I’m writing this review from Dan’s lake house in Pennsylvania, where Gearfest 2013 is about to kick off. That bit of geographic detail is important for two reasons. First, when I arrived here yesterday, it was the first time in weeks that I had reliable internet service, as I recounted in this post, I’ve been battling the rural Texas connectivity fight and losing badly. No internet has meant very little posting. More to the point in this review, no internet has meant that I had no way to test out the Amped Wireless repeater I’d been sent to review. After all, the repeater has to have something — anything — to repeat in order to work. Second, while the internet service here in the lake house is good, the connection drops off down by the lake. Assuming tomorrow is a nice day, Dan, Carly, Michael, and I plan on spending all of our time on the dock, and in order to do so, a decent internet signal is a must.
Enter the amped wireless High power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit.
With this Dual Band Repeater, we are able to take the house internet connection all the way down to the lake… and beyond. Let’s walk through the process of setting this up, and then take a look at how, with this signal repeater, I just hooked Dan up.
The repeater features
- Dual high power 600mW 2.4GHz amplifiers, dual 5.0GHz amplifiers and dual high gain 5dBi antennas provide superior Wi-Fi coverage
- Ultra-fast, dual band, simultaneous, Wireless-N technology for interference-free HD streaming, transferring large data files and multiplayer gaming
- Gigabit wired ports and a powerful internal processor deliver ultra-fast wired connections
- Great for media intensive applications and providing Wi-Fi coverage in large homes, open spaces, backyards, warehouses and offices
- Includes a USB port for sharing files from a USB storage device
Inside the simple packaging, you will find the High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Router, two Detachable High Gain 5dBi Dual Band Antennas, the power adapter, an Ethernet Cable, a Setup Guide, a Users Guide Installation Video CD, and a Stand for vertically mounting the repeater.
The setup process was easy, but because Dan’s (ancient) router doesn’t offer one-push setup we needed to use a computer. Moreover, because neither Dan’s computer nor mine features an ethernet port — and neither of us had adapter — we turned to Kev’s old 17″ MacBook pro. It isn’t that often that Apple slowly stripping away legacy ports becomes an issue, but were it not for the 17″ MBP we would have been dead in the water. I followed the step by step instructions, and a few minutes later were good to go.
We plugged the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Repeater into an outlet in Dan’s lake-facing bedroom and placed it near a window facing the lake.
The results were good enough to get and hold a signal with two and sometimes three bars out of four.
That wasn’t enough for Dan to create and hold a Facetime call without the video pausing due to a weak signal, but it was enough to check our email, update our social networks, and for Dan to Tweet this picture of me.
At just $139, the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Repeater is a relatively inexpensive way to get a wireless signal in places where it would otherwise be impossible.
Specifications:
| Wireless Standard: | 802.11a/b/g/n |
| Frequency Band: | 2.4GHz, 5.0GHz (Simultaneous) |
| Wireless Speed: | 2.4GHz: 300Mbps (Rx), 300Mbps (Tx) 5.0GHz: 300Mbps (Rx), 300Mbps (Tx) |
| Amplifier | Dual 2.4GHz 600mW Amplifiers Dual 5.0GHz Amplifiers Dual Low Noise Amplifiers |
| Wireless Output Power | 29dBm (2.4GHz) |
| Wireless Sensitivity: | -94dBm |
| Wireless Security: | WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA Mixed, WPS |
| Wireless Access Scheduling: | Specific day and time |
| Wireless Coverage Control: | 15% – 100% Output Power (Adjustable individually for 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz networks) |
| Features: | Guest Wireless Networks (Up to 4 Additional) Supports Wireless Multimedia (WMM) Smart Firewall (SPI, NAT) Parental Controls (Website Blocking) User Access Control (MAC, IP Filtering) Quality of Service (QoS) |
| Antennas: | 2 x High Gain 5dBi Dual Band Antennas 2 x Reverse SMA Connectors |
| Ports: | 1 x RJ45 10/100/1000M WAN Port (Modem Port) 4 x RJ45 10/100/1000M LAN Ports (Local Ports) 1 x USB 2.0 Port (for USB Storage) |
| Power Adapter Rating: | Switching Adapter, Input: 100-240v, Output: 12v, 1A |
Do you have spots in your home, yard, or office where WiFi just doesn’t work well, even though it really should? Maybe because your house really is that big, or maybe your walls were built thick enough to be hurricane-proof … for whatever reason, WiFi routers can sometimes put out just enough signal that you know something should be there, but not enough to give you a workable signal. It’s in times like those that you need a WiFi repeater, and that’s when the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Repeater is a good option.
The Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Repeater is available directly from the manufacturer, from online stores such as Amazon, 
MSRP: $139.99
What I Like: Easy to set up; Extends the reach of any wireless network
What Needs Improvement: Part of the set-up process requires attaching an ethernet cable to your laptop or computer, and not all laptops still have them
