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CNET editors' rating:
3.5 stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 8 reviews
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Product summary
The good: WEP and WPA security; bridge and repeater capabilities; AutoCell technology helps sidestep rival signals.
The bad: Expensive; AutoCell won't work while using the device as a bridge or a repeater.
The bottom line: This access point's high price will seem fair to those with a lot of wireless equipment.
Specifications: Product Description: NETGEAR WG302 802.11g ProSafe Wireless Access Point - Wireless access point; Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g; Data transfer rate: 54 Mbps See full specs
Price range: $150.86 - $199.99
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 01/18/2005
- Released on: 09/27/2004
The Netgear WG302 features a smart, sturdy design that should hold up over the long haul. Because the access point is made of metal, the device feels sturdier than most plastic units. The WG302's dual antennas are removable, and they screw into its back edge, allowing you to add higher-gain antennas for increased range. The WG302's antennas are conveniently adjustable, letting you position them for optimum signal strength.
Like most Wi-Fi products, the Netgear WG302 ships with documentation that's too technical for newbies, marginally excusable because this product targets technophiles. The WG302's installation guide and reference manual are clearer than most, taking you through a setup process that should be easy for experienced users to understand. Configuring the device involves accessing the typical browser-based tool included with nearly all Wi-Fi access points. The WG302's straightforward tool allows you to adjust its fairly extensive features, highlights of which include 64-bit, 128-bit, or 152-bit WEP encryption; WPA support through either PSK (preshared key) or a RADIUS server; MAC address filtering; plus bridge and repeater capabilities.
The Netgear WG302's configuration tool lets you manage the WAP's AutoCell technology. This feature allows the signals emitted by your Wi-Fi adapter to circumvent crowded RF channels already inhabited by other Wi-Fi adapters, cell phones, microwaves, and the like. To take full advantage of the technology, you'll need to install an AutoCell-enabled PC Card, such as the Netgear WAG511, in each of your client computers, in addition to two or more WG302s. The clients will then automatically attempt to connect to the access point with the least amount of traffic. While we didn't conduct formal tests of the AutoCell solution, it does offer a well-organized way to manage load balancing on a noisy network. Environments with lots of interference can benefit from the WG302's enhancements, but it also includes some quirks. For example, you may experience momentary (and annoying) gaps in network access if your Wi-Fi device keeps switching back and forth between APs as new devices come and go. And because the client technology is currently available only in PC Card form, you'll have to spend even more to buy a PC Card-to-PCI adapter should you want to add a desktop to the mix.
While the Netgear WG302's AutoCell feature contains a few pitfalls, the WAP's general throughput proved impressive in CNET Labs' benchmarks. In our maximum throughput test, the WG302's 25.8Mbps score beat the marks earned by most other WAPs, such as the Compex NetPassage WPE54G and the Buffalo WLA-G54C, by 1Mbps or more. Still, the WG302 was no match for the 44.4Mbps score of our ultimate max-throughput champ, the D-Link DWL-2100AP. The WG302 has the potential to provide a transfer speed of up to 108Mbps when used in concert with other Netgear Wi-Fi equipment that supports the same max speed. The Netgear WG302's 8.5Mbps mixed-mode throughput score in our Labs' tests was less inspiring but still adequate compared to the performance of its peers. For more details on how we test networking devices, see the CNET Labs site.
The Netgear WG302 comes with a long, three-year warranty that includes toll-free, 24/7 tech support, but you can ask setup-related questions for only the first 90 days. You also have to register the WAP through Netgear's Web site before a tech rep will accept your call. The company's support Web site offers a disappointing hodgepodge of FAQs and troubleshooting info for the WG302, but it does include a helpful customer forum where you can ping other users for help.
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Throughput in Mbps |
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Throughput in Mbps |
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Throughput in Mbps measured at a range of 200 feet |
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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 8 reviews
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