Customer Reviews

NETGEAR WN111 Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I went through two orders of the WN111. The first was DOA hardware issue. The second had software driver issues. I downloaded driver version: 3.5.0.7 from Netgear site. I spoke with Netgear technical support who admitted they are experiencing issues with many of their drivers not having proper Windows 7 support.

If you are running Windows 7, I'd recommend waiting for revised drivers from Netgear prior to purchasing. I'll be returning this product.

When you need a wireless connection - or a faster one for cheap!

This review is written for non-technical people about improving the speed of their wireless access or getting on a laptop that does not have the capacity built in - For very little money! It reviews the utility of these devices and specifically discusses the features of this Netgear WN111v.2 Wireless-(draft-n) Adapter.

More and more people own laptop/notebook or the newer and even smaller "netbooks." The idea is pretty straight forward. A computer that is portable and can easily be taken from place to place, unlike our traditional desktop-type computers that are secured by both the sheer mass as well as by the multitude of wired connections they usually require to one place.

The evolution of portable technology led to what we call, descriptively, "wireless" connections. There are connections to wireless system that do not require wired connections. What they DO require is a wireless adapter, often built into to newer notebook and netbook units.

There are a couple of possible complications. One is having access from a portable computer that does not have a built-in wireless card and the other is having one, but wanting greater speed than the now older versions of wireless adapters allow. An inexpensive and entirely satisfactory solution to either issue is the Netgear WN111 v.2, available for about $60. new. I bought one of theseand am please to say that it works perfectly.

There are, essentially, four generations of wireless connections. They go by the shorthand designations of a,b,g and draft-n. "a" is the first and slowest and they increase in both speed and range up to the latest draft-n adapters and routers. Of course, for any wireless card or adapter to function, it must be within range and have access to a wireless router. These are ubiquitous at internet `hot spots' and are frequently becoming the connections of choice in peoples' homes.

When I first wanted to increase the wireless download speed of my own notebook (two years old and with a built-in a/b/g wireless card, I mistakenly thought that I would only need to replace that card with one that would receive the faster, `draft-n' signal. Wrong! Turns our that these small wireless cards are often necessarily compliant with the motherboards (the computer heart and brain of your machine) and the card cannot be replaced with a `draft-n' card because it will not work with the motherboard.

I actually thought about replacing the notebook computer - though in all other respects, it performed perfectly. Then I discovered the magic of wireless adapters, including those that received the speedier `draft-n' signals and connected to the outside of a laptop by simply 1) downloading the software from the company's website if a disc did not come with I and then 1) plugging it into an available USB (v2) port. After trying several and doing a good deal of research, I settled on the Netgear NN111 v.2 wireless USB adapter. It works perfectly.

For the information of the `teachies' among readers, the specifics are as follows:

Physical Specifications
* Dimensions: 94.5 x 30.2 x 15.2 mm (3.72 x 1.19 x .6 in)
* Weight: 21.5 g (0.76 oz)
Wireless Speeds
* 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
* 802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
* 802.11n draft: 6, 6.5, 13, 13.5, 19.5, 26, 27, 39, 40.5, 53, 54, 58.5, 65, 78, 81, 104, 108, 117, 121.5, 130, 135, 162, 216, 243, 270, 300 Mbps (300 Mbps when used with WNR834M & WNR854T only)
* Improves network performance up to 50% when used with legacy 802.11b/g wireless routers
Standards
* IEEE 802.11n draft specification, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g 2.4 GHz
Security
* Wi-Fi protected access (WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK)
* Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 64-bit, 128-bit encryption for IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g
* Smart Wizard(tm) simplifies setup and Touchless Wi-Fi Security makes connecting to secure networks simple and fast
Warranty
* NETGEAR 1-year warranty



There are other reasons you might want to consider getting one.

If you have upgraded your wireless router at home from the now standard `g' or `a/b/g,' to one that spreads the coverage and increases the signal strength and downloading speed, you will find that if ANY device operating at less than the `draft-n' speed is connected to your network, the entire network will revert to the slower `g' configuration. For the `n' to work, every item connected to that network must be able to use the signal at that level or the whole shebang reverts (`downscales') to the lowest common denominator.

I chose Netgear because I have a Netgear router, and I thought it might be better matched than another brand. I installed the booster software while using an ethernet connection. I let the installer check for online updates, and all went well.

My laptop no long gets dropped signals from my Netgear router, and connection speed has increased from 54 Mbps to 130 or more Mbps. I can also see several more WiFi networks than before.

The chubby booster blocks the neighboring USB ports, so I put the booster on an extension cable. That has the added benefit of letting me move the booster to obtain the maximum signal.

Note: My modem and router are next to the TV and stereo receiver, and the router is hardwired to the iPod dock and Roku video box. When the TV and sound system were turned on and my husband used the remotes, my wireless computer would get dropped Internet signals. By attaching a long extension cable to the booster, I was able to put the booster up on a bookshelf, where it no longer gets interference from the stereo, CATV and TV remotes.

I received the NETGEAR WN111 RangeMax Wireless-N USB 2.0 Adapter earlier than I thought it would be here, ran the installation disc, installed it and have been using it daily, ever since. It has been about a month since I started using it and most of the time it is working near the max speed. At this point, I would recommend it highly.

The USB device worked OK but not have the speed I expected even sitting next to the router. The metal USB end fell out of the adapter, so I called Netgear because it was over the 30 Amazon return limit (it was only about 50 days). Netgear refused to take it back and exchange it even though it was clearly a workmanship issue. The warranty states "Netgear" will make a determination when the item arrives. Well they wouldn't even give me a RMA to get that far!

I sent it back to Amazon today to see if they will exchange it for Linksys. I will not buy anymore Netgear products. Good luck if you do...

Works great when it's not frozen. What do I mean? For example, while typing this review, the traffic light on the adapter started a steady and rapid blink. There is no indication that I am not connected to the network but, I cannot navigate the internet or do anything over the network while the adapter is in this condition. The only solution is to disconnect and reconnect the adapter to the USB (so it resets). Some days it only occurs once, other days it's once every 10 minutes. Reading other reviews about the poor Netgear customer support, I'm not sure I'll even bother with them, I'll just buy another brand....

This product is by far the worst wireless adapter I have ever used. From day one this thing was trouble. It all started with the installation drivers be way out dated and the connection was only 54mbps. After updating that problem was solved. Then the real trouble started. At totally random times my computer running Windows XP Pro would report "USB Device Not Recognized" and the adapter would not work at all. On two seperate occasions I was able to fix the problem by eliminating the extension cable (included with adapter) and the second time I simply plugged the adapter into another port on the cpu. Finally when the same problem happened for a third time (over a 6 month span) it completely refused to work. I even tried installing the adapter on a different computer and got the same "USB Device Not Recognized" message from Windows. I have the Gigabit Wireless Next Router and the Wireless Next Laptop Card and have had absolutly no problems with either of those two products only this piece of junk. AVOID AT ALL COSTS OR YOU WILL BE SORRY!!!!

This adapter wouldn't work with XP 64 bit Media center so I had to return it !!

I did a lot of research on wireless adapters before purchasing and was very nervous about buying one because we have windows 7 64bit and it seems that a lot of wireless adapters are not compatible. I went to a big box store for advice on what kind to get and was told that netgear regularly updates their drivers online as opposed to some other companies, so it is a safer choice. In the end I ordered from amazon because the prices were so much less. Installation took forever and the disks are worthless if you have windows 7. I started with the installation outlined in the instruction manual and the software could not recognize my device. It came with a CD that supposedly has additional drivers, but ours contained nothing more than an instruction manual. In the end, I had to search the netgear website for correct software, which was a royal pain because the desktop is more than 50 feet from the Uverse router. The 3.1 software that is supposedly compatible with windows 7 did not work, but the older version, 3.0 was able to find the proper drivers and recognize the device right away. I definitely didn't have a 10 minute installation as advertised, but future windows 7 users can save a lot of time by going directly online for software.

Moved my relatively new desktop to a new room in the house without a phone jack for my DSL.

After getting limited connectivity with my desktop's built-in NIC, I researched and bought the WN111 RangeMax at Walmart (sorry Amazon..they beat your price ) for $49.99

Bottom line, don't walk, run to your nearest Walmart to pick one of these up. It's faster that my previous Ethernet connection!