Head To Head: NETGEAR WNCE3001 & Edimax CV-7438nDM N600 Bridges Reviewed

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At a glance
Product	NETGEAR Universal N600 WiFi Adapter (WNCE3001) [Website]
Summary	USB-powered N600 class bridge
Pros	• Easy setup from any device
Cons	• USB powered

Typical Price: $240 Buy From Amazon

N600 Universal Dual-Band Wi-Fi Entertainment Bridge

At a glance
Product	Edimax N600 Universal Dual-Band Wi-Fi Entertainment Bridge (CV-7438nDM) [Website]
Summary	Oddly shaped dual-band N600 bridge with AirPlay support
Pros	• 10/100 & 10/100/1000 ports • Audio out jack for AirPlay support • Can be installed from wired or wireless devices • USB powered
Cons	• Uplink throughput falls off very quickly

Typical Price: $0 Buy From Amazon

Introduction

Edimax has been bugging me to look at its CV-7438nDM N600 Universal Dual-Band Wi-Fi Entertainment Bridge. Since I didn't have any other N600 bridges in the Charts, I decided to also call in NETGEAR's WNCE3001 Universal N600 WiFi Adapter so that we would have something to compare against.

Remember, an N600 bridge has a maximum link rate of 300 Mbps in either band. Adapters and bridges never operate simultaneously in both bands.

To kick things off, how about a comparison of key features?

Feature	Edimax CV-7438nDM	NETGEAR WNCE3001
Ethernet	10/100 (x1) 10/100/1000 (x1)	10/100 (x1)
Power	USB (micro connector)	USB (mini connector)
WPS Button	Yes	Yes
Power Switch	Yes	No
Other	Airplay audio support	None

N600 bridge comparison

The Edimax has a few features that the NETGEAR doesn't, namely Airplay support via an audio out jack to connect powered speakers and two switched ports. It's odd that one is 10/100 Mbps and the other Gigabit, but that's what they are. The NETGEAR doesn't do any tricks other than be a wireless bridge and it has only one 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port.

Neither device can function as an access point or wireless repeater / extender.

The Edimax' control features are shown in the callout diagram below. There's a lone status LED on the front of cone that communicates via color and blinking.

Edimax CV-7438nDM callouts

The NETGEAR takes a similar approach to communicating status via its lone LED.

NETGEAR WNCE3001 callouts

I have to comment on the odd format of both these products. The Edimax' design leads you to believe that there is some special Wi-Fi signal gathering being done by its reflector-dish style front. But there are only two normal patch antennas behind it, which you'll see when we look inside. At least, however, the design intuitively guides you to orient the antennas properly by pointing the "reflector dish" toward the router you are connecting to.

In contrast, the NETGEAR's design was initially a head-scratcher, since its connectors are on the surface it would stand on. But my confusion was cleared once I realized that NETGEAR includes both a wall-mount sticky pad and desk-mount stand.

NETGEAR WNCE3001 installation advice

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