address.