i have a netgear dg834pn
had it about 3 years
i prefer to turn it off when not in use [about 4 times a day 12hrs total]
i am with talk talk unlimited
recently it has been playing up taking up to 4 hrs to get on line but the average is maybe 10 mins and 3 unplugs

now iff i dont unplug it never drops out or at max 2 times a week needs re-setting on the occations it needs re setting it always reconnects quickly iff not instantly

ok the questionssss
if i buy another 834 will it work with minimum setting up
if i buy an updated netgear model will it work with minimum setting up and improved performance

or has any body got any suggestions that dont involve moving from talk talk that may improve things

my basic thoughts are to buy a new router and keep the 834 as a back up

the set up is 2 hard wired connections and one wireless secured network

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we are all ------------------still learning

The new unit will work 'practically' out of the box - there are basic setting up procedures which are very straightforward
.
Improved performance is only an issue if you are on a wireless connection - the wi-fi in the PC has to match the newer performance of the updated routers although these are usually backwards compatible and your wi-fi connection would probably be ok (just not make the most of the faster type of connections).

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This post may contain nuts

If you get a new router you'll have to set it up with your Talk Talk username and password, see here for details: http://www.talktalk.co.uk/help/broadband/connecting-your-router-to-talktalk-broadband.html Most modern routers have a setup wizard, so it should be pretty easy to configure. You'll then need to configure the wireless network to match your previous settings, e.g network name (SSID) encryption type and password. If you stick with the default wireless network settings of the new router you'll need to reconfigure whatever connects to your wireless network with the new router's settings. None of this is too difficult.

As kellys_eye says, you won't get a wireless performance increase unless whatever connects to your wireless network supports the new wireless standards, e.g. if you're new router supports wireless N, you'll need a wireless N adapter to use faster connection speed. Also, your broadband connection speed is unlikely to be any faster due to the new router as this will be limited by your phone connection.

There are a lot of reasons why it might take time to connect.

One possible reason is that if TalkTalk provide a dynamic IP address, when you turn off the router and leave it offer for a while, and then turn it on again, there is a lot of "handshaking" going on between your router and talk talks routers. One of these is that your router will attempt to obtain an IP address from their DHCP server. If their DHCP is slow to respond or busy, there is nothing you can do about that. If your router has any type of logging, you might be able to see the process and the time to takes to negotiate through the various protocols involved in establishing a connection.

You say you prefer to switch the router off, Im sure you have your reasons, but I dont really understand why people do that. They are designed to be left on.

thanks folks
didn't expect any difference in performance
yes have worked out the third light connecting is the important one if that flashes the others follow

not sure why I would leave a router running not connected to any thing
but that's another arguments about turning computers off

ritch that link works admirably does it work off line from my talk talk section downloaded on my computer or is it as useful as a chocolate fire guard if you don't have a printer lol

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we are all ------------------still learning

Just that devices like servers, routers, TVs, Sky digiboxes, microwaves, ovens, clock radios, alarms are all designed to be left on. They use minimal electricity (except for some older tvs), and all have their reasons for being left on. Some routers can be updated by the ISP (firmware) etc, plus the convenience of quickly connecting without having to remember to turn the thing on and wait (in your case, for quite a while) I know some people are nervous about fire risk etc, but then we'd all live in padded rooms and never leave the house. Its horses for courses, in my case, I am too busy to spend my time walking around the house turning every appliance off and on 3-4 times a day

If you want to save the information, but you don't have a printer you can print the page to pdf. Install something like doPDF http://www.dopdf.com/ Once installed, go to the web page and choose to print the page. When the print dialog pops up, choose the printer called doPDF and click print. Give a filename and the web page will be saved as a pdf.

BTW, I have my router on a timer, so it turns on and off automatically. I don't see any point having the router on all night and during the day when there's nobody around to use it!

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http://richardstk.wordpress.com/