Review: Netgear WN3000RP Wi-Fi range extender

Range extenders are useful devices that improve your wireless network reach, ensuring it covers the nooks and crannies of your house without the need for further cabling and other complications.

Netgear’s WN3000RP is a fairly chunky unit that plugs straight into the mains outlet, with two moveable antennae on each side and an Ethernet jack for wired connectivity. Four green LEDs show status and link diagnostics – useful, but unfortunately, there’s no way to turn them off.

I set up the WN300RP in a socket upstairs, half-way between a bedroom and the downstairs Netgear WNDRMACv2 router. It was very easy to accomplish: press the WPS button on both devices, and the WN3000RP connects within seconds. Hooking it up to my Fritz!Box 7340 was similarly easy.

Unlike the Linksys RE1000 we reviewed in December 2011, the WN3000RP uses a unique SSID, so you’ll need to reconfigure devices to connect to it. Note that the WN3000RP is only single-band. It extends 2.4GHz 802.11 Wi-Fi, up to the N standard, but not 5GHz.

The improvement in signal strength was marked: from the initial -65dB to -75dB in the bedroom, the Wi-Fi signal jumped up to -50dB. That’s a five to eight-fold improvement, and it meant data zipped along at a steady 35 to 40Mbit/ps upstairs.

Good performance and easy set-up means the WN3000RP is a no-brainer to recommend, but don’t pay the $169 RRP for it; at $110 street price, it’s a much better buy.