54 Mbps Wireless Access Point, 802.11g
The Netgear WG602 Wireless Access Point simultaneously supports both IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g standard devices and networks. This dual mode capability protects your 802.11b wireless investment and, at the same time, has you ready for the up to five times faster 802.11g. Higher speeds expedite large file downloads and facilitate videoconferencing and the distribution and playing of high-quality multimedia content.
Network users can share a broadband Internet connection; access e-mail; download large files; videoconference; and distribute and play digital images, videos, and MP3 files. Easy to set up and use, Netgear's intuitive Install Assistant makes driver installation a cinch. And with up to 128-bit WEP encryption, you can rest assured that your wireless network communications are private. MAC address authentication offers enhanced security by ensuring only authorized users can access the network.
Thorough testing ensures quality and reliable operation, which Netgear backs up with a solid 3-year warranty. The WG602 is compatible with Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP.
1 Missing (important) information...
I bought a WG602 to extend my wireless network (being established by a WGR614) - after two hours of trying, I gave up and started searching the internet for results. Just then, my friend google *told* me that the WG602 only works with a limited number of other APs (the WG602 and WG302 seem to be the only ones compatible as far as I know..). But that doesn't seem to bother Netgear, they don't give any hint at all, neither on the package, nor on their website. This is a darned cheek! It's almost like having them say "Hey, we're selling cars!" and after buying one of them you discover its disability to drive...
CONCLUSION: If you need a AP, try it, it might actually work - if you need a repeater, just keep your hands of the WG602's!!!!
...words from a frustrated consumer...
2 Bridge functionality extremely limited
I bought this item, because, on the back of the box, it shows the WG602 being used as a bridge to connect to a WGT624 access point. This is extremely misleading, and well, plain wrong, as a couple of other reviewers have pointed out. I was on the phone with extremely unhelpful tech support (that they outsourced to India, I believe), and it took several hours of run-around for the support guy to actually admit that the two products are not compatible (he had to ask someone else). Had he researched this properly in the beginning, hours would have been saved. I was eventually informed (after being told to upgrade firware, change numerous settings, etc.) that the WG602 would only bridge to another WG602. THE BACK OF THE BOX IS WRONG! Don't buy this if you're looking for a bridge that's compatible with any other AP.
3 There are security issues with this product
The U.S. government has posted a security alert regarding this product (see http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/bulletins/o-159.shtml) and classifies its vulnerability as "HIGH RISK". As long as you get V2 you are OK but otherwise you are wide open to hacking.
4 Need to reboot daily
I've had this for about 3-4 months now. Really love Netgear products but this is the first one I've found disappointing. It seems to hang up about once a day and needs to have a hard reset (can't reach it via the web). Since its up in the attic this is a real pain. When I sent a question to the service group about this they told me to load the latest firmware (my message to them said that I was already running the latest firmware--I don't think they even read it). This replaced a Netgear "A" access point which was MUCH more reliable. On a positive note the signal strength is very good for B (nobody in the house is using G).
5 WG 602 very limited
Purchased the wg 602 to expand my current Netgear wireless system only to find out that as a repeater it will only work with another wg 602. The box that the AP came in shows a typical network setup utilizing a wgr 614 wireless firewall router and the wg 602. Why would netgear clearly show this compatibility when its not the case? Support on this issue was a joke.
6 Buy WG602 v2, not WG602
As of today, Amazon doesn't specify whether WG602 on this page is WG602 v2 or not. Product specification on this page indicates it is WG602. WG602 hardware isn't software upgradable to WG602 v2 which has WPA and other additional functionalities.
I purchased WG602 more than a year ago. It's been working fine without any trouble. Just like GW511, I was hoping WPA would be added to WG602 through firmware upgrade. However, Netgear released WG602 v2 which doesn't share the same firmware with WG602.
Irecommend you to confirm which version your are purchasing.
7 WG602v2 is a way to go. And it's fast!!!
WG602v2 is a lot better than the WG602 802.11g.
When you update the latest firmware, you'll get :
- Access Point
- Point to Point bridging
- Multipoint bridging
- Repeater
- Support for WPA-PSK
Compared to other access points with bridging, this AP is a lot cheaper. Detachable antenna also is a right way to increase your range. Just buy a 5.5dbi Omnidirectional antenna with RP-SMA connector, and you have a range of two times farther than before.
Works great with WG511. It's fast. Transfering a 50Mb file on
the network is only 20 seconds....
8 Read the fine print
I purchased this for two reasons: one, to bridge an ethernet desktop to an 11b network for now; and two, to use as an 11g AP later. Unfortunately, although the product description clearly states it can be used as an access point, bridge, or repeater, I couldn't configure it as anything other than an AP. The user manual shows "advanced" configuration screens that I simply couldn't find at all. I also couldn't get my changes to the wireless settings to "stick" (they'd go back to the defaults no matter how many times I clicked Apply).
It would behoove you to read the user manual before purchasing this product because its compatibility is limited: it can only act as a bridge or repeater in conjunction with another WG602v2 or a WG302 (and you still can't do WPA). Also, the product ships with a bright yellow note saying it's incompatible with the MA101.
I've used several other Netgear products. If you're looking for something attractive, simple, and built well, Netgear's great. But if you actually know a thing or two about wireless networking you might be disappointed in Netgear due to limited configurability, expandability, compatibility, interoperability, and performance.
9 Awesome
Just got this today and had it up and running in 15 minutes.
I get 100% signal strength throughout my entire condo and the lowest throughput I've seen is 36 MBPS on rare occasions. Usually is 48+
Extremely pleased. I've been using Netgear products for the past 7 years and they have all been great.
10 Poor SMA Connections
As a company we have now purchased 2 of the Netgear WG602 access points and are generally very happy with the overall performace and ease of configuration of this product, we currently have a wifi network spanning just over a mile with the use of external antenna's, however, a word of warning to any consumers that are planning to purchase this product with a view to using it with an external antenna.
The SMA connection an the rear of the access point is rather dificult to atatch a coaxial connection to due to the overhang of the rear of the case, once the connection was made, we were very suprised to find that the weight of the coaxial cable had quite easily pulled the pressed brass insert from the SMA connection completly out of the access point, personally i feel that this is quite a poor design and would have expected the brass insert to be threaded to avoid this problem.
But, these really are the only faults we found with this access point and are generally very happy with the performance..
11 Flakey
OK, I guess for some people, this works, but for me it simply doesn't. I have a sizable home network (10 wireless clients, file server etc.), and have now tried twice to replace my trusty Netgear ME 102 (802.11b) WAP with the WG602 (both the original and "v2" version - what ever "v2" means - yes it is actually printed on the machine as a "WG602v2"!!!). I use 128 bit WEP, and have a bridge (WGE101) between two wired lans.
Both times, the WG602 has failed. Of my wireless clients, the following refuse to keep a connection with the WG602
- Soundblaster Wireless
- Netgear WGE101 (Yes, their own product, same vintage, same series)
- Netgear WG511 (Again their own product and series)
I have spent at lease 20 hours so far on the phone with Netgear's support, changing firmware versions on pretty much everything I have on the network, and nothing fixes it.
I am glad this product works for some people, it really doesn't for me. I used to have an all Linksys network, and moved to Netgear because of similar issues with Linksys 4 years ago. I guess I will be moving back to Linksys once more, at least for the wireless portion.
12 keeps on working
i've had it running 24x7 for 10 months and have not had to mess with it once. it provides a strong signal all around a 2000 sf house plus in the basement! the signal strength appears the same regardless of where it is. setup was easy. i'm also using their pci cards in three computers.
would recommend netgear and this product.
13 Works Like a Champ
OK, I'm gonna have to laugh. Many of the reviews you see around the Web for electronics are laden with complaints about customer service. The reason I have to laugh is that I think this is more a symptom of our self-service society than any given company's customer service. I mean, I've been having issues with an item I ordered from Home Depot, and the hospital where my son is getting treatment has lost his blood samples and then lied about it.
But I digress. This product was a breeze to set up and has been working flawlessly for seven months. I've had several Netgear products in the past, and have never had a problem. I'm using encryption and MAC-filtering and both were easy to configure via the browser interface.
My only complaint is WPA support. This particular AP doesn't support it, and according to Netgear's website, never will. The "V2" will, but not this model. When I first purchased this, I was under the impression that 802.11g and WPA were synonymous. Apparently not. This AP is 802.11g compliant, but does not support WPA. If that is important to you, get the V2.
14 great product, so-so support
It took 2 calls and a fair amount of time dealing with tech support to get it to work with my PC and cable modem, but since then no problems and great connections.
15 The Jury is still out...
I will have to say, the inital set up was very easy on a Dell Laptop running WinXP. It was up and running in a matter of minutes. BUT, I started to run into problems when I tried to enable enryption - which I think is a must. After that, I simply could not connect to the internet!!!
I spent hours with their tech support, going over the same stuff - even a 2nd level tech - and they still couldnt get it to connect with any kind of encryption. I was told someone will call me within 24 hours, so we will see... So far, I am not pleased - I can't imagine waiting for Christmas day to try to get this thing up and running :(
12/27/03 Update: After talking with a couple of level 2 techs at Netgear who seemed to know what they were doing - I was able to get connected using the encryption but the connection would occasionally drop. I asked Netgear to send me out a new unit - and I am glad I did. It seems the unit I bought from Amazon a couple of weeks ago is already outdated! The one Netgear sent me is a WG602 v2
I was able to get the v2 version up and running in no time and everything at this point seems to be working great :)
I am rating this at 4 stars due to the poor tech support and manual that it comes with (they never did call me back - I had to call them again)
16 3 hours on tech support
I spent 3 hours with tech support and could not get it working properly. After the first 2 calls they had me buy a crossover CAT5 cable, then the 3rd call could not even get it working properly. Each time you call, expect to spend 30 minutes on hold before speaking to someone. Even the initial connection was flacky, one day it would not work and then work the next. My experience appears to be the same a several other reviews here.
17 poor customer service
Look, I'd probably give this 5 stars b/c the product quality is great.
But I can't freakin get to the config screen, though I'm usually pretty computer literate.
And calling their customer service line is a BIG FREAKIN WASTE OF TIME b/c after you get through the cascade of menu options, they tell you that they can't take your call due to the high call volume. I've called many times.
They suck.
18 Hope You Don't Need Tech Support
While many people who have purchased this product were able to plug it right in and go, I actually had some problems in the setup. The technical support by Netgear is horrible. If you have any problems you are going to spend a long time on hold and then speak with technical support people who only know how to fix the basic items that can go wrong. At this point I was referred to second level support and told I would receive a call back in 24 hours. Over a week has passed and I haven't received the phone call. I've since purchased a Linksys wireless router and PC card and was able to connect right away.
19 Defective product and lousy technical support
I bought this access point because it got such rave reviews for easy setup. I'm no slouch when it comes to computers, but I am no tech wiz either. This product just wouldn't work. The CD rom was defective so you couldn't access the guide. Then I could not log into the access point using the name or ip address. I had to go out and buy a special cable to connect to my computer. This I learned after 3 telephone calls to netgear with average waits on hold of 30 minutes. Then I could log on and change the settings, but found out that I had to reset all of the settings EACH time I wanted to change anything! I was told by netgear that this sometimes happens and that the product was still great. Well, it might be great, but I just returned it.
20 Their products have no warranty
Contrary to their claims, their products have no warranty at all (unless you pay for it). I have a 2 year old gateway router that had a 5 year warranty that stopped working one day so I called their tech support. The tech support person told me that since the product is over 90 days old and they do not manufacture it anymore, then I would have to contact their pay tech support line to get an RMA. If they are able to fix the problem over the phone line, then they will charge me, otherwise they will offer me an RMA number for a return. So basically you have to pay to use their warranty. A friend who is a lawyer is currently handling this situation.
21 Easy to setup -- working in less than 5 minutes
It took more time to unwrap the package than it did to set up the WAP and start surfing wirelessly. Without reading the instructions, I plugged the WAP into my Netgear RP614 router using the supplied Cat5 cable. I then plugged in the power supply and woke my Apple PowerBook. The PowerBook immediately recognized the WAP and was able to connect to the Internet. Amazing!
I then opened the manual and followed the instructions for configuring the WAP. I first went to the Netgear web page and installed the latest firmware upgrade (version 1.5.67). I then changed the password, turned on 128-bit WEP encrytion (for what it's worth), and enabled access control. The access control feature allows one to list the MAC address of the computers which are allowed to connect to the WAP. I have not yet tested wheter this feature works by denying access to unlisted MAC addresses, but I will later. I was able to get good signal in all the rooms of my 2000 square foot, wood frame house. The only difficulty I had was minor interference from a neighbor's Wi-Fi network. I turned on the interference robustness feature on my laptop computer and this problem went away.
My access speed through the WAP to the Internet is the same as if I were plugged directly into the router, that is, the WAP connection is faster than my cable modem connection (1.7 Mbps). I have not yet checked the computer to computer connection speed, but I will as soon as I get another computer with an 802.11g card.
22 Good product and there is room to grow
This is a good product. I can get the network connection in my entire house and the speed is petty good too. However it took me a little while to complete the installation. The installation instruction need to be more details especially in regrads to the default IP address 192.168.0.207.
23 A decent product with room to grow
Bought this to compliment my linksys 4-port router. Setup is simple and straightforward. Everything is up and running in 10 minutes with most of the time spent on configuring the client (linksys 802.11b PC CARD). The built-in management UI is taking a minimalistic approach comparing to my 802.11b linksys wireless router. I'd expect more improvements will come in future firmware updates. In terms of functionality/performance it's decent but less than what I expected. The signal strength tends to be between 45-100%. When accessing from 40 feet with two walls in-between, the signal strength drops to 45%. In comparison to the linksys wireless router, the linksys router has better signal and higher throughput in the 802.11b mode.
I received an Orinoco 802.11a/b/g combo card last night. It took me about 30 minutes to get everything going while I played around with different security modes and settings. Under g-mode operation with the Orinoco card, signal strength is higher than the b-mode/linksys combo. Overall I'm quite happy with the g-mode performance.
24 A serious addition to home WiFi
I really like this product. It's not often you see electronics that both look good as well as perform well. This one does. I bought this product because I had already invested in 802.11b for the home-based wifi network, yet wanted to be future-proof for next generation bandwidth as the office PC comes home often enough as well. I was also encouraged by Mr. Chen's review earlier as I planned to plug an access point into an SMC Barricade 4 port broadband router/firewall also. They do plug and play well. The Netgear product has the advantage on the SMC unit in signal strength and coverage based on my less than scientific home trial tests. The SMC unit is a great product itself, having performed flawlessly for over a year without having to touch it. However it is positioned in a basement office and does double duty as a print server so its mobility is challenged, hence an AP solution for broader wifi coverage both inside and out. The product was a breeze to set up and get working. I read a lot about having to change the tcp/ip setting of your network/PC to be able to access the AP and configure it - even the Netgear documentation says this, but it seems to me most people might overlook an obvious setup step. The product comes by default with DHCP, dynamic host config protocol "on" so it should get a tcp/ip address from your router/gateway that you've plugged it into and be "accessible" from the get-go, however if you have MAC address security enabled on your router (don't we all use MAC address and WEP mode on for wireless clients, no? - maybe you should...) then the AP when it boots to the LAN will be not get a connection to the router (DHCP server) because it cannot get a "connection" association to this device as its hardware MAC address hasn't been entered / allowed / registered, if you didn't do this before trying to integrate the AP into your LAN. The result is a timeout, and its default tcp/ip address of 192.168.0.227 is assigned which in most cases means you can't see it via. its very well done browser interface. If you make sure the router/DHCP server has the AP MAC address (found on the back of the AP device) entered into the router/hub association list first, then when you boot the AP it will be able to connect and then be given a tcp/ip address from the sub pool of address range you have configured in the DHCP server and hey presto, you get to see it without going through the pain, anguish and hair pulling exercise of network configuration usually associated with switching a new toy on. Good looking, superior performance and you can't beat the price...
25 On my third one now
I am on my third one of these access points now. Both boxes simply stopped responding and wouldn't reset. Netgear technical support was no help either. My advice, try the Linksys box first.
26 Why did I wait so long to go wireless ....
I just got this a week ago along with a Netgear WG511 PC Card. It looks really neat. And works great. The setup was a breeze. I just connected the access point to an ethernet switch connected to the router. Installed the PC card and it immediately detected the WLAN. Configuring the access point took a little while because my network's IP range is from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.255. The access point comes with a preset IP address of 192.168.0.227. To access the AP from a PC that is connected to my network over ethernet, I had to change the IP address of that PC to start with 192.168.0. The PC card shows the signal strength as "EXCELLENT", "VERY GOOD", "GOOD", "LOW", "VERY LOW" etc. I did some benchmarking on this. In the same room, the signal strength is shown as "EXCELLENT". I copied 25MB of files from the other PC to my notebook. It took 1 min 7 seconds. Over an ethernet connection between the same two computers, it took only 53 seconds. Then I took the notebook to another room (2 walls) and the signal strength was shown as "VERY GOOD". With 3 walls in between it was still "VERY GOOD". Interesting thing is that I didn't see any noticeable delay in copying the same 25MB files. I took the notebook to upto about 180ft (2 walls in between). The signal strength became "VERY LOW" and it also got disconnected after a while. With more than 2 walls in between, irrespective of the distance, it becomes very unreliable. I keep my access point in the basement in a corner room. I cannot get signal on my ground floor at the opposite corner of the house. I think it is safe to assume that we should get upto 200 ft with no walls in between.
27 Greatness
I just bought the Netgear WG602 about a week ago, and I am very impressed. I also purchased the Netgear 54G Wireless PC Card. Both items work great. All I did was connect the ethernet cord (that comes with the access point) from my existing D-Link wired router and into the Netgear access point. Then I installed the PC Card software on my laptop and rebooted and done. It was up and running in 10 minutes. At about 1 foot I was connected at 100% out in the living room about 30 feet away through one wall it was between 78-86%. Then about 60 feet away through 4-5 walls it was 60%. Even at 60% the connection flew. It was just like I was connected through a wire. I then walked outside my house about 200 feet and was still connected. My dad has a Linksys 802.11b access point and can only go about 40 feet. It seems the 802.11g makes a big difference on signal strength. The access point is very stylish and the stand works great. You need to point the antenna in the right direction to make a stronger connection. Another plus is that you can replace the antenna with a more powerful one if needed. You need to secure the access point soon after you set it up. I went into the setup features of the access point and turned on authentication type to shared key. Then I turned on WEP and used the passcode feature by typing in a word. Then I turned on MAC security and added the PC card's MAC address (which I found in the About tab) to the allowed addresses. Then I rebooted the access point. At this point of course the laptop could not connect because it was not using WEP so I went to the PC card and told it to use WEP security and used the same passcode that I had used on the access point. And then told the Netgear Wireless PC card to re-scan. It found the access point and the entire setup including tight security was done.
28 fast and well designed
I purchased this product to replace a failed Linksys device. The Neatgear is faster and has a longer range (both with 802.11b). In both hardware build and software quality Netgear seems to be a more refined and tested brand than Linksys.
I don't yet have a card to try the faster 802.11g that is supported by this device.
29 Excellent Access Point!
I purchased this access point about a month ago for my girlfriend's house. Her existing setup consisted of a Zoom cable modem connected to an SMC Barricade 4 port broadband router/firewall. I went over to her house, plugged an ethernet cable into the router and the acess point, plugged in a wireless PC Card into her laptop, and it was ready to go. All together no more than 15 minutes to get it up and running.
I haven't had a chance to play with the advanced features and security, but from the initial setup, I have to say that I'm impressed, perfect for networking newbies (although I am not, I like the idea that this hardware is easy to use and easy to set up, as all hardware should be).
Performance wise, I couldn't be happier. As a test, I had the AP set up in a room on the second floor of her house and walked outside with the laptop. Roughly 70-80% connection quality around 3/4 of the exterior of the house and roughly 50-60% connection quality on the farthest side of the house, which is not bad IMO considering it's going through several walls. The AP also works flawlessly with both 802.11b and 802.11g clients.
Although when a "b" client connects, all "g" clients are dropped to 11Mbps, this is a behavior that is common to all current generation "g" chipsets. I am a "b" client while all the users in my gf's house are "g" clients, works flawlessly.
Aside from the above, the Netgear WG602 is probably the best looking AP that's out there on the market. It's very stylish and unobtrusive. Sizewise, it's not much larger than a sandwich. It comes with a very practical vertical stand for added convenience. As a side note, Netgear is perhaps the only manufacturer that gets these stands right; it actually holds the AP up stably.
In summary, this is an excellent choice for customers who already have some sort of wired network in place. It's great for those who are less technically inclined as it should pretty much work right out of the box.
