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#872 - Netgear RangeMax NEXT 802.11n |
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Written by Zach Jeffers
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Monday, 17 September 2007 |
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Page 6 of 6
Testing and Conclusion:
For testing of the Netgear Wireless N series of products, we used the following hardware:
Laptop:
Toshiba Satellite 1115-S103 (Yeah, I know… old, but it still runs and has max memory of 512mb; woot!)
Desktop:
Enclosure: CM Stacker (STC-T01) (Noctua NF-S12 fans intake/exhaust)
Power Supply: Ultra
X3 1000watt
Processor: AMD 3800+ X2 (Socket AM2)
Motherboard: ECS
KA3 MVP
Memory: Crucial
Ballistix 2gig (2 x 1gig) DDR2 PC2-6400
Video: GECUBE Radeon X1950 PRO 256MB DDR3 PCIe x16 HDCP Edition
Storage: Seagate 7200.10 320 GB SATA2
Optical: Plextor PX-740UF PATA
Network:
Internet Connection: 3.5mb DSL
Modem: Netopia 3341 with Static IP routing
Wireless Router: Netgear WNR534M
Wireless PCMCIA: Netgear WN511T
Unfortunately my laptops power adaptor decided to shoot bright orange sparks at my feet in the middle of testing and I was unable to gather stats from Netgear’s previous generation of 802.11g products. I was able to gather numbers for the 802.11n Draft 2.0 products. First test I did was to transfer a 1,026,271 Kb video file from, and to, the desktop and the laptop.
As you can see the difference between wired and wireless LAN transfers is pretty evident. We did leave our IM software running along with our Anit-Virus and other software. Some say this is not the best way to test as we have created network overhead. I have done this to best represent the average user’s setup and to not produce results that nobody will achieve in day to day activities. Now we do have to take into consideration that the hard drive that is installed in the test laptop is a 4,200 RPM drive and does not give the best results on data transfer. I would suspect that any newer 5,400 or 7,200 RPM drive will speed these times up by 10-30% right off the bat.
Our next test is our signal strength test. Like was previously noted, I did not have the ability to get accurate numbers on the previous generation of 802.11g products, but I can tell you from experience that the signal dropped at 50’ to a bare minimum connection that was not very reliable. Our test with the 802.11n products was done at 25’ from the router and then doubling the space till we lost signal.
As you can see, the 802.11n series of wireless products trumps the 802.11g standards. I was able to run a SpeedTest.net benchmark at 300 feet from the location of the router. I must add that the location was in a residential area inundated with wireless routers and a cellular tower (about six blocks away). The location of the router was located 25’ within the home on the first floor.
This being the case, we started with the laptop on the front steps of the home (25’ from the router). Next, we went to the sidewalk (another ~25’). After the sidewalk, we crossed the street and stood in front of the first home (~150’ from router). We then continued to the third house (another 150’) to which continuing past this third house resulted in a lost or unreliable connection.
From installation to extended range of use, the 802.11n standard has shown itself as worthy of the industry’s adoption. The signal strength gained from the MIMO technology and the added power to the antennas definitely shows its merit. I wish I had some other Wireless N packages to compare this to but as of right now, the Netgear series of 802.11n products is just fantastic. I would have liked to have seen an update to the router’s GUI as it is fairly old and clunky. The necessity for the Netgear Wireless Manager also was irritating, but that is not Netgears fault *cough*Micro*cough*soft*cough*. Sorry, had a cough to get out… The router’s web based interface is still easy to navigate and use though the reboot times do take an average of 45-70mins to accomplish.
Overall, Netgear proves again that they have what it takes to satisfy the entry to mid level markets. The inclusion of newer encryptions and the auto-update for firmware make secure networking a snap. Netgear also has a Gigabit version (WNR854T) to satisfy those diehards out there and anybody using the 802.11g can still utilize this technology! The Netgear ‘N’ series of routers and adapters are absolutely Kickass! Our thanks go out to Geeks.com for providing these samples for review and their continued support of 3dGameMan.com!
> ADDITIONAL INFO/COMMENTS IN THE FORUMS <
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Pros |
Cons |
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- Passive Cooling
- Great Looks
- Blazing Fast Speeds
- Lots of Configuration Options
- Easy Web Interface
- Multiple Security Options
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- Router Kinda Bulky
- No Wall Mount
- PCMCIA Under Powered
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Networking 
