Netgear N600 WNDR3700 v5 5 GHz router review, is it worth it?

The Netgear N600 WNDR3700 v5 (WNDR3700v5) router released in 2014. It is powered by MediaTek MT7621ST @ 880 MHz chipset, 128 MB of RAM and 16 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 WNDR3700 v5 is 300 + 300 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100/1000 Mbps WAN and 4 x 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN ports.

The N600 WNDR3700 v5 is a versatile router that offers more than just basic functionality. With its advanced features and capabilities, it provides a reliable and high-performance networking solution for both home and office environments. This router features USB connectors that provide additional functionality and expand the capabilities of your network. Netgear places a strong emphasis on network security.

Table of contents:

• Netgear N600 WNDR3700 v5 specifications
• Netgear N600 WNDR3700 v5 pictures

Netgear N600 WNDR3700 v5 (WNDR3700v5) 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 a router can be a consideration in certain situations, but it is generally not as crucial as other factors such as performance, features, and compatibility.

System

The MediaTek MT7621ST @ 880 MHz CPU provides processing power to handle various tasks and services within the N600 WNDR3700 v5 router. The N600 WNDR3700 v5 comes with 128 MB of RAM. The amount of RAM in a router can impact its performance and capacity to handle concurrent operations and traffic. Higher RAM capacity allows for better multitasking, larger routing tables, and improved overall performance.

The 16 MB flash memory in the router serves as the storage medium for the router's firmware. It is a non-volatile memory that retains its data even when power is removed from the device. The Netgear often releases firmware updates to enhance the router's functionality, improve security, fix bugs, and add new features. Firmware updates can provide performance improvements, compatibility with new devices or protocols, and address vulnerabilities.

Alternative router operating systems often provide more customization options and advanced features compared to the default firmware provided by router manufacturers. The N600 WNDR3700 v5 is an OpenWRT supported router. OpenWrt offers a wide range of features and capabilities that extend the functionality of networking hardware. It includes a package management system that allows users to install and manage additional software packages to add new features or customize the device's behavior. The Netgear packages the N600 WNDR3700 v5 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

Like many modern routers, the N600 WNDR3700 v5 supports many network standards too. The IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses, represented as four sets of numbers separated by periods (e.g. 192.168.0.1). The LAN ports are physical connectors on a N600 WNDR3700 v5 router that allow you to connect devices to your local network using Ethernet cables. This router has Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, which provides data transfer speeds of up to 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps) over Ethernet connections.

The WAN port on a router stands for "Wide Area Network" port. It is used to connect the router to the external network, typically provided by an internet service provider (ISP). The N600 WNDR3700 v5 router supports Gigabit speed on its WAN port, that can support speeds up to 1000 Mbps. This router ensures that you can fully utilize high-speed internet connections provided by your ISP.

Wireless

The 2 x 3 dBi, internal antennas of N600 WNDR3700 v5 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. This router is 2.4 GHz capable. The 2.4GHz band refers to the portion of the radio spectrum between 2.400 and 2.4835 gigahertz. This frequency range is unlicensed and globally available for various wireless applications, including Wi-Fi.

The N600 WNDR3700 v5 supports 5 GHz signals. Most modern devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs, support dual-band Wi-Fi, which means they can connect to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. By utilizing the 5 GHz band, you can offload some devices from the crowded 2.4 GHz band, reducing congestion and improving overall network performance. The N600 WNDR3700 v5 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 refers to the maximum combined data transfer rate supported by the router across all Wi-Fi bands. The N600 WNDR3700 v5 is capable of a maximum throughput speed of 300 + 300 Mbps. The real-world speed of a N600 WNDR3700 v5 router is typically lower than its theoretical maximum speed. The TX power of N600 WNDR3700 v5 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 WNDR3700 v5 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. The Netgear N600 WNDR3700 v5 router is capable of creating a guest network. Guests connected to the guest network usually have limited access to network settings and configurations. They are typically restricted from accessing devices connected to the primary network, such as printers, network-attached storage (NAS), or other shared resources.

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 WNDR3700 v5 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. If you are unable to log in to the setup panel of your Netgear router, performing a reset can be a helpful troubleshooting step. It is highly recommended to change the default password of your N600 WNDR3700 v5 router after the initial setup. If you forget the new password in the future, you may need to perform a factory reset on the router to revert to the default settings.

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 WNDR3700 v5, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

Netgear N600 WNDR3700 v5 (WNDR3700v5) pictures

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