NETGEAR WPN824NA Wireless Mimo Router

by Netgear

Product Details

Data Sheet [379kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10.2 x 4.2 inches ; 1.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007U9KAY
• Item model number: WPN824
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (290 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,580 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router offers: Advanced MIMO technology that delivers greater speed and range compared to standard 802.11g Enhanced security with support for WPA 128-bit WEP encryption Backwards compatibility with 802.11b networks

The NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router lets you easily set up a wireless network in your home so you can share a single internet connection with everyone in your household or office at speeds up to 108 Mbps. Using MIMO technology, the access point offers superior range and eliminates "dead spots" in your home or office.

The WPN824 has an elegant design with no unsightly antennas. View larger.

Beautiful Design and Easy Setup
The WPN824 is a very attractive unit with a white exterior and rounded edges. An included plastic stand lets you stand the router on its edge to take up less space. Since the antennas are built in, there are no protrusions extending out of the case, maintaining a clean, elegant form factor. A vertical stand is included for more placement options.

The WPN824 makes it easy for even a novice to set up a wireless network: just plug the included Ethernet cable from your DSL modem, cable modem, or other network connection into the router. An installation wizard guides you through the setup process step-by-step.

The WPN824 employs a web-based interface for configuration, and the router will automatically do the initial setup by getting your DNS settings and determining your IP address. The firmware is also upgradeable via the web interface so you can be sure your router will always be up-to-date.

Fast and Secure
The WPN824 supports the 802.11g standard but extends it with Smart MIMO technology that incorporates intelligent internal antennas, allowing it to detect interference from home devices such as microwaves, and adjusting itself accordingly. The upshot is speeds up to 108 Mbps with a longer range and a lack of "dead zones" in your home. When used with NETGEAR's adapters, it can provide up to 500,00 square feet of uninterrupted coverage. You will see the difference when you download music, stream video, or make internet telephone calls. If you still have computers that use 802.11b, don't fret as the router is backwards compatible with the older wireless standard and can be set so all your computers can connect to the network and the WGR614 will automatically figure out the connection type and work accordingly.

Smart MIMO technology automatically adapts for interference from devices such as cordless phones and microwaves.

In addition to wireless access, there are four 10/100 Mbps RJ-45 Ethernet ports in the back for connecting computers to the network via a fast wired connection.

The WPN824 offers many security options to ensure your data is private. Double firewall protection keeps your network shielded from outside attacks and Network Address Translation (NAT) hides your PCs and files from outside snoopers. To ensure the security of your wireless data, both 40/64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption is available, as well as WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). You can also use MAC address authentication to allow only authorized users onto the network and Wireless Access Control (SSID) to identify authorized wireless network devices.

Keep Tabs on Kids
This router is an especially good choice for parents as it allows settings to log all sites that are visited, lets you block specific sites based on whether it contains specific keywords, and lets you set time schedules for certain computers to work.

The NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router is backed by a 1-year warranty.

What's in the Box
WPN824 RangeMax Wireless Router, power adapter, Ethernet cable, setup guide, setup CD, vertical stand, warranty/support information card.

Product Description

Rangemax 11b 11g 2.4ghz wireless router

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best so far..., July 23, 2005

By 

S. Forest King (Newport Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR WPN824NA Wireless Mimo Router (Personal Computers)

I have sitting in my garage, a pile of recently purchased routers which have all become dust catchers after hooking up this WPN824 and the accompanying wireless cards. I read the reviews here at Amazon and noticed the negative ratings did not mention whether they were using RangeMax cards on their wireless devices so I thought I would take a chance.

I have both RangeMax and other older "g" cards and the RangeMax cards make a huge difference though the other "g" cards still work better than our previous Linksys and Netgear systems did. Our router is in a back room with the wireless systems through two walls in the front room in the house, and for the first time in years we get a good solid connection to our wireless devices. I should also note that we placed the router on a non-metallic box away from other electronic devices and that seemed to help quite a bit. I am going to purchase a WGXB102 Netgear extender kit to see if it helps the other cards, though I see it is limited to 54Mbs, so I am not sure if it will help the RangeMax system or not, but figured it is worth a try considering the great reviews the kit is receiving. Anyway, I highly recommend this RangeMax system.

PROS: Great range and speed. Nice design.

CONS: The blinking lights cannot be turned off at night and light up the whole room like a disco ball.

4-12-06 Update:
There is a problem and Netgear doesn't seem to want to fix it. They do not address it on their forum nor will they respond in an email. Many users (myself included) are getting random network disconnects which are requiring a reboot of the router. It is not fun. The firmware has not been updated for a very long time. Also, in the version 2 model (identified by a v2 on the model number - there is now even a v3), you can now turn the disco light off.

83 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well, but "wizard" is only junior apprentice, and blue lights are irritating, July 19, 2005

By 

Cay Horstmann (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR WPN824NA Wireless Mimo Router (Personal Computers)

I bought this to replace an Apple Airport that died an early death.

Setup was easy as soon as I figured how to bypass the "wizard"--more like a junior apprentice, really. It falsely claimed that my ISP gives me a static IP address. Had I followed along, it probably would have worked for a while and then failed mysteriously. The cheat sheet has bypass instructions, and then the setup is very nice. It is completely web-based without forcing you to install any software on your computer.

I run Linux, Mac and Windows, and all connect just fine.

The range improved nicely, as advertised. Having internal antennas is an advantage--one less thing to break.

The only irritation are those blinking blue lights that you cannot turn off. (I read that you can open the box and disconnect the ribbon cable, but that seems a drastic step.) Covering them with cardboard is not a perfect remedy since light still emanates from the air vents.

In summary: (1) DO NOT install the CD (2) DO NOT use the "wizard"; go directly to the advanced setup (3) Wear dark sunglasses when facing the device

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kinda Pricey, But if you need range..., June 10, 2005

By 

Tariq Ahmed "DopeJam.com | CFlex.net | FlexIn... (Tracy, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NETGEAR WPN824NA Wireless Mimo Router (Personal Computers)

So I've had one of NetGear's first routers, the MR814 and haven't been too impressed. The NG's wireless card that I got back in the day was so bad I returned it. In my house which is 3200sq ft and the walls are filled with insulation, getting range is a huge problem.

So I did a lot of research and read various articles and for range it comes down to Belkin's Pre-N or NG's RangeMax router. From the comparisons if you want just sheer raw speed and maximum distance the Belkin was the way to go as long as you also used their Pre-N cards. I don't care for N, I've got 3 laptops with internal wireless cards, 2 PCs, and an Xbox in the house and the NetGear RangeMax wins when it comes to extending range for existing b and g devices. At the extreme end of my house where the TV is (compared with the location of the router) I could barely maintain a signal with the 802.11b router I had, 1Mbps connection at best. With the RangeMax at this same location my signal strength drops to only 80%, everywhere else is a full 100%.

The other thing is VPN. I've found with some routers, specifically the MR814, some VPN software (e.g Nortel's client) has troubles making a connection to the vpn gateway, and even if you do connect to it (wirelessly) the speed isn't that great. I found with the RangeMax my VPN issues went away; it was like having the speed of when I'm at work. I also found that XBOX games are very sensitive to settings; I used to have to endlessly tweak my other router to prevent choppiness. With the RangeMax it worked perfectly out of the box.

So I'm a happy camper. The main drawback I found was setup. It's designed for a total newbie/non technical person. For hard core tech users you'll find it frustrating getting past it's huge desire to make you run their setup wizards. Even though you can go directly to the admin screen, it still wants to do a bunch of detection nonsense, when I'd prefer to just set all the settings myself because I know what they have to be.

My friend with the Belkin Pre-N said his setup was a breeze. But really you have only two choices if you want to do the multiple antenna MIMO route. The Routers using the AirGo Wireless chips (Belkin, LinkSys), or the Video54 chips (NetGear RangeMax). Realistically who cares about 108Mbps when your internet connection at home is 4Mbps at best (380Kbps-754Kbps for most people).

Also for those that complain about not being able to replace the antenna. Ya that's a strategy used for single antenna routers. The RangeMax has 7 antennas (internal).. so if you had your way you'd add 7 powered antennas?!? On the AirGo routers like the Belkin you'd have to replace 3... that's adding a lot more wires (from A/C adapters) when you're trying to be wireless.

But once you get past that you're rock'n and roll'n. Plus it has this funky blue dome on the top with an array of LEDs that blink with activity.. It's all star trek like n stuff, kinda cool in the dark to watch when you're really bored. :)

Summary: Max Range + Max Speed + Max Budget - use the Belkin Pre-N router and replace all your wireless cards with Belkin Pre-N ones.

OR

Max Range on 802.11b/g cards - use the NetGear RangeMax.