NETGEAR Universal N600 Dual Band Wi-Fi Adapter WNCE3001

I have a home WiFi network configured with different SSIDs for the 2.4- and 5-GHz bands, so I can confirm that this universal WiFi adapter is correctly connected to the 5-GHz band on my dual-band WiFi router. The box actually contains two pieces, which was not immediately obvious from the picture in this listing: a small plastic stand that the device clips into (approximately lower 1-inch of photo), the actual adapter with power and Ethernet ports. A small foam piece with double-sided tape is also provided to secure the device to a surface, along with the power adapter cable assembly and a very thin Ethernet cable (presumably Cat5 or Cat5e) that I opted not to use.

I connected an aftermarket Cat6 cable to the unit and connected it to an 8-port Gigabit network switch after configuring it to connect to my 5-GHz WiFi network via a direct connection to my laptop. It successfully provided speedy access to all of my AV components (AV receiver, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) connected to the switch. I like that I only have one WiFi entry/exit point to all of my AV devices, which has eliminated network latency and interference observed before when multiple adjacent devices were using the WiFi network concurrently. It also helps that I’ve moved all of my AV devices to the 5-GHz wireless band, which is less crowded than the 2.4-GHz band in my particular townhome complex.

I opted to not use WiFi Protected Setup (WPS), as it apparently opens up some security concerns on WiFi networks. For the record, my router is configured to encrypt data streams via WPA2+AES. I configured the device to allow my master router to distribute IP Addresses via DHCP. I did not have any trouble getting IP Addresses to any of my devices.

I used the small foam piece with double-sided tape to fix the unit to some open stand space located behind my large HDTV. As a result, people are none the wiser when inspecting my home theater that I’m using a universal WiFi adapter to extend my network. I’m happy with the unit and it functions as advertised. I like that I’ve been able to avoid running wires to my network ready AV equipment.

Works great! well once you figure out how to get it connected to your network, in my case with telus wireless router I needed to use the web method instead of WPS. This device is connected to a Netgear router and is able to provide wired internet to 3 device (TV, Computer, Satellite PVR) and everything runs smoothly, even if Netgear say this N600 is done for only one device 🙂 Really happy !

Connected my Polycom VOIP telephone to my 5 GHz Wi-Fi network using this little device. Instructions are concise and the process is simple. I did not use WPS feature. Will update this review, if needed.
UPDATE: Both units purchased failed to connect to 5GHz band after a few months in operation.

This is a review for the N600/WNCE3001 product.

First, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding here as to what this product does. Basically, if you have a device you want to connect to your network that only has a wired Ethernet port, and you can’t run a CAT5/6 cable to the device, you can plug this Netgear adapter into that device. The Netgear then communicates to your router via WiFi. That is, in effect, this Netgear device adds WiFi capability to non-WiFi client devices (TVs, and so on).

In my situation, I have a network camera that is not WiFi. There is no way to run the cable to the camera, and therefore I plugged the Ethernet cable from the camera into this Netgear device.

And it works. It’s solid. I’m relatively close to the router, so I’m getting a consistent 300MBPS/300MBPS signal on a 5GHz band, at 91% signal strength. I’ve run it straight for over three weeks without any drop outs.

This device is surprisingly small, although the form factor is a bit weird. A plus is that it powers off a standard USB cable. A USB power adapter is included, but if the device you’re plugging it into has a USB port (e.g., a TV), then you can use that as well — a nice touch, although one I don’t use.

Note further that as a general proposition, wireless is never as good as wired. So, for instance, I’ve seen a review where someone hooked this up to a VoIP phone. Definitely not ideal — any little blurble into the wireless signal (interference, etc.) will cause a momentary pause/etc. in the conversation. This is generally not a problem with video streaming, since the video is buffered for a couple of seconds. But, realize this device is not your best solution — the best solution is to run a network cable to the location in question. If you can’t do that, though, this is a good alternative.

Works great! Simple to set up. Be aware cables are quite short.