After years of less than stellar performance wireless networking seems to finally be coming of age.  Industry leaders like Netgear have pushed the new Wireless-N band to the point where wireless networking has a real chance to replace your wired network forever.  Nowhere is this more apparent than with HD streaming content and wireless gaming.  With the new Netgear HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit and Ubicom’s StreamEngine® technology you may never have to run wires again.  Lets take a closer look here at the Club.

As you can probably guess from just the name, Netgear has focused this kit on your entertainment needs.  the box does a nice job of providing a balance of information around a picture of the product.  Even the green label on the right emphasizes gaming and multimedia video.

The Kit is actually a pair of Netgear's excellent WNHDE111 5GHz Wireless-N HD Access Point/Bridge units packaged together.  Not only do you get everything you need to bridge together the set, but each unit can link together using the Netgear Push 'N' Connect one touch setup.  This makes setting up a secure wireless network so easy I thought I had missed an entire page of instructions.  More on that in a minute, lets take a look at the specifications:

HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking

• Ubicom’s StreamEngine® technology
• For high-performance wireless network gaming and multiple HD video streaming
• More wireless channels, less interference and better connections using 5 GHz Wireless-N band
• Automatic Quality of Service (QoS) ensures lag-free gaming and jitter-free HD streaming
• Works with Xbox™, PlayStation®, Wii™ , TiVo® HD, Slingbox™, digital set-top boxes, NETGEAR’s Digital Entertainer HD, Apple® TV, network attached storage (NAS), and more 

Features:

• Connects to any existing router/gateway and Ethernet ready device
• Automatically adjusts to the needs of Internet, voice, video and gaming applications (QoS)
• Wirelessly connect new devices easily and securely with Push ‘N’ Connect
• No need to remember your security password 
• Supports wireless “ad-hoc” mode for wireless LAN peer-to-peer gaming
• Support multicast point-to-multi-point HD video streaming
• Automatically configures to access point or bridge mode

Standards

• IEEE802.11n draft specification, IEEE 802.11a, 5.0 GHz

Physical Specifications

• Dimensions: 225.5 x 172 x 39 mm (8.9 x 6.8 x 1.5 in) each unit
• Weight: .56 kg (1.2 lb) each unit

Ease of Use

• Preconfigured to securely connect to each other
• Auto configures in AP or bridge mode based on type of Ethernet enabled device it connects to
• Easy secured setup with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) push-button
• Smart Wizard® simplifies setup by automatically detecting and configuring your devices

Security

• Wi-Fi Protected Access, Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK)
• Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 64-bit, 128-bit encryption

Warranty

• NETGEAR 1-year Warranty

Each unit is powered by an included power adaptor and is paired with a single network cable.

Package Contents

• Two (2) 5 GHz Wireless-N HD Access Point/Bridges (WNHDE111)
• Two (2) Stands
• Two (2) Ethernet cables
• Setup CD
• Two (2) 12V, 1.0A power adapters, localized to country of sale
• Warranty/support information card

Lets take a look at one of the access points up close.   As you can see from this angle, the WNHDE111 is finished in a shiny grey finish that captures every reflection.  The stand shown here is optional allowing each unit to stand upright or lay flat for stacking.

The majority of the action takes place on the back of the unit.  Starting from the top down:  The power switch, a mode selector, a recessed reset button, two Ethernet ports and the power port.

Both sides are adorned only with the Netgear logo.  Though the sides may be shiny enough to let you guess what camera model I am using, you wont see any external antennas sticking out to break up the clean look.