Major Announcement: Netduma partner with NETGEAR to launch the Nighthawk XR500 Gaming Router

[bagsta69]

We have inferior hardware then?. Don't get me wrong I love my R1 but you can't tell me that the software for the new OS that has been in development for the R1 for so long, worked like a dream when it was installed in the Netgear.

Im not trying to tell you that as I know that it didn't. The Mikrotik hardware is inferior to the NG modem. Nobody is trying to tell you otherwise. I really don't get what you want to hear. Iain has explained why there is a delay. I could make something up if you like!!! 

[scooby]

You don't have to be sarcastic...what I am saying is I feel that s worth the wait. the time spent getting the OS to work perfectly with the NG obviously delayed the development for the R1. I am very happy for Netduma it was a business decision, but still feel sore that the customers that made Netduma have been sidelined for this business agreement.

I am prepared to wait till April!! to see if it was worth the wait

[bagsta69]

You don't have to be sarcastic...what I am saying is I feel that s worth the wait. the time spent getting the OS to work perfectly with the NG obviously delayed the development for the R1. I am very happy for Netduma it was a business decision, but still feel sore that the customers that made Netduma have been sidelined for this business agreement.

I am prepared to wait till April!! to see if it was worth the wait

Honestly Scooby, I don't think that it was a case of develop for the NG first. I was lucky enough to be a beta tester for Duma OS and so have some insight to how it has developed over the months. That said everybody is entitled to their own opinion, I am sure you will love the OS when it does drop and it will indeed be worth the wait. On the upside as well, development for new features will be much faster for the R1 than the NG so whilst the NG may get the OS release a couple of months earlier any future updates and features will be released for the R1 before the NG gets them. (in my opinion)

[thegaurdian1]

I love that the Jitter spike is R1 exclusive that means I don't have to purchase the Netgear router.  Congratulations on the partnership.

[scooby]

Do you know if the NG will get the anti jitter feature ?..because I for 1 would prefer the better hardware. I was under the impression that this feature was for the Netduma only.

[thegaurdian1]

Do you know if the NG will get the anti jitter feature ?..because I for 1 would prefer the better hardware. I was under the impression that this feature was for the Netduma only.

I don't know since I don't work for NetDuma but my personal opinion is that they will.  I think that feature will eventually come to any router that NetDuma partners with.  It would make no sense for them to withhold features.

[thegaurdian1]

Is there a Public BETA for DumaOS before the release of DumaOS on April 18th?

[PharmDawgg]

Do you know if the NG will get the anti jitter feature ?..because I for 1 would prefer the better hardware. I was under the impression that this feature was for the Netduma only.

 

That is really left up to Netgear.  

[Netduma Fraser]

Thanks Bags for quoting Iain, I'll paste the rest of what he said in another topic that people will find interesting.

 

I can clear up a few things. The delay for Nighthawk(NH) availability outside of the US is due to NETGEARs distribution system. It just takes longer to reach different centres and channels, I don't know the details but that is the main reason. Also we need to fully integrate language translation into NH which we're doing at the moment. I know UK speaks English obiviousy but NG distributes in terms of regions. So UK is part of EU. To distribute to EU you need language translation for many countries.

 

DumaOS is not delayed on the R1 by NG. They have no such control over what we do with our own hardware and when we do it. We are partners with NG, we do not work for them, cannot state that more clearly. R1 is delayed due to hardware challenges we're solving at the moment namely automatic turbo mode(fastpath) which is required by DumaOS (user doesn't have to fiddle with UI to get max speeds) and finally how configurations are partitioned (hopefully making DumaOS unbrickable).

 

Finally our hardware will have more features because we will create experimental features based on our roadmap and community feedback. Only when NG approves of a new feature will it go on their router. So likely the NG will slightly behind our hardware in terms of bleeding edge features. Which for the typical consumer is ideal as they don't want to test out stuff that may not be useful or is complicated. But if you're that way inclined then enjoy the experience with our hardware.

[Wallenberg]

Curious about this "anti jitter" feature. How does this work exactly ?

We already have the QoS control and that takes care of the "jitter/spikes" that the network congestion is responsible for.

 

If you have "real" jitter issues ie ISP problems, bad routings etc your connection is still gonna feel like dogshit.. Or am i wrong?

[Sindonesia]

I received my Netgear XR500 yesterday and would just like to say, it was so easy to setup. I didn’t have to mess with a bunch of settings to get it up and running. They have made it so much more user friendly. The DumaOS is amazing. I played Call of Dury WW2 with no ping spikes. Some of the smoothest I’ve played. Awesome job to the Netduma team, you all have hit a homerun.

[Netduma Fraser]

I received my Netgear XR500 yesterday and would just like to say, it was so easy to setup. I didn’t have to mess with a bunch of settings to get it up and running. They have made it so much more user friendly. The DumaOS is amazing. I played Call of Dury WW2 with no ping spikes. Some of the smoothest I’ve played. Awesome job to the Netduma team, you all have hit a homerun.

 

Fantastic to hear that and thanks for the kind words

[Victor-Yout]

Do you know if the NG will get the anti jitter feature ?..because I for 1 would prefer the better hardware. I was under the impression that this feature was for the Netduma only.

would really like to hear an answer from fraser

[BIG__DOG]

Not mine but kinda sexy right?

OOH La LA. Yummy yummy. I woulda pealed that sticker off the top on banged it underneath out of the way! Damn sexy bit of kit there!

[abc123]

I think it is most important to realize a couple of things:

 

1. Netgear will only have a couple of DumaOS features as they aren't using the same OS but just some of the addons of it

2. When you buy a netduma you are buying the software not really the hardware..

  I have bought countless routers and then switched out the OS for openwrt/dd-wrt/tomato...but none of them work perfectly and it always ends up being a frustrating endeavor.  With DumaOS you are using OpenWRT which is perfect and they have then modified it heavily for their features and to make it work perfectly on the hardware.

 

That's what you bought...the time it takes them to perfect the software to the hardware...i never used the R1 wifi...and i get that people are mad about it...but buy an access point, they are better than any routers wifi...

 

If you bought a R1 within the last couple months and want a netgear instead sell it and buy that...who cares? i mean the netgear won't have all the dumaos features so why is that even an argument...you are just wanting different hardware, once again you are paying netduma for the software, a big hint to this is netgear a world class hardware manufacture of routers PAID netduma for their software?  so...think before you get angry?

 

All in all this partnership will allow for more devs to work on DumaOS and hopefully we'll see these types of features only improve more over for the R1 and netgear routers.

[RunningOnEmpty]

Okay, I've had my XR500 for about 24 hours now and I am going to try to leave out anything that could be attributed to the hardware.

 

This is what I think of the DumaOS:

 

The Good:

• Menu system is easy to navigate
• Setting up a custom Dashboard is nice and easy
• After a short delay, DumaOS is here
• Zim had stated that there was no option to Share Excess Bandwidth, but it's there as a checkbox hidden on the QoS page

The Bad:

• Only one dashboard, so no sharing
• Dashboard is only accessible after logging into router using Administrator credentials (don't let your kids use it)
• Gone are the days of using ping as a way to connect to lobbies - set yourself in the ocean and you'll be gaming with the fishes
• No access the see the ping of all of the others in the lobby while gaming, only host or individually selected circles on the map
• Not well coded for Firefox - use Chrome (fine for NetDuma, not Netgear)
• There is not VPN Client Support unless you use HIDEMYASS - so, basically, there's HIDEMYASS support

The Ugly:

• If you have any added Toolbars they can cause the bottom of the Dashboard to be inaccessible
• DumaOS on Firefox looks terrible (default scrollbars) and often threw generic script errors on resizing panels that you have to acknowledge
• On resizing the Geo-Filter Map, the icons will remain the size used for the beginning panel size unless you refresh the window (make the panel larger and you have GIANT icons)
• The grid for the panels is fairly largely spaced and so it limits the layout possibilities

The Meh:

Chrome scrollbars don't have a definitive endpoint - this is only a problem for panels with buttons where one could think that they should be scrolling, but can't

Scrolling is an issue as you'll get caught in any panels with scrollbars, but it does exit once you reach the top of the scrollbar and continue (often an issue with this type of setup)

 

The Bottom-Line (DumaOS and Router):

• If you don't have the NetDuma already then the XR500 is fine (as long as you don't want to flash third-party firmware); I paid nearly as much for the R1 and the Netgear Hardware is quite a step up.
• If you have the NetDuma then there are better routers for the price; especially if you use a VPN other than HIDEMYASS
• The Netgear, with the advanced hardware, is meant to be a primary router (a shared device), but the DumaOS seems to be made to be used by an individual. Hopefully by the time it's on the R1 they can allow multiple instances of the dashboard
• Having the dashboard inaccessible without Administrator credentials is a definite no-go for anyone wanting to share with family and friends
• We always miss the familiar, but I truly lament the loss of the ping filter as there are times when some servers are too bogged down
• I also liked seeing the pings that resolved in a lobby during games as it gave me an indicator of what the overall lag would be

At the end of the day, everything said and done, I won't be keeping the XR500. Issues that I accept from a small startup are not issues that I accept from a large company. I can have my cake and eat it too by using a similarly priced router with better specs and using the R1 for my gaming needs. Additionally, that allows me to flash third-party firmware on my main router while keeping the NetDuma software intact.

 

I hope that this was helpful...

[Netduma Fraser]

Hey RunningOnEmpty, thanks for your thoughts, I will comment on some of them below.

 

1. Only one dashboard, so no sharing
   
   I'm not sure what you mean by sharing exactly. Can you describe a sharing scenario?
    
2. Dashboard is only accessible after logging into router using Administrator credentials (don't let your kids use it)
   
   I don't understand this point, it is a router interface so you need to login to access it. Could you elaborate?
    
3. Gone are the days of using ping as a way to connect to lobbies - set yourself in the ocean and you'll be gaming with the fishes
   
   That can be added in the future but can force servers just like normal if some are not playing how you'd like, you get the same effect. Favourite features from the R1 can be made if Netgear requests it but it is completely different software it is not meant to be a direct copy of R1 software.
    
4. No access the see the ping of all of the others in the lobby while gaming, only host or individually selected circles on the map
   
   The R1 didn't show you the ping of all the others in the lobby but peer ping will be something we'd like to introduce assuming Netgear would like that feature.
    
5. Not well coded for Firefox - use Chrome (fine for NetDuma, not Netgear)
   
   You're actually on an older version, as far as I am told there will be a new update soon (it's already complete but going through final stages of testing). Script error does not happen in newest version. 
    
6. There is not VPN Client Support unless you use HIDEMYASS - so, basically, there's HIDEMYASS support
   
   That's nothing to do with us as everything in Settings was done by Netgear. I am sure the Netgear team would add additional services based on demand.
    
7. If you have any added Toolbars they can cause the bottom of the Dashboard to be inaccessible
   
   You should be able to scroll down the dashboard assuming there are panels there.
    
8. DumaOS on Firefox looks terrible (default scrollbars) and often threw generic script errors on resizing panels that you have to acknowledge
   
   I can't comment too much on the scroll bars but we do want to remove them if possible. Script errors are fixed in the update coming that I mentioned above.
    
9. On resizing the Geo-Filter Map, the icons will remain the size used for the beginning panel size unless you refresh the window (make the window larger and you have GIANT icons)
   
   Aware of that issue, I believe icons are not as big on new version. Though a refresh to fix the issue is not bad, future updates will include fixes for bugs found by users as is the way with software by big or small companies.
    
10. The grid for the panels is fairly largely spaced and so it limits the layout possibilities
    
    I'm not sure what you mean as you're able to resize and move the panels how you want as well as extend the page downward.
     
11. Chrome scrollbars don't have a definitive endpoint - this is only a problem for panels with buttons where one could think that they should be scrolling, but can't
    
    What do you mean by this?
     
12. Scrolling is an issue as you'll get caught in any panels with scrollbars, but it does exit once you reach the top of the scrollbar and continue (often an issue with this type of setup)
    
    As you mentioned it's standard with that kind of setup and I think most people would expect that to occur as it wouldn't make sense otherwise.
     
13. The Netgear, with the advanced hardware, is meant to be a primary router (a shared device), but the DumaOS seems to be made to be used by an individual. 
    
    Multiple people changing settings for one router at the same time wouldn't make sense. The Geo-Filter allows 4 devices to be filtered at a time, Traffic Prioritization can prioritise more than one device at a time so I'm not sure what individual settings multiple people would need to have different.
     
14. Having the dashboard inaccessible without Administrator credentials is a definite no-go for anyone wanting to share with family and friends
    
    Have covered this above.

[BIG__DOG]

WOW, just had a butchers on amazon US and the new Nighthawk XR500 has sold out til jan 16th.    :D :D

[billcline]

The point is after months and a year of delays and 'very soon" we get it dropped on us like it did. They release a pep rally Twitter message and post on here instead of a contrite and humble apology to it's loyal users and customers.

 

I say it again.... customers.

 

It is bad form.....plain and simple.

 

I can't use the Duma with my current setup unless I don't use my Android tx box because of the 5ghz limitations. When I didn't have the box, my wife would wear me out everyday about the wifi dropping. And the months of slow UI interface issues made it hard to tweak.

 

Many people have been waiting for the OS to help solve alot of issues with their setup and they can't be claimed for venting frustrations now.

 

Over a year of waiting.

 

They could have built a 2.0 version of the Duma and added the OS to it and we would've gladly paid them probably 300 for it.

 

Well, I vote with my wallet....and if they get a kick back from NG for every purchase, it won't come from me.

 

The next treyarch COD comes out this fall.....and I'll be in the market for a better router

[basKETcaSe]

The next treyarch COD comes out this fall.....and I'll be in the market for a better router

Reading your old post's I am sure you will be a big loss to the forum.

[RoyDavis77]

I think that DumaOS has caused more drama, debating, confusion and uncertainty then brexit (but wont take so long for its conclusion).

[dominican_3niz]

 

Hi all, 

 

I can't respond to you all personally so I will answer the general themes I have seen in the comments. Thank you for all the kinds words and the feedback. 

 

--

 

Can you exchange the R1 for the XR500 or get a discount towards the XR500?

 

- Netgear are a separate company so that wouldn't be possible.

 

Can we put DumaOS on our existing Netgear router? 

 

- No you can't. Unless Netgear decide in future that they want to allow that.

 

 Why April if DumaOS is ready now?

 

- DumaOS for the R1 has/will have more new and exciting features which therefore takes longer to perfect. As it is slower hardware we also need to do a lot of speed optimisations. As well as doing the Settings section ourselves. The XR500 utilises Netgear settings integrated with DumaOS.

 

Availability outside the US?

 

- That is a question for Netgear but I'm sure they will branch out of the US soon.

 

How fast will updates come out/will there be new features?

 

- The R1 will have faster updates and new features in the long run.

 

The price is too high.

 

- We don't have any influence on how Netgear calculate the final retail price.

 

Does the XR500 have the Anti-Jitter/Anti-Spike feature?

 

- No, that is on our R1 roadmap.

 

thanks frasser you the best. i still can wait since ii just need anti section  

[antithesis]

There are only three things I care about in DumaOS -

 

1. Anti-spike.

2. Anti-jitter.

3. Selective ping-based filtering on the Geo-filter.

 

re: #3 - it's frequent that only one red-bar will affect a lobby. It's that specific guy I don't want to connect to and I want to get rid of him by clicking his circle's colour and adding to the block list. Acknowledged as a feature request and highly desirable, but never promised, so it's wish-list stuff.

 

There are two major issues I'm detecting with the R1 / Netgear split -

 

1. NG isn't getting all of DumaOS due to NG cherry-picking features

2. R1 isn't capable of running DumaOS in its current state

 

That's a bit of a problem as we get gimped software in both cases. The good thing is we have a date for DumaOS. The bad is we don't know what we're getting in it. I'm sure these things will be resolved in time. 

 

I'm personally going to wait for awhile after DumaOS hits the R1 to see how things pan out. I know what I want in DumaOS and if it's not there, a downgrade path to 1.03.6i should be an option.

 

As much as I'd like the Netgear hardware upgrade, I don't need it and don't want it if DumaOS features are being stripped.

[purpleandgold33]

Honestly I don't know why some ppl are frickin whining about duma os and not getting it until April. Dudes we are getting this state art software for FREE. You don't get anything for FREE anymore. I for sure can wait another 3 months for that. I already have a netgear nighthawk router. I'm not buying another one. The Duma changed the game for me. I really only play cod. But seriously I was one of the first ppl to own one and I pretty stoked that duma made it big time and I was part of it. Thanks for everything duma team and all the nice folks that help my dumb ass out when I can't figure something out with the router. Just my 2 cents

[Wallenberg]

There are only three things I care about in DumaOS -

 

1. Anti-spike.

2. Anti-jitter.

3. Selective ping-based filtering on the Geo-filter.

 

 

Curious about this "anti-jitter" feature. How does this work exactly ?

We already have the QoS control and that takes care of the "jitter/spikes" that the network congestion can be responsible for.

 

If you have "real" jitter issues ie ISP problems, bad routings etc your connection is still gonna feel like dogshit.. Or am i wrong?