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The Netgear WN3500RP Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender is a simple and easy way to extend your home network. All you have to do is plug in the extender to a wall outlet and press the WPS button it and then press the same button on your WPS enable router and within a few seconds your network is extended.
Netgear WN3500RP Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender Features
The Netgear Range Extender is designed to be plugged in directly at a wall outlet or to be setup as a desktop device. It comes with a wired plug and base to use at your desk in addition to the wall plug mount.
Information taken directly from the Netgear product page.
WN3500RP WiFi Range Extender not only boosts your dual band WiFi, but also allows you to stream songs to a connected speaker using Airplay or DLNA. You can also plug your printer into the USB port and use AirPrint® to wirelessly print from your iPhone or iPad. Also, you can connect 1 wired device like Smart TVs, gaming consoles to your wireless network.
- Extends dual band WiFi coverage
- Connect iPads®, smartphones, and more
- Works with any standard WiFi router or gateway
- Wirelessly stream music to your audio system
- Compatible with AirPlay®
Review: Netgear WN3500RP Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender
Last spring I picked up the Netgear WN3500RP Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender along with a new Asus router. I picked up the range extender along with the router because I knew up front that even with how well wireless N works and extends father than older networks that the size of my house and surrounding out buildings that needed coverage that a router alone couldn’t cover.
To my surprise, the extender works as designed and boosts enough signal that I can get a signal out in the yard and I don’t have to worry about using mobile data when I need to stream a video related to the outdoor project I’m working on.
I setup the device on the edge of my router’s wireless range and pressed the WPS button to connect to the network. I then pressed the button on my router to connect to the network.
If your router doesn’t have a WPS button then you will have to manually configure the router via your web browser. Just follow the instructions it isn’t to hard to follow and complete.
What I don’t like about this model is that it is large and sticks out to far from the wall plug. Its awkward to hide. Once plugged in, it so heavy it sags a little in the wall and if its bumped, it powers down to easy. If you use it as a desktop device or hide it way on a top shelf, it isn’t as big of deal.
For those that need a seamless one network device, you need to look for a network bridge and not a extender. Because this device is an extender it creates a separate secured network using your router settings. So that means you and your users will need to log into each network and set to automatically connect.
Once you have those settings, your mobile devices should switch networks as needed. For most this method isn’t a big deal. But if you run a server environment, this setup may complicate things.
Overall, I like the Netgear WN3500RP Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender, but if I were to purchase another extender I would look at the another version or look at another brand. This one is just to big to deal with. But for the price, it may be worth the hassle.
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