Besides the transparent plastic bag we can find the router in, we can also find some transparent film on it, to protect its body from scratches:



After the transparent film removal, we can see that the back ports of the router are covered by a sticker that advises us to consult first the manual before connecting the network equipment to any network:



On the back of the router, we can find an On/Off button, a power adapter outlet, four Gigabit LAN ports, a Gigabit WAN port and a USB 2.0 port for connecting any USB storage device:



The top of the router has the NETGEAR logo debossed on the surface, and under it there are spaces left, which act as ventilation holes:



The front panel of the router looks very stylish; from left to right, we can see the NETGEAR logo, the Power/Test sign and LED which lights up amber during system boot-up and then turns into green after the boot is completed; next, we can find the 2.4GHz sign along with the LED which is off when the 2.4GHz radio is turned off, but lights green and blinks when we have network activity.

The 5GHz sign also comes with a LED under it, which stays off when the 5GHz radio is turned off; when the radio is turned on and have network activity, we can see the blue LED blinking.

Next, we can find the USB sign, also with a LED under it that lights up and blinks when a USB storage device is attached to the router; next to it there is a globe sign which represents Internet and signals the WAN activity, also with a green LED.

To the right of the Internet activity LED, we can see the 1,2,3,4 numbers, which light up if we’ve got computers or other peripherals like NASes connected to the LAN ports; these too light up amber during the initialization period and after the router boot-up, they will turn green. In the right corner, we can find two black buttons, also with LEDs under them; the left one is used to turn off the wireless capability completely and the other one can be pressed to use the WPS capability:



On the back of the device, we can find 4 rubber feet, so the product won’t scratch the surface we will sit it on, but also some holes, if we decide to mount it on the wall:



The router Reset hole is also located on the bottom of the product, not on the back like I’ve seen on other routers I have reviewed in the past:



Here is how the router does look during its initialization procedure:



After the boot-up is complete, both radios are turned on and if it is connected to an Internet provider, here is how the LEDs look like: