Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This seemed like one of the best home use Netgear wireless routers when looking at the Netgear model line up. When I bought this router, I didn't fully understand how "dual band" worked, but it sounded good for reducing interference. I wanted the best, so I got this one.
Now I realize I cannot benifit from the dual band. The WNDR3300 can only be wirelessly configured in the following ways:
N at 2.4 GHz with max 270 Mbps (uses +- 4 channels for extra bandwidth, a/b/g clients also work)
N at 5 GHz with max 270 Mbps and Legacy G at 2.4 GHz with max 54 Mbps
N at 2.4 GHz with max 130 Mbps (considered neighbor friendly version, reduces number of channels utilized)
N at 5 GHz with max 130 Mbps and Legacy G at 2.4 GHz with max 54 Mbps
So if you don't have any N clients that can utilize 5 GHz, you cannot benifit from dual band. I also ended up having a client (LG BD390 Blu-ray player) that just would not work using N at 2.4 GHz (even though LG documentation says it is compatible with 802.11n draft standard). For this one client, I had to step down to Legacy G at 2.4 GHz. I would have been fine with just an old fashion G router.
Doing some tests, I realized with Legacy G, I was getting the same performance with N at 2.4 GHz with max 270 Mbps, so I wasn't too disappointed about having to step down to Legacy G. Hopefully LG and/or Netgear will provide a firmware update that will allow the two devices to communicate using N.
Signal stength is better than what I had before. I can now stream Vudu HDX wirelessly (extreamly demanding). With my previous router, I could only stream Vudu HD (less demanding). So I hesitate in taking this back, thinking I paid more than I needed to. There are multiple antennas in this device and the lights on the big blue button tells you which antenna is being employed. This antenna technology also seems to benifit Legacy G. By the way, you can shut off the flashing blue lights just by pressing the big blue button (hold less than 2 seconds).
-- Begin Update 12/15/2009 --
I did some further tests comparing N with Legacy G. It seems the N on 2.4 GHz with max 270 Mbps has worse range than the Legacy G. I'm comparing signal bar strength of various apps in various locations in my home. So it seems stepping down to the older G works better. All in all, I've decided to keep this router dispite my uninformed decision to purchase it. I'm convinced the 8 internal antennas is helping matters compared to my previous router. Performance is markedly better than before, so I don't want to risk taking the time and money to experiment.
-- End Update 12/15/2009 --
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What is NETGEARs WNDR3300 RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Router? Surf, email, stream HD video, on-line game, make Internet phone callssimultaneously More wireless channels, less interference and better connections using dual band Wireless-N Wirelessly connect new devices easily and securely with Push `N Connect Automatically adjusts to the needs of Internet, voice, video and gaming applications (QoS) Use with a RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Adapter and boost your performance and rangeFeatures New Wireless-N technology delivers exceptional range and speed Dual Band has more channels, less interference and better connections Works with older Wireless-G and newest Wireless-N devices at the same time Push `N Connect wirelessly connects new devices easily and securely No need to remember your security password For use with other Push `N Connect supported devices Easy setup with Smart Wizard installation CD
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