Anyone have a Netgear DG834G?

I unplugged my netgear DG834G last night because the adapter plug (uk model)
was buzzing very loudly and was very hot to the touch. I plugged it back in
this morning and is seems quiet and cool so far. My question do DG834G
owners is this - is the buzzing and hotness of the adapter normal or do I
have a faulty adapter?

On a related note, how can I determine if my router modem is at fault for
providing poor internet speeds, short of testing my connection with another
modem? My ISP (Bulldog) thinks that it could be my router to blame. I
don't really know how to prove/disprove this as I purchased the router for
using ADSL for the first time. I haven't used it on other connections
previously. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

"Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:cecs4g$jjf$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I unplugged my netgear DG834G last night because the adapter plug (uk
model)
> was buzzing very loudly and was very hot to the touch. I plugged it back
in
> this morning and is seems quiet and cool so far. My question do DG834G
> owners is this - is the buzzing and hotness of the adapter normal or do I
> have a faulty adapter?

The hottest part of my adaptor is the metal label at the top, which gets to
37C with a room temperature of 23C (measured using a thermocouple). This
isn't really very hot at all. It's basically just warm to the touch.
If yours gets "very hot" I would suggest that either it has a fault (e.g. a
shorted turn of the transformer), or the router itself might have a fault.
Sometimes you can get intermittent faults with electronic equipment that
cause them to take too much current.
I would suggest keeping a very careful eye (erm.. ok, finger?) on it, and if
the problem repeats get the whole kit changed. Firstly, an overheating power
supply could represent a fire safety hazard. Not good on equipment that is
often left unattended. Secondly, if something is sufficiently wrong to make
it overheat, then chances are that it will not be supplying the correct
voltage to the router, which could affect performance.

> On a related note, how can I determine if my router modem is at fault for
> providing poor internet speeds, short of testing my connection with
another
> modem? My ISP (Bulldog) thinks that it could be my router to blame. I
> don't really know how to prove/disprove this as I purchased the router for
> using ADSL for the first time. I haven't used it on other connections
> previously. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

What sort of speeds are you getting ? Is it repeatable on all web sites, or
are some affected more than others ?
I have been very dissappointed with the firmware of this router. Speed has
been more-or-less OK, but if I enable the WLAN, then the whole wireless
section resets itself regularly. If I load up the main WAN connection
heavily (say, downloading a TV show via Bit Torrent), then the ADSL
connection drops out and resets itself every half hour or so. This is with
latest firmware 1.05.00. The previous version was worse.
I'm fairly sure that it's not my PC or service provider for a couple of
reasons:
(1) Other people have the same problems with this router
(2) My old Alcatel router (sadly, sold) used to stay connected solidly for
many weeks at a time

Have you tried loading the latest firmware ?

Regards,
Steve

I am getting a true estimated download speed of 452 Kbps (inc. overheads)
and upload of 262 Kbps. This is supposed to be on a 2 megabit connection.

I have no way of knowing if this is my router causing the problem, or
Bulldog, short of going out and buying another modem.

The adapter isn't very hot at the moment. It just feels very warm. And it
is making a buzzing sound. My netgear bridge downstairs doesn't make the
same noise. Does your adapter buzz?

I have upgraded the firmware to 1.05. When I watch some movies being
streamed accross to my xbox it occasionaly pauses for 5-10 seconds every now
and then. I am assuming that this is the router again.

Would I be better replacing this router with a different wireless router?
Would my netgear bridge WGE121 still work with other models?

"Steve Birch" <steve@backstreet.***no spam thanks***demon.co.uk> wrote in
message news:ceds4c$4gn$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:cecs4g$jjf$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > I unplugged my netgear DG834G last night because the adapter plug (uk
> model)
> > was buzzing very loudly and was very hot to the touch. I plugged it
back
> in
> > this morning and is seems quiet and cool so far. My question do DG834G
> > owners is this - is the buzzing and hotness of the adapter normal or do
I
> > have a faulty adapter?
>
> The hottest part of my adaptor is the metal label at the top, which gets
to
> 37C with a room temperature of 23C (measured using a thermocouple). This
> isn't really very hot at all. It's basically just warm to the touch.
> If yours gets "very hot" I would suggest that either it has a fault (e.g.
a
> shorted turn of the transformer), or the router itself might have a fault.
> Sometimes you can get intermittent faults with electronic equipment that
> cause them to take too much current.
> I would suggest keeping a very careful eye (erm.. ok, finger?) on it, and
if
> the problem repeats get the whole kit changed. Firstly, an overheating
power
> supply could represent a fire safety hazard. Not good on equipment that is
> often left unattended. Secondly, if something is sufficiently wrong to
make
> it overheat, then chances are that it will not be supplying the correct
> voltage to the router, which could affect performance.
>
> > On a related note, how can I determine if my router modem is at fault
for
> > providing poor internet speeds, short of testing my connection with
> another
> > modem? My ISP (Bulldog) thinks that it could be my router to blame. I
> > don't really know how to prove/disprove this as I purchased the router
for
> > using ADSL for the first time. I haven't used it on other connections
> > previously. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.
>
> What sort of speeds are you getting ? Is it repeatable on all web sites,
or
> are some affected more than others ?
> I have been very dissappointed with the firmware of this router. Speed has
> been more-or-less OK, but if I enable the WLAN, then the whole wireless
> section resets itself regularly. If I load up the main WAN connection
> heavily (say, downloading a TV show via Bit Torrent), then the ADSL
> connection drops out and resets itself every half hour or so. This is with
> latest firmware 1.05.00. The previous version was worse.
> I'm fairly sure that it's not my PC or service provider for a couple of
> reasons:
> (1) Other people have the same problems with this router
> (2) My old Alcatel router (sadly, sold) used to stay connected solidly for
> many weeks at a time
>
> Have you tried loading the latest firmware ?
>
> Regards,
> Steve
>
>

"Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:KSHOc.42260$(E-Mail Removed). ..
>I am getting a true estimated download speed of 452 Kbps (inc. overheads)
> and upload of 262 Kbps. This is supposed to be on a 2 megabit connection.
>
> I have no way of knowing if this is my router causing the problem, or
> Bulldog, short of going out and buying another modem.
>
> The adapter isn't very hot at the moment. It just feels very warm. And
> it
> is making a buzzing sound. My netgear bridge downstairs doesn't make the
> same noise. Does your adapter buzz?
>
> I have upgraded the firmware to 1.05. When I watch some movies being
> streamed accross to my xbox it occasionaly pauses for 5-10 seconds every
> now
> and then. I am assuming that this is the router again.
>
> Would I be better replacing this router with a different wireless router?
> Would my netgear bridge WGE121 still work with other models?
>
> "Steve Birch" <steve@backstreet.***no spam thanks***demon.co.uk> wrote in
> message news:ceds4c$4gn$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> "Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:cecs4g$jjf$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> > I unplugged my netgear DG834G last night because the adapter plug (uk
>> model)
>> > was buzzing very loudly and was very hot to the touch. I plugged it
> back
>> in
>> > this morning and is seems quiet and cool so far. My question do DG834G
>> > owners is this - is the buzzing and hotness of the adapter normal or do
> I
>> > have a faulty adapter?
>>
>> The hottest part of my adaptor is the metal label at the top, which gets
> to
>> 37C with a room temperature of 23C (measured using a thermocouple). This
>> isn't really very hot at all. It's basically just warm to the touch.
>> If yours gets "very hot" I would suggest that either it has a fault (e.g.
> a
>> shorted turn of the transformer), or the router itself might have a
>> fault.
>> Sometimes you can get intermittent faults with electronic equipment that
>> cause them to take too much current.
>> I would suggest keeping a very careful eye (erm.. ok, finger?) on it, and
> if
>> the problem repeats get the whole kit changed. Firstly, an overheating
> power
>> supply could represent a fire safety hazard. Not good on equipment that
>> is
>> often left unattended. Secondly, if something is sufficiently wrong to
> make
>> it overheat, then chances are that it will not be supplying the correct
>> voltage to the router, which could affect performance.
>>
>> > On a related note, how can I determine if my router modem is at fault
> for
>> > providing poor internet speeds, short of testing my connection with
>> another
>> > modem? My ISP (Bulldog) thinks that it could be my router to blame. I
>> > don't really know how to prove/disprove this as I purchased the router
> for
>> > using ADSL for the first time. I haven't used it on other connections
>> > previously. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.
>>
>> What sort of speeds are you getting ? Is it repeatable on all web sites,
> or
>> are some affected more than others ?
>> I have been very dissappointed with the firmware of this router. Speed
>> has
>> been more-or-less OK, but if I enable the WLAN, then the whole wireless
>> section resets itself regularly. If I load up the main WAN connection
>> heavily (say, downloading a TV show via Bit Torrent), then the ADSL
>> connection drops out and resets itself every half hour or so. This is
>> with
>> latest firmware 1.05.00. The previous version was worse.
>> I'm fairly sure that it's not my PC or service provider for a couple of
>> reasons:
>> (1) Other people have the same problems with this router
>> (2) My old Alcatel router (sadly, sold) used to stay connected solidly
>> for
>> many weeks at a time
>>
>> Have you tried loading the latest firmware ?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Steve
>>
>>
>
>

Sounds like the rates you are getting are more like 512k ADSL, not 2Mb :-(

I have the same router and am quite a distance from the exchange compared to
a lot of people but I still get around those rates you get with only 512k (I
tried to get 1Mb but was too far away)

I did have the Linksys WAG54G before and sold it on to a mate in order to
try a new router manufactrurer. I use the wireless a heck of a lot (my main
PC is wireless connected to the router) and I simply found the Linksys too
flaky.... BUT.... when I got the Netgear I had firmware 1.03.00 out of the
box. I saw an improvement compared to the Linksys straight away but then I
tried some of the later firmware releases... 1.05.00 and then back to try
1.04.04 beta. Both of those make the thing worse than the Linksys
previously!!!

I have now gone back to 1.03.00 and this is way, way better for me anyway
using wireless compared to any of the later firmware releases but its not
without its problems eg. when you get disconnected from ADSL sometimes it
just doesn't reconnect automatically. This is a known problem with that
firmware but I can live with that compared to flaky wireless. I still notice
disconnects if you are really saturating the download bandwidth eg. using
Bittorrent or other p2p apps.

I've come to the conclusion that each setup that people have is different in
some little way that makes some people have much more success with the later
firmware and others, better sticking to the older firmware.

Andy

Philip: I agree with Andy - It does look rather suspiciously like a 512kb/s
connection!
Hang on a minute though - When I go to the "Router Status" page on my
DG834G's web interface, it tells me the modem downstream and upstream
connection speeds. Have you tried this - what does it say ?
On the adaptor buzzing: Mine is almost quiet. It is OK for adaptors to hum a
bit, but if it buzzes really loudly I'd be a bit concerned. Temperature is
most important, though !
Andy's comments about the firmware are also interesting. My conclusion
looking at feedback from many different brands is that many of them seem to
rush the damn things to market before the firmware is working properly. My
Netgear is just about "tolerable" at the moment, so I'm sticking with it in
the hope they might finally weed the remaining bugs out of the firmware.

- Steve

"Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:KSHOc.42260$(E-Mail Removed). ..
> I am getting a true estimated download speed of 452 Kbps (inc. overheads)
> and upload of 262 Kbps. This is supposed to be on a 2 megabit connection.
>
> I have no way of knowing if this is my router causing the problem, or
> Bulldog, short of going out and buying another modem.
>
> The adapter isn't very hot at the moment. It just feels very warm. And
it
> is making a buzzing sound. My netgear bridge downstairs doesn't make the
> same noise. Does your adapter buzz?
>
> I have upgraded the firmware to 1.05. When I watch some movies being
> streamed accross to my xbox it occasionaly pauses for 5-10 seconds every
now
> and then. I am assuming that this is the router again.
>
> Would I be better replacing this router with a different wireless router?
> Would my netgear bridge WGE121 still work with other models?
>
> "Steve Birch" <steve@backstreet.***no spam thanks***demon.co.uk> wrote in
> message news:ceds4c$4gn$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> >
> > "Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:cecs4g$jjf$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > I unplugged my netgear DG834G last night because the adapter plug (uk
> > model)
> > > was buzzing very loudly and was very hot to the touch. I plugged it
> back
> > in
> > > this morning and is seems quiet and cool so far. My question do
DG834G
> > > owners is this - is the buzzing and hotness of the adapter normal or
do
> I
> > > have a faulty adapter?
> >
> > The hottest part of my adaptor is the metal label at the top, which gets
> to
> > 37C with a room temperature of 23C (measured using a thermocouple). This
> > isn't really very hot at all. It's basically just warm to the touch.
> > If yours gets "very hot" I would suggest that either it has a fault
(e.g.
> a
> > shorted turn of the transformer), or the router itself might have a
fault.
> > Sometimes you can get intermittent faults with electronic equipment that
> > cause them to take too much current.
> > I would suggest keeping a very careful eye (erm.. ok, finger?) on it,
and
> if
> > the problem repeats get the whole kit changed. Firstly, an overheating
> power
> > supply could represent a fire safety hazard. Not good on equipment that
is
> > often left unattended. Secondly, if something is sufficiently wrong to
> make
> > it overheat, then chances are that it will not be supplying the correct
> > voltage to the router, which could affect performance.
> >
> > > On a related note, how can I determine if my router modem is at fault
> for
> > > providing poor internet speeds, short of testing my connection with
> > another
> > > modem? My ISP (Bulldog) thinks that it could be my router to blame.
I
> > > don't really know how to prove/disprove this as I purchased the router
> for
> > > using ADSL for the first time. I haven't used it on other connections
> > > previously. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.
> >
> > What sort of speeds are you getting ? Is it repeatable on all web sites,
> or
> > are some affected more than others ?
> > I have been very dissappointed with the firmware of this router. Speed
has
> > been more-or-less OK, but if I enable the WLAN, then the whole wireless
> > section resets itself regularly. If I load up the main WAN connection
> > heavily (say, downloading a TV show via Bit Torrent), then the ADSL
> > connection drops out and resets itself every half hour or so. This is
with
> > latest firmware 1.05.00. The previous version was worse.
> > I'm fairly sure that it's not my PC or service provider for a couple of
> > reasons:
> > (1) Other people have the same problems with this router
> > (2) My old Alcatel router (sadly, sold) used to stay connected solidly
for
> > many weeks at a time
> >
> > Have you tried loading the latest firmware ?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Steve
> >
> >
>
>

I managed to borrow an ADSL modem this afternoon. It connected and I got
1760kbps downstream through it when I ran a speedtest on it. So my router
must be faulty. I just have the joyous task of trying to return it back to
ebuyer.

As far as I am aware everthing is setup correctly in the router itself. The
router detects the connection as 2 megabit.

I am not sure if it is worth downgrading the firmware or not... I can't
imaging that having an impact on the speed.

"Steve Birch" <steve@backstreet.***no spam thanks***demon.co.uk> wrote in
message news:cefpl2$k1l$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Philip: I agree with Andy - It does look rather suspiciously like a
512kb/s
> connection!
> Hang on a minute though - When I go to the "Router Status" page on my
> DG834G's web interface, it tells me the modem downstream and upstream
> connection speeds. Have you tried this - what does it say ?
> On the adaptor buzzing: Mine is almost quiet. It is OK for adaptors to hum
a
> bit, but if it buzzes really loudly I'd be a bit concerned. Temperature is
> most important, though !
> Andy's comments about the firmware are also interesting. My conclusion
> looking at feedback from many different brands is that many of them seem
to
> rush the damn things to market before the firmware is working properly. My
> Netgear is just about "tolerable" at the moment, so I'm sticking with it
in
> the hope they might finally weed the remaining bugs out of the firmware.
>
> - Steve
>
> "Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:KSHOc.42260$(E-Mail Removed). ..
> > I am getting a true estimated download speed of 452 Kbps (inc.
overheads)
> > and upload of 262 Kbps. This is supposed to be on a 2 megabit
connection.
> >
> > I have no way of knowing if this is my router causing the problem, or
> > Bulldog, short of going out and buying another modem.
> >
> > The adapter isn't very hot at the moment. It just feels very warm. And
> it
> > is making a buzzing sound. My netgear bridge downstairs doesn't make
the
> > same noise. Does your adapter buzz?
> >
> > I have upgraded the firmware to 1.05. When I watch some movies being
> > streamed accross to my xbox it occasionaly pauses for 5-10 seconds every
> now
> > and then. I am assuming that this is the router again.
> >
> > Would I be better replacing this router with a different wireless
router?
> > Would my netgear bridge WGE121 still work with other models?
> >
> > "Steve Birch" <steve@backstreet.***no spam thanks***demon.co.uk> wrote
in
> > message news:ceds4c$4gn$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > >
> > > "Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > > news:cecs4g$jjf$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > > I unplugged my netgear DG834G last night because the adapter plug
(uk
> > > model)
> > > > was buzzing very loudly and was very hot to the touch. I plugged it
> > back
> > > in
> > > > this morning and is seems quiet and cool so far. My question do
> DG834G
> > > > owners is this - is the buzzing and hotness of the adapter normal or
> do
> > I
> > > > have a faulty adapter?
> > >
> > > The hottest part of my adaptor is the metal label at the top, which
gets
> > to
> > > 37C with a room temperature of 23C (measured using a thermocouple).
This
> > > isn't really very hot at all. It's basically just warm to the touch.
> > > If yours gets "very hot" I would suggest that either it has a fault
> (e.g.
> > a
> > > shorted turn of the transformer), or the router itself might have a
> fault.
> > > Sometimes you can get intermittent faults with electronic equipment
that
> > > cause them to take too much current.
> > > I would suggest keeping a very careful eye (erm.. ok, finger?) on it,
> and
> > if
> > > the problem repeats get the whole kit changed. Firstly, an overheating
> > power
> > > supply could represent a fire safety hazard. Not good on equipment
that
> is
> > > often left unattended. Secondly, if something is sufficiently wrong to
> > make
> > > it overheat, then chances are that it will not be supplying the
correct
> > > voltage to the router, which could affect performance.
> > >
> > > > On a related note, how can I determine if my router modem is at
fault
> > for
> > > > providing poor internet speeds, short of testing my connection with
> > > another
> > > > modem? My ISP (Bulldog) thinks that it could be my router to blame.
> I
> > > > don't really know how to prove/disprove this as I purchased the
router
> > for
> > > > using ADSL for the first time. I haven't used it on other
connections
> > > > previously. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.
> > >
> > > What sort of speeds are you getting ? Is it repeatable on all web
sites,
> > or
> > > are some affected more than others ?
> > > I have been very dissappointed with the firmware of this router. Speed
> has
> > > been more-or-less OK, but if I enable the WLAN, then the whole
wireless
> > > section resets itself regularly. If I load up the main WAN connection
> > > heavily (say, downloading a TV show via Bit Torrent), then the ADSL
> > > connection drops out and resets itself every half hour or so. This is
> with
> > > latest firmware 1.05.00. The previous version was worse.
> > > I'm fairly sure that it's not my PC or service provider for a couple
of
> > > reasons:
> > > (1) Other people have the same problems with this router
> > > (2) My old Alcatel router (sadly, sold) used to stay connected solidly
> for
> > > many weeks at a time
> > >
> > > Have you tried loading the latest firmware ?
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Steve
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 16:43:59 +0100, Philip Rayne wrote:

> I managed to borrow an ADSL modem this afternoon. It connected and I got
> 1760kbps downstream through it when I ran a speedtest on it. So my router
> must be faulty. I just have the joyous task of trying to return it back to
> ebuyer.

I have returned a faulty router to ebuyer and got the money back. But you
MUST follow their instructions to the letter.

Cheers

Dave

"Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:K4POc.50859$(E-Mail Removed).. .
> I managed to borrow an ADSL modem this afternoon. It connected and I got
> 1760kbps downstream through it when I ran a speedtest on it. So my router
> must be faulty. I just have the joyous task of trying to return it back
to
> ebuyer.
>
> As far as I am aware everthing is setup correctly in the router itself.
The
> router detects the connection as 2 megabit.
>
> I am not sure if it is worth downgrading the firmware or not... I can't
> imaging that having an impact on the speed.
>
I have a Netgear DG834 on a 1mb line, I was wondering if my line was/is slow

What site did you use to test Philip ??

TIA

http://www.adslguide.org

The speedtest link under there site.

"braunt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:MPOdnR8RfbA_l5HcRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:K4POc.50859$(E-Mail Removed).. .
> > I managed to borrow an ADSL modem this afternoon. It connected and I
got
> > 1760kbps downstream through it when I ran a speedtest on it. So my
router
> > must be faulty. I just have the joyous task of trying to return it
back
> to
> > ebuyer.
> >
> > As far as I am aware everthing is setup correctly in the router itself.
> The
> > router detects the connection as 2 megabit.
> >
> > I am not sure if it is worth downgrading the firmware or not... I can't
> > imaging that having an impact on the speed.
> >
> I have a Netgear DG834 on a 1mb line, I was wondering if my line was/is
slow
>
> What site did you use to test Philip ??
>
> TIA
>
>

"Philip Rayne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:cecs4g$jjf$1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I unplugged my netgear DG834G last night because the adapter plug (uk
model)
> was buzzing very loudly and was very hot to the touch. I plugged it back
in
> this morning and is seems quiet and cool so far. My question do DG834G
> owners is this - is the buzzing and hotness of the adapter normal or do I
> have a faulty adapter?
>
> On a related note, how can I determine if my router modem is at fault for
> providing poor internet speeds, short of testing my connection with
another
> modem? My ISP (Bulldog) thinks that it could be my router to blame. I
> don't really know how to prove/disprove this as I purchased the router for
> using ADSL for the first time. I haven't used it on other connections
> previously. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.

I am the owner of two DG834G units. I assume you are in the UK.... If so we
have had a few days of quite warm weather, so the ambient temperature has
been somewhat higher than 'normal' for the UK. This could have accounted
for the higher temperature of the adapter, although I have never heard one
make a loud buzzing noise before. The hotness depends on your judgement of
what 'hot' is. If it feels quite hot to the touch, but you can permanently
hold you hand on it, then its not really too hot. If its so hot you can't
touch it for more than a few seconds, I would suggest it has a problem and
get it replaced. The buzz could be just a bit of resonance in the
transformer makeup, but this isn't common, and if its very loud, I would
consider getting it replaced.