D-link DWL-G132 (WUA-2340) 802.11g/b Wireless Adapter
- Interface Compatibility: USB 2.0
- WLAN Standards: IEEE 802.11g/b
- Form Factor: External Adapter
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Very Good Performing Inexpensive USB Wi-Fi Adapter With Stand And Cord
Pros
Very convenient to use without opening the computer case to install
Cons
Easy to lose cap
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Although this adapter is a bit dated, I still highly recommend this adapter for it's easy no computer opening installation and decent performance
I've purchase this D-Link WUA 2340 USB "G" Wi-Fi adapter for computer diagnostics and repairs on computers that doesn't have a built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, in locations in my house where I have no access to ethernet connectivity. I don't have to physically open up the computer and insert an adopter inside. For that function, I found this adapter to be extremely good. The included software on CD-ROM works extremely well for both Windows XP as well as the new Windows 7 with WPA 2 encryption. Install the software first before connecting the adapter to the USB port. The only negative to say about this adapter is that it doesn't have an external antenna and doesn't quite perform as good as one that does have the antenna when it comes to signal strength next to the computer. Since with the included weighted stand and cord, I can raise the adopter high up and orientation to get the best signal in most cases. Under this condition about 30 feet away and one floor below the signal strength was fair to good.
This adapter is capable of operating in channel bonding mode to almost double the speed with a corresponding router. In most areas there are a lot of Wi-Fi networks forcing the adapter and router to fall back to single channel mode. In my vicinity, there are at least nine other networks. In order for a single network to operate efficiently, it requires three channel width and for channel bonding it require up to six channel width. The 24 MHz Wi-Fi band with only 11 channels can only handle up to three networks at the same time with little overlap by operating on channel 1, channel 6 and channel 11. Under the channel bonding, it operates on channel 6 encompassing channel 3 through channel 9 hereby occupying practically the whole band. This will cause severe interference to any other network, and is to reason channel bonding cannot operate whenever there are other network nearby. This feature is designed into the system to prevent interference.
During my intensive testing, I found this adapter to be extremely stable keeping me connected to my network under both Windows XP and Windows 7. The adopter can be plugged in directly to the USB port if you wish. The removable dust cap on the adapter can be lost if you're not careful where you put it. It would have been nice if it had a string attached. After looking over the design, it is possible for me to attach a nylon string to the cap like what I've been doing with some of my jump drives. I would have to drill a small hole on the edge of the cap to tie one end of the nylon string and tie the other end to the handle on the adapter on the top side.
Overall I'm pretty impressed with this relatively small adapter. So far proven to be very reliable and inexpensive to keep around in case I needed it for connecting any computer to my network without Wi-Fi capability in the future.
I will update this review in the future as I learn more about this adapter
This adapter is capable of operating in channel bonding mode to almost double the speed with a corresponding router. In most areas there are a lot of Wi-Fi networks forcing the adapter and router to fall back to single channel mode. In my vicinity, there are at least nine other networks. In order for a single network to operate efficiently, it requires three channel width and for channel bonding it require up to six channel width. The 24 MHz Wi-Fi band with only 11 channels can only handle up to three networks at the same time with little overlap by operating on channel 1, channel 6 and channel 11. Under the channel bonding, it operates on channel 6 encompassing channel 3 through channel 9 hereby occupying practically the whole band. This will cause severe interference to any other network, and is to reason channel bonding cannot operate whenever there are other network nearby. This feature is designed into the system to prevent interference.
During my intensive testing, I found this adapter to be extremely stable keeping me connected to my network under both Windows XP and Windows 7. The adopter can be plugged in directly to the USB port if you wish. The removable dust cap on the adapter can be lost if you're not careful where you put it. It would have been nice if it had a string attached. After looking over the design, it is possible for me to attach a nylon string to the cap like what I've been doing with some of my jump drives. I would have to drill a small hole on the edge of the cap to tie one end of the nylon string and tie the other end to the handle on the adapter on the top side.
Overall I'm pretty impressed with this relatively small adapter. So far proven to be very reliable and inexpensive to keep around in case I needed it for connecting any computer to my network without Wi-Fi capability in the future.
I will update this review in the future as I learn more about this adapter
