Theyre not locked that Im aware of... or at least they werent last year.
Its normally the AOL specific software thats installed on the PC which causes the problem/conflict with some routers.
You should still be able to access the router via the normal interface, if its the AOL software on the PC thats causing the problem then you could always show her how to use another browser such as FF or even IE.
You may also be interested in this -
AOL router set-up.
The router can also be flashed with normal netgear upgrades.
The other thing to bear in mind if shes having a hiccup with her connection..
AOL are currently being "moved" on to the TT network.. and there have been problems with "down time" - some users reporting a couple of days :/
Its important to make sure the router config is correct - eg VMux etc..
and something else that often affects AOL/TT users is
MTU of 1400