Jumping gun? Netgear N300 Wireless ADSL2+ modem/router

Hi,

I'm probably jumping the gun here but I've got a Verizon Actiontec GT704WG modem/router and have been disapointed in the last few months by spotty wireless and internet connectivity when nothing else in my house has changed. In addition, I need to make a non-network-ready external HD a network drive so either have to have a NAS adapter (incredibly difficult to find at a local store) and I'm awaiting information on whether or not I have to format (again) my already FAT32 file system drive for an adapter to recognize the drive or whether or not the adapter will work without re-formatting my drive. The work around is the Netgear N300 Wireless ADSL2+ modem router because it will allow me to attach the non-network ready drive without an additional NAS adapter.

However, after reading all the problems that people have with third-party modem/routers and Verizon DSL I'm a little concerned about trying to hook this up as a solution. So I have some questions:

1. Do I have to put the Actiontec GT704WG into bridge mode as Verizon recommends or can I get rid of the Actiontec altogether and just use the new modem/router?

2. I have no idea if I have ADSL+ service with Verizon. Assume I can call and find out or get the info from my account page. But if I do not have that service, will the new modem/router work with basic ADSL service that Verizon provides (ok, that's my really dumb question)?

3. If it's better to just stick with the Verizon modem/router and get a NAS adapter does anyone have a recommendation on a reasonably priced adapter? I don't want a NAS enclosure as I'm not really interested in breaking my external drive and removing the guts so I'd prefer a stand-alone adapter.

4. If I can get rid of the Actiontec altogether, can someone provide some assistance for the proper settings to get me setup without too much fiddling? I'm so sick of spending hours trying to troubleshoot computer issues!

I have an older PC wired into the Actiontec, a network printer attached to the Actiontec, and am running windows XP pro on the PC and have a laptop that is running windows 7. Evil Empire Microsoft has made the lovely choice to make it difficult sometimes for the two OS to communicate and I'm tired of leaving the PC on all the time so that I can use my external drive (if Win7 cooperates) as a network drive through the PC. I'd rather have it as a real network drive operating independently of the PC and point my iTunes, word processing, and database programs to the network drive rather than trying to get them to run through the PC into the external drive.

I wish Verizon would offer more choices on modem/routers, especially ones that offer you the option to add a usb storage device as a network asset!

Thanks for any help! I know I'm jumping the gun a bit, but I'd like to return the new modem/router ASAP if it's not going to do what I need without tons of hassle.

Accepted answers

smith6612

Since the Netgear you have is a DSL modem, there is no need to use the ActionTec. Disconnect it from the line and keep it around as a spare modem should you ever need it for troubleshooting purposes. Also, even though the modem you are buying is marketed as an ADSL2+ modem, the technology is specced to be backwards compatible with traditional ADSL. The ActionTec you currently have is an ADSL2+ modem itself, so that should back up that statement enough. The only thing you need to make sure you verify before switching the ActionTec out for the Netgear is what authentication mode the ActionTec is using. This can be set to either PPPoE or DHCP (shows as Routed Bridge mode) and should show up on the main status page when you visit the ActionTec's web inteface. If you're using PPPoE, you should have no issues getting the Netgear to work. If you're using DHCP, you will need to either close the MAC address of the ActionTec into the Netgear, or leave the modem overnight before you are able to obtain an IP address.

Otherwise the Netgear depends on how you decide to set it up. If you set it up through the Web Interface (http://192.168.1.1/ for Netgears, normally), you need to make sure the DSL Virtual Circuit is set to use 0/35, VPI of 0, VCI of 35. The modem should auto-detect this on first boot. Additionally, if you're using PPPoE you'd need to use your Verizon Username and Password to connect the modem. If you set it up using the Setup CD, it should do all of that heavy lifting.

ReadySHARE (what you're looking to set up with the External Hard Drive) uses the same Windows File and Sharing setup, however it does it using Samba shares, FTP and HTTP since the router runs Linux. The reliability you see might remain the same, but I suppose it's one of those things you need to wait and see how it works once the router is set up. Just remember, the speeds to the drive will not be as fast as going through a PC with better hardware under the hood.

All comments

smith6612

mdolfan

Thanks so much! I'll try what you've suggested and see how it goes and if all's well, I will mark this as solved. Appreciate the comment about the speed. I'm more than happy to sacrifice some speed for having the external as a network drive on the router. Plans for a new PC are in the making but won't happen until next year. The 2003 PC (1 gig RAM) works well but I can tell it's getting bogged down with new software and an upgrade in memory isn't worth it because of the age.

smith6612

Of course. If the machine is still running Windows XP, 1GB of RAM should still be plenty. For the most part extra software for things such as printers and external hard drives, heck even routers can be removed, using only the basics that are needed to cover the functions you need to do. External hard drives only need a driver registered with Windows, along with Printers, and they can both be used through programs that support each device as usual. Routers can be managed using a Web Browser, and even IE8 isn't that hard on resources. Lots of things you could do to breathe some life back into the machine if it's struggling 🙂

mdolfan

Thanks! The Router/Modem worked beautifully and the installation was a snap. Appreciate the assistance!

I've been dumping things that I don't need on the PC to free up extra space/memory and it does work fine (which is why it's been around for so long) I just hear a lot of swapping going on. Plus, I need to get back into msconfig and find out what's all starting up at bootup. When I check task manager there are a bunch of running processes (over 70) and I know that's not helping. Think I need to run malawarebytes again and submit the HijackThis log! Also, I have IE10 and it's a memory hogger! I never should have installed it because I don't like it at all. So I tend to go with Firefox, Chrome, or Safari (depending on whim) rather than IE.

When I get a new PC I will keep the (current) PC around because it's nice to have an extra around so my grandkids can use it when they're at my place. They love to hog my PC or my laptop when they can! The last time they were with me one had the PC and the other had the laptop and they were sitting in the same room playing an online game together. Cracked me up.

Thanks again!