Gives our assessment of this device in this Netgear WN2500RP WiFi extender review. Now we bought this extender some years ago. We got it to strengthen WiFi coverage throughout the garage and the swimming pool area. Worked pretty well over all.
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: The Problems This Extender Solves
Weak and Spotty WiFi
Until then, the WiFi signal from the main house quickly grew weak. Then if you moved outdoors, and beyond about 100 feet, it faded completely.
Plus, the WLAN speed would fall to a snail’s pace at even shorter distances. Even in the strong signal conditions but a few feet away from the house, WiFi was sensitive to motion. E.g. It worked well as long as you kept mobile device still. But it would slow with just a small nudge of the client.
In the garage, we could only connect to the main WiFi network in certain spots close to the kitchen door. And then only, at very low bit rates (less than 3 Mbps). The smart TV out there, at the far end of the garage, could not connect at all. So instant Netflix video streaming was out. Further, running an Ethernet cable the hundred feet or so from the DSL router was not feasible.
It Boosts the Signal
But the Netgear WN2500RP WiFi extender fixed much of that. With it, those fringe areas moved farther away from the house. It indeed cleared up the “flaws” in our pool and garage network. It beefed up the weak signals at the deep end of the pool, which was a big help. The WN2500RP destroyed dropouts, pauses, stutters, and lost links while streaming internet radio stations on a floating portable radio.
Yet the Netgear WN2500RP WiFi extender needs no physical (wired) Ethernet connection to the main DSL router. It supports streaming internet radio stations in the garage. Plus we can watch Netflix movies on the smart TV, with far fewer buffering delays and dropouts. And the inherent bandwidth reduction in repeating range extenders does not seem to impact these activities much.
At less than a hundred dollars, the WN2500RP is a cheap, simple to use networking solution. Once you configure it to repeat your main wireless network, it works quite well. And we apprecitate its FastLane technology, which enhances video streaming performance.
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: Benefits, Features, Pros, and Advantages
Straight forward Setup
You get a well-illustrated Installation Guide in the package. A Users Guide with setup instructions is also available at the Netgear support web site. See the references section below for a link to it.
Defers need to Upgrade Router
True. You could extend your primary WAP / router’s range by purchasing a higher power model. This usually costs well into the hundreds of dollars. Also, you may not be able to upgrade your primary router. This might be the case if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) owns the router. And perhaps they do not offer a better unit as an upgrade.
But this sub-one-hundred dollar solution, accomplishes the wireless range extending about as well. Yet it does so for significantly less money. So you can get the increased range and reliability, and you get that without having to buy a new router.
Internal Antennas
No external antennas to come loose, flop over, or lose.
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: Lots of Status Lamps
Multi-color Lights for both the 2.4 and 5 Ghz. network extensions glow, to show how good the connection is. We also have the following lamps…
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- Power.
- Link status between wireless clients and the WN2500RP.
- Lights for each LAN port. These glow green when an active wired connection exists there.
- The WPS lamp. This flashes when the extender is listening for WPS clients.
Few Buttons
All buttons and switches are located on the back panel, including the WPS activation, RESET, and Power ON / OFF.
Dual Band WiFi
Receives and transmits on both the 2.4 and 5 Ghz. bands at the same time.
Has a Repeater Function
The Netgear WN2500RP WiFi extender expands network range. It does this by re-transmitting data that it gets through its sensitive antennas and powerful radios.
Bridging Function
You can connect Ethernet devices like wired Internet radios, desktop computers, and DVRs to your main WAP. Do this through the wireless link you create between this unit and your primary WAP. So this is excellent for bringing Internet into a remote office. True, that office may be close enough to receive your main Wi-Fi. But it is too far away to run Ethernet cable to. Thus using the bridging function works quite well in this situation.
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: WiFi Setup is Easy
You can set this up via its Genie web site. This allows wireless devices (tablets and smart phones) to connect to it via WiFi. Then you can run setup (http://www.mywifiext.net) from them. Then once set up, you can also connect to this extender’s SSIDs, and again, access the setup pages.
The Genie Web Site
The Genie web server, comes with most recent consumer grade Netgear products. So setup on these products works very much the same from device to device. So if you’re familiar with how to set up another Netgear device, you’ll feel right at home on the WN2500RP.
Has Four Ethernet Ports
Think of this as a 4-port Ethernet switch, but with wireless capability as well. It will locally connect Ethernet-bound PCs, radios, et al. But this extender also extends your main Ethernet hub. It does so via the wireless link that it creates with your primary access point.
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: Works from Any In-Range Location
To extend your WiFi in a different direction, just move the WN2500RP closer to where you need stronger signal. Once configured, the extender will rebroadcast your primary WAP from any spot that is still in range. Easy to move too. You just unplug the extender. Take it where you need better WiFi. Then plug it in there.
Supports WiFi Protected Setup (WPS)
You may connect WPS enabled wireless devices to the extended networks hosted by this range extender. However, you cannot connect the extender to your primary wireless networks with WPS. You must explicitly choose the SSIDs to which you’re connecting, and enter the correct passwords for each.
Secure WiFi Links Throughout
Not only are links from wireless clients to this unit secure. But so are those from this extender back to the primary Wi-Fi network that you’re extending. This unit offers the WEP, WPA, and WPA2 security options on its output SSIDs.
Extends Both 2.4 and 5 Ghz. WiFi Networks at the Same Time
The Netgear WN2500RP WiFi extender creates two new SSIDs; one for 2.4 Ghz., and one for 5 Ghz. During setup, you enter the names (SSIDs) you want each of these to utilize.
Popular AC Power Supply
Comes with a 12-volt, 1 Amp., 12 watt switching power adapter. Easily replaced if it fails.
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: Silent Running
No fans to draw in dust or make noise. Very quiet.
Fast Boot Up
The extension wireless networks appear less than a minute after unit power on.
Two Year Warranty
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: Cons, Problems, Concerns, Drawbacks, and Limitations
Small Footprint
This N600 is easy to knock over, as it stands, on its thin side, oriented vertically as pictured above. So, we recommend stowing this device inside a cabinet, well away from foot traffic. E.g. Put it behind an entertainment center or couch. However, the unit does include some snap-on feet to limit this falling hazard.
Not a Router
This is a range extender and network switch only. It neither allocates IP addresses to local clients, performs any network address translation (NAT), nor provides firewall functionality. Instead, it passes any requests for these functions on to the primary Wi-Fi network.
No Gigabit Ethernet Support
The four back panel RJ45 ports are Fast Ethernet MAX only (10/100BASE Tx).
No Cross Connecting of Extended and Extension Networks
That is, you cannot extend a 2.4 Ghz. WiFi network with the 5 Ghz. extension SSID on this extender. You can only set up the 2.4 Ghz. extension SSID to repeat a 2.4 Ghz. primary network. Also, the 5 Ghz. extension network can only re-broadcast a 5 Ghz. WiFi network. But it would be nice if you could “cross wire” the 2.4 and 5 Ghz. primary networks and extensions. However, such a feature might confuse novice users and network admin beginners.
Netgear WN2500RP WiFi Extender Review: Our Rating
This Netgear WiFi N600 WN2500RP range extender uses true “set it and forget it” design. Once set up, just tuck it away somewhere. So long as you vent place well, it just keeps going. This is good for those who don’t care to ever look at the status lamps.
For most casual network users do not need to see the unit very often. Indeed, if you can find the network extension SSIDs on your WiFi devices, this extender is probably working fine. We’ve never noticed it locking up or crashing, and it seems to recover well from primary network outages. It automatically reconnects when the primary WiFi network comes back online.
Definitely slower performance than when you connect right to the primary net. But the extension networks are still highly usable; especially in areas where the primary signal is weak. In this situation, you may even see INCREASED bandwidth and performance through the extensions. This unit thus, does what it claims to do, and we like it. So we rate the WN2500RP at 96 out of 100.
Disclaimers
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- The observations in this piece we made, running:
- Firmware version: V1.0.0.11_1.0.36_wizard_fix
- Hardware version WN2500RP
- GUI language version: V1.0.0.10_2.1.9.1
- The observations in this piece we made, running: