The Netgear EX6100 extends the range of your Wi-Fi network -- and not much else
Internet Routers
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Hi guys, **** Ngo here and this is the EX6100 Wi-Fi range extender from Netgear.
Now the idea is that you put this one within the coverage of a existing Wi-Fi network and it will extend the range of that network further.
It's always tricky to find the right spot to put a Wi-Fi range expander, because if you put it too close to the existing router, well, it's useless, because the range remains the same.
Too far, though, the signal is too weak for it to extend.
Now, things better with this one here because come with this light right here that show if you actually put it too far from the existing router.
Show how, you might ask.
Well I have to go and put it into a warm socket, before I can show you how it is.
So I'll be right back.
Just kidding, bring the camera with me.
Here we go.
Let me plug it in right here.
And you can see the light changing.
As you can see here, green here means we are in a good spot.
If the light is red, means it's kind of too far away from the router.
And if there's no light, well, we're completely out of range.
But the point is that, you still need to be lucky to use this one effectively.
What's the chance of having a one socket exactly at the sweet spot.
And one more thing, though.
This one here takes quite a long time to boot up, so you have to be quite patient when testing it around the house.
Even one more thing, this one here is actually, basically, a huge power adapter, so when you plug it in be prepared to lose at least one adjacent wall socket.
Now the EX6100 here is a true dual band AC750 Wi-Fi device.
That sounds all good but there's a few things you have to know about it.
Number one, it can extend only one existing Wi-Fi network at a time.
For example, if you have a two dual N band Wi-Fi router at home, it only works with either the 2.5 gigahertz frequency band network, or the five gigahertz band network.
After that, is when rebroadcast signal in two separate bands of its own.
In other words, this one here extends a single Wi-Fi network into two extension Wi-Fi networks.
And second why support the latest 802.11AC Wi-Fi standard?
It only supports the single string seller, and that means it's top speed is only 433 megabit per second, not that fast.
Now if all of those sound complicated, just remember one thing.
This device here is a lot less cool than what you can see on its packaging.
The fastest way to connect this extender here to an existing Wi-Fi network is to is to use this WPS button right here.
That only works, though, if your router supports the Wi-Fi protected set up.
Otherwise you have to use either the Netgear Journey mobile app or the browser to set up.
In this case, I find the set up process a little bit convoluted, but still quiet easy thanks to this very clear instruction booklet.
Now this one here can also work as a Wi-Fi access point and come with a one gigabit network port right here to connect it to an existing router using a cable.
When working as an extender, the port can also be used to connect a wired device such as a game console to a Wi-Fi network.
Now in my testing the EX6100 here, it did extend the range quite significantly, but the speed of the extension network is much slower with much higher latency or delay compared to the existing Wi-Fi network.
And that means it's only good for casual internet surfing and not for online gaming or media streaming.
That said, if you just want to share the internet for Facebook and emailing or want to see full bars on your Wi-Fi clients all the time, this is a good device to have.
For most serious networking however, it's not really worth the $90 price tag.
Especially considering the fact that it runs quite hot in my testing.
Now from all this Netgear here check out my full review at CNet.com, basically it make you happy about the range extension and not much else.
And you do need much else to watch me in this video right here, uninterrupted and for a moment, we truly happy.
And that's because I am **** Ngo and this has been the first look at the EX6100 Wi-Fi range extender from Netgear.
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