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Review: 802.11n Wi-Fi Routers: Page 10 of 11

Measured range was fairly standard; the router was able to hold its signal at a distance of roughly 100 feet past the back corner of my house.

The Netgear RangeMax Next router is a fine device that performs well, although it's not up to high bar set by the Buffalo Nfiniti or the D-Link Dir-655. But with a nice customization menu and a relatively stylish design, maybe the next iteration can add to those benefits.

Overall Buying Advice

As I mentioned earlier, the testing performed on these routers was intended to answer two important questions: Are they worth buying? And should I replace my G-router with one of them? Unfortunately, the answer isn't cut and dried.

If you currently don't have a wireless network in your home, then by all means, pick one of these N routers and establish a home network. If you do have a G-router, it's best to stick with it.

Sadly, the average home will not realize any significant benefits of using an N-router because its speeds, while faster than a legacy device, do not translate well until you're far enough away. In other words, the speed increases will not be significant enough to justify spending over $100 for a new device. To make matters worse, the IEEE has yet to solidify one spec as the de facto N-router, which means these routers could become obsolete before you get a return on your investment.