If you stick with the Netgear professional line gear (usually shows up in a blue metal box, though a few of their more recent models have had a silver metal box) they tend to be very good and reliable.
Avoid their consumer plastic-boxed stuff, that tends to be poor quality junk and has done bad things to their reputation.
 
If you're serious about reliability though, avoid ANYTHING wireless - interference issues have gotten a lot worse over time as more folks move that way, and that's not going to get any better in the foreseeable future, even if it's a well-designed wireless router.