NETGEAR WN111 Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter

10 Review to this product

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  trlamb
  May 9th, 2009 on 1:40 am

  Rating

  I chose Netgear because I have a Netgear router, and I thought it might be better matched than another brand. I installed the booster software while using an ethernet connection. I let the installer check for online updates, and all went well.

  My laptop no long gets dropped signals from my Netgear router, and connection speed has increased from 54 Mbps to 130 or more Mbps. I can also see several more WiFi networks than before.

  The chubby booster blocks the neighboring USB ports, so I put the booster on an extension cable. That has the added benefit of letting me move the booster to obtain the maximum signal.

  Note: My modem and router are next to the TV and stereo receiver, and the router is hardwired to the iPod dock and Roku video box. When the TV and sound system were turned on and my husband used the remotes, my wireless computer would get dropped Internet signals. By attaching a long extension cable to the booster, I was able to put the booster up on a bookshelf, where it no longer gets interference from the stereo, CATV and TV remotes.
• 

  C. Ong
  May 10th, 2009 on 7:58 am

  Rating

  very good product from netgear. coverage is amazing! big difference from my wpn111. highly recommended.
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  Charles R. Hall
  June 29th, 2009 on 9:03 am

  Rating

  I received the NETGEAR WN111 RangeMax Wireless-N USB 2.0 Adapter earlier than I thought it would be here, ran the installation disc, installed it and have been using it daily, ever since. It has been about a month since I started using it and most of the time it is working near the max speed. At this point, I would recommend it highly.
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  D. Reinstein
  July 27th, 2009 on 7:04 pm

  Rating

  When you need a wireless connection – or a faster one for cheap!

  This review is written for non-technical people about improving the speed of their wireless access or getting on a laptop that does not have the capacity built in – For very little money! It reviews the utility of these devices and specifically discusses the features of this Netgear WN111v.2 Wireless-(draft-n) Adapter.

  More and more people own laptop/notebook or the newer and even smaller “netbooks.” The idea is pretty straight forward. A computer that is portable and can easily be taken from place to place, unlike our traditional desktop-type computers that are secured by both the sheer mass as well as by the multitude of wired connections they usually require to one place.

  The evolution of portable technology led to what we call, descriptively, “wireless” connections. There are connections to wireless system that do not require wired connections. What they DO require is a wireless adapter, often built into to newer notebook and netbook units.

  There are a couple of possible complications. One is having access from a portable computer that does not have a built-in wireless card and the other is having one, but wanting greater speed than the now older versions of wireless adapters allow. An inexpensive and entirely satisfactory solution to either issue is the Netgear WN111 v.2, available for about $60. new. I bought one of theseand am please to say that it works perfectly.

  There are, essentially, four generations of wireless connections. They go by the shorthand designations of a,b,g and draft-n. “a” is the first and slowest and they increase in both speed and range up to the latest draft-n adapters and routers. Of course, for any wireless card or adapter to function, it must be within range and have access to a wireless router. These are ubiquitous at internet `hot spots’ and are frequently becoming the connections of choice in peoples’ homes.

  When I first wanted to increase the wireless download speed of my own notebook (two years old and with a built-in a/b/g wireless card, I mistakenly thought that I would only need to replace that card with one that would receive the faster, `draft-n’ signal. Wrong! Turns our that these small wireless cards are often necessarily compliant with the motherboards (the computer heart and brain of your machine) and the card cannot be replaced with a `draft-n’ card because it will not work with the motherboard.

  I actually thought about replacing the notebook computer – though in all other respects, it performed perfectly. Then I discovered the magic of wireless adapters, including those that received the speedier `draft-n’ signals and connected to the outside of a laptop by simply 1) downloading the software from the company’s website if a disc did not come with I and then 1) plugging it into an available USB (v2) port. After trying several and doing a good deal of research, I settled on the Netgear NN111 v.2 wireless USB adapter. It works perfectly.

  For the information of the `teachies’ among readers, the specifics are as follows:

  Physical Specifications
  
  * Dimensions: 94.5 x 30.2 x 15.2 mm (3.72 x 1.19 x .6 in)
  
  * Weight: 21.5 g (0.76 oz)
  
  Wireless Speeds
  
  * 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
  
  * 802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
  
  * 802.11n draft: 6, 6.5, 13, 13.5, 19.5, 26, 27, 39, 40.5, 53, 54, 58.5, 65, 78, 81, 104, 108, 117, 121.5, 130, 135, 162, 216, 243, 270, 300 Mbps (300 Mbps when used with WNR834M & WNR854T only)
  
  * Improves network performance up to 50% when used with legacy 802.11b/g wireless routers
  
  Standards
  
  * IEEE 802.11n draft specification, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g 2.4 GHz
  
  Security
  
  * Wi-Fi protected access (WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK)
  
  * Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 64-bit, 128-bit encryption for IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g
  
  * Smart Wizard(tm) simplifies setup and Touchless Wi-Fi Security makes connecting to secure networks simple and fast
  
  Warranty
  
  * NETGEAR 1-year warranty

  There are other reasons you might want to consider getting one.

  If you have upgraded your wireless router at home from the now standard `g’ or `a/b/g,’ to one that spreads the coverage and increases the signal strength and downloading speed, you will find that if ANY device operating at less than the `draft-n’ speed is connected to your network, the entire network will revert to the slower `g’ configuration. For the `n’ to work, every item connected to that network must be able to use the signal at that level or the whole shebang reverts (`downscales’) to the lowest common denominator.
• 

  Skippy
  August 12th, 2009 on 10:24 pm

  Rating

  It’s been a month, and it works great, much better than the old G adapter. Also, this one works in the monitor usb port, which has a much better line of site in my house, whereas my old one didn’t.
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  Leroy N. Feigelson
  August 22nd, 2009 on 9:23 am

  Rating

  The Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N adapter (WN111) works great & is easy to setup. I replaced a new worthless Linksys Adapter(WUSB54GC) that took 10 minutes to get a connection & continually lost the connection. Go with the Netgear product.
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  Concerned One
  September 5th, 2009 on 8:32 am

  Rating

  I have a five year old desktop that I moved off to a room without a cable hook-up, so how do I solve getting the net to it. This was the one stop plug in and go solution that did not bust the bank, or involve running new cable. I have a netgear router for my notebook which I have had nothing but good things to say about, so I matched this to it. I have not been let down. So far, reliable, reasonable speed, and an and easy install. Took me all but 20 minutes to do. I highly recommend this, and it is a good value here on amazon, much less than what I paid for it at a local store, but it was worth the extra cost, and I would do it again.
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  Michael C. Mitzel
  September 10th, 2009 on 12:55 am

  Rating

  The Netgear WN111 USB adapter works great! I use it on my Dell Inspiron laptop. It has great range and connectivity. I’m buying another one for my desktop.
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  Philip J. Bohlken
  September 28th, 2009 on 9:02 am

  Rating

  I had been using a PCMCIA wireless “g” card on my laptop running Puppy Linux 4.1. The wireless card heats up from heat in the laptop. Then the wireless card stops working. A USB dongle seemed like a good choice, but would Puppy Linux work with it?

  Puppy 4.3.0 identified and recognized the NETGEAR USB adapter. I saved the network configuration. The computer did not immediately connect to the Internet and the Blinky connection indicator did not flash, even on the first restart. After another reboot or two the Blinky suddenly appeared flashing as it should, and I was on the Internet! I did not need to use the supplied drivers disc.

  The connection speed is better than the old wireless card, even though I have made no changes in my wireless router. So far, this adapter is a joy to use and was very easy to install, even with a Linux system.
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  veracitychecker
  December 9th, 2009 on 9:29 pm

  Rating

  Moved my relatively new desktop to a new room in the house without a phone jack for my DSL.

  After getting limited connectivity with my desktop’s built-in NIC, I researched and bought the WN111 RangeMax at Walmart (sorry Amazon..they beat your price ) for $49.99

  Bottom line, don’t walk, run to your nearest Walmart to pick one of these up. It’s faster that my previous Ethernet connection!