NETGEAR WG302 ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point

I purchased this router to add wifi to a 5 unit CBS guesthouse.I assumed at the cost of $160 that I would be getting better signal strength than my $40 Westell router!I got a significantly weaker signal.As a router this unit would be ok at about a $40 pricetag.I found nothing about it to justify a cost 4 times that.I have returned it and gone to a much less expensive router with greater signal strength.

I purchased 3 of these APs with the expectation to replace 3 Cisco "b" APs and drop in. The setup used Radius for authentication which is claimed to be supported in both the online info and docs. After config (the web UI constantly has problems with cookies and forced you to re-login) the system would work. One quark was the IP address field for the radius server wouldn't accept more than one character in the forms. Up and running. However, upon reboot, the WG302 loses it Radius info and then cannot authenticate a client again. SHOWSTOPPER. After logging this with Netgear support - their response is this is an unsupported config and requires premium support. While this would be fine if it was a config issue, it's not ok given they claim support for these features and this was a required feature for purchase. They give no further support now.I would HIGHLY recommend against the extra cost of this unit given it's buggy and has poor support. Config is difficult (I had to learn how to use the command line config), the upgrades are not well documented (they imply you have to import some obscure file with tftp - you don't but...), however the unit does have good range and works (No RADIUS of course) in a basic config.

I am a computer tech by profession. I have and will continue to use the Netgears with 2 5db antennas for as long as they are made. They reach further than any other brand when distance is needed.

As with all NetGear components, another top notch winner! They also have the best tech support in the business if you need assistance in setup.

Just about the only thing good about this unit is how easy it is to setup.This AP is not worth paying extra for. I have personally demoted this "business class" AP to home use...which sadly doesn't even perform well in such conditions where multiple wireless stations are present in the environment (as with all multi-dwelling unit/condos)...even when it is literally less than 20 ft away. Contant constant connect/disconnects make it extremely unreliable.The "auto-cell" feature, which was a major reason for purchase, is deprecated. New firmware doesn't even have it (non-existent in the v2 release of this product).I'm not saying this unit doesn't work, it does, but it offers nothing more than a standard AP costing much much less. There are some features such as VLANs and maybe if that's a key requirement, then it can work for you (v2 models).However, if you're looking for performance/reliability basics in "harsh" environments, you will do just as good, or poorly, with any other "standard" home use AP.

Three years and running. The wg302 is excellent. Of, course early on, I had to wait for bug fixes and enhancements via updates to the firmware. But overall this item is excellent. I cannot understand the low ratings of others. I wonder if you just have network configuration issues. Some knowledge is required to configure a WAP within a network. You must understand a little about radio and interference too! Using 802.11g near other 2.4Ghz radios is very tricky. Even a microwave can cause performance issues.BTW, I'm not moving to 802.11n till NetGear has stabilized the firmware. I won't need to run in dual mode because I can leave the wg302 in place to cover the legacy wireless gear.

Got 2 of these to make a local area network between myself and neighbor down the street. We have what I think is a fairly simple network (router to ap to remote ap), and between the awful documentation, terible support (besides language issues, they just won't answer the questions you ask), and a web interface issues, I am quite disappointed. 2 stars because it took my friend (a guy with multiple network certifications), and myself (with a bs in computer science), many evenings to get it to work. Would have done 1 star if we never got it working. Even now, we don't have the house-to-house thing inplace due to needing a better antenna. My advise: go straght to the forums for support if you can't get it working on the first 10 tries. This might be a good piece of harware, but without good software and good support, it is not worth buying.

I bought two of these for my church. I struggled with these products for 4 months before finally convincing the VAR to let me return them. There are severe bugs in the firmware and possibly the hardware. I went through 4 RMAs with Netgear before giving up on the product. Technical support was great but engineering just couldn't come through with a fix. Look at the forums before purchasing to make sure that the issues have been addressed.