I read all of the positive reviews, but having already tried and failed to extend my wireless network with an Apple Airport Express (I have a Windows PC - spent 5 hours that occasion tearing hair out before returning the product), I just had to give this a go.
It was brilliantly easy to set up: out the box, plugged in at the mains, followed very simply instructions in a leaflet and on-screen and the extension had been created within five minutes. And I don't mean that as shorthand for under half an hour; it really was very quick. First impressions out of the box: (a) it is actually quite small (smaller than my Netgear router); the picture is pleasantly deceiving in that respect; (b) has a good build quality, looks discrete and doesn't offend the eye in the way I feared that other products might.
My internet signal sob story, for context - my bedroom and living area are in the basement floor of an old house with walls of concrete and metal and there are several doors closing off areas; the wireless router is on the same floor but kept in a cupboard under the stairs (only telephone point there set up for broadband!) and although it is 802.11n, I think it's quite weak (tends to overheat, could be quite tired out). The only place I could get signal was a small shelf under my television, so long as a number of doors were kept open (giving a passage for the wireless signal to travel through, I could just about get two bars of signal). My Windows PC would pick up 2 bars out of 5 from there, but other devices (iPad, iPhone etc) wouldn't pick the network up at all.
Now (and this is being written 10 minutes after setting the extender up), I am sat at my desk as far away from the router as I could be, with an internet connection. On top of that, I think the connection is somewhat faster than it was when I connected directly (but I have not had the chance or time to test this fully). Also, and probably most importantly, I can use Wifi on more portable devices such as iPad and iPhone in bed - my entire bedroom appeared to be a dead zone before.
In short, this not only does what it says on the tin, but it's so easy and I think it's a fair price to pay for a piece of kit which liberates internet access. I had considered getting a new internet connection, but even at £10 a month that would quickly exceed the cost of an extender like this. I can't recommend the product enough.
| Brand | NETGEAR |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 13 x 3.5 x 17.75 cm; 579.99 g |
| Item model number | WN2000RPT-100UKS |
| Manufacturer | Netgear |
| Series | WN2000RPT-100UKS |
| Wireless Type | 802.11n |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, Mac OS, UNIX, Linux |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 580 g |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
