Having always thought about getting a wireless network, but never sure if I really needed one I find myself wondering how I survived without it. This review is not for the technical but more to reassure those who have not ventured into wireless connectivity that there is nothing to fear.
I recently bought a NETGEAR DG834PN RANGEMAX ADSL Modem Wireless Router and a NETGEAR WPN111 RANGEMAX Wireless USB 2.0 Adaptor. I did consider the Rangemax NEXT model but the benefits of an unratified protocol are not immediately apparent at the moment.
The contents of each box are:
Router: Modem Router
Power Adaptor
Ethernet Cable
Phone Cable
ADSL phone line filter
Vertical Stand
Resource CD
Installation guide and warranty / support information.
Adaptor: Adaptor
USB Cable (extension)
Resource CD
Cradle and Fastener
Installation guide and warranty / support information.
The packaging is adequate as it survived the postal service and made of the normal egg box material (without being bubble wrapped). The box design itself is not soft on the eye but does state clearly what you are buying and makes it easily identifiable if you have eyesight problems.
Installation
Once open the natural thing is to take out the items and get on with business, this is easily achieved, no tie wraps or security straps to hinder and everything in a natural order.
Installation is impressively simple if you follow the setup guide, with help from the netgear setup wizard it should take no longer than 10 minutes from start to finish including connecting the adaptor. Please note that adaptor can only be installed on systems running Windows 2000 or XP with service pack 2.
As soon as you are connected and setup I would recommend changing the password for the router and the name of your SSID also ensure you use a security feature associated with wireless connectivity enabled such as WEP (older feature) or WPA (more current and more secure) for advice on these please visit the forums and look under Networks and Security.
http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=169
On the Router page itself you have access to various settings and information. With the kit you also receive 90 days of full support as part of the warranty. I appreciate everyones knowledge is different, however setup is really so straight forward, I can see it being seldom used.
Once setup you are alerted and informed by the display on the front of the router, there are also some blue lights indicating antennae in use, flashing on the dome on the top (these can be turned off via the router setup page if you want.
Performance
I have not noticed a drop in performance in the internet connection and the adaptor is working at full speed.
The building I live in was built early 1930’s from reinforced bricks and steel supports, and is normally a nightmare for anything like this. I can honestly say I am more than impressed with the Rangemax’s performance. I have a very good signal in every room and also outside in the garden to a distance of 30m. I have yet to test it further but may get the chance as soon as the weather improves. All this despite the placement of the router which is hidden out of sight and slightly blocked by obstacles.
The intelligent system used by the router identifies where signal strength is needed and increases the output from the antenna in that direction, hence the blue light for info.
Overall, I am more than satisfied with the Rangemax.
I recently bought a NETGEAR DG834PN RANGEMAX ADSL Modem Wireless Router and a NETGEAR WPN111 RANGEMAX Wireless USB 2.0 Adaptor. I did consider the Rangemax NEXT model but the benefits of an unratified protocol are not immediately apparent at the moment.
The contents of each box are:
Router: Modem Router
Power Adaptor
Ethernet Cable
Phone Cable
ADSL phone line filter
Vertical Stand
Resource CD
Installation guide and warranty / support information.
Adaptor: Adaptor
USB Cable (extension)
Resource CD
Cradle and Fastener
Installation guide and warranty / support information.
The packaging is adequate as it survived the postal service and made of the normal egg box material (without being bubble wrapped). The box design itself is not soft on the eye but does state clearly what you are buying and makes it easily identifiable if you have eyesight problems.
Installation
Once open the natural thing is to take out the items and get on with business, this is easily achieved, no tie wraps or security straps to hinder and everything in a natural order.
Installation is impressively simple if you follow the setup guide, with help from the netgear setup wizard it should take no longer than 10 minutes from start to finish including connecting the adaptor. Please note that adaptor can only be installed on systems running Windows 2000 or XP with service pack 2.
As soon as you are connected and setup I would recommend changing the password for the router and the name of your SSID also ensure you use a security feature associated with wireless connectivity enabled such as WEP (older feature) or WPA (more current and more secure) for advice on these please visit the forums and look under Networks and Security.
http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=169
On the Router page itself you have access to various settings and information. With the kit you also receive 90 days of full support as part of the warranty. I appreciate everyones knowledge is different, however setup is really so straight forward, I can see it being seldom used.
Once setup you are alerted and informed by the display on the front of the router, there are also some blue lights indicating antennae in use, flashing on the dome on the top (these can be turned off via the router setup page if you want.
Performance
I have not noticed a drop in performance in the internet connection and the adaptor is working at full speed.
The building I live in was built early 1930’s from reinforced bricks and steel supports, and is normally a nightmare for anything like this. I can honestly say I am more than impressed with the Rangemax’s performance. I have a very good signal in every room and also outside in the garden to a distance of 30m. I have yet to test it further but may get the chance as soon as the weather improves. All this despite the placement of the router which is hidden out of sight and slightly blocked by obstacles.
The intelligent system used by the router identifies where signal strength is needed and increases the output from the antenna in that direction, hence the blue light for info.
Overall, I am more than satisfied with the Rangemax.
