Help me select between Netgear routers N600 and N900

I've used both (currently use the N900) and can say I've had less problems with the N900. As far as speed goes it's tough to say - because of the mix of devices I have the G dialed down. The write-up and comparison table on Small Net Builders -> http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31603-netgear-wndr4500-n900-wireless-dual-band-gigabit-router-reviewed might be helpful. The biggest gripe I had with the N600 was IPV6 seemed dodgy - but that was on an early firmware rev.

I use the N900 (WNDR4500), and have used the N750 (WNDR4000) but haven't used the N600. The main benefit of the N900 wifi is with devices that can use 3x3 connections (for example Centrino 6300AGN equipped laptops). If you are mostly running 802.11g (other than the tablet), you might as well go with a cheaper router.

I am not sure why you are ruling out the N750 though - it is close in price to the N600, and sometimes is a bit cheaper.

I was deciding between the top of the line (N900) and the one (N600) that is slightly slower (and cheaper) but has some features that are unique to it. Like clearchannel, videomode, readysharecloud, timemachine and TiVo support.

This sentence from SmallNetBuilder.com summarizes their opinion:

If you don't need three-stream N, you can give the WNDR4500 a pass. If you're set on a high-end NETGEAR router, the WNDR3800 would be your choice for features and the WNDR4000 for performance.

alokeprasad wrote:
I was deciding between the top of the line (N900) and the one (N600) that is slightly slower (and cheaper) but has some features that are unique to it. Like clearchannel, videomode, readysharecloud, timemachine and TiVo support.

In most cases these features are just marketing.
-Clearchannel selects the best channel, the "auto" setting on the others does essentially the same thing.
-The N750 and the N900 also support ReadyShare with USB drives, allowing you to access the contents over the internet. I am not sure exactly how that differs from "readysharecloud", but it sounds basically the same. "
-Videomode" just means streaming your video over 5 Ghz (per http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/ ... EC2011.pdf), any dual-band router will do that.
-The N600 has DLNA with Tivo support, the N900 also has DLNA but doesn't mention Tivo. The N750 manual doesn't mention DLNA.
-All support ReadyShare USB. None of their manuals mention timemachine explicitly. I suspect they all are compatible.

The marketing approach is certainly working to confuse the users (and reviewers).

According to smallnetbuilder : http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless ... um-edition

"NETGEAR is trying an interesting strategy in its wireless product line by having two top-of-line products. The company's marketing message for the WNDR3800 and 4500 is that you should choose the 3800 if you want the most features and the 4500 if you want the highest performance.

This puts buyers in an interesting position since spending the most money (for the 4500) doesn't get you the most goodies as shown in Figure 3."

And concluding its review for the WNDR4500 : http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless ... l=&start=3

"NETGEAR has also thrown its own monkey wrench into your selection process by giving it (WNDR4500) a subset of the features of its less-expensive WNDR3800 sibling. If you're paying top-dollar for a wireless router, why shouldn't it have the best performance and feature set?

If you don't need three-stream N, you can give the WNDR4500 a pass. If you're set on a high-end NETGEAR router, the WNDR3800 would be your choice for features and the WNDR4000 for performance."