| NETGEAR HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit (WNHDEB111) |
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Model: WNHDEB111
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 27
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: Game console
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0), IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
For high-performance network gaming and simultaneously streaming multiple HD videos
More wireless channels, less interference and better connections using 5 GHz Wireless-N band
Automatic Quality of Service (QoS) ensures lag-free gaming and jitter-free HD streaming
Works with Xbox, PlayStation, Wii , TiVo HD, Slingbox, digital set-top boxes, NETGEARs Digital Entertainer HD, Apple TV, network attached storage (NAS), and more
Each unit measures 8.9 x 1.5 x 6.8 inches (WxHxD) |
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| Description: |
| HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit is intended for high-performance network gaming and simultaneous streaming of multiple HD videos. It provides more wireless channels, less interference and better connections using 5 GHz Wireless-N band.Works with Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, TiVo HD, Slingbox, digital set-top boxes, NETGEAR's Digital Entertainer HD, Apple TV, network attached storage (NAS), and more. |
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| User Reviews (27 total): |
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Nice, It doesn't reach more than a few feet, August 15, 2008
By user (Nashville, TN)
I have it trying to bridge a connection at maybe 150 feet and it doesn't work. A terrible waste of money for me.
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Rocking it!, August 13, 2008
By user (San Francisco, CA)
AWESOME this device WORKS so fast and easy. I LOVE gadgets, but am not a tech geek so things have to work properly or I'm the helpless girl calling tech support. I used this kit to connect my router to 1) Squeezebox (an A++ music server) thereby vastly exceeding its wireless performance (due to my house's poor network coverage), and 2) DirectTv unit to allow the on-demand feature only available by ethernet connection. Here's how it worked: I plugged one end of the networking kit into my Netgear router and the other (which has two ethernet connections) into the two aforementioned appliances. NOTHING MORE, IT JUST WORKED!!!! THIS IS HOW TECHNOLOGY OUGHT TO BE, BUT SEEMS TO ALWAYS INVOLVE COMPLICATION. Now I'm streaming music without interruption and loving it. I'd say if you have a NETGEAR router, you will probably get the same AMAZING results.
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Good wireless solution that is easy to set up., July 19, 2008
By user (Jacksonville, NC)
We decided to try this kit out due to our wireless network having troubles reaching our master bedroom Tivo. A problem that I encountered was that the Series 2 Tivo does not have ethernet capabilities, so we ordered an adapter for future use. In the meantime we tested the kit out on our Xbox 360 for a speed test. Upon opening the box I found out all directions were on a CD, there was no wizard or guide to help connect everything, the actual installation guide is just a PDF file. The directions were a little confusing at first, but after a quick reread I hooked everything up as instructed. I hooked one unit up to our 802.11g router and went through the set up, which went quickly.
With the bridge working, the Xbox registered the connection as hard-wired and we were able to get on-line easily. I next set up the Xbox as a media extender for my PC. During the setup routine the Xbox tests network bandwidth and shows a chart with the words "acceptable for standard TV" and after that, at a higher level, "HDTV." With the bridge kit in place, the bandwidth chart was completely maxed out to the very highest level even on the HDTV portion of it. The Microsoft wireless Xbox adapter we had been using had only registered the first bar of the HDTV portion. For the next test I downloaded an HD movie, 5.7GB, from Xbox Live. The download took roughly 43 min, a little over half the time that it took to download the same size move over the wireless adapter.
After the ethernet adapter arrived, I hooked up the Series 2 Tivo and I downloaded a few shows from my computer and a few from our second Tivo in the living room. The wireless bridge solution was noticeably faster, but your transfer speeds are limited by the Tivo software. All in all, the Netgear is a very good wireless solution, easy to set up and use and is great for the Xbox360 and media streaming, but for non-HD Tivo it is overkill, unless you have very poor reception in your house.
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Easy Set Up-- Works Well for Me-- Your Mileage May Vary, June 26, 2008
By user (It's a Toss Up Right Now)
Old house (built 1912) with a lot of electronic stuff going on it it-- wireless network at 2.4 ghz, cordless phone system at 5.8 ghz (purchased because the prior Siemens Gigaset system and the wireless network clashed. Two microwaves and a wireless doorbell and anytime I check for wireless networks I pick up about half a dozen from the buildings around me.
Add to this that I bought Neuros Technology's Neuros OSD Media Center-- it's a way cool gadget that lets you put DVDs, CDs and anything you can record in digital form, on an external hard drive for ease of storage and playback. But it doesn't have wireless so I have had it sitting next to my TV with a ethenet cord running to my router-- it only gets pulled out a couple of times a day when the dogs run into it while roughhousing.
So I plugged one of these units into my router and attached the electrical cord. Then I plugged the other into my OSD and attached the second electrical cord. I pushed both buttons and it connected. That was it. Yeah, I will probably be doing some tinkering in the future, especially with security, but this has to be easiest thing I have ever done wireless network wise.
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Does exactly what it says it will do., June 26, 2008
By user (Brooklyn, NY)
Got this and set it up right away. Set up was very easy and as someone who normally waits until hubby comes home to do things this was a breeze for me. We're a gaming household with all next-gen systems. So this truly came in handy. Once set up I notice that there was a remarkable difference when connecting via my laptop. I also tried going online via the Playstion 3 and the connection speed was so much faster than when I had my Linksys connected. I must say that I am using Cable Internet services. As stated though there was no lag when hosting matches via Xbox Live and that was exactly what we were looking for. This is definitely what you need when gaming. It does exactly what it says it will do. I don't normally recommend products but this one gets a definite thumbs up from me.
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Does not penetrate walls well., June 9, 2008
By user (Kokomo, IN)
I bought this kit to send HD video from my computer to my TV media device. It has adequate bandwidth and worked out of the box, but I do not get a strong signal from the main floor to the basement of my house, a distance of about 25 feet. There are a couple of walls as well as the floor, and the basement ceiling has metal duct work and pipes above the plasterboard, so I am probably lucky to penetrate all that. I used a laptop to indicate wireless signal strength, and spent a couple of hours orienting each device for the best signal. Now I get a level that varies from 50% to 70%, and that works reliably for HD at 720p. I have not been able to send 1080i over the link without momentary stops and starts in the audio and video; however the link never breaks connection and never needs resetting. It seems to just limit the bandwidth as the signal strength goes lower.
I bought a third WNHDE 111 to connect to another computer, and than link has never been interrupted since I installed it over a month ago. It has always worked well. I had previously used a Linksys G router that was interrupted once or twice a day, and it had to be reinstated manually using the "repair" function in the Windows wireless software. It was my wife's computer in the kitchen, so I had to fix it!
I still have the wireless G system up, and it works well around the house with a third computer, a laptop, but it never gave a reliable signal for my wife's computer in the kitchen; and it would not carry the HD video for the TV. I also use that old G router to connect the ethernet from my main computer to the WNHDE 111.
I recommend this device if you don't have too many walls and floors to penetrate. I am a retired electronics engineer, and I assure everyone that the higher the frequency, the poorer the penetration, but the more bandwidth and the more freedom from interference.
Jim
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Can't get it to work, June 3, 2008
By user (Petaluma, CA United States)
My husband is an IT tech he sets stuff like this up all the time and yet we cannot get these to work at all! Just like the reviewer CS it just will not connect to our XP system and fusses over the IP address. We have wireless, we've used it but for some reason this system just does not want to work. We will probably keep trying but for now this product is a bust for us.
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Did exactly what I needed, May 30, 2008
By user (Maryland)
I was having a lot of frustration with XBOX and Unbox with streaming movies to my living room TV. I was constantly getting interruptions for buffering. So I wanted a really strong wireless bridge solution.
Found this kit while searching and it seemed to be what I needed. As soon as it showed up I had the thing set up in about an hour. I hooked one bridge up (via Ethernet) to my wireless router and the other I hooked up to my XBOX (via Ethernet), logged into each one messed around with a few config settings and fired up I Am Legend via Unbox. Not one interruption the movie played flawlessly! I'm so happy with this as it solved the problem I was having perfectly. It's also given me the added bonus of boosting my signal strength (only for wireless-n compatible devices) throughout my house.
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Unbelievably Easy To Install!!, May 15, 2008
By user (Omaha, NE United States)
I spent less than 15 minutes setting this set up, which afterwards was great! Works well with my Wii, has much greater range with no deadspots. This is my first N network, and it's amazing! Great job, NetGear!!
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Work just like the promo says they work, and easy easy easy to set up, May 15, 2008
By user (New York, NY United States)
Brilliant, these things are -
Set up was very easy. The most time consuming part was taking them out of the box, unwrapping all the little twisty ties and plastics and whatnot, and then finding a place to discard and recycle the wrapping materials. Connecting the units to the game machine and to the router was so easy, it made opening the box look like grad school. These were - at least for us - truly as simple as "connect units and turn them on". No hassle, no fighting, no troubleshooting at all.
I'm amazed each year at how much easier computer equipment becomes to use - compared to the old days when getting a computer to speak with a dot-matrix printer the first time was an entire wasted evening, today's world is pure heaven. Netgear's wireless-N networking kit certainly fits the bill.
The speed of connection with the router is VERY noticeably faster with these. They work just like the box says. We've not yet tried them to connect multiple game boxes, but I can't imagine that they would work any differently than advertised.
We've not used them with computers or any of the other fancy stuff that I see other people have done with them. We've only used them with a Playstation and an Xbox.
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Easy To Use But A Little Knowledge Helps, May 9, 2008
By user (Grayslake, IL USA)
I like this set. I did take me two tries at a wireless card for my notebook to figure out that it only uses the 5 Ghz band for wireless connections. I manually set the mode of each box on the back of each unit and they have been working great.
Things to note:
-- This package contains two identical units that operate as an access point and a bridge. One needs to be connect to your router. The other can be put anywhere in your house that you need internet access. Just plug it into an outlet ant then plug an Ethernet cable into it and connect it to your wired device. There are two wired ports on the back of each unit.
-- To connect to these access points with a wireless device, that device must have a wireless N with the 5Ghz band. A wireless card with just wireless N 2.4 Ghz will not connect. I bought a RangeMax WNDA3100 Dual Band Wireless-N Router USB connector and it works great with my laptop. I connect at speeds from 220 to 300 kps. Things are a lot snappier then they were with wireless g. I can now watch videos. With wireless g they stopped and started.
-- It seems to make things go a lot easier if you use the switch on the back and set the unit that connects to your router to access point and the other one to bridge. Using the auto setting can cause problems.
-- There is a switch on the back that lets you turn off the lights on the unit. This is very cool for placing it in a bedroom where you don't want to see the light in the middle of the night. The unit does not make any noise.
-- The web interface to set the options is easy to use and pretty straight forward.
-- This is a very easy way to get internet access into a room where you can't feasibly run a wire but still want a decent speed.
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Great Kit, May 6, 2008
By user (New York)
I am big fan of Netgear, I have personally installed them in my office and home. They are very reliable and they do NOT go down. I have Netgear routers, hubs and switches many 10 years and older, and they are so easy to set up. This pair was no exception, just follow the directions. I am using the Bridge half for my XBOX 360 in my bedroom and the Access point is connected to my router in my Living room. Signal strength is amazing, even with the doors closed! Game play is smooth - I can tell no difference from when I was wired. Just make sure you engage the security features and all will be fine.
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Only good for very short ranges, April 22, 2008
By user (NC)
I wanted to upgrade my Netgear WGT624v2 (which i use as an access point --see the Netgear instructions on the internet for this configuration) and the Netgeat game bridge (can't remember the model) that Netgear sold for awhile. This HD-Gaming set seemed like the perfect soluction. Set up was quick in both the auto mode and when I specifically designated AP/Bridge modes which I heard would give me greater range. I also tried every conceivable orientation of the units to get better range & transmission rate. Basically if you try to get a signal from the second floor to the first floor of a standard built house -- i.e., no tile, water tanks, ect. in between -- you can only get about 30 feet to get a decent high bandwidth signal. Move the bridge out another 20 more and the units won't even connect. Clearly this won't work for most users. Either I just got defectinve units (yes i did update the firmware) or the other reviewers that talk about the great range must work for Netgear.
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Get ready to join the whole world in your games., April 19, 2008
By user (Betwixt FL and CA, USA)
You have opened a whole new world of gaming but, not only playing other players, you can get information and insights available only to the online people.
Where to start? You have an information pipe that connects you to the internet. Most people have cable with a digital router connected to it. It's the box that the network cables or cables a bit bigger than the phone lines go into it.
Get power to your wireless networking. Then plug it into your digital cable box or how ever you connect to the internet. Then plug your Xbox, Wii or whatever into that.
You may need to power down the digital cable box so it recognizes the new stuff you've plugged in. And you may also have to program in a secret code to your wireless neighbors don't surf on your connection, but other than that, you should be good to go.
It takes game playing to a whole new virtual vorld. I'm looking forward to playing Texas Hold'em with others.
Excellent product, as Netgear always makes.
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Wireless Networking That Works, April 15, 2008
By user (Broomfield, CO USA)
I have been struggling with wireless networking for two and a half years. The home we moved into would have cost a bundle to run CAT5 cable everywhere we needed it. I tried four or five different wireless router/adapter systems, and none of them worked reliably.
I picked up a WNHDEB111 kit based on a review I read. It was the simplest wireless system I've ever used. Setup was brain-dead simple. Once I had it connected, I took the bridge unit and a laptop to every room in the house. I got a strong, fast connection everywhere. Even in the basement, where I have never been able to get a connection at all.
I now have eight units around the house. Each unit is connected to a network switch, and connected to those are 12 computers, four TiVos, and a couple of network printers. And it's a huge benefit to be able to plug standard network switches into the units, and not have to put wireless adapters on all the computers.
After I had installed four of the units, I started experiencing connection drops and very poor performance. I did some web searches, and based on some recommendations I found, I turned off the WISH feature on all the units. Bingo... I was back to full speed and rock solid connections everywhere in the house.
I also don't believe in letting boxes make their own decisions about things. So where there's a choice, I select the best option so the box doesn't have to think about it.
So in the 'Wireless Settings' section of the configuration, I set:
- 802.11 Mode to '802.11n only'
- WPA Mode to 'WPA2 only'
- Cipher Type to 'AES'
This is a fantastic product. I recommend it to anyone who needs wireless access.
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Easy to install, very versatile device, April 14, 2008
By user (Traveller)
It is one of the best networking equipment that I have in my home today !! To test this, I use this to transmit huge HD DVD files and this thing just flies. I think the 5Ghz makes it interference free and makes this kind of data transfers possible - forget about this kind of speeds in 2.4 GHz.
From the looks, it looks like a very complicated device to setup, even though I am a gadget wizard - I hate to configure devices that are difficult to install.
This netgear device was very easy to install, almost could it use it out of the box - I configured unit 1 to my cable modem and unit 2 to my apple TV.
The best part is that like one of the other reviewers noted, I do not have any deadspots in my wireless network in my home.
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It Just Works, April 4, 2008
By user (Portland, Oregon and the sunny Caribbean)
I got the package from the UPS man, opened it, followed the directions on the box and was up and running in about ten minutes. I suppose if I was a techie, I'd've been running sooner. Using one of the included ethernet cables, I hooked one of the access points to my router, leaving the setting on automatic. Then using the other ethernet cable, I hooked the other access point to my brand spanking new Apple TV Box and voila, I can stream stuff straight from my brand new Dell XPS 1 straight to my TV.
When I ditched my old computer and decided to upgrade, I didn't think about putting my desktop on my television, didn't know why I'd ever want to do that. But go to hulu dot com and you'll find lots of movies and TV shows you can stream for free and it's nice to see them on my TV. The video is crystal clear, not herky jerky at all.
I'm not a gamer, don't have an X-Box or Playstation, so I can't comment on how well the wireless gaming experience would be, but judging from how these goodies handle video, I'm betting they'll work just fine for gamers. I'm very satisfied with Netgear.
Reviewed by Captain Katie Osborne
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Great Wireless Bridge, March 31, 2008
By user (Ptown, CA)
SO I bought this almost a month ago and wanted to review it after a good testing. First let me tell you what I paired this with - the netgear WNR3500 (wireless N Gigabit router). And although the setup of the router was a bit akward using a cd-rom it worked out decently. But I digress. After the set up of my router I attached these 2 bridges and it was pretty simple. Almost as simple of pushing buttons but setup may neccesitate logging into the router to establish the initial connection... With that in mind the performance has been awesome! I have not had any disconnections and it provides amazing coverage throughout the house upstairs and downstairs. No deadspots in the house and connection to my laptop is consistently 300 mbps. Definitely worth the purchase.
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Great. Fewer wires...more footprints...Hmmm..., March 27, 2008
By user (State College, Pa.)
Anyone who has had the *pleasure* of setting up a wireless network with a Netgear router will probably have a bit of reluctance about jumping into the fray again with another product from that manufacturer but this kit is at the other end of the spectrum, as long as you ignore the supporting material.
These little boxes which by the way, offer a nice contrast to the Netgear 834B router (I'm into symmetry in my work area) have a great deal of flexibility and utility, even if streaming video and gaming are not priorities. I have one unit configured as an access point linked by Ethernet to my router and the other unit installed two floors below as a bridge via Ethernet to another desktop. My primary PC has Vista; the secondary employs XP Pro and both work nearly flawlessly with these units. I also have a laptop with a wireless adapter and thus far, I haven't found any dead areas anywhere in the house. I have noticed a slight reduction in processing speed on the XP desktop compared to a hardwired connection directly to a cable modem but for most applications, and I would surmise home-based users, the difference will not be significant. The units communicate under 802.11n draft standards and are backward compatible. The documentation claims speeds up to 270Mbps but since my wireless adapter is under the 802.11g standard, I can only accept the representations. I also tested the bridge capability on a digital cable DVR via Ethernet and I was able to identify the box on the network but that's not a use that is critical to me at present.
The kit comes with two access/bridge units, two power adapters, two Ethernet cables and a setup CD. The setup wizard is where any problems, you may incur will commence. The units have to be configured for the individual network but the configuration assistant interface makes it more difficult than it has to be. Each unit has a unique security pin that has to be recorded for the network but each unit can be hooked up by Ethernet to a router and configured as access points rather than trying to initially install one as a bridge. There is a switch on the back of each unit that allows selection of AP, bridge or auto. If a unit is set to auto, once it is in place, it will determine functionality based on the devices in communication with it. That said, configuration on the router login site can be accomplished in one of three ways: (1) By push button, (2) by entry of the security pin or, (3) the units can be powered up and discovered under the wireless network device manager. A manual in PDF format can also be found on the setup CD.
Any upgrades to firmware can be automatically downloaded when the user signs on to the website. I noticed another reviewer apparently encountered some difficulty with customized security designations but in my case I had already established a security-enabled network with my Netgear router so my pre-established security keys were automatically transferred. Supposedly, these units are compatible with most routers. As noted my system is already under the Netgear platform so I can't address the validity of that pronouncement.
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Fantastic, March 26, 2008
By user (Enid, Oklahoma)
Easy is the word! The networking kit takes only minutes to set up and you're on your way. Lightning fast speed with both Wii and XBox. Very strong signal. Great video. This is my first wireless router, so I have nothing to compare it to. But suffice it to say that even a beginner like me found this system easy to use and was amazed at just what all I could do with it. Highly recommended!
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