NetGear Rangemax 240

We rejoice as we finally test a wireless router that comes close to Ethernet speeds.

When it comes to computer products with specifications that appear to be created by politicians, there are no more unbelievable specs than in wireless networking kits.

A quoted speed of 54Mbps usually means around 10Mbps, and that’s provided you’ve got no electrical wiring within 10km, the access point is three centimeters away from the NIC, and you’re using the kit whilst coated in freshly pureed cat gel (wtf? -Ed). As a result, when we received this 240Mbps kit from Netgear, to say we were skeptical is about the same as saying Angelina Jolie looks like a dog’s behind. So we were more than a little chuffed when it managed to blitz every other wireless kit we’ve seen to date, even if its claims of 240Mbps were rather lofty.

Unsurprisingly, considering it’s capable of such zippy speeds, it’s a MIMO based product with the core technology developed by Airgo Networks. If your PC houses secret plans to blow up Parliament, you’ll appreciate the support of both WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK encryption. However, both of these incur a massive bandwidth overhead.

So on to the tests. We set up the router via Ethernet cable to our host file server PC, then roamed around the floor of the apartment block with a laptop to test the bandwidth at various ranges. After being arrested by the police as a suspected terrorist reconnoitering the building, we locked down some pretty solid results. Unfortunately the router was limited to 100Mbps Ethernet ports, and we found at close range that this was maxed out.

Yes, finally wireless hits Ethernet speeds! However, after enabling 128 bit WEP, the speeds dropped by about 25%. At a distance of approximately 10 meters, the throughput dropped down to around 35Mbps, which could have something to do with the fact we were surrounded by 5 detectable Wireless LANs. As expected, a wireless network of this speed is going to cost you a pretty penny, but when performance is this admirable, it’s a small price to pay.