Netgear WGR101

[bhiga]

Anybody have one of these yet?
http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WGR101.php?view=

Seems perfect for wireless-on-the-go, or if your don't have a wired LAN connection on your handheld (like on my NX80V).

[NX80vTiger]

Yeah, seems cool. I must have missed the price, though.

[bhiga]

MSRP seems to be $99, but I ordered one for ~$83 incl. shipping. Should get it late next week, hopefully in time for me to give it a real-world shot on my next business trip.

[Chukar]

I have one on order, too. About the same $83. Can't wait to get it. :D

[bhiga]

Any idea what the "small-scale power adapter " looks like? I haven't bothered to look for it in the store yet, though I bet the local Fry's has 'em in-stock already.

I'm hoping it's one of those smart designs with the flip-out AC prongs so it'll pack flat... and I'm not going to count on it, but it'd be nice if it had some kind of retractable power cord.
I sound hard to please, but as long as it's not bigger than the unit itself (and the whole thing works) I won't be disappointed. The rest is just icing on the cake!

Maybe I'll stop by Fry's tomorrow to see if the box has any further clues...
I'm such a gadget geek... :p

[strider_mt2k]

That's a very cool idea!
I'll be keeping an eye open for one, or something similar.

I have a trips to Austin, TX and Tempe, AZ coming up next month.

[bhiga]

Well, it's here!

(so) = slightly over, because I'm too lazy to measure 16ths of inches.
The carrying case measures approx 1.75 x 4.5 x 7(so) inches, the unit itself is a compact 0.75 x 2.75 x 4 inches (box says 0.7 x 2.3 x 3.4 inches) and its power adapter doesn't have flip-out prongs, but it is right angle which makes it good for either side-by-side or "stacked" outlets on a surge protector. Without the prongs the "brick" itself measures 1 x 1.75 x 2.75(so) inches.

The zippered carrying case is a bit smaller than I had expected - it'll easily fit the unit and its power adapter but don't expect much room for more than a handful of PC Cards or other flat stuff. A pocket inside the cover holds a Quick Start guide and helpful hints on getting set up on hotel connections requiring registration. The rest of the documentation is on the included resource CD.

The power cord looks more than long enough - seems about 6 feet.

The included ethernet cable seems to be the standard blue Netgear unbooted but strain-reliefed cable measuring about 22 inches long. It's a straight-through (normal patch) cable. I have a Zip-Linq retractable network cable that I plan to take instead, so this one will find a nice home on my switch.

The unit has Power, Wireless and Ethernet LEDs for status. A 4-position switch on the side of the unit determines its mode - Single, Multi-User, Configuration or Reserved. Unlike the quick start says, mine seems to have shipped in Configuration mode versus Single User mode.

The instructions say that connecting the WGR101 directly to a DSL modem is not supported, though I'm not sure why.

Connecting to my office network worked right from the start in single-user mode, acting simply as a bridge. You'll need the manual to configure DHCP and/or WEP in the configuration mode, unless you're familiar with most Netgear stuff (in which case you should be able to figure it out pretty quick). You can turn off SSID Broadcast, set WEP, set channel, access list, etc. No WPA-PSK yet, but Netgear's page hints that it might show up in a future firmware. No port forwarding that I can find, though you can set a DMZ machine in multi-user mode. Most of the options (DHCP, etc) apply only to multi-user mode anyway.

Strange note - in Web Pro, I couldn't access the Apply button at the bottom of the web interface, though I could in Netfront. Weird.

To sum it all up, works great for me. It gets hot, but that's to be expected for what it is, especially at its size with no active cooling so I can hardly count that against this little thing. I love it! It's definitely coming with me as part of my standard "travel pack."

[bhiga]

Oh yeah, for the insanely curious, power output of the adapter is DC 5V 2A. Which means it might be a little difficult finding a universal adapter or alternate means of power. 2A draw would suck batteries like crazy.

[n0m0n]

Where did you find this for $83.00???
So far I have only found it at BestBuy.com for $99.99 plus shipping.
At NetGear for $119.99 plus shipping...
Can you advise?
Thanks

[bhiga]

I got mine from ebuyer.com - it was around $77 before shipping I think.

Sucky thing is that early last week Fry's (at least in NorCal) had it on sale for $69.99 with a mail-in rebate!! It's back up to $99.99 now though. Sorry I didn't post it here, I was on the way to the airport at the time.

[voop]

Hey, got a question: for this gadget to be really usefull for travelling, it would be usefull if the power adapter took both US 110V/60Hz and mostly-rest-of-the-world 220V/50Hz. I plowed through the available on-line documentation, but couldn't find anything on this (except that the WWW-site says that the plug of the power supply depends on the country of sale). Can anyone who actually has this device clarify this?

Thanks in advance.

[bhiga]

The AC adapter is a single-unit plug & transformer, meaning that the plug prongs are on the unit itself (versus being a transformer with detachable cable that goes to the wall). However, the adapter says it takes input of "100V-240V - 50/60HZ 0.5A" so all you'd need is an appropriate plug-adapter (versus a step-up/down transformer).

Brandon

[voop]

YAY, thanks bhiga! Great to know. I'll probably send off for this gadget -- plug-converters are easy to come by (step-up/down transfo's less so).

Thanks !

[bhiga]

Sure thing! Heh, I explained to a guy at Fry's that it's a "low-power personal access point" - that was the best description I could make.

Brandon

[strider_mt2k]

Okay, you've convinced me!

[bhiga]

Note that I believe Applie has a similar thing either out or soon-to-be out...
In case anyone's wondering, I don't work for Netgear, nor do I get paid by them - I just like their products (except for their PCI NICs...).

Brandon

[n0m0n]

Help needed...
After ordering a WGR101, receiving it.
I went away for a few days to a Radisson.
They offered FREE high speed access.
Well I just plugged my wireless router in and thought, "Great I will just plug in my WiFi card into my NX80v, and away I will go...
GO = NO...

I tried to open the browser on my NX and could not get anything to work, so I got my x30 out (yes, yes, it’s a PPC)

That to could not connect.
The PDA's saw the Netgear-Travel router but I could not connect to my POP email account or go to any webpage’s...
Did I do something wrong or did I purchase the incorrect product???

I did not have my Laptop with me because I thought I would not need one...
I was told that if I had my laptop and plugged directly into the Ethernet plug I would have been able to connect to the hotels webpage which would have requested that I agree to terms before I could use there access...

Well that would have eliminated the WGR101...

Can anyone explain, and will I not be able to use this mini router as I wish to???
Thanks

[bhiga]

Hi Jeff,

Depends on a couple of things:
1) Were you in Single-User or Multi-User mode?
2) Have you successfully connected to the WGR101 prior to trying at the hotel?

The "surest" way to connect is Single-User mode, as it's simply a bridge (IP is passed through, no NAT involved).

The other possible problem might've been that another NETGEAR-TRAVEL AP is in-range.

I highly suggest to all that you reconfigure the WGR101's SSID to something unique before you go out with it. You may also want to configure WEP and MAC restrictions as well.

Then again it simply might've been a bad box...

I successfully connected to the Westin's default page while I was in New York, but I didn't want to pay for access, so I just browsed their site for a few minutes to make sure things were working.

BTW: Apple's AirPort Express seems to be out, or at least in the news. Looks pretty cool - AP + Print Server + Wireless music receiver. Pretty sweet.

Brandon

[n0m0n]

Hi Jeff,

Depends on a couple of things:
1) Were you in Single-User or Multi-User mode?
2) Have you successfully connected to the WGR101 prior to trying at the hotel?

The "surest" way to connect is Single-User mode, as it's simply a bridge (IP is passed through, no NAT involved).

The other possible problem might've been that another NETGEAR-TRAVEL AP is in-range.

I highly suggest to all that you reconfigure the WGR101's SSID to something unique before you go out with it. You may also want to configure WEP and MAC restrictions as well.

Then again it simply might've been a bad box...

I successfully connected to the Westin's default page while I was in New York, but I didn't want to pay for access, so I just browsed their site for a few minutes to make sure things were working.

BTW: Apple's AirPort Express seems to be out, or at least in the news. Looks pretty cool - AP + Print Server + Wireless music receiver. Pretty sweet.

Brandon


Ok, guess this is a bit more difficult then setting up my WGT624.
I could interface via my browser the router.
A bit more guidance maybe, for the green???
Thanks

[bhiga]

Hi Jeff,

Here's what I did:
1) Switch WGR101 to Configuration mode
2) Connect WGR101 to Ethernet switch (it seems to need a live Ethernet connection of some sort to completely boot)
3) Power on WGR101
4) Set Clie SSID to NETGEAR-TRAVEL
5) Connect to 192.168.0.1 using browser, username Admin, password Password (I think... it's whatever the Netgear default is normally)
6) Change SSID on WGR101 to mySSID-Travel
7) Turn SSID Broadcast off (even though I'll be running in single-user, I'm paranoid)
8) Set WEP key on WGR101 (hope you remember, because you'll need to set it in the Clie connection setup)
9) Set MAC restrictions -- Note: I don't recommend doing this, it's unnecessary in Single-User mode unless you're super-duper-paranoid. You could end up locking yourself out. If you do end up doing it, make sure you add more than one address and triple-check your input.
10) Apply changes.
11) Unplug power on WGR101
12) Set WGR101 back to Single-User mode
13) Set Clie connection properties to connect to mySSID-Travel, enable WEP, and enter WEP key
14) Connect to WGR101 again to verify setup works

Unless you use Multi-User mode you don't need to mess with the DHCP, as it doesn't apply in Single-User mode.

Of course, WEP is optional, but like I said, I'm paranoid.

[strider_mt2k]

I don't know if this is a coincidence or what, but when I heard about this product the next two hotel rooms I've checked into DIDN'T have the (now) familiar ethernet cable on the desk!

Of course those hotels had free wifi access, but that's a different topic...