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This review is from : Netgear WAB102 802.11a/b Dual Band Wireless Access Point
wow . If you already have an older 'wired' router, this is definitely the way to go. Just plug it in to an available plug on your existing router. Forget about the noisy 2.4ghz 11b and/or 11g, and go with this second generation 11a/b unit with the atheros chip. Not only does it provide turbo 108 MB 5 ghz 11a, it also provides 11b, so if you have any friends that need to connect they can with the popular 11b standard., compared to my SMC 'wired' router and my USR Turbo G wireless routers this is a quality solid corporate grade unit. The manuals are excellent, I had no problems installing it, within minutes it was running, plus 3 year warranty.I also ordered an SMC2335W cardbus adapter with the WAP, which is an 11a/b adpater that supports 108 MBps turbo 11a. I was hesitant since this card was not on the recommended list that tiger provided for use with the WAB102. After doing some research I found out that this adapter used the same chipset as the WAB102 so I figured it would work well, and it did ...for only $20! ..plus great SMC limited lifetime warranty.**PLEASE NOTE: THIS SMC CARD STARTED CAUSING MY PC TO CRASH AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, THE SIGNAL STRENGTH ALSO DROPPED, AND IT CAN NO LONGER MAINTAIN A DECENT CONNECTION. SMC SUPPORT WERE NOT HELPFUL AND WOULD NOT GIVE ME AN RMA UNTIL I TRIED IT ON ANOTHER LAPTOP. WHICH I THINK IS AN UNREALISTIC THING TO EXPECT, 'HEY, MIND IF I TRY MY FAULTY CARDBUS CARD ON YOUR $3000 LAPTOP' ???? THE CARD DOESN'T START TO FAULTER UNITL IT GET'S WARMED UP, SO I WOULD HAVE TO TEST IT FOR AS MUCH AS A FEW HOURS.** NO MORE SMC FOR ME! I RETURNED IT TO THE VENDOR AND ACCEPTED THE RESTOCKING CHARGE, IT WASN'T WORTH THE HEADACHE TO DEAL WITH SMC SUPPORT.These two items work perfectly together, within a few minutes I had the network setup in 108 Mbps turbo mode. With the WAP on the middle floor of my 3 floor home, I get 100% signal strength no matter what floor or end of the house I'm on, cheers to 5 Ghz. For a test I transfered a 1.7 Gigabyte file, while the file was transferring I slowly walked through the house, making sure I went to the most obstructed places, no dropped connections and the transfer rate never dropped below 25 Mbps, the average transfer rate was 31.7 Mbps, it took just under 9 minutes to complete the transfer, WOW ...only a couple hundred bps slower than my wired 100 meg network.I'm very pleased.many thanks to this article that helped shed some light on the second gen 11a/b from atheros http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article46-page1.phpNeil
wow . If you already have an older 'wired' router, this is definitely the way to go. Just plug it in to an available plug on your existing router. Forget about the noisy 2.4ghz 11b and/or 11g, and go with this second generation 11a/b unit with the atheros chip. Not only does it provide turbo 108 MB 5 ghz 11a, it also provides 11b, so if you have any friends that need to connect they can with the popular 11b standard., compared to my SMC 'wired' router and my USR Turbo G wireless routers this is a quality solid corporate grade unit. The manuals are excellent, I had no problems installing it, within minutes it was running, plus 3 year warranty.I also ordered an SMC2335W cardbus adapter with the WAP, which is an 11a/b adpater that supports 108 MBps turbo 11a. I was hesitant since this card was not on the recommended list that tiger provided for use with the WAB102. After doing some research I found out that this adapter used the same chipset as the WAB102 so I figured it would work well, and it did ...for only $20! ..plus great SMC limited lifetime warranty.**PLEASE NOTE: THIS SMC CARD STARTED CAUSING MY PC TO CRASH AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, THE SIGNAL STRENGTH ALSO DROPPED, AND IT CAN NO LONGER MAINTAIN A DECENT CONNECTION. SMC SUPPORT WERE NOT HELPFUL AND WOULD NOT GIVE ME AN RMA UNTIL I TRIED IT ON ANOTHER LAPTOP. WHICH I THINK IS AN UNREALISTIC THING TO EXPECT, 'HEY, MIND IF I TRY MY FAULTY CARDBUS CARD ON YOUR $3000 LAPTOP' ???? THE CARD DOESN'T START TO FAULTER UNITL IT GET'S WARMED UP, SO I WOULD HAVE TO TEST IT FOR AS MUCH AS A FEW HOURS.** NO MORE SMC FOR ME! I RETURNED IT TO THE VENDOR AND ACCEPTED THE RESTOCKING CHARGE, IT WASN'T WORTH THE HEADACHE TO DEAL WITH SMC SUPPORT.These two items work perfectly together, within a few minutes I had the network setup in 108 Mbps turbo mode. With the WAP on the middle floor of my 3 floor home, I get 100% signal strength no matter what floor or end of the house I'm on, cheers to 5 Ghz. For a test I transfered a 1.7 Gigabyte file, while the file was transferring I slowly walked through the house, making sure I went to the most obstructed places, no dropped connections and the transfer rate never dropped below 25 Mbps, the average transfer rate was 31.7 Mbps, it took just under 9 minutes to complete the transfer, WOW ...only a couple hundred bps slower than my wired 100 meg network.I'm very pleased.many thanks to this article that helped shed some light on the second gen 11a/b from atheros http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article46-page1.phpNeil
Netgear WAB102 802.11a/b Dual Band Wireless Access Point Reviews
Ideal wi-fi solution! . For all those interested in Wi-Fi or 802.11b, but have concerns about its performance and stability, this is your ideal solution. The SECOND generation 802.11A/B chip from Atheros is a world of difference from the first generation chips. The new versions is more stable, achieves real connections at the advertised 108 MB when paired with the WAB501 card. The range is between 75 and 100 feet indoors on A band but B band is a little worse. This may change with new software updates from NetGear. Buy it before June 30, 2003 and get a [monetary] rebate on both products.
Ideal wi-fi solution! . For all those interested in Wi-Fi or 802.11b, but have concerns about its performance and stability, this is your ideal solution. The SECOND generation 802.11A/B chip from Atheros is a world of difference from the first generation chips. The new versions is more stable, achieves real connections at the advertised 108 MB when paired with the WAB501 card. The range is between 75 and 100 feet indoors on A band but B band is a little worse. This may change with new software updates from NetGear. Buy it before June 30, 2003 and get a [monetary] rebate on both products.
Cons Review
A yes B no. . The .a half of this thing works just fine. I have an Netgear HE102 (.a only AP) and it seems comparable in performance.However the .b side is completely worthless. WEP or not, Netgear, Toshiba and other client adapters, all the same. No range, instable connection. Tried latest firmware, nada. Tried a pair of the WAB102's with same results. Steer clear of this thing. Get the HE102, or something better if you need .a, and get a $... special out of the sunday paper for your .b/.g needs.
It's a piece... . Oh the problems I have had... (note that I only use the B side of the unit ) ...
1. frequent auto-reboots. Yep, it resets itself at random...
2. very limited range... walk into the kitchen => no signal
3. limited compatibility... Had to replace a few cards ( MS & SMC work & can be found cheap )
4. the wireless connection seems to slow to a halt... you can still pull an ip and browse the internet (at circa 2400 baud speeds)... a reset of the unit fixes this momentarily, but considering you have to either a) walk to the unit and push a button or b) slowly load it's config page and do it -- it's not worth the hassle.
Do like me and buy something else... something with all good reviews.
1. frequent auto-reboots. Yep, it resets itself at random...
2. very limited range... walk into the kitchen => no signal
3. limited compatibility... Had to replace a few cards ( MS & SMC work & can be found cheap )
4. the wireless connection seems to slow to a halt... you can still pull an ip and browse the internet (at circa 2400 baud speeds)... a reset of the unit fixes this momentarily, but considering you have to either a) walk to the unit and push a button or b) slowly load it's config page and do it -- it's not worth the hassle.
Do like me and buy something else... something with all good reviews.
Stay clear of this unit . This unit works on 802.11a only, the 802.11b barely functions, if at all. Unit is constantly locking up, but could not get Netgear to issue an RMA. Tech support was not helpful, definately overseas with a language barrier. I would not recommend this unit or Netgear as a company.
Feature Netgear WAB102 802.11a/b Dual Band Wireless Access Point
- Two access points in one
- Both wired and wireless capabilities
- Ultra-compatible
- Highest level of industry standard security
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Product Details
EAN : 0606449025231UPC : 606449025231
Brand : Netgear
Weight : 4 pounds
Height : 5 inches
Length : 12 inches
Width : 10 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Manufacturer : Netgear Inc
Model : WAB102NA
Publisher : Netgear Inc
Studio : Netgear Inc
Where To Buy
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