Where is Traffic Meter on WNDR3300 ?

[Ark42]

I just purchased an N300 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3300 at Best Buy. On the left side of the box, under Advanced Features, it says "* Broadband usage meter measures Internet usage".

I cannot find this option anywhere in the menus at 192.168.1.1. It's running V1.0.45_1.0.45NA out of the box and it says there is no update available.

I really want to find this feature to help compare against Comcast's own meter.

[jmizoguchi]

it only works on DSL PPP account

3700 got fixed for using dynamic IP but maybe not on 3300. go to product support page for most updated firmware. if NO listed or notes on traffic meter, contact support at my.netgear.com and open the case. there is nothing you can do at this point but feature must be enhance to support.

[Ark42]

http://kb.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/2612 I think?
WNDR3300 Firmware Version 1.0.45 is listed as the newest there as well.

Even if I had AT&T DSL or U-Verse (which I used to before I moved to the other side of town and got stuck with only Comcast as a choice), I would still be using static or DHCP IP. The WNDR3300 does not have a built-in DSL modem, and AT&T's devices all do the PPPoE on-board. They even do NAT and firewall and wireless B/G, and you don't get an option to NOT use their DHCP/NAT, as it cannot be disabled.

Regardless, the box says the devices has this option, and I don't even have the page with greyed-out checkboxes that I see some 3700 users reported. There isn't even a link to the Traffic Meter. I paid for this feature and it was a reason I bought this model. I'm not sure "wait and see if we make a firmware update" is an acceptable answer, as it's been my experience that usually means waiting a year to forever for the feature.

[jmizoguchi]

ATT uses PPPoE that is it works..

contact support

[Ark42]

I know AT&T uses PPPoE, but their newer modems do not let you pass through the PPPoE to your computer or a separate router anymore, at least with U-Verse. You are stuck with their router/gateway (which you now rent instead of buy) which does DHCP and you can NOT disable the DHCP. I went through a big support process with AT&T in the past trying to disable DHCP on their 2wire routers, but you cannot.

I registered my router and logged a case at my.netgear.com but unless there is a beta/secret firmware update available right now that they can give me, all rational options say to just return this to Best Buy and try another. Or more likely take my time and order something at Newegg. I bought this spur of the moment because when I finally got Comcast installed at my new house, it became apparent that their provided modem does not do the things AT&T's provided routers do such as wireless, NAT, and port forwarding. However, it was important to me to get a router that could measure WAN usage and hopefully confirm the relative accuracy of Comcast's own usage meter. Right now, I hate to say it, but to me this is basically false advertising on the box.

[jmizoguchi]

Don't complaim here. Useless

Open the case and deal with that!

[Ark42]

Here is what they said at my.netgear.com in response to my question about where to find the Traffic Meter on my WNDR3300:

I understand that you are looking for the traffic meter functionality on the router WNDR3300. I apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced.

Regarding the concern, please note that this router does not have the functionality of traffic meter.

I regret for any inconvenience this might have caused you. Please do visit http://kb.netgear.com for any technical queries regarding NETGEAR products.

I believe this answers your query.

So what exactly is "Broadband usage meter"?

[jmizoguchi]

like said.. whatever the support says at bottom line DSL with PPPoE/PPPoA will have traffic meter

DSL with no LOGIN with static or dynamic
Cable with static or dynamic

both will not work this behavior was same when 3700 came out and 3700 has firmware fixes for it

so more than that, I don't think forum will not going to help.

suggest to get upper level support then Leven1 you are dealing with

[Mars Mug]

If I saw that on the side of the box I would probably expect a ‘Traffic Meter’ but that’s only because I have the same feature on other Netgear routers. However the ‘3300, like most Netgear routers, does have traffic statistics which could probably be argued to be compliant with the statement on the box. Traffic statistics are in the router GUI at the Router Status page ‘Show Statistics’ button.

System Up Time 00:01:21
Port 	Status 	TxPkts 	RxPkts 	Collisions 	Tx B/s 	Rx B/s 	Up Time 
WAN 	Link Down 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 
LAN1 	100M/Full 	300 	254 	0 	1836 	462 	00:01:06 
LAN2 	Link Down 						-- 
LAN3 	Link Down 						-- 
LAN4 	Link Down 						-- 
WLAN (11N)	270M	68	0	0	175	0	00:01:08
WLAN (11G)	11M/54M	68	0	0	175	0	00:01:08

[Ark42]

Except you don't really know how big each packet was for TxPkts/RxPkts, and I'm not sure how these stats are even close to real, given I only have 1 computer hardwired at the moment. (Eventually there will be 6-7 more and 2 wireless computers, plus Wii/Xbox/Blu-ray/Dish box, once I move my stuff from my old house).

System Up Time 12:45:32
Port 	Status 	TxPkts 	RxPkts 	Collisions 	Tx B/s 	Rx B/s 	Up Time
WAN 	100M/Full 	66336 	771571 	0 	242 	2868 	12:45:18
LAN1 	100M/Full 	80659 	62221 	0 	1609 	233 	12:45:24
LAN2 	Link Down 	--
LAN3 	Link Down 	--
LAN4 	Link Down 	--
WLAN (11N) 	270M 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	12:45:28
WLAN (11G) 	11M/54M 	13782 	7555 	0 	306 	29 	12:45:28

Really, me sitting here doing nothing is transmitting 242 B/s and receiving 2868 B/s to the Internet? The activity light on the back my my computer is not blinking at all, and neither is the "1" light on the 3300, while the Internet light on the 3300 is blinking like mad. Certainly that 1609 and 233 should be 0 at that point.

***
Anyway, I guess the important thing is to figure out the model numbers and go get the WNDR3700 at Best Buy instead, if that has the feature I want. Netgear's models are so confusing, as I thought originally the N300 was part of the model number.