After struggling for months with a very weak WiFi connection at the far end of the house from where my router is, I knew I had to take a new approach. With multiple plaster walls, plus an 8" thick stone wall, separating the router and the intended destination, I had tried everything I knew how, including adding reflectors on the antennas at the sending and receiving end. I'm an electrical engineer, so I knew that would help, and it did, but it still wasn't enough. The signal would make it - usually - but just barely, and would drop the network connection frequently.
The NETGEAR Powerline AV200 Wireless N extender kit (XAVNB2001) arrived today. With my existing NETGEAR router, setup was a snap, using Method B in the instruction booklet that came with the unit. Plugged the Extender unit (the bigger of the two units) into a wall socket near the router, then a push of the WPS button on the router and the Extender unit quickly configured automatically to the router, no cable hookup needed. Without a WPS router, you'd have to run the enclosed CD and manually enter some of the wireless settings you are using with your router, but that shouldn't be too hard. Then I moved the Extender to the area of the house where the WiFi was weak, and connected it to the PC with one of the two included Ethernet cables that came with the unit. Then I plugged the Adapter into the wall socket where the Extender had been previously, used the second Ethernet cable to connect it to the router, and I was in business!
According to the LED indicator, the link rate was better than 80 Mbps. And that's going through TWO circuit breaker boxes, separated by several hundred feet of wiring, one serving the portion of my home where the router is located, and a second breaker box serving the intended receiving PC.
Don't forget you have to "enable" the Ethernet connection in the receiving PC, if you had been using a USB plug-in wireless connection previously, since you are now relying on a wired Ethernet connection. The directions that came with the unit also tell you to be sure to plug both the Extender and the Adapter directly into a wall socket, NOT into a power strip. I presume that is because the power strip may degrade the signal strength.
Note further that the units also transmit a WiFi signal, so you don't have to use the wired Ethernet connection at the receiving end if you don't want to. However, the best connection to the Adapter is via a wired Ethernet cable, if possible. That's how I'm hooked up, since it was a desktop PC I was trying to get the signal to. But just for fun, I walked around my house with my iPad, to see what kind of WiFi signal I could now get in the (formerly) weak signal end of the house, and it was VERY good. An added bonus for when I want to roam the house with some WiFi unit such as an iPad!
Keep in mind, however, that the units are broadcasting WiFi WITHOUT encryption, as shipped from the factory. However, if you are interested, the detailed manual (available online via the enclosed CD) documents how to add WPA encryption (or whatever) to the Powerline Extender Kit if you desire. I'm out in the boonies, so that's not an issue for me - I suspect the transformer out at the street degrades the signal sufficiently that it's not going anywhere other than within my house and the immediate vicinity.
One other consideration, if you are intending to use the unit to connect via WiFi rather than Ethernet cable - you *may* have to assign a different SSID (wireless network name) to your router WiFi and the Extender Kit WiFi, lest your client devices switch back and forth between the two access points (your existing wireless router and the Extender Kit wireless) but I didn't notice a problem with that in my setup, even though both wireless access points have the same SSID.
No more dropped connections! And it was a VERY easy setup, and the options are there if you WANT to beef up security on the unit.
| Brand | NETGEAR |
|---|---|
| Item model number | XAVB2101-100PAS |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, XP or Mac OS X |
| Item Weight | 3.52 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 2.17 x 1.34 x 2.64 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 2.17 x 1.34 x 2.64 inches |
| Color | White |
| Voltage | 100240 Volts |
| Manufacturer | Netgear |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B006OOKT3Y |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | December 21, 2011 |
