NETGEAR WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point

by Netgear

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.8 x 4.2 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009W8M8Q
• Item model number: WPN802NA
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 9, 2005

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Unprecedented wireless coverage and speed for your network! Now, everyone in your network has the freedom to work wherever they wish, without worrying about system interference or dropouts – with NETGEAR’s RangeMax Wireless Access Point! Add this device to your Ethernet network, and you’ll have reliable, high-speed wireless access that’s up to 10 times the coverage of standard 802.11g technology. RangeMax Wireless Access Point navigates through possible signal interference (at speeds up to 108 Mbps), turning your former "dead zones" into hot spots! Fully compatible with your existing 802.11g and 802.11b systems and devices, NETGEAR’s RangeMax Wireless Access Point is the ideal complement to your growing network.

RangeMax is an advanced Smart MIMO (Multi-In, Multi-Out) technology that uses seven internal antennas. RangeMax constantly surveys your home environment for physical barriers and interference and adjusts the wireless signal to compensate for these performance blockers. For example, if you carry your laptop from the family room to the bedroom, RangeMax automatically senses the change and selects from over 100 possible antenna configurations to deliver you the fastest, clearest connection! Everyone will enjoy consistently high-speed connections, everywhere in your home or business – no drop-outs, and no dead spots.

Using your RangeMax Wireless Access Point couldn’t be simpler: just plug it into your existing router. That’s it! NETGEAR Smart Wizard configuration assistant provides simple-to-understand prompts to guide you through the setup. Once it’s up and running, every member of your network will enjoy data transfer speeds of up to 108 Mbps – and, wireless coverage of up to 500,000 square feet when used with a NETGEAR RangeMax wireless client! And you don’t need to throw away your old wireless devices; RangeMax is 100% compatible with your existing 802.11b/g products and will boost their range and speed by up to 50%.

There’s no need to worry about unauthorized use of your network. Your RangeMax Wireless Access Point offers the safety 64-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) technology with 128-bit encryption, as well as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), Pre-Shared Key technology, and Wireless MAC address authentication.

Product Description

"With NETGEAR’S RangeMax Wireless Access Point (WPN802) dead spots become a thing of the past. Customers will enjoy high speed Internet access everywhere in their homes – not just when they are situated close to their wireless access point. RangeMax uses MIMO (Multi-In, Multi-Out) smart antenna technology to delivers up to 10 times** more wireless coverage and speed than standard 802.11g devices when used with a NETGEAR RangeMax wireless client, yet is fully compatible. Also compatible and provides enhanced performance for IEEE 802.11b and Super G™ wireless client adapters. There’s no need to worry about unauthorized use of your network. Your RangeMax Wireless Access Point offers the safety 64-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) technology with 128-bit encryption, as well as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), Pre-Shared Key technology, Wireless MAC address authentication and VPN tunnel pass-thru. Smart Wizard™ guides you through easy installation and setup. Just plug the WPN802 into your existing router and you can instantly allows share a wireless Internet connection. The WPN802 is backed by Netgear’s 1-year warranty. "

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works as advertised!, August 30, 2005

By 

D. Gregory (Wayne, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point (Personal Computers)

Previous dead spots in my house are gone - replaced with 80+% signal strength and high speed. I was using a Netgear FWAG114 (dual-band b/g) but it couldn't reach everywhere. I have the WPN802 on the top floor of my house in a corner and it reaches everywhere without exception, even my backyard sitting on my porch at the opposite end of the house - which I couldn't do before.
Installation note: by default DHCP is not enabled - you have to perform the initial setup by setting the IP address on your PC and plugging it directly into the unit first - awkward - but it does work as the manual instructs you to do. Some people have complained about the blinking blue rotating lights on the top from the antennaes (who doesn't like blinking blue lights!), anyway, there is a cap (think of a pirate's eye patch without the head band) that fits over the lights if they bother you. Excellent - highly recommended.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Setup Not as Easy as it Could Be, May 31, 2006

By 

Robert MacGrogan (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point (Personal Computers)

So far I'm pretty happy with my RangeMax Access Point. It covers every area of my house and and works great with the PowerLine ethernet adapters I just bought.

The setup of the access point was not as easy as it could have been, though. The instructions require you to go through a fairly strange process of connecting the access point to a single computer set up with a fixed IP address. This is not so hard to do, really, if you have any experience with setting up networking, but for an inexperienced user this could be difficult.

Also, very strangely, once I had my access point all set up and working and connected to the rest of my network, I could no longer reach the setup screens using the IP address given in the instructions. If I need to change my setup, it looks like I'll have to hit the tiny reset button and start over.

One other complaint is that the wall wart that powers this thing is a monster! It must weigh two pounds. If I had that sucker plugged directly into a wall socket, I'd be worried about the plugs coming loose over time because of the weight. I strongly recommend that you plug this into a powerstrip or extension such that it lays flat on the ground so that all that weight is not pulling on the plugs.

One further complaint--the flashing blue light everyone else complains about here is pretty silly if you want your access point to be unobtrusive. And the plastic cover they include in the packaging is a joke--clearly an afterthought in the design process. It's a flimsy little disk with a sticker on it. Very silly.

Still, once I got the thing set up, the RangeMax Access Point worked great, and that's the important thing. These other issues are small and easy to deal with.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works Great, December 11, 2005

By 

J. Flading "jeffdream9" (centreville, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point (Personal Computers)

I bought this after a friend told me how great this model was working for him. I found the same thing. This one router covers my entire house well -- all 3 levels -- and out into the backyard. All this at higher speeds. Not having the antenna sticking up makes it blend in better -- but the blue flashing lights on top call attention to it. It comes with a little plastic cap to hide the blue light if you get tired of it.