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Netgear Rangemax Next
Price: DG834N RangeMax Next Wireless Modem Router £198.58 inc VAT - WN511B RangeMax Next Wireless Network Card £117.49 inc VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 07/10/2006
Featured in magazine:
Issue 143
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: Netgear
Tel: 01344 458200
Web Address: www.netgear.co.uk


Lots of people have wireless networks nowadays, which let them connect one or more computers to their broadband without having to position them near a phone socket. However, there have been a few issues with the current wireless networking standard: the radio waves wireless uses are prone to interference; physical objects like walls and ceilings tend to obstruct the signals; and the further you move networked devices away from each other, the worse your connection will get. To fix this, the Wi-Fi standards body has released a draft specification for the next generation of Wi-Fi devices called 802.11n. But instead of waiting for this to be finalised, some manufacturers have taken the plunge and produced devices based on this upcoming standard. Netgear's Rangemax Next products are among these so we took its ADSL Modem Router and Notebook Adapter for a test drive.

Features
Despite all the excitement, the devices are reassuringly familiar. Inside the unassuming cases are all the gubbins you need for a blisteringly fast Wi-Fi connection, which promises improved speed and range over existing standards.

Performance
In our tests, the performance of the networking equipment was good, though as with every other Wi-Fi product before it, the theoretical maximum of 207Mbps quoted on the box is a fair way away from what you're likely to achieve in your home. However, it significantly boosted the range of our existing Wi-Fi setup and improved the speed significantly. If you're just surfing the web it probably isn't going to make much difference – your broadband connection is the bottleneck, not your Wi-Fi network. However, if you've got some reason to chuck vast amounts of data around your network, such as streaming video, playing network games or sharing files, this system offers a significant boost. To get this improvement though, you're going to have to upgrade all the adapters in your network as well as your router.

Ease of use
Setting up the router with broadband, and connecting the notebook adapter to the router was a breeze – Netgear provides wizards that'll do it all for you or, if you're a bit of a wizard yourself, you can do it all manually through Windows' wireless network settings. Although this new system claims compatibility with existing Wi-Fi adapters (both 802.11b and g), we found our rather random test collection of network adapters problematic to set up, with the networking playing happily but the internet connection being more of a challenge. This is another good reason why, if you're going to go for this, you probably want to be upgrading your entire network.

Value for money
There are probably two types of people in the market for this kind of kit. The first is the 'early adopter', who needs these kinds of networking speeds for flinging large files around their house. If you're worried that your existing wireless network is going to struggle to stream High Definition content that you've downloaded to your 50in TV, you'll probably be willing to risk buying early and upgrading your entire network. Otherwise, if you're just thinking of starting your first Wi-Fi network we'd advise waiting a few more months for the official 802.11n standard or finding a good deal on some 802.11g equipment and upgrading it later if you feel the need for more speed.

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