Netgear WGXB102
Manufacturer: NetGear Inc. Part number: WGXB102NA
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Netgear's wall-plugged wireless extender kit is one of the easiest means currently available for extending the reach of a wireless network.
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CNET editors' review
Netgear WGXB102 price range: $72.27 - $119.99
- Reviewed by: Xiao Ming Wu
- Edited by: Allen Fear
- Reviewed on: 03/11/2005
- Released on: 01/01/2005
The good: Easy to install; can function either as a wireless extension to a router or as a standalone router; WEP and WPA support; content filtering; port triggering; DDNS support.
The bad: Slower than the advertised 54Mbps data rate; weak support.
The bottom line: Netgear's wall-plugged wireless extender kit is one of the easiest means currently available for extending the reach of a wireless network.
The basic setup of Netgear's WGXB102 wall-plugged wireless extender kit is easy. You connect the XE102 (HomePlug-only unit) to your router and plug it into the wall, then plug the WGX102 (HomePlug/802.11g unit) into an electrical outlet in the room where you want to have wireless coverage. The units request IP-address information from your router and automatically join your network.
The most interesting feature of Netgear's WGXB102 wall-plugged wireless extender kit is the integrated 802.11g access point included in one of the kit's two units. You can configure the access point to operate in either 802.11g-only or 802.11b/g modes. The 802.11g-only mode helps speed up wireless connections, but because the data rate is slowed over the HomePlug network, it does little to turbo charge your network.
You can configure the WGX102 unit (the HomePlug adapter with the integrated access point) to function either as an access point to extend your wireless network or as a full-fledged wireless router. When configured as a router, the WGX102 touts an array of advanced networking features, including DHCP services, content filtering that blocks access to specific Web sites based on keyword or domain name, dynamic DNS, and port triggering, which can help you play games over the Internet.
Security for the wall-plugged wireless extender kit consists of WEP and WPA for the wireless portion of the kit and 56-bit DES for the HomePlug network. You can also allow or deny access to the network based on a computer's hardware, or MAC, address.
Netgear's wall-plugged wireless extender kit is designed more for convenience than performance. Netgear's claims of 54Mbps for the kit are misleading. Although one of the units in the package is equipped with an 802.11g access point that's theoretically capable of transferring data at 54Mbps, actual throughput shrinks to around 5Mbps once the data is passed on to the HomePlug network. CNET Labs clocked the WGXB102 kit at 6.2Mbps. That's still faster than a standard broadband connection, which makes Netgear's wall-plugged wireless extender kit more than adequate for sharing a broadband connection in a home or a building. Still, it disappoints us to see a fine company such as Netgear hoodwink its customers by overpromising 54Mbps for the kit.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Throughput in Mbps |
Netgear covers its wall-plugged wireless extender kit with a perfunctory one-year warranty. Toll-free phone support is available 24/7, but it's available for only 90 days from the date of purchase. Netgear recently gave its support Web site a much needed makeover, but the site is still more difficult to use and offers fewer resources than other Web sites, such as those hosted by Linksys and D-Link. A detailed FAQ and user forum for the kit would be welcome additions. The lengthy 182-page reference manual for the wall-plugged wireless extender offers plenty of useful information but lacks important basics, such as warranty specifics and contact information.
User reviews
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Review and product document based opinion
by Visualdude on March 18, 2005
Pros: Easy way to put your wireless access point someplace away from the modem
Cons: potentially slow AC interlink between units
Summary: At first I thought "no Netgear wouldn't decieve anyone", so I checked the product out at their website. They don't disclose upfront that the wired portion of this ...
Summary: At first I thought "no Netgear wouldn't decieve anyone", so I checked the product out at their website. They don't disclose upfront that the wired portion of this system does not run along at 54Mb; and so a person could believe that they are able to support 54Mb over this system end to end.
Still they list the AC link as 20Mb duplex (10Base-T duplex mode), so I would have liked to see the reviewer's notes on test conditions. Another feature is that you don't need a seperate broadband router, just hook the XE102 unit direct to the modem and configure the WGX102 as a router. The downside is that this takes more work since you can only connect to the WGX102 wirelessly.8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Wonderful product and performs as advertised. No problems!
by tnamey on March 18, 2005
Pros: Can handle speeds faster than any DSP or Cable service available for home. Up to 10 mps. Bulletproof setup. No interference when set-up properly. Great for G3-iMacs, which all have ethernet!
Cons: Cannot be plugged into standard surge protector. Other protectors available to protect against power surges.
Summary: Great device which adds functionality to otherwise quite good "older machines," especially Apples. No encryption available, unless pluuged into an ethernet port on a wireless router or wired router.
I ...Summary: Great device which adds functionality to otherwise quite good "older machines," especially Apples. No encryption available, unless pluuged into an ethernet port on a wireless router or wired router.
I have a mixed environment: D-link modem and wireless "g" router. A Dell, an G5 MAC, an IBM laptop, and to older iMac G#s.8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Does not plug and play ... awful tech support ... buyer beware
by tigerz101 on August 31, 2005
Pros: Great concept ... best on the market
Cons: Incredibly poor tech support
Summary: I bought two of these ... took the first back after I had trouble getting it to Plug and Play and then their tech support refused to help without me first ...
Summary: I bought two of these ... took the first back after I had trouble getting it to Plug and Play and then their tech support refused to help without me first providing my telephone number and email. I then read more reviews ... it's the best concept on the market. Soooooooo ... I went back and bought another one. Had problems again. It took 3 calls before someone answered the tech support line without picking up and then hanging up on me. I then spent almost 3 hours on the phone going through all kinds of tests, including flashing the BIOS. The extender would work and then all of a sudden go out. No IP address, no ping, no nothing. The tech support person finally said he needed to bump me up to the next level of support. He politely asked when I would like for them to call ... I said, how about in the next 15 minutes. He told me they would call within the next 72 hours. I thanked him for his time and carried the piece of junk back to the store I bought it from. From my perspective, Netgear has some serious engineering, tech support, and marketing problems.
8 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Netgear WGXB102, XE102
by GaryLuis on May 4, 2006
Pros: Nice looking, great when working, easy to configure
Cons: Doesn't transfer between different circuts, needs to be setup and configured, poor documention, poor through-put
Summary: According to popular belief, you do have to configure these units before you can use them. One tip to pass along is on the wireless part (WGBX102), in order to ...
Summary: According to popular belief, you do have to configure these units before you can use them. One tip to pass along is on the wireless part (WGBX102), in order to reset it, you have to hold the pin in for over 30 sec before they reset. Also, to configure without software, you need to configure a system in the ip address range of 192.168.0.x first. Then connect the included cable to the XE102 directly, and plug in the WGXB102 anywhere else. Launch a web page and put in the address 192.168.0.101 to configure the unit. In my case, setting the 'REGION' solved my problem. To configure two XE102's, you need to write down the password listed on the back of each unit and keep for reference. Plug in both units to wall outlets. Plug one unit with the included cable to a computer. Run the software. It should detect the unit directly connected to the computer. Go across the tabs at the top and there will be a place to reset the password for both units. In that screen you need to put in the password of the unit not directly connected to the computer and you will see 'add' to add the specific unit to the list. You can have multiple combinations of these units all over the house but the XE102's must be configured to all have the same password and it is case sensitive. Click on 'reset all' and your network should be up and running. This information is not included with any of these items.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Does the job very very nicely
by jtpenrow on November 20, 2005
Pros: works greatttt
Cons: going to put people who install internet and data cables out of a job
Summary: i was having a tough time trying to have internet access in my shop in my backyard and in my house . i had cable internet access in my shop with ...
Summary: i was having a tough time trying to have internet access in my shop in my backyard and in my house . i had cable internet access in my shop with a wireless router but the signal wasn't strong enough to reach my house. i was concearned that this product may not work in my shop since it had its own circuit box. so i went in my house and flipped the main breaker off and checked if it turned the power off in my shop, and it did. so now i knew that they were connected but was still concearned about it having to go through so many breakers and circuit boards and travelling so far, but they work PERFECT i couldn't be more pleased some people are griping about a little speed loss but it works fine for me and i can play streaming video in high quality very good product simple plug&play didn;t have to install any drivers or anything from cd
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Works OK but get the NETGEAR rangemax.
by pooper69 on October 1, 2005
Pros: Works, relatively easy setup.
Cons: Slow, costs more than the rangemax, runs hot.
Summary: I needed to extend my WIFI range and this thing works and does the job, the speed drops to 10MBS though which was annoying for me. I took this back ...
Summary: I needed to extend my WIFI range and this thing works and does the job, the speed drops to 10MBS though which was annoying for me. I took this back and bought the NETGEAR rangemax, it cost me 30 bucks less, no untidy units to plus in and works at 54MBS throughout my large brick home.
Bottom line, this thing works but go buy the Rangemax!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The Answer for Wireless Networking
by dwdesign on August 5, 2005
Pros: Simple, Powerful, No Clutter
Cons: I can't think of any
Summary: This product has changed the way I think about my home network. I can quickly and easily have a full speed connection anywhere in my home. That includes my back ...
Summary: This product has changed the way I think about my home network. I can quickly and easily have a full speed connection anywhere in my home. That includes my back porch, or sitting in my truck in the driveway. As long as there is an outlet somewhat near, I can get, not just a good, but a great connection using the WGXB102.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Did not work ..but
by sleeper987 on July 13, 2005
Pros: great extender
Cons: Did not work out of the box
Summary: Did not work "out of the box" ... but after e-mailing support I received detailed instructions and got it up and running. The product works great with fast transmissions of data. ...
Summary: Did not work "out of the box" ... but after e-mailing support I received detailed instructions and got it up and running. The product works great with fast transmissions of data. A great product.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Works great but tends to lasts only about a year or so.
by waytron on August 21, 2009
Pros: Simple to setup and perfect for extending network to distant areas of the house or office. Great until they burn out or get hit by a power surge.
Cons: I have installed several of these kits and all of them have burn out within in a year or so. Also I feel that they run a little too warm.
Summary: The concept is great and works really well. I just wish they were more durable.
Summary: The concept is great and works really well. I just wish they were more durable.
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Can't make it work secured.
by JulyWoman on April 29, 2009
Pros: Easy to use
Cons: I was only able to connect to internet having the security disabled. Directions useless.
Summary: Fine if you want your network to be available for everyone.
Summary: Fine if you want your network to be available for everyone.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: NetGear Inc.
- Part number: WGXB102NA
- Description: As home networking continues to spread and evolve at rapid speed, some users find that their wireless router does not reach all corners of their home, or that they would like to have their wireless network originate from a point of their choosing, rather than be tethered to the point where the Internet enters their home. Other users would rather have a wireless network where no product is on the floor, and no cables are visible at all. The WGXB102 allows the user to have their wireless network originate from the middle of their home, or from even the furthest extremity, with no cables visible. The kit consists of the XE102 Wall-Plugged Ethernet bridge and a WGX102 54 Mbps Wall-Plugged Wireless Range Extender. The XE102 connects to an existing wired or wireless router from any vendor, and the WGX102 can be plugged into any electrical outlet to create an area of wireless access.
General
- Device Type Wireless access point
- Form Factor External
- Localization North America
Networking
- Connectivity Technology Wireless
- Data Transfer Rate 54 Mbps
- Data Link Protocol HomePlug 1.0, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
- Network / Transport Protocol PPTP, IPSec
- Remote Management Protocol HTTP
- Features VPN support
- Compliant Standards HomePlug 1.0, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Communications
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Bays Total (Free) None
- Expansion Slots Total (Free) None
- Interfaces 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T - RJ-45, 1 x Network - HomePlug 1.0
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories HomePlug Ethernet adapter
- Cables (Details) 1 x Network cable
- Encryption Algorithm WPA, 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP
- Authentication Method Radio Service Set ID (SSID)
- Compliant Standards CE, FCC Part 15 B
Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
Software / System Requirements
- OS Required Apple MacOS, Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 2 years warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 2 years
Manufacturer info
- NetGear Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse NetGear Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.netgear.com/
- Address:
4500 Great America Pkwy.
Santa Clara, CA 95054 - Phone: 408-907-8000
- Email: support@netgear.com
- Fax: 408-907-8097
