WiFi Network Adapter N300 vs. N300m

Question

Hi:&nbsp;I am currently trying out a new Netgear N300 (WNA3100) adapter.It sticks out from the USB port on my laptop by about 2.5".After purchasing this product,I discovered that Netgear also has the mini / micro version N300m (WNA3100m) of this, which is much smaller.Which of these products is newer ?The box for the N300 has a copyright date 0f 2013 ... I consider this old.Which is the better/more-reliable product&nbsp; ?I live in a small apartment (~650 sq.ft) so I don't need real long range.What I do want is signal stability (low/no dropout).The N300 is "talking" to a Motorola SBG6580 cable modem router (802.11 n).My cable provider is Cox.My HP laptop is a bit (or byte) old, and only has 802.11 g built-in, so when Cox doubled my plan's speed about 15 months ago, I was not seeing any real increase in the download speed, but did see almost a doubling in the upload speed.I will be purchasing a new laptop (Windows 10 or MacBook) in the near future.&nbsp;Both of these are running 802.11 AC.If I were to purchase an AC adapter, would it be able to communicate with my current SBG6580 at the 802.11 n speed for the plan that I have (50 Mbps/download) ?Does Netgear make a mini/micro version of an 802.11 AC adapter ?&nbsp;Thank you&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

JamesGL · Answer

Hi DaleB,

&nbsp;

The two N300 adapters are just the same. The only difference is there physical appearance. And for the AC adapter, the smallest adapter is the A6100.

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http://support.netgear.com/product/A6100

JamesGL · Answer

Hi DaleB,

&nbsp;

I believe the newer one is the N300M.

&nbsp;

For A6100, if your device is connected to 2.4Ghz the connection should be 150Mbps for local but for A6100 due to 20/40Mhz coexistence, it will be half or close to half of expected local connection. You can disable it in the properties of the adapter on device manager.

DaleB · Answer

Hi James:Do you know...which is the newer device ... the N300 or the N300m, and which is more reliable ?Have purchased an N300 and had some problems with it (also don't like the larger size). Purchased an A6100 and have different problems with it.The shown speed is slower (see below) and the LED doesn't light up, even though I have connectivity with the Net/Web.Here's a speed question for you.With the N300, I was getting either 130 or 117 Mbps according to Windows Network and Sharing Center and NETGEAR genie.With the A6100, I am only seeing 72 Mbps when the box states 433/150 for the 5/2.4 GHz bands respectively.Why is the network speed for the A6100 only 72, with network speed of only 130 for the N300 ? Why am I not seeing the same speed for both items, e.g. 130 ?I realize that the speeds that I see onscreen are just WiFi signal speed between my laptop adapter and my cable modem router. My ISP plan is just 50 Mbps download, and I get this or a maybe 60 Mbps with an Ethernet cable and around 45 Mbps wirelessly.Why don't the online speedtest sites yield results close to each other ?I use speedtest.net and dslreports.com to check the speed that I receive from Cox. The measured download speeds are similar, but the upload speed measured by speedtest is usually 25-40% higher than that measured by dslreports. A Cox rep told me that dslreports is more accurate, yet, Cox's web site uses speedtest.Thank youDaleB

DaleB · Answer

Hi James:&nbsp;Thank you for your reply.&nbsp;I was continuing to have problems with the A6100, (drop-out) and software crashing, so I returned&nbsp;it and ordered the N300m. &nbsp;It seems to be more stable, usually maintaining a WiFi connection rate of 144.5 Mbps.The software, NETGEAR genie, has problems.I can use the version that came on the CD (ver. 1.2.0.4), but if I upgrade&nbsp;the the later version (ver. 1.2.0.6), it doesn't work. &nbsp;I must uninstall it, clean out the Registry, and folders on the laptop, then install ver. 1.2.0.4.I&nbsp;believe that this is due to it being made to be compatible with Windows 10.My laptop is using Windows Vista 32-bit Home Premium.Ver. 1.2.0.4 has problems, where the network connection map say that&nbsp;there is no connection between&nbsp;my gateway (modem/router combo) and the Internet, when there is. &nbsp;The Windows&nbsp;Network and Sharing Center&nbsp;network map shows that I am connected and I can access web sites. &nbsp;The only way around this is form me to remove the connection (from within NETGEAR genie) and then reestablish&nbsp;the connection&nbsp;(from within NETGEAR genie),&nbsp;or for me to ignore NETGEAR genie.The user should have to be bothered with this hassle: the software should work.&nbsp;DaleB

JamesGL · Answer

Hi DaleB,

&nbsp;

When you install the 1.2.0.6, is it via the driver that can be downloaded in support site?

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WiFi Network Adapter N300 vs. N300m

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