the two netgears I've had have always had the same initial problem - buggy firmware.
always wait till they have released their updated firmware, as this will always fix wireless stability and load issues.
i had hell and all trouble with my previous router (dg824m) till i updated it, but then it stayed up for over 13 months without a reset.. my most recent one (dg834gt) was shipped with the oldest firmware available, and i flashed it from day 1 with the latest. I've not had any problems with it so far.
Most connection problems people experience are caused my their line. Flakey connections can give the appearance that the router has crashed, and poor throughput.
Other problems like wireless stability can be caused by too many people around you having a wireless access point. Wireless communication happens on 5 consecutive channels out of 13 (so if you pick channel 3, channels 3-7 will be used) - this doesnt give much scope for co-existance with many other wireless access points. Some overlap is allowed with other networks, but the speed is degraded. In the event of somebody else using the same channel as you, then is a simple case of whoever's access point shouts loudest wins, the weakest gets drowned out. If you want a stable connection, get the one with the highest output signal - but not too loud, as its even possible to be too loud!! aagh..
yes it is that confusing.. best bet is to buy one, see if it works... if not, swap it for the other one..