Netgear WNR2000

Posted 01/19/2010 at 5:19pm | by Michael Brown

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It gets better with range

If you're sensitive about how your gear fits in with your decor, Netgear's unremarkable WNR2000 won't call much attention to itself.

Unlike the Linksys WRT120N, Netgear’s WNR2000 does carry the Wi-Fi Alliance’s 802.11n certification, but that logo didn’t help this router perform any better in our benchmark tests. On the other hand, this was one of the few routers able to maintain a usable connection in both of our long-range outdoor tests.

Netgear’s router was barely faster than the Linksys at close range, delivering anemic TCP throughput of just 47.1Mb/s, compared to the WRT120N’s equally paltry 45.4Mb/s. But the WNR2000 was slower than the rest of the field with the client on the patio (TCP throughput of 14.7Mb/s), and its performance dropped to the single digits when the client was located in the bedroom and in the media room (5.1- and 5.0Mb/s, respectively). We wouldn’t recommend this product to anyone interested in wireless media streaming unless the client is very close to the router.

Netgear’s Live Parental Controls, powered by OpenDNS and included at no additional cost, will present the best challenge to kids looking for the seamy side of the web. Engaged at its highest setting, the router automatically blocks access to not only pornography sites, but also video- and music-sharing services, gaming sites, Facebook, MySpace, and other sites Netgear defines as “general time wasters.”

<< Back to the Router Index

• Asus RT-N13U
  

• Belkin N Wireless F5D8236-4
  

• D-Link DIR-615 (Rev. B2)
  

• Linksys WRT120N
  

• Trendnet TEW-652BRP
  

Netgear WNR2000

The Good

Usable long-range connection; Live Parental Controls at no additional cost.

The Bad

Anemic TCP throughput; slower than comparable routers from a distance of 38 feet.

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