Netgear HE102 802.11a Wireless Access Point

NETGEAR's HE102 802.11a Wireless Access Point provides users untethered access to the network and Internet whether in their conference room, home, classroom or cafeteria. With the NETGEAR HE102 and other NETGEAR 802.11a products, you can create a network from the ground up or extend your wired network to accommodate new locations and users. With blazing speeds you can deploy high-bandwidth applications never before possible. Send and receive large files, including high-quality audio and video, anywhere in your business or classroom. Share presentations and collaborate on graphics-intensive projects without being tied to your desk. You'll immediately experience reliable, IEEE 802.11a LAN connectivity that's protected with industry-standard 64/128/152-bit WEP encryption.

1 Great unit for behind the NAT Firewall
All I did was plug it in and turn it on. I read a thousand reviews and this unit showed promise, I was shocked at the ease of installation!! Once I was online I was able to configure it through my web browser... Done!!

I combined this with the Netgear - WAG511 on a WinXP laptop.

May stump some real beginners to the networking field as the documentation leaves a little to be desired. I am able to get a strong signal from my porch and every room in my house.

Recommendations, combine this with a multi protocol PC Card to ensure that you get a good signal, add powered entenna's to strengthen the signal, locate this within eye shot of your favorite seat for maximum performance and remember that the internet moves at a much slower rate than this connection at 28% throughput.

2 Easy to install... but be sure you have all that you need...
It took me less than 10 minutes to get this up and running with my DSL line and my two remote pc's (one I installed the HA 311 PCI card, and the laptop with HA 501 cardbus). I have XP, and it was pretty much plug it in, and let it go to work. Then came the bad part... I couldn't network the two PC's, plus only one could use the DSL line at a time. So I did my reseach and found that you need a router/gateway to act as firewall (so you don't need to firewall the two pc's and thus they can network effectively) and to also allow simultaneous use of the DSL connection. I bought a Siemans 4 port router (circuit city 29.99 after a rebate) hooked it between the DSL and wireless access point and voila! Safety and shared DSL! All this extra work could have been saved had the product info on the Amazon site specified the need for a gateway/router... but I didn't find that out until I opened the box where in the manual it stated that you needed it for 'the recommended configuration'. It was still a good deal though, with the HE 102 Access Point costing less than ..., and the gateway ..., it was still cheaper than the NetGear HR 314 Wireless Router that performs both functions in one unit, but, sells for ... so I saved about ... bucks by accident. By the way, performance is great, though one site only gets 8Mbps throughput and a bit weaker signal, as my house has metal framing, but it is still waaay better that a 56k dialup!!! And I just love walking around the house with my laptop untethered, it is ever so cool.

3 Easy to use, still not up to 802.11b range though.
This system was EASY to install. Basically, you plug it in and it broadcasts. It's speed level is fantastic. However, I found that its range was not nearly as good as with my SMC 802.11b system.

I am still glad I bought this product, but it is shocking to me that the system doesn't always get good reception from but one room away (It works, but not always particularly well).

I should mention how the system works speedwise. It's speeds are significantly higher than the 802.11b, but there is more of a lag. So, you might go to a website, get a slight lag where nothing shows up on the page, and then boom... it all appears instantaneously. I am sure that some of this delay is because I've created another point for data to go through - I am using this system through my SMC barricade.

The Netgear HE102 does NOT have a firewall built into it, and so you should really should route this system through one for added security.

So, should you buy and use this? Yes and no, depending upon your set-up.

NO: If you live in a big home where you don't have to worry about outside disturbances (ie multiple microwave ovens and 2.4 gig phones.) In this situation go with 802.11b for the greater range at a lower price.

YES: If you need to move massive amounts of data though your network. 802.11a is MUCH faster when it works, and you do notice the difference with larger files.

YES: If you live in a high density area such as a condominium were you have to worry about interference from your neighbors. This netgear system will bypass most interference since it operates at a higher frequency, and the lessend range actually becomes an advantage since it means you are less likely to get interference from other 802.11a systems as well.

4 Not a Problem
I am writing this review from my second story bedroom about 50 feet or so from the access point. The speed is still great. Often better than what my company has through a T-1.

The set-up was very easy. One of the easiest installations I have ever had. It was not working at first, and just as I was ready to call Netgear I realized that I did not have the stupid cable modem plugged in to the access point. Once I plugged it in, I was rocking and rolling in literally seconds.

5 Another great Netgear product that meets expectations!
The HE102 is a great product that meets all of the expectations of 802.11a technology. Contrary to some other reviews here, this product does indeed work through walls, and work well! I am currently writing this on my laptop (with a netgear adapter) about 60 feet, one floor, and about 3 walls away. The utility shows about 18 MBPS transmit and 24 MBPS receive. Contrast that with the prior 802.11b system I also use that works at around 2-3 MBPS. The difference is that interference from our cordless phones do not kick off the signal randomly. Set up about 3 weeks ago and not one disconnect.

Ensure that you set up the infrastructure properly. The WAP setup screen defaults the NETID name to blank. Most adapters default to, oddly enough, "default". If you are having problems getting more that about 10 feet away, double check this.

6 Easy setup, but weak signal
I purchased the Netgear HE102 along with the HA501 cardbus card, after I had to return the Linksys WAP54A and WPC54A. There were many reasons why I had to return the Linksys. See my review of the WPC54A elsewhere on Amazon. At first, I was a little apprehensive about the Netgear after the Linksys saga. To my pleasant surprise, the Netgear's setup was a breeze. Every feature worked as advertised, including 152 bit WEP and Turbo Mode. I was able to set up the wireless LAN in less than 10 minutes. Actually, the thing practically worked right out of the box. And this is with Windows XP. Now that I have been using the network for a little while, I do have one minor complaint. There were a number of times when my connection was dropped. Although the WAP and the laptop were on different floors, the straight linear distance between the two is only about 50 feet. And I really don't expect the connection to drop in such short distance. Miraculously, the connection was okay in other parts of the house. So, you really need to play with the location, orientation, antennas, and channel selection of the WAP to achieve an optimal/compromised result. Since there is no guidance in how to do this, you have to experiment. It may take you a long time to find the right combination. After a couple of days of experimentation, I now settled on the one combination that gives me no dead spot in the entire house, but I have to give up on bandwidth. I don't get the full 72 Mbps unless the laptop is in the same room as the WAP. Everywhere else, 48 Mbps is the best that I can do, and it deteriorates very fast from there. From a different floor, I mostly get about 12 Mbps. This is a good compromise that is also acceptable for my purpose. Your mileage may vary.

7 poor technical support
The User's Guide for this product says "estimated setup time
is 10 to 15 minutes." It took me over 10 hours to get this
system to work in conjunction with a Netgear Wireless PCI
Adapter. I had to hire a network expert to get it to work.

Do not expect help from Netgear's technical support if you
buy this product. Long hold times await you if you call them.
If you post a question via e-mail, you will receive a useless
response.

When I tried to call technical support, I was on hold for 30
minutes then disconnected. Then I posted my questions to
technical support via e-mail. In response, I received an 11
character to tracking number "To help us provide you with the
best possible service, please refer to this number with all
correspondence or if you call Customer Support regarding this
matter."

I wrote back asking for help, not a tracking number. This
time the response said "Use the following link to view the case
on-line:", followed by a link back to Netgear's web page. Upon
clicking on the link, however, I was denied access to the very
link provided by technical support.

After much trouble shooting, we found and corrected the
problem that precluded this device from working. The problem was
that an ethernet card in the PC conflicted with the companion
product, the Netgear 802.11a Wireless PCI Adapter. The ethernet
card had priority over the wireless card. Removing the ethernet
card solved the problem. Nothing in the User's Guide alerted us
to this potential problem.

Had technical support been any good, I would not have lost
10 hours in getting it to work. The equipment works well,
but the inclination is not to mess with it once you get it
working.

In spite of the terrible technical support that I
received from Netgear, I reluctantly give this product 4 stars.
Once installed and configured, it works as advertised.
Netgear loses a star for unacceptable technical support.

8 Works right out of the box
Bought both the HA501 802.11a PC Card and HE102 802.11a wireless access point. Installed and ran out of the box. Driver installation is a snap. Setup is a snap with Windows/XP. No reboot necessary. Changing wireless network SSID and setting WEP encryption is easy as well. I ran in turbo mode 72Mbps inside my house and connect to the cable modem for internet access. Very fast and good range too.
Monitoring the stations connecting and changing TCP/IP config via the AP web interface is very easy too.

9 Works great..... if you are within 6 feet.
OK, so I work in the IT industry and I concider my self very well versed in current computer technology. 802.11a was a technology that has somewhat become burried since the huge hype it experienced at the start of this year. I always wondered why, and wondered why a lot of the major network hardware sites (i.e. Practicallynetworked.com) had very little to say or to review when it came to 802.11a products.

Well now I know why. I had a really open mind when going into it and expected a lot of great things from the 11a standard. Boy was I wrong.

Reading the few reviews that are out there, people say that 11a "may have problmes negotiating through walls and other obsticals". This has got to be the biggest understatement of the year. Using a 25 ft network cable wich I use to network my 2 computers together, I attached one end to the AP and moved it about 15 feet away from the computer to another room. The moment the AP rounded the corner, my connection up and died. The best I could do was get an intermittent connection that wouldn't stay up long enough to field an IP address from my AP.

Now as long as I was about 8ft away and in line of site with the 11a network adapter, I recieved the quoted 54 to 77 Mb/s advertised. As far as I am concerned 11a is not ready for any form of use. The 5GHz bandwidth is just too unstable when it comes to negotiating corners or walls. Whats the point of wirless if the AP has to be in the same room as the wireless network adapter?

Stay away from this technology. If you really need wireless, save a few bucks and go 802.11b. Its sill by far the most stable. Or if you really need the speed, do what I am going to do....... wire your house with CAT5.

10 Works great..... if you are within 6 feet.
OK, so I work in the IT industry and I concider my self very well versed in current computer technology. 802.11a was a technology that has somewhat become burried since the huge hype it experienced at the start of this year. I always wondered why, and wondered why a lot of the major network hardware sites (i.e. Practicallynetworked.com) had very little to say or to review when it came to 802.11a products.

Well now I know why. I had a really open mind when going into it and expected a lot of great things from the 11a standard. Boy was I wrong.

11 Works in a straight line
While this product works as advertised, I'll be returning it today. The problem is that there must be a DIRECT line-of-sight connection between the wireless access point and the wireless adapter. I couldn't make a connection if I was one room away, or sometimes even if there was a screen door and 15 feet between my notebook and the wireless access point. Forget using it on another floor of your house or out in the yard. If you can't see the antenna on the base unit your laptop will not be able to connect.

12 Easy install, fast speeds, great product, great experience
I did a lot of research before purchasing a solution for my home wireless network. I read a lot of horror stories about people having a hard time setting things up, connections dropping, etc., so I was a little spooked about spending a lot of money for something that might be a pain. Boy was I in for a surprise.

I picked this NetGear product because I have had good experiences with their products in the past, and hadn't really heard anything particularly bad about this product. When it arrived, I was VERY impressed. I simply plugged it in, connected it to my Ethernet hub, put my new network card into my laptop (I bought the NetGear HA501 at the same time), and viola! It just worked! No complicated setting to configure, nothing to change on my laptop, my network, nothing. And its range is outstanding.

Also, for those of you trying to decide between 802.11a and 802.11b, choose 802.11a. While you might see just a little perceived increase in speed, the reliability of your connection is so much better. With 802.11a you don't have to worry about microwaves, cell phones, cordless phones, and other devices interfering. With 802.11b there is so much interference that connections can (and do) drop or be very flaky.

Good luck!