I combined this with the Netgear - WAG511 on a WinXP laptop.

May stump some real beginners to the networking field as the documentation leaves a little to be desired. I am able to get a strong signal from my porch and every room in my house.

Recommendations, combine this with a multi protocol PC Card to ensure that you get a good signal, add powered entenna's to strengthen the signal, locate this within eye shot of your favorite seat for maximum performance and remember that the internet moves at a much slower rate than this connection at 28% throughput.

I am still glad I bought this product, but it is shocking to me that the system doesn't always get good reception from but one room away (It works, but not always particularly well).

I should mention how the system works speedwise. It's speeds are significantly higher than the 802.11b, but there is more of a lag. So, you might go to a website, get a slight lag where nothing shows up on the page, and then boom... it all appears instantaneously. I am sure that some of this delay is because I've created another point for data to go through - I am using this system through my SMC barricade.

The Netgear HE102 does NOT have a firewall built into it, and so you should really should route this system through one for added security.

So, should you buy and use this? Yes and no, depending upon your set-up.

NO: If you live in a big home where you don't have to worry about outside disturbances (ie multiple microwave ovens and 2.4 gig phones.) In this situation go with 802.11b for the greater range at a lower price.

YES: If you need to move massive amounts of data though your network. 802.11a is MUCH faster when it works, and you do notice the difference with larger files.

YES: If you live in a high density area such as a condominium were you have to worry about interference from your neighbors. This netgear system will bypass most interference since it operates at a higher frequency, and the lessend range actually becomes an advantage since it means you are less likely to get interference from other 802.11a systems as well.

The set-up was very easy. One of the easiest installations I have ever had. It was not working at first, and just as I was ready to call Netgear I realized that I did not have the stupid cable modem plugged in to the access point. Once I plugged it in, I was rocking and rolling in literally seconds.

Ensure that you set up the infrastructure properly. The WAP setup screen defaults the NETID name to blank. Most adapters default to, oddly enough, "default". If you are having problems getting more that about 10 feet away, double check this.

Do not expect help from Netgear's technical support if you
buy this product. Long hold times await you if you call them.
If you post a question via e-mail, you will receive a useless
response.

When I tried to call technical support, I was on hold for 30
minutes then disconnected. Then I posted my questions to
technical support via e-mail. In response, I received an 11
character to tracking number "To help us provide you with the
best possible service, please refer to this number with all
correspondence or if you call Customer Support regarding this
matter."

I wrote back asking for help, not a tracking number. This
time the response said "Use the following link to view the case
on-line:", followed by a link back to Netgear's web page. Upon
clicking on the link, however, I was denied access to the very
link provided by technical support.

After much trouble shooting, we found and corrected the
problem that precluded this device from working. The problem was
that an ethernet card in the PC conflicted with the companion
product, the Netgear 802.11a Wireless PCI Adapter. The ethernet
card had priority over the wireless card. Removing the ethernet
card solved the problem. Nothing in the User's Guide alerted us
to this potential problem.

Had technical support been any good, I would not have lost
10 hours in getting it to work. The equipment works well,
but the inclination is not to mess with it once you get it
working.

In spite of the terrible technical support that I
received from Netgear, I reluctantly give this product 4 stars.
Once installed and configured, it works as advertised.
Netgear loses a star for unacceptable technical support.

Well now I know why. I had a really open mind when going into it and expected a lot of great things from the 11a standard. Boy was I wrong.

Reading the few reviews that are out there, people say that 11a "may have problmes negotiating through walls and other obsticals". This has got to be the biggest understatement of the year. Using a 25 ft network cable wich I use to network my 2 computers together, I attached one end to the AP and moved it about 15 feet away from the computer to another room. The moment the AP rounded the corner, my connection up and died. The best I could do was get an intermittent connection that wouldn't stay up long enough to field an IP address from my AP.

Now as long as I was about 8ft away and in line of site with the 11a network adapter, I recieved the quoted 54 to 77 Mb/s advertised. As far as I am concerned 11a is not ready for any form of use. The 5GHz bandwidth is just too unstable when it comes to negotiating corners or walls. Whats the point of wirless if the AP has to be in the same room as the wireless network adapter?

Stay away from this technology. If you really need wireless, save a few bucks and go 802.11b. Its sill by far the most stable. Or if you really need the speed, do what I am going to do....... wire your house with CAT5.

I picked this NetGear product because I have had good experiences with their products in the past, and hadn't really heard anything particularly bad about this product. When it arrived, I was VERY impressed. I simply plugged it in, connected it to my Ethernet hub, put my new network card into my laptop (I bought the NetGear HA501 at the same time), and viola! It just worked! No complicated setting to configure, nothing to change on my laptop, my network, nothing. And its range is outstanding.

Also, for those of you trying to decide between 802.11a and 802.11b, choose 802.11a. While you might see just a little perceived increase in speed, the reliability of your connection is so much better. With 802.11a you don't have to worry about microwaves, cell phones, cordless phones, and other devices interfering. With 802.11b there is so much interference that connections can (and do) drop or be very flaky.

Good luck!