How To Set Up Actiontec Wcb3000n

The Actiontec WCB6200Q Wireless Network Extender ($149.99) is the beginning networking device we've tested that uses Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology to bring wired and wireless connectivity to those areas of your home that are out of reach of your router'due south Wi-Fi bespeak. It's a dual-ring 802.11ac extender that supports Multi User-Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, and it installs in minutes. The WCB6200Q delivered good single-user wireless throughput at upward to 25 feet in my tests, but its range performance couldn't match our pinnacle choice for wireless range extenders, the Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Range Extender (EX7000) .

Design and Features
The WCB6200Q uses Bonded MoCA 2.0 to deliver wired connectivity via your domicile's coaxial cablevision. Bonded MoCA 2.0 uses 2 channels to deliver wired throughput speeds of up to 1Gbps and Wi-Fi throughput speeds of up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz ring and 1.7Mbps on the 5GHz ring. Whereas typical Wi-Fi range extenders must be placed within range of your router's wireless signal in order to amplify it and extend it to Wi-Fi dead zones, the WCB6200Q tin can exist placed anywhere in your habitation considering it uses a wired connexion to your router. Even so, in order to utilize your coaxial cabling for data transmissions, your router has to support MoCA. If non, you'll need an Ethernet-to-MoCA adapter, such as the Actiontec ECB6200 ($99.99) to allow your router to communicate with the WCB6200Q via coaxial cable.

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The WCB6200Q is powered by a dual-core MIPS processor and contains six internal antennas (two 2.4GHz and iv 5GHz) and 802.11ac Wi-Fi circuitry with support for MU-MIMO data streaming. The glossy-blackness extender stands vertically and measures 9 by one.6 past 5.8 inches (HWD). It has a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) push on top that you use to sync the extender to your router, and six LED indicators on the front (for Power, coaxial port, 2.4GHz band, 5GHz band, Ethernet port 1, and Ethernet port 2). The WCB6200Q has only two Gigabit Ethernet ports and no USB ports, whereas the Netgear EX7000 gives you v Ethernet ports and a USB iii.0 port. Side by side to the Ethernet ports at the rear of the extender are a coaxial port, a Ability port, and a reset button.

The Web-based management console opens to a Condition page that displays wireless settings such as SSID and security settings for each ring, as well as associated clients. It too displays all connected devices and their IP addresses and Product Information such as Model Number, Firmware Version, and Default Gateway.

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The Wireless Setup Page offers basic options that permit y'all name your network, select a channel, and configure security and password settings. There'south too an Access Control setting that lets you control who can use the extender to access the Internet and your network, merely information technology lacks the power to gear up access times and days similar yous can with the Netgear EX7000. The Avant-garde Setup folio offers Firmware Upgrade and Language Settings options, also as a Management menu where you can edit Subnet Mask and Default Gateway settings.

Installation and Functioning
The WCB6200Q is easy to install, just if your router is non MoCA-enabled you'll take to install an Ethernet-to-MoCA adapter kickoff. Since my FiOS Breakthrough router is MoCA enabled, all I had to do was disconnect the coax cable from my FiOS set-top box and connect it to a two-way splitter (not included). I connected 1 cablevision to the set-peak box and the other to the coax port on the extender. Once the extender was powered up, I pressed the WPS button and then pressed the WPS button on my router. The extender's WPS button flashed ruddy for around 30 seconds and then turned solid green, indicating that information technology was now synced to my router.

To test the WCB6200Q's 5GHz MU-MIMO performance, I used three identical Acer Aspire E15 laptops equipped with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless 802.11ac network adapters as my clients, an Intel-Core-i7-equipped desktop equally my server, and the Sourceforge JPerf network measurement utility. With the clients located in the aforementioned room within 5 feet of the extender (shut proximity), the boilerplate throughput was 91.5Mbps. By way of comparing, the TP-Link Archer C2600 scored 132Mbps, and the Linksys EA8500 Max-Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Smart Wi-Fi Router scored 209Mbps. It'southward important to note that the Linksys and TP-Link devices are total-diddled routers, while the WCB6200Q is an extender. At a distance of 30 feet, the WCB6200Q scored a respectable 77.9Mbps, beating the TP Link C2600 (60.9Mbps) and the Amped Wireless Athena AC2600 (54Mbps). The Linksys EA8500 lead the pack with a score of 90Mbps.

On my 2.4GHz range extender throughput tests, the WCB6200Q scored 50.4Mbps on the close-proximity test and 42.4Mbps on the 25-pes exam, topping the Netgear EX7000 by a slim margin (50.2Mbps and 38.8Mbps, respectively). The Linksys RE6700 turned in a higher shut-proximity score (93.9Mbps), but received 38.2Mbps at a distance of 25 feet. The WCB6200Q didn't fare so well on my long-range tests, getting 15Mbps (50 feet) and 8.3Mbps (75Mbps). The Netgear EX7000 scored 28.6Mbps and 26.9Mbps, respectively.

The WCB6200Q scored a league-leading 220Mbps on my 5GHz shut-proximity throughput test, chirapsia our previous leader, the Amped Wireless REC33A (210Mbps), and the Netgear EX7000 (179Mbps). Its score of 136Mbps at a distance of 25 feet is right in line with the Netgear EX7000 (137Mbps) and topped the Amped Wireless REC33A (107Mbps). Long-range performance is decent (xx.1Mbps at 50 feet and eleven.5Mbps at 75 anxiety), just the Netgear EX7000 remains our best overall performer at 105Mbps (fifty feet) and 31.1Mbps (75 feet).

Conclusion
The Actiontec WCB6200Q Wireless Network Extender does an fantabulous job of delivering solid wired and wireless connectivity to areas of your dwelling house that your main router tin't reach. Thanks to MoCA engineering, it uses your existing coaxial cablevision then you don't have to worry almost cable runs, and information technology couldn't exist easier to install and configure, specially if you already have a MoCA-enabled router. While its long-range performance was mediocre in my tests, its shut-proximity and short range throughput was quite good. Moreover, the WCB6200Q allows you lot to take advantage of MU-MIMO streaming engineering without having to invest in a new router, but as always, your devices have to support MU-MIMO to do so. If you're looking for speedy Wi-Fi throughput with adept long-range functioning, our Editors' Selection for wireless range extenders, the Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Range Extender (EX7000), delivers the best accommodating performance. It doesn't support MU-MIMO, but it is equipped with 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port.

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