Netgear Universal WiFi Internet Adapter WNCE2001, or how to make WiFi 802.11n from any Ethernet on a home device

    A review of some glands should look something like this: “It works. It has no serious flaws. The price is such and such. I recommend". Well, a picture of the box so that the store does not miss. I probably would have written about today's unit, but, I'm afraid, serious guys will not appreciate such brevity, and for frivolous people it’s boring to write. Therefore, I will present these theses in a little more detail - for the sake of clarity.

    So, I have an Acer TV in my kitchen. Such a simple one, 19-inch, with a resolution of 1440x900. On it, the child watches cartoons while eating, and his wife also looks at them. Of course, the horror-horror that goes on the air channels, we try not to show the child. From sin. Therefore, the rear of the TV is glued to a double-sided tape player WD TV Live, and two flash drives are stuck in it. And from them something goes on the screen, like “Wheelbarrows” or “Prostokvashino”. Of course, all this was recorded in DVD-resolution, and for the time being we all liked everything. But once I managed to get an absolutely licensed (by pass, RAO, by) rip of Pixar's “Wheelbarrows” in Full HD. I turned it on on the TV and, you know, went crazy. It seems that the diagonal is small, and the resolution of the matrix does not reach Full HD, but the picture has become so much better

    Netgear WNCE2001

    Well, that is, I’m fine, if it’s impatient, I’ll look at the monitor of the main computer. And what should the wife and son do? I really relate to them very well; they are literally like a family to me. That is, there is no problem finding cartoons in HD, but they do not pull one and a half gigs, but all six or eight. And on my unfortunate flash drives (one 4 gig, another 8), nothing good will fit. Theoretically, WD TV Live has an Ethernet port, but fire the cable from the kitchen to the other end of the apartment where the router is. The only moderate-budget solution to the problem seemed to me a 32 gigabyte flash drive, and I even managed to order it in one friendly online store. But on the same day, the guys from the Russian representative office of Netgear suddenly offered to get to know one thing closer, which they plan to bring to Russia soon. The piece is called Netgear Universal WiFi Internet Adapter WNCE2001. Behind this long name lies a very simple but archy useful function: the adapter turns any device with an Ethernet port into a wireless one, and with 802.11n support. And this is not primarily about old computers and laptops. No, in this way you can connect a variety of consoles, players, televisions, refrigerators and other, other, to the home grid. That is, quite household items on which you can’t install either the driver or the admin panel. In this way, you can connect a variety of consoles, players, televisions, refrigerators and other, other, to the home grid. That is, quite household items on which you can’t install either the driver or the admin panel. In this way, you can connect a variety of consoles, players, televisions, refrigerators and other, other, to the home grid. That is, quite household items on which you can’t install either the driver or the admin panel.

    I immediately introduced how WD TV Live shows cartoons directly from your home NAS, and you don’t have to run around with a flash drive. Is it tempting? Not the right word. Therefore, I agreed to test the beast, not even paying attention to the fact that the power adapter with an American flat plug was included. Moreover, I didn’t even need it - WNCE2001 works not only from the network, but also from the USB port. You can judge the level of energy consumption by yourself.

    Netgear WNCE2001

    Then everything was very simple. I have a Netgear DGN3500 router - the first device with ADSL, Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n support, which began to be sold in Russia ( I already wrote about it on Khabr ). It supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup technology, which is available in so many modern routers and access points (for a complete list, click here) So, you don’t have to configure anything, just press the button on the adapter itself, and then press it (physical or virtual) on the router. Rraz, and a strong bunch is established. Honestly, I didn’t have time to be surprised, and WD TV Live already found a new firmware on the Internet and offered to install it.

    Netgear WNCE2001

    But, of course, not for the sake of firmware everything was up to. I registered WD TV in a home group, connected to NAS, found on it a WALL-E cartoon in Full HD and launched it. Is playing! And perfectly, I must say, playing - no jerking, missing frames, as if everything was going from a flash drive. I was delighted, and immediately frightened - well, how can it be impossible to use wireless normally during children's delights? I launched “Cars” in 1080p from the same NAS on a laptop (of course, also via 802.11n) - and again no brakes. In general, there is no feeling that someone near 14 megabits is dragging through the air. And don’t smile - you’ll think that 14 + 14 megabits, when there are 150 of them on 802.11n. There are 54 of them on 802.11g, and even one HD stream doesn’t fit there normally. Therefore, although they write in Netgear that you can even connect to 802.11b, they recommend only the enk.

    Netgear WNCE2001

    In general, I rejoiced. While we do not sell WNCE2001, but by the fall, when the family returns from the cottage, the first batch must be reached. And the price is expected to be very humane - around 1800 rubles, just like in the States ($ 59.99). Even cheaper than a more or less fast flash drive of 32 gigabytes ...

    Harsh guys from my forum , having heard about this device, said that nafig it is not needed, because all the same can be done using a regular access point. Yes, indeed, I quickly found a similar-priced D-Link DAP1360with which you can pick up the player to the router. But, firstly, the fuck-fuck with the settings will be more serious, and, secondly, the access point itself is very large, and it’s not trained to use USB. That is, yes, the Netgear solution does not contain any unique functionality. But the solution to the problem looks more elegant than those offered by business colleagues.

    My guys and I had the assumption that there was something inside Intel, made based on Intel Wireless Display technology. But no: inside, a fresh Ralink RT 3052 chip was discovered - the world's first single-chip solution combining 802.11n and Ethernet. Realizing this, the veil was falling from my eyes: well, of course, Wireless Display is a purely “visual solution”, a picture is transmitted through the air, not data. Nevertheless, the corresponding box for Intel also makes Netgear.

    Netgear WNCE2001

    And, probably, the last. If your router does not support WPS, that's okay. You just have to connect the WNCE2001 to the computer once through an Ethernet cord and do a few simple manipulations via the web interface. It will take not a minute, but five to ten, but still fast.

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