Why isn't Netgear WNR2500 available in Europe?

[Italiano]

The range this router has is by far the best on the market at this price point. The speed matches much more expensive Asus N66U at remote locations:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanw...-asus-rtn66u-dark-knight/1238-netgear-wnr2500

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanw...-asus-rtn66u-dark-knight/1238-netgear-wnr2500

However I live in Europe and can't find it anywhere to buy. I couldn't get a single response on the topic from Netgear. Does anybody know whether this router will ever be sold in Europe? Thanks.

 

[L&LD]

Do you have a North American friend coming to visit you?

 

[sfx2000]

Getting things certified in the EC costs money - probably a business decision for the NRE needed, vs. the number of units that might be sold.

Happens all the time...

 

[Italiano]

Do you have a North American friend coming to visit you?

That's no problem actually as I can order it online on eBay and it will be delivered to Europe. But what about the voltage? Will it support 220V if I buy it from USA? If not, I guess I'll just have to fork out for N66U which is sold in Europe. I wish I could get some official answer... Thanks guys.

 

[RogerSC]

I assume that you're aware that this router is 2.4GHz. band only, and doesn't have Gb. ports:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32251-netgear-wnr2500-n450-wireless-router-reviewed

Pretty sure I wouldn't want to give up on 5GHz. band, or the ability to transfer more than 100Mbps on my internal LAN. As long as you're aware of those limitations (wireless AP use only?), enjoy.

 

[Italiano]

Thanks Roger, I'm aware of all the "shortcomings". I just need a simple/cheap router with an extraordinary range.

Today, after writing to various Netgear email addresses in various countries for the past few months, I finally got an official answer from Netgear Netherlands:

"The WNR2500 is an US only product. An example here you can buy it, would be the following link http://www.staples.com/NETGEAR-N450-Wireless-Router-WNR2500-100NAS/product_280402
I would advise to purchase the WNR3500L-100PES. This is available in Europe!"

The question about the 220V voltage remains however.

Of course WNR3500L router doesn't perform even remotely as well as WNR2500 with distance: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanw...r-with-usb/1238-netgear-wnr2500?task=radaroff Oh why are we not getting this little gem in Europe? It costs 3x less than Netgear R7000 while providing the same speed at distant locations: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanw...-netgear-r7000-nighthawk/1238-netgear-wnr2500

 

[thiggins]

All of today's routers come with universal power "warts". You just need to provide a plug blade adapter.

You are comparing of apples and oranges, I think. The WNR3500L was tested some time ago with a very different test process and different client adapter than the WNR2500. So the two results can't be directly compared with high confidence.

The WNR3500L test client was an Intel Ultimate N Wi-Fi Link 5300 (N900 class) with open air testing.

The WNR2500 was tested with an ASUS PCE-AC66 (AC1750) adapter with closed-chamber testing.

 

[azazel1024]

Get the TP-Link WD843ND then if you need extraordinary range and don't mind 10/100 ports. Its very cheap and works well.

 

[thiggins]

Get the TP-Link WD843ND then if you need extraordinary range and don't mind 10/100 ports. Its very cheap and works well.

Can't find that model. Did you mean TL-WR841ND?

 

[Italiano]

Thanks, Tim. I will look into universal power "warts" although I don't like the idea of it; don't ask me why

About the charts, I thought that the throughput vs. attenuation chart is applicable since it provides us a chance to compare new and old routers. Maybe it would be a good idea to remove the archived products from some charts or put some kind of disclaimer/warning about this. Otherwise, some charts can be misleading. So if I understand correctly, there is no way of comparing throughput vs. attenuation for these two routers? Speaking strictly theoretically, the WNR3500L could be even better? Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Italiano]

Get the TP-Link WD843ND then if you need extraordinary range and don't mind 10/100 ports. Its very cheap and works well.

Wouldn't dare buying it without Tim reviewing it first

 

[thiggins]

Thanks, Tim. I will look into universal power "warts" although I don't like the idea of it; don't ask me why

This is common on most electronic equipment these days.

About the charts, I thought that the throughput vs. attenuation chart is applicable since it provides us a chance to compare new and old routers. Maybe it would be a good idea to remove the archived products from some charts or put some kind of disclaimer/warning about this. Otherwise, some charts can be misleading. So if I understand correctly, there is no way of comparing throughput vs. attenuation for these two routers? Speaking strictly theoretically, the WNR3500L could be even better? Thanks for clarifying.

I thought the disclaimer was in the "Help Me Use This" and/or "Benchmark Information" screens. Looks like it isn't. It must have been removed during a recent update. I'll add it back in.

All the charts let you compare products, regardless of test method. I have chosen to have one set of charts vs. different charts for each test method and identify different test methods by different color bars.

For your wireless environment and client mix, sure the WNR3500L could be better. It also could be worse. The only way to know is buy, try and return if it doesn't work out for you.

 

[thiggins]

Wouldn't dare buying it without Tim reviewing it first

Don't let that hold you back. We can't test everything.