Netgear 3DHD Wireless Home Theatre Networking Kit
by Cameron Butterfield on February 25, 2011 7:20 PM EST- Posted in
- Networking
- Home Theater
- NetGear
Testing Locations:
Location 1: 5 feet apart "open air"
Devices are placed next to each other without any obstacles at a range of five feet representative of a best-case scenario.
Location 2: One room apart
Devices are placed in separate rooms 15 feet apart from each other with obstacles including heating vents, electrical outlets and standard U.S. plywood / sheetrock based walls. Representative of an average usage scenario.
Location 3: One house apart
Devices are placed roughly 75 feet apart on different ends of different floors of a two story house, direct obstacles include a furnace, two bathrooms, and two additional rooms. Representing a worst case scenario in a common household.
Comparative Testing:
For comparative testing, we used other networking devices that would give interesting comparisons to the NETGEAR 3DHD based on the following criteria:
A) The Device operates on the 5GHz spectrum.
B) The Device is configured to use the same type of encryption [WPA2 AES+TKIP]
Device Pairs Used in Testing:
NETGEAR 3DHD KIT [NETGEAR WNHD3004 -> NETGEAR WNHD3004]:
The pair of devices being reviewed.
LINKSYS WRT610N V2 -> LINKSYS WUSB600N
The LINKSYS WRT610N V2 is a high speed dual band router capable of operating on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum at the same time; we pair it with LINKSYS' 5GHz USB adapter.
LINKSYS WRT610N V2 -> LINKSYS WGA600N
The WGA600N is also marketed as a bridge device, specifically a dual band wireless gaming adapter. Like the 3DHD kit, it takes a wireless signal and adapts it for use with wired devices.
Testing Software:
Ixia IxChariot 7.10 SP3
We used Ixia IxChariot Endpoint Platform Software for Microsoft Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 R2 / Windows Server 2008 – x86 / 64-Bit 7.10 SP3 to collect transmission speed results.
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ChronoReverse - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
Why do the positions of the tested devices vary across each chart? It would be much better if the NETGEAR 3DHD was always the first one in each graph.JarredWalton - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
It's a glitch with the multibar charts in our engine. Sorry.Slash3 - Saturday, February 26, 2011 - link
30 seconds in MS Paint's cut/paste can reverse the positions. :)JarredWalton - Saturday, February 26, 2011 - link
30 seconds in the graphing engine. Then save that image from your browser onto your drive. Open that image up in Paint (or more likely, Photoshop). Then rearrange the bars so that they're in the positions you desire. Don't mess up the text or the spacing of the bars. When you're done, save the file, upload it back to the server, and then modify the HTML to reference the appropriate file. Yeehaw! I'd guess more like 5 minutes. Now do that for every graph you want to modify.I'll make a note to our engine guy that sorting of multi-series charts doesn't work. Then hopefully we can get that fixed for the future. Having done manual creation of charts in the past, though, I can tell you that it isn't even remotely fun. In fact, the old graphing engine was seriously one of my least liked parts of writing articles. The new engine is worlds better, but it isn't perfect.
LeftSide - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
Wow, I wireless device that is reliable, has consistent throughput, and is easy to set up. This is a first.danjw - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
You mention that for short range there were lower priced options that performed just as well for wireless HDMI, so which ones are those?nubie - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
I think he meant that the other devices it was compared to, not HDMI links.If you needed to go one room over, or through one wall or floor, the other devices reviewed were faster.
Kyser Soze - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
It's testament to the quality of anandtech's site that they check throughput on various levels of emotional content in films. No other tech sites offer this service. I for one am looking forward to finding out if some stuttering occurs during the Shawshank Redemption, but not, for instance, in Attack of the Clones.Can my old netgear handle romantic comedies?
queequeg99 - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
This is a pretty funny comment. Did the author intend to refer to a detailed scene with lots of movement?Exelius - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
If you're somewhat technical, just pick up a pair of compatible wireless devices and load them with DD-WRT, then set one of them up in bridge mode.I have a pair of 5 year old Linksys WRT54Gs that I have doing exactly this. Throughput isn't spectacular by ethernet standards (averages about 30 mbps) but it's more than enough to stream 720p Netflix to my PS3. The devices are about 50 feet apart and cost me about $300... 5 years ago. They can certainly be found for less now. Bonus with DD-WRT is that you can basically "overclock" the wireless radios and operate them with a higher signal strength (though be careful; heat quickly becomes an issue and the case on one of my devices is warped from high heat output in a poorly ventilated area.)
I'm sure this solution is easier to set up, but honestly, it's a set-it-and-forget-it solution. Any self-respecting tech nerd should be able to set this up in an hour or two and enjoy the fruits for years. That said, wireless links can be finicky and a pain in the ass to diagnose when things go wrong, so wired is always preferable even when speed isn't a factor (it doesn't get screwed up by using the microwave.)