Netgear Router for Sprint Spark Is a Welcome Alternative

by Michelle Maisto

The Gateway is the first router to combine LTE wireless broadband with 802.11ac WiFi and Gigabit Ethernet. Setting it up is as simple as plugging it in.

The Netgear router can be set up to sit flat like a television cable box. It also comes with a little plastic foot that enables it to stand vertically and take up even less space—so little space, it can stand on a large windowsill.

Here’s a close-up of the plastic foot that slips into the plastic housing and enables the router to stand upright.

The router depends on two long antennas that screw in and out easily. Without a doubt, these have been tested, approved and declared safe. But sitting near them, I started to wonder about the health impacts of drawing down so strong a signal so close to me; Internet searches for the health impacts of LTE signals offered no comfort.

Wirelessly, the router is intended to support multiple people and their various devices. For those who prefer it, or to power other machines, the router includes four Ethernet ports and a USB.

The front of the router lights up to indicate, among other things, whether you have a 3G or 4G connection. It doesn’t feel, in the hands, very high-tech, though. It’s basically a perforated plastic housing for some intense equipment. More adjustable and information-rich is the Website that users are pointed to; there, they can change passwords, view data usage information and more.