Since my CES blog on Netgear's WNDR3700, I have received a numerous e-mails asking about the availability of the product. Today, I can provide readers with a definitive answer.
Netgear announced Tuesday the immediate availability of what it calls "the ultimate networking machine for gamers, media enthusiasts, and small businesses," the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit router WNDR3700.
The WNDR3700 wireless router
(Credit: Netgear)This is Netgear's highest-end draft-N router that offers true dual-band (concurrent signals in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands), as well as other features such as ReadyShare for high-speed access to a USB hard drive from any device on the network, broadband usage metering, Digital Living Network Alliance support and video quality of service.
According to Netgear, the router is equipped with a 680MHz processor to offer up to 500Mbps WAN to LAN speeds and up to 350Mbps real-world wireless throughput. It's also on of the first consumer wireless routers that compatible with DLNA-certified products. This supposedly makes it better at streaming digital media than other non-DLNA compatible routers.
The broadband usage metering is actually the first to be seen in a consumer-grade wireless router. This is a feature that lets users monitor the download traffic used; it is especially useful for broadband users with bandwidth quotas, such as Comcast members.
The RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router is now available worldwide. The router comes with a one-year warranty, 24/7 technical support, and has an estimated price of $190. You can get it now or wait for my review of the product, which will be available later this month.
The RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Router + DSL Modem DGND3300 from Netgear.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)If you sign up for a DSL Internet service, chances are you will be offered a router and modem combo device.
I would normally recommend against this kind of combo deal, as it doesn't provide the flexibility of choosing the right router for the network. That's not to mention that the combo ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
The all new true dual-band wireless router WNDR3700 at CES 2009.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks.)I reviewed the Netgear WNDR3300 wireless router a while ago and complained that it wasn't a true dual-band router, citing that it was only able to offer Draft N performance in one band at a time. Now at CES 2009, Netgear makes up for that with its all new successor called RangeMax Dual ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
On Sale Now: $149.99 - $159.99
View the latest prices for Netgear WNDR3700 RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router (Premium Edition)
Netgear's mobile router at CES 2009.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)D-Link did this a while ago by making its DIR-825 router support USB 3G mobile modems, and today at CES, Netgear introduced its 3G-only mobile router, the MBR624GU.
The router has a compact form factor and can be used only with USB 3G modems. It is compatible with most 3G modems on the market. It will not, however, ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Together with the WNDR3300, Netgear recently introduced the HD/Gaming 5Ghz Wireless-N Networking Kit. The kit includes the Wireless-N HD Access Point/Bridge (WNHDE111). Despite the confusing name, the device itself is rather straightforward.
The WNHDE111 has the same design as the Netgear WNR834B router and that means it's bulky, actually very bulky for an access point/bridge device. But nonetheless, thanks to the internal antenna design and its vertical posture, the WNHDE111 manages to have a relatively small footprint. However, there are a couple of other things worth mentioning about this device than its appearance.
Supporting 5Ghz Draft N2.0 wireless specification, the Netgear WNHDE111 can work as either an access point or a bridge.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)
First, the WNHDE111 is a 5Ghz wireless device. Since the 5Ghz spectrum is not as heavily used as the 2.4Ghz spectrum (which is shared between many wireless routers and home electronics), devices working in this frequency tend to offer much better speed and range, as well as signal stability. Secondly, the WNHDE111 can be set to work as either an access point or a wireless bridge.
In access point mode, the WNHDE111, once connected to a router, immediately creates a Draft N 2.0 wireless network that uses the 5Ghz frequency. This is a good addition to your existing 2.4Ghz wireless network. However, it doesn't help much if your network consists of only 24.Ghz wireless or wired clients. In this case, you need the second WNHDE111 working in a bridge mode. This mode allows the WNDEB111 to works in conjunction with another WNHDE111 (in access point mode) or with another 5Ghz wireless router (like the WNDR3300) to bring the wireless signal to up to two wired clients via the WNHDE111's two Ethernet ports. These clients can be computers, or any other network devices, such as TV set-top boxes and game consoles.
You can get the Netgear WNHDE111 now for about $100 ($200 for the kit), which is a reasonable price. The device is a good addition to your existing 2.4Ghz wireless network and its flexibility to support either wired clients or 5Ghz wireless ones is valuable for both the home and small office environment, especially those that are saturated with a 2.4Ghz wireless signal.
The Netgear WNDR3300 can operate in 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies simultaneously.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)
Ever since the review of the D-Link DGL-4500, a Draft N 2.0 router can operate in ether 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequencies, I've been anticipating the day when I can get my hands on a router that can operate in both frequencies simultaneously. Today is that day.
The WNDR3300 bears the same look as that of others in Netgear's RangeMax series. The router has a sleek casing and a big round button that glitters blue light when the router is at work.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)Out of the blue, I just received the RangMax Dual Band Wireless-N Router WNDR3300 from Netgear. The router looks very much like others in Netgear's RangeMax series with the sleek casing (that attracts fingerprints very easily) and the round, big button on top that glows blue light when the router is at work. However, this is the first router I've received so far that's capable of operating in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz at the same time.
For a long time, most routers (both Wireless-G and Draft N) have been made to operate in the 2.4GHz frequency. With the proliferation of the wireless networking in the last couple of years, chances are there might be a few working right now in your vicinity. On top of that, other home electronics such as cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, and so on also use this 2.4GHz frequency to transmit their radio signal. This results in the fact that the 2.4GHz spectrum is getting more and more crowded and interference (or noise) is inevitable. In this kind of environment, the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks' signal and stability are prone to degrade. Moving to 5GHz would solve this problem by tapping into an unused radio spectrum. However, for this to work, both the access point (included in all wireless routers) and the Wi-Fi clients of the wireless network have to support this frequency. Since there are so many existing 2.4GHz Wi-Fi adapters, the only way to guarantee the backward compatibility is having a router that works with both and at the same time. And the Netgear WNDR3300 is the first one I've seen so far that fits in these criteria, though not quite exactly the way I thought it should be.
In dual-band mode, the Netgear WNDR3300m, unfortunately, allows for max 2.4GHz throughput of up to only 54Mbps.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)
To my disappointment, the Netgear WNDR3300 doesn't really offer Dual-Band Draft N 2.0 but rather a dual access point, one being the regular Wireless-G (2.4GHz only) and the other is the Draflt N 2.0 that can be set to operate in either 5GHz or 2.4GHz frequency. This means when working in dual-band mode, the router only allows for max 2.4GHz throughput of up to only 54Mbps (as opposed to 270Mbps if it works in 2.4GHz only mode). While this is not the kind of Dual-Band I was looking for, it is still the first router that supports 5GHz adapters without leaving out the 2.4GHz crowd. The Netgear WNDR3300 is also a simple router. It offers Wi-Fi Protected Setup (which is nice, but rather standard now with almost all new routers), but doesn't even have Gigabit Ethernet. It has no USB port, which means no print serving or any other USB-related features, either.
You can get the Netgear WNDR3300 now for about $100, which seems like a good deal, considering its intuitive web-interface, sleek internal antenna design, decent networking feature set and the capability of working with both 5GHz and 2.4GHhz Wi-Fi adapters simultaneously.
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