450Mbps

Cisco Systems released the original Linksys E4200 in January, which turned out to be a formidable wireless router.

Now as the year is ending, the company announced today the second version of the same router. And the Linksys E4200 v2 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 turns out to be one of the best, if not the best, router of the year.

The new E4200 v2 looks exactly the same as the original on the outside, with a sleek-looking design that looks more like an expensive jewelry box than a router. On the inside, however, it packs much more power than the … Read more

The WNDR3800 N600 Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Router isn't intended to be Netgear's top-of-the-line wireless router for homes. That's the role of the WNDR4500, which makes no compromises and offers 450Mbps wireless speed on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

However, in our testing, we found that the WNDR3800 is arguably the best router among those recently announced by Netgear. For one, despite the fact that it only supports the 300Mbps standard, its real-world data rates on the 2.4GHz band are better than the WNDR4800's.

Furthermore, the WNDR3800 offers something that its big brother doesn't: it can host a USB external hard drive as a personal cloud storage option. It even comes with a piece of software called ReadyShare Cloud PC-Agent, which enables VPN-like access for the remote computer, as though the remote computer were in the same local network as the router.

On the other hand, the WNDR4500's storage capability is limited to that of a local network.

The router also offers great range and signal stability. It comes with a helpful Netgear Genie desktop application and a very easy-to-use and robust Web interface that both help novice and advanced users alike to set up and manage a network.

At a street price of around $150, it's a good choice for homes and home offices.

For more information on the WNDR3800's features and performance, check out CNET's full review of the Netgear WNDR3800 N600 Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Router.… Read more

Netgear announced today the availability of its latest wireless router, the N900 wireless-dual band gigabit router (model WNDR4500).

This is first true dual-band router from the company, and the second submitted for a CNET review, that offers the new 450Mbps speed on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The first was the TEW-692GR from Trendnet.

While the Trendnet TEW-692GR doesn't offer much else, the N900 on the other hand is also the first of its kind to incorporate two USB ports to host USB external storage devices and printers. Physically, the N900 is one of the biggest routers … Read more

The N750 Wireless Dual-Band WNDR4000 is the first true dual-band router from Netgear that offers the new 450Mbps speed on the 5GHz band. This means it competes directly with Cisco's Linksys E4200, which was released a while ago.

Apart from the guest networking feature, which lets you create separate Internet-only wireless networks for guests, the Netgear seems to trail behind the E4200 on almost all other counts. It's in no way a bad router, however.

As a matter of fact, it topped the chart on the 2.4GHz band in our close-range throughput test, registering a sustained real-world … Read more

Three-stream (3x3) Wireless-N routers capable of offering the new 450Mbps speed (as opposed to the 300Mbps of most N routers) have been available for a while (examples: the Linksys E4200 or the Trendnet TEW-691GR ). But unless you have a laptop with a built-in Intel 6300/5300 Ultimate N adapter, you can't take advantage of this faster speed. Until now.

Trendnet announced today that it's shipping what it calls the first USB 3x3 Wireless-N adapter on the market: the 450Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter (model TEW-684UB). The device lets you upgrade your computer to support the faster wireless speed.

Like most recent N devices, the adapter features advanced multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. Its antennas, however, can handle three streams, instead of two, and therefore generate a maximum wireless throughput of 450Mbps. The device is dual-band, meaning it can work with both 2.4GHz or 5GHz wireless networks, and incorporates Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) that allows for connecting to wireless networks with the touch of a button.

Unlike most wireless adapters, which are shaped like a thumbdrive, the Trendnet TEW-684UB is much larger, about the size of a mini router and requires a separate USB cable to connect to a computer. This design means it's better suited for desktop computers than laptops. Apart from 450Mbps wireless networks, it's also compatible with existing regular 300Mbps and lower speed Wireless-N routers.

The 450 Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter TEW-684UB adapter comes with a three-year warranty. It's available now and estimated to cost around $80.… Read more

As promised, the review of the Cisco Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Dual-Band Wireless-N Router, the very first true dual-band Wireless-N router that offers a 450Mbps ceiling speed, is now up.

And the router is the fastest we've seen among Wireless-N routers. It's quite unfair to compare it with others, however, as it is the first router that offers the higher 450Mbps speed on the 5GHz band. The only other router that offers this speed is the Trendnet TEW-691GR, but it works only on the 2.4GHz band.

The Linksys 4200's 2.4GHz band, on the other hand, … Read more

True dual-band 450Mbps Wireless-N routers were one of the main trends in networking during CES 2011, with Trendnet, Netgear, and D-Link announcing their own. Cisco, on the other hand, didn't make any announcements during the show, but it's now one of the first to have a 450Mbps true dual-band router on the market.

Cisco announced today that it now ships the new Linksys E4200 concurrent dual-band router, its first to offer the ceiling speed of 450Mbps on the 5GHz band. This is similar to the Netgear WNDR4000 and the D-Link DIR-857, which are not yet available for purchase.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--It's been getting more and more exciting in the wireless networking world recently since Trendnet shipped the first 450Mbps single-band Wireless-N router, the TEW-691GR, and announced yesterday the first 450Mbps true-dual band Wireless N router (model TEW-692GR).

Netgear today joined the party by announcing its first 450Mbps dual-band router, the N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (model WNDR4000).

Like those from Trendnet, Netgear's new networking device is based on the three-stream standard (or 3 by 3), in which each stream carries up to 150Mbps, hence the cap of 450Mbps.

The WNDR4000, however, unlike the TEW-692GR from Trendnet, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--If you plan on getting one of those new 450Mbps wireless routers and access points from Trendnet, such as the TEW-691GR or the TEW-692GR, you'll need wireless clients or adapters that can take advantage of the new higher speed.

Today the company announced a product of the sort, something it calls the "first 450Mbps Wireless-N gaming adapter," the TEW-687GA.

This is a wireless device that adds wireless capability to Ethernet-ready devices, such as computers, gaming consoles, televisions, media players, and so on. Traditionally, these devices have required a network cable to connect to a network.

Gaming … Read more