Netgear n150 vs n300 – Which has the best speeds?
The Netgear n150 and n300 are one of the best wireless routers that will allow you to connect your PC and other wireless devices so you can enjoy the internet smoothly. They’re budget-friendly routers with good data transfer speeds and useful features that you will love.
I have been using a Linksys router for the longest time now till it stopped working last week. I want a simple and effective wifi router for a low price and I came up with the Netgear n150 and n300 that fit in my budget range. However, I only need one so I came up with this table to help me make my decision.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between Netgear n150 and n300?
Netgear router model |
N150 |
N300 (Winner) |
Speed |
2.4 GHz – 150 Mbps |
2.4 GHz – 300 Mbps
|
Antennas |
1 external |
2 internal |
Coverage range |
Small area |
Large area coverage |
Netgear n150 vs n300 – How do they differ?
Design
The Netgear n150 is a simple wireless router with a black chassis at the top and LED light indicators on the side for power, LAN ports, internet, and WPS. It has one antenna which means it has a small coverage area. At the back are 4 LAN ports, one USB port for your hard drives, and the WPS button. It has a detachable stand that allows it to stand vertically. On the other hand, the n300 router has a box casing that stands vertically with internal antennas. At the front are LED lights for each port, internet, and wireless connections, and a WPS button. At the back are 4 LAN ports, a WAN port, and a power button. The router operates vertically and you can’t mount it on your wall.
N300 has a better design. It has a simple compact look that won’t stand out in your living room.
Speed and performance
The n150 router is a single band router that uses the 2.4 GHz bandwidth and one antenna to provide an internet connection to your connected devices. This means it can only cover a small area. It can provide wifi speeds of up to 150 Mbps which is enough for HD streaming, online gaming, and simple surfing without lagging. The n300 is also a wireless router that operates on the 2.4 GHz bandwidth that can deliver speeds of up to 300 Mbps for comfortable gaming and live streaming without buffering.
N300 is a better performer with faster speeds on its bandwidth with quicker download speeds.
Range
A router’s coverage range mostly depends on the number of antennas and their power. The n150 router uses on one external antenna which means it can’t cover a very wide area, but the n300 uses internal antennas that are more powerful which means it can cover a wider area so it’s able to connect to more devices in other rooms in your home.
N300 can provide better range than n150 with more internal antennas to cover a wide area.
Netgear n150 vs n300 – A comparison review
Netgear n150
No products found.
Netgear n150 is a wireless router that provides you a simple and secure way of sharing your internet for emails, web browsing, and social networking and allows you to connect multiple wireless devices to enjoy smooth internet. It’s an affordable router capable of data transfer speeds of up to 150 Mbps and has several features that you will find very useful. It has an integrated firewall that will help to protect your wireless network from hackers and it uses an encryption mechanism to ensure that nobody can access your network. The n150 router uses only one antenna that is non-removable and detachable which means it can’t cover a large area. It uses 4 ethernet LAN ports to support both your wireless and wired networks so you can easily enjoy online gaming, surfing, and HD streaming without any lagging.
There is also a USB port to help extend your network and share your photos, music, and files from your hard drive. You can also use the USB port with any compatible printer for printing documents from your hard drive. It’s very easy to set up and install this router in your PC, smartphone, and other wireless devices that are compatible. The Netgear genie app will help you manage and monitor all the devices in your network. You can use the Push N Connect button to add more devices to your network. The parental controls will help you to limit or block access to certain websites and set access times to certain devices. This will keep your kids safe when browsing the internet. The guest network will allow you to create a separate wifi network for your guests without having to access your network or your data. WPA/WPA2 provides the highest level of security for your wifi connections. The n150 router uses only one frequency band, 2.4 GHz which can give you uploading and downloading speeds of up to 90 Mbps of data transfer.
Pros
- Simple and easy to configure and install
- The parental controls are helpful
- Uses integrated firewalls to keep your network secure
- Has 4 LAN ports you can use to connect to your wired devices
Cons
- Uses on the 2.4 GHz bandwidth
- Has a small coverage range
N300
- Supports Windows 8
- Fast downloads and online gaming with speeds up to 300 Mbps
Netgear n300 wrn2000is a compact and simple wireless-N router with excellent range and decent throughput speeds. With speeds of up to 300 Mbps, you can quickly download a long video or game in a very short time. Apart from its malware and in-built virus immunity, it also comes with a lifetime warranty. It has 5 ethernet connectivity ports, 4 LAN ports, and a WAN port. It’s designed to operate in a vertical position and it has a detachable stand that ensures its stability, but you can’t mount it on your wall. N300 has a very simple and straight forward setting up a process where you can use the web interface to configure the settings.
Some of the features you expect to findin n300include the free live parental controls that you can access after setting up a free OpenDNS account which will allow you to customize the web-filtering feature. The router also supports WPS that will allow you to quickly add more devices to your network without using the encryption key. Your network and data are also protected from malware and viruses. N300’s throughput performance is great for a router its size. It can deliver speeds of up to 33.6 Mbps with excellent range coverage compared to other routers its size.
Pros
- Has decent throughput speeds
- Very affordable
- Comes with a free live parental control feature
- Has excellent range coverage
Cons
- The web interface is a bit sluggish at times
- Doesn’t have a USB port
Conclusion
The Netgear n150 and n300 are both affordable wireless routers that use a single bandwidth. The n150 router is more ideal for small to medium homes that don’t have a large coverage area while the n300 router uses internal antennas to cover a wider area with internet connectivity.
So which one is better Netgear n150 or n300?
Netgear n300 is a better router because it can cover a wider area with its internal antennas and with speeds of up to 300 Mbps of data transfer. It also comes with a live parental control feature that will help you monitor your network from anywhere in the world.
FAQ
What is the range of Netgear n300 wireless router?
When it’s working well, the n300 router can deliver a transfer speed of up to 5.36 Mbps at a close range of about 2m and mid-range distance of 10m.
Is n300 enough?
N300 means the router is capable of 300 Mbps of transfer speeds which is between 100 and 150 Mbps of average speeds. For 4K streaming you only need minimum speeds of 25 Mbps, so you can easily stream with the n300 without any problems.
