RangeMax Next Wireless Notebook Adaptor review

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Verdict:

Review Date: 22 Sep 2006

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Reviewed By: Alan Lu

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

Netgear's RangeMax router is the most distinctive here thanks to its minimalist design and vertical stance.

This beauty isn't just skin-deep. The setup wizard is very easy to follow and its web-based configuration interface can be accessed using UPnP. An easily accessible help pane on the right of the configuration window explains the various options.

We initially tested the RangeMax router with the accompanying RangeMax pre-n CardBus adaptor in its default 270Mbit/s mode, but we found it was unreliable. Although it was capable of speeds as high as 60Mbit/s in our 1m test, we couldn't attain them reliably and transfers often dropped as low as 11Mbit/s.

Using the 130Mbit/s mode, we got consistently high speeds. In our 1m and 15m benchmarks the RangeMax managed 36.6Mbit/s and 31Mbit/s respectively, placing it just behind the Buffalo and D-Link draft 802.11n routers. Its speed of 2.9 Mbit/s over 25m is less impressive, though. This pattern was repeated when we connected our Centrino notebook to the RangeMax. The RangeMax came second in both our 1m and 15m tests with speedy transfers at 15Mbit/s and 20Mbit/s respectively. It had to settle for fourth place in the 25m test, though, thanks to a more average speed of 4Mbit/s.

The RangeMax is a cinch to configure, but its speed is limited by the unreliability of its fastest 270Mbit/s mode. It's also more expensive than the other draft 802.11n routers in the group and its performance over long distances isn't as good as the other pre-802.11n products. If you want the best possible pre-802.11n speeds, go for D-Link's RangeBooster; if you're on a budget, the Buffalo Nfiniti is cheaper.

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