I've been using the WNDR4500 for six months now, and I changed both the SSID and put in my own key with no problems. Don't know where you heard that from.
It's in bold print in the user manual. Name (SSID). The SSID is also known as the wireless network name. Enter a 32-character (maximum) name in this field. This field is case-sensitive. The default SSID is randomly generated, and NETGEAR strongly recommends that you do not change this.
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