PC Hell: Netgear WNCE2001 WiFi Internet Adapter Review

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I want to tell you about a device I used the other day that was phenomenal. I needed to connect a network laser printer wirelessly to a home network. The problem was the printer itself was not wirelessly equipped, but it did have the capability of connecting via ethernet. Normally this is a matter of simply running a network cable from the router to the printer and you're done. However the layout of the room meant that the network printer would sit diagonally across the room from the router, so a network cable wasn't the best option.

I had tried a few "wireless to ethernet" type devices in the past without great success. Many of them would work, but not the way they should or they would work initially then in a month or two they would give up. So, I wasn't expecting great success , but I thought I would look and see what new devices had come out to do the job.

I ran across a device from Netgear called a WIFI Internet Adapter, model WNCE2001. It was designed to connect an LCD TV, bluray player, or other Internet connected entertainment device to your network. From the look of the packaging, it appeared it might work. Although the description stated that the power connector was optional and the device could power itself from a USB port. This made me wonder if the device even had a power adapter in the package. I bought it and took it to the customer's house. It turns out you can use the device for a HDTV and plug it into a USB port on the TV as well, so you don't have a power cord hanging down the wall, but it did come with a power adapter for my purpose as well.

The setup was easy enough, although it does require you to connect the device to your laptop or desktop computer and run the setup CD. I installed the software, told the device the SSID name of the wireless network and the WPA security key and it set it up in a couple minutes. Next, I disconnected the device from the computer and connected it via an ethernet cable to the network printer across the room.

After a couple minutes I checked the router and saw that the printer was indeed online and ready to go. I tried printing from a laptop connected wirelessly to the network and everything worked flawlessly. This allowed the printer to be placed anywhere in the room as long as it could get a signal from the wireless router. Problem solved.

I will definitely recommend and use the Netgear WiFi Internet Adapters in the future for jobs. It was simple to setup and worked great with the router and network printer. Definitely two thumbs up for Netgear and their adapter.