Netgear N450 WNR2500 5 GHz router review, is it worth it?
The Netgear N450 WNR2500 (WNR2500) router released in 2013. It is powered by Qualcomm Atheros QCA9558 chipset, 32 MB of RAM and 4 MB of flash. The N450 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with N450 WNR2500 is 450 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN and 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN ports.
The N450 WNR2500 is a good choice for users seeking a reliable and feature-rich router that supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology. Netgear places a strong emphasis on network security.
Table of contents:
Netgear N450 WNR2500 (WNR2500) specifications
| Brand | Netgear |
|---|---|
| Name | N450 WNR2500 |
| Type | WNR2500 |
| Rating | |
| Launch | 2013 |
Body
| Dimensions | 217.74 x 147.73 x 34.92 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 413 g |
If you have limited space available for your router, such as in a small apartment or office, the dimensions can determine whether it can fit in the designated area or not. It's important to consider the physical size of the router, including its height, width, and depth, to ensure it can be accommodated in your space. The weight of a router can be a consideration in certain situations, but it is generally not as crucial as other factors such as performance, features, and compatibility.
System
| Chipset | Qualcomm Atheros QCA9558 |
|---|---|
| RAM | 32 MB |
| Flash | 4 MB |
| OS | Netgear |
| Power supply | 12 V / 1 A |
The Qualcomm Atheros QCA9558 CPU, combined with other factors such as RAM capacity and firmware optimization, determines the overall performance and responsiveness of the router. The N450 WNR2500 comes with 32 MB of RAM. The amount of RAM in a router can impact its performance and capacity to handle concurrent operations and traffic. Higher RAM capacity allows for better multitasking, larger routing tables, and improved overall performance.
The 4 MB flash memory in the router serves as the storage medium for the router's firmware. It is a non-volatile memory that retains its data even when power is removed from the device. The Netgear often releases firmware updates to enhance the router's functionality, improve security, fix bugs, and add new features. Firmware updates can provide performance improvements, compatibility with new devices or protocols, and address vulnerabilities. The Netgear provides the appropriate power supply (12 V / 1 A) that matches the voltage requirements of the router. The power supply unit is designed to deliver the correct voltage to the router, ensuring its proper operation.
Network
| Protocols | IPv4 |
|---|---|
| LAN ports | 4 x 10/100 Mbps |
| WAN ports | 1 x 10/100 Mbps |
| Mobile network | no |
| VPN support | no |
Like many modern routers, the N450 WNR2500 supports many network standards too. The majority of networking equipment, including routers, switches, and other network devices, is designed to support IPv4. The N450 WNR2500 has 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN and 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN ports. The LAN ports of N450 WNR2500 router are numbered and are used to establish wired connections between the router and devices such as computers, gaming consoles, smart TVs, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and other network-enabled devices.
The WAN port on a router stands for "Wide Area Network" port. It is used to connect the router to the external network, typically provided by an internet service provider (ISP). If you have a high-speed internet plan with speeds exceeding 100 Mbps, you may experience a bottleneck in wired connections due to the limitation of the Fast Ethernet ports on the N450 WNR2500 router.
Wireless
| Antennas | 3 x 5 dBi fixed |
|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz | yes |
| 5 GHz | yes |
| 60 GHz | no |
| Standards | IEEE 802.11b/g/n |
| Class | N450 |
| Speed | 450 Mbps |
| Transmit power | 23 dBm |
| Security | WEP WPA WPA2 |
| Guest network | no |
This router has 3 x 5 dBi, fixed antennas. Many modern routers feature multiple antennas and use Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology. This technology enables simultaneous transmission and reception of multiple data streams, increasing overall throughput and improving the Wi-Fi performance. This router is 2.4 GHz compatible. The 2.4 GHz band is widely supported by a wide range of devices, including older devices that may not be compatible with the 5 GHz band.
This router operates on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, allowing you to connect devices to the most suitable band based on their capabilities and requirements. The N450 WNR2500 is a Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) router. N routers may have a more limited range compared to newer Wi-Fi standards, making them less suitable for larger homes or offices where Wi-Fi coverage is a concern. The N450 refers to the maximum combined data transfer rate supported by the router across all Wi-Fi bands.
The N450 WNR2500 is capable of a maximum throughput speed of 450 Mbps. The real-world speed of a N450 WNR2500 router is typically lower than its theoretical maximum speed. The maximum TX power of N450 WNR2500 router is 23 dBm. Adjusting the TX power of a router can be useful in situations where you want to optimize the Wi-Fi signal strength and coverage. The N450 WNR2500 router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2.
The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) was introduced as an improvement over WEP and provides stronger security. If WPA3 is not available, WPA2-Personal with AES encryption is still considered secure.
Connectivity
| USB ports | no |
|---|---|
| Print server | no |
| File server | no |
The N450 WNR2500 router doesn't have file-server or print-server functionality.
Administration
| Default IP | 192.168.1.1 |
|---|---|
| Default username | admin |
| Default password | password |
The Netgear router setup panel is accessed through a web browser. Connect your computer to the N450 WNR2500 router via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable. In the address bar of the web browser, type in the 192.168.1.1 IP address. If you are unable to log in to the setup panel of your Netgear router, performing a reset can be a helpful troubleshooting step. It is highly recommended to change the default password of your N450 WNR2500 router after the initial setup. If you forget the new password in the future, you may need to perform a factory reset on the router to revert to the default settings.
The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the Netgear N450 WNR2500, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.
Netgear N450 WNR2500 (WNR2500) pictures
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