NETGEAR's WNHDE111: 802.11n Is Finally Fun

As regular readers already know, I’ve long struggled to obtain reliable high-def, high-quality video streaming capabilities from my Windows Vista Ultimate-based Dell notebook PC to various Media Center Extenders. A powerline networking-centric approach didn’t work very well. Nor did a topology exclusively relying on a single bonded 5.8 GHz 802.11n channel. A blended approach, relying on 802.11n to get the video stream from the laptop to the router and HomePlug AV to get the data from there to the Extender, delivered better results but still relied on a fundamentally feeble technology. However, as I tweeted yesterday morning, I believe I may have finally found a path to wireless salvation.

Here’s my knight in shining armor:

It’s NETGEAR’s WNHDE111, a 5.8 GHz-only 802.11n access point. With it, I’ve been able to set up a distinct bonded 5.8 GHz 802.11n channel (with SSID ‘BDTruckee2′ on channel 36, versus the ‘BDTruckee’ channel 149 broadcast coming directly from my router, so says WiFind). And by relying on that new channel to connect my laptop to the router, with the existing channel handling the remaining router-to-Extender portion of the video stream path, I think I’ll finally be able to strip powerline networking from my LAN.

Here’s some visual evidence of the results. First off, since I succeeded (with much effort and time investment, along with inhalation of dirt and other particulate debris inhabiting the under-house crawlspace) in running CAT5 cable from the router to the office last weekend, this is what streaming from Windows Media Center to my Linksys DMA2100 via a combination of 802.11n and CAT5 looks like:

Now let’s switch the router-to-DMA2100 portion of the connection from CAT5 to HomePlug AV. As you can see, the powerline connection to the office is particularly weak versus those to other areas of the house, therefore my motivation to pursue the CAT5 alternative:

Next, let’s leverage the 802.11n capabilities built into the DMA2100. Here’s what happens when they share a common ‘BDTruckee’ bonded 5.8 GHz 802.11n channel broadcasted by my Apple router:

And here’s what happens when I switch the laptop to the distinct ‘BDTruckee2′ channel generated by the NETGEAR access point:

Continue reading with Part 2 of this post, ‘802.11n Is Finally Fun, But Periodic Performance Plummets Are Perplexing‘…