DG834G - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The DG834 series are popular ADSL modem router products from Netgear

Netgear

Netgear is a U.S. manufacturer of computer networking equipment and other computer hardware....

. The devices can be directly connected to the phone line and establish an ADSL broadband

Broadband

The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

connection to the ISP and share it among several computers via 802.3

IEEE 802.3

IEEE 802.3 is a working group and a collection of IEEE standards produced by the working group defining the physical layer and data link layer's media access control of wired Ethernet. This is generally a local area network technology with some wide area network applications...

Ethernet

Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....

and (on many models) 802.11b/g wireless data links.

These devices are popular among ISPs as they provide an all in one solution (ADSL modem/router/firewall/switch), which is ideal for home broadband users. The Netgear UK website claims the DG834G is the most popular wireless router in the UK and lists five awards that it has received.

The DG834G is perhaps the most popular product of the series, and has been produced in 5 versions. All versions have Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...

.

The DG834 (without the G suffix) is the same product but without Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

. Wi-Fi can be added later by plugging in a wireless access point

Wireless access point

In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...

although this then occupies one of the RJ45 ports.

The DG834GT is a similar product - it looks like a DG834G v2 or v3, but has a Broadcom

Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company in the wireless and broadband communication business. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. Broadcom was founded by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III from the University of California, Los...

chipset like a DG834G v4 and supports Atheros Super G

Super G (wireless networking)

Super G is Atheros' proprietary frame-bursting, compression and channel bonding technology to improve IEEE 802.11g wireless LAN performance. The throughput transmission speed limit when using Super G is claimed to be up to 40Mbit/s-60Mbit/s at a 108Mbit/s signaling rate, which is achieved through...

which can achieve a 108 Mbit/s signaling rate

Data signaling rate

In telecommunication, data signaling rate , also known as gross bit rate, is the aggregate rate at which data pass a point in the transmission path of a data transmission system.Notes:#The DSR is usually expressed in bits per second....

(double that of standard 802.11g). In the United Kingdom, many DG834GT routers were supplied by Sky Broadband

Sky Broadband

Sky Broadband is an internet service provider for Sky customers.As of March 2008 Sky claims to have reached 1.428 million customers, and unbundled 1,179 exchanges, covering 70% of the United Kingdom. In October 2007, Sky reached the 1 million mark in terms of customer numbers, and claim to be...

and are branded with a Sky logo. Sky later supplied a DG934G router, which is a DG834G v3 router in a black case.

The DG834PN model has Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

but no external antenna. It has 6 internal antennas, and is easily recognised by the blue dome on the top of its case.

Firmware

Netgear's stock firmware on all products in the series runs Linux

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

. This has led to popularity among computer enthusiasts as it provides a cheaper alternative to a full Linux router. It is possible to place the router in a debug mode using http://192.168.0.1/setup.cgi?todo=debug which allows users to connect via telnet

TELNET

Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...

directly to its embedded Linux

Linux

system which uses Busybox

BusyBox

BusyBox provides several stripped-down Unix tools in a single executable. It runs in a variety of POSIX environments such as Linux, Android, FreeBSD and others, such as proprietary kernels, although many of the tools it provides are designed to work with interfaces provided by the Linux kernel. It...

to provide some of the functionality. Much of the Netgear firmware is built from open-source software, and Netgear provide this source code and the build system to enable users to reassemble a new firmware image. As a result, various individuals and projects have produced modified firmware which extend the capabilities of the built-in firmware. It is also possible to completely replace the built-in firmware for TI-AR7 and Broadcom chipsets with firmware from other projects, such as OpenWrt

OpenWrt

OpenWrt is a Linux distribution primarily targeted at routing on embedded devices. It comprises a set of about 2000 software packages, installed and uninstalled via the opkg package management system. OpenWrt can be configured using the command-line interface of BusyBox ash, or the web interface...

. All products except the DG834(G) v5 run on a MIPS architecture

MIPS architecture

MIPS is a reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by MIPS Technologies . The early MIPS architectures were 32-bit, and later versions were 64-bit...

CPU, the DG834(G) v5 runs on an ARM architecture

ARM architecture

ARM is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings. It was named the Advanced RISC Machine, and before that, the Acorn RISC Machine. The ARM architecture is the most widely used 32-bit ISA in numbers produced...

CPU.

Default settings

IP address: 192.168.0.1
Username: admin
Password: password (Sky-branded units have a default password of sky)
Function set to Router + Modem

Specifications

4-port 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet switch
Wireless Access Point (802.11b+g) (not on DG834 models)
ADSL/ADSL2/ADSL2+ modem
Firewall (as of DG834G v5 restricted to 20 rules)
Router
Can operate as modem only if function set to modem which will require an extra router for NAT.

DG834(G)

DG834(G) v1: first release, known as v1 in retrospect. Grey case, larger than subsequent models. 15V AC power supply. TI-AR7 chipset (MIPS32 CPU), 16 MB of SDRAM, 4MB of flash memory. G versions have black removable antenna at the rear left, using an RP-SMA connector.
DG834(G) v2: new smaller design in a white case. Different power supply requirements from v1, otherwise almost identical electrically (uses same firmware as v1). G versions have white removable antenna.
DG834(G) v3:
- RoHS
  Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive
  The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment 2002/95/EC was adopted in February 2003 by the European Union. The RoHS directive took effect on 1 July 2006, and is required to be enforced and become law in each member state...
  
  -compliant construction.
- Expands the Wireless encryption options to include:
  - WPA2-PSK(Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 with Pre-Shared Key)
  - WPA-PSK+WPA2-PSK
  - WPA2-802.1x
  - WPA-802.1x+WPA2-802.1x
- Adds an "Advanced Wireless Settings" page to the enable, various wireless Bridge and Repeater modes.
- Removes the Parental control and Trend Micro Security Services functionality.
- Add a PPPoE relay mode.
- Improves Sync speeds, on good / short lines.
- White removable antenna.
DG834(G) v4: Fixed antenna on G versions. Now uses broadcom
Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company in the wireless and broadband communication business. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. Broadcom was founded by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III from the University of California, Los...

BCM6348 V0.7 chipset, also the Ethernet switch is now broadcom BCM5325 (before it was Marvell) and the wifi module is branded broadcom (before it was T.I.). Frontal connection LED split in 2: one for "carrier wave
Carrier wave
In telecommunications, a carrier wave or carrier is a waveform that is modulated with an input signal for the purpose of conveying information. This carrier wave is usually a much higher frequency than the input signal...

" connection, another for PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol
In networking, the Point-to-Point Protocol is a data link protocol commonly used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes...

link. The 4 Ethernet LEDs are now on the left of the front panel - all previous models had them to the right.
DG834(G) v5 (aka DG834GNA for North America): G versions have the fixed antenna on the right (when viewed from front) - all previous models had antenna on the left. The antenna is attached to the board with a u-FL connector so an upgrade would be possible by somebody willing to void their warranty. Comes with additional buttons for power, Push 'n' Connect using Wi-Fi Protected Setup
Wi-Fi Protected Setup
Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a computing standard for easy and secure establishment of a wireless home network....

, and for switching the wireless radio on and off. Reset is achieved by holding in both side buttons simultaneously for about 6 seconds until power light flashes. The chipset used is a Conexant
Conexant
Conexant Systems, Inc. is an American semiconductor company, formerly the semiconductor division of Rockwell International. Currently it's privately owned by Golden Gate Capital, an equity firm headquartered in San Francisco.-History:...

CX94610 which has an ARM CPU (all previous models used a MIPS CPU). Quality of Service
Quality of service
The quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...

was also added as a fully changeable feature which was available with firmware version 6.00.25 but with the newer firmware version 1.6.01.34 the Quality of Service and Wireless Distribution System
Wireless Distribution System
A wireless distribution system is a system enabling the wireless interconnection of access points in an IEEE 802.11 network. It allows a wireless network to be expanded using multiple access points without the traditional requirement for a wired backbone to link them...

is not available.

DG834GT

Only one version produced. White case with a white removable antenna to the rear left of the unit which utilises an RP-SMA connector. N-spec MIMO functionality and inclusion of a Broadcom BCM6348 chipset make this model notable, particularly as the Broadcom chipset offers superior compatibility over the Texas Instruments AR7 chipset (used in the DG834G) with ADSL2+ / LLU lines in the UK, partly due to PSD masks applied at the DSLAM.

However it should be noted there is a possible issue with the above chipset when in use on BTW and LLU utilising ADSL 2+ MSAN's made by Huaweii.

External links

Official Netgear DG834G Information
Netgear DG834G resources
OpenDG834
DGTeam unofficial custom firmware
RouterStats, a monitoring and downstream noise margin
Signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. A ratio higher than 1:1 indicates more signal than noise...

tweaking program for DG834X modems

Modified firmware

OpenWRT AR7 port (i.e. DG834(G) v1, v2, and v3) only
RouterTech for AR7 chipsets (i.e. DG834(G) v1, v2, and v3) only
DGTeam
UberGT
OpenDG834
FreeDG

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