NETGEAR WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point

Other products by Netgear

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 2 x 6 inches ; 1.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009W8M8Q
• Item model number: WPN802NA
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Networking Products > Access Points

• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 9, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The NETGEAR WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point 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 WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point lets you easily set up a wireless network in your home so you can share a single internet connection with everyone in your household at speeds up to 108 Mbps. Using MIMO technology, the access point offers superior range and eliminates "dead spots" in your home or office.

MIMO technology delivers greater speed and range than standard 802.11g. View larger.

Small and light, the WPN802 has no external antennas.

Easy Setup
The WPN802 makes it easy for even a novice to set up a wireless network: just plug the included Ethernet cable from the WPN802 into your router. That's it. NETGEAR's Smart Wizard provides step-by-step instructions to guide you through the setup. There are a myriad of placement options, and an included stand lets you place the access point vertically. With the smart antennas built in, the access point maintains an elegant form factor with clean lines.

The WPN802 employs a web-based interface for configuration. The firmware is upgradeable via the web interface so you can be sure your access point will always be up-to-date.

Fast and Secure
The WPN802 supports the 802.11g standard but thanks to Smart MIMO technology that incorporates intelligent internal antennas, the access point is able to detect interference from devices such as microwaves and cordless phones and adjust 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 provides up to 500,000 square feet of uninterrupted coverage. If you still have computers that use 802.11b, don't fret as the access point is backwards compatible with the older wireless standard and can be set so all your computers can connect to the network. In fact, the access point improves performance of legacy 802.11b and 802.11g devices up to 50 percent.

The WPN802 offers many security options to ensure your data is private. Both 40/64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption is supported, as well as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA-PSK). 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.

Repeater Mode
In addition to functioning as an access point, the WPN802 also has support for a wireless repeater mode with Wireless Distribution System (WDS). This allows you to extend an existent wireless network to a range outside its current capability.

The NETGEAR WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point is backed by a 1-year warranty.

What's in the Box
WPN802 RangeMax Wireless Access Point, vertical stand, power adapter, Ethernet cable, resource CD, setup guide, and warranty/support information card.

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. "

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 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)

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.

14 of 15 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)

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)

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.