Home > Consumer Reviews > USB 500mW WiFI Adapter for Wardriving & Range Extension *Strongest on the Market*

I purchased this item because I live in the country, 800 feet from the main road. My FIL, who lives right on the road, was recently able to get hi speed internet but the cable company denied me stating it was too far a distance to run the cables. I recently purchased a laptop and was able to pick up a weak signal from my FIL's router so I bought this in hopes of boosting the signal. I immediately went from 1 bar to 3 and sometimes even 4. They are also selling this same adapter with a bigger antenna and I am thinking about trying that one out. I have used this with Vista and XP and it works great with both though I did have to download drivers for Vista off website but it was no big deal. I am a mom of 4 and no computer whiz and searched the internet for the best adapter and a decent price and was a little weary about this but it is working great so far.

I had this booster to increase the receiving signal from one bar to 2-3 bars. It was function as promised. However, something you need to know which does not explicitly explain in the manu. Signal dropped from weak 54MB/s to strong 10MB/s for steadly receivig signal (can not stay with 801.11G and switch to 801,11b speed), second when you use the enclosed software to install proper driver as suggested. My original wireless driver was removed from the laptop without warning. When I tried to use my laptop at other strong signal place without using booster, I could not connect to any wireless access point , and original wireless driver can't be found and need to reinstall original wireless driver again. It took a while to find out why laptop won't work anymore. This is good stuff but it took over the system and install it own with unwant consequence.


KK

This adapter really does improve signal strength. I had a D-link DWL-G550 PCI card, and the ALFA has considerably increased my connectivity. The power makes a difference.

The software utility is also very nice. You can set it to work as an AP or client, and it provides lots of info and good control over your wireless situation. There is a newer driver version on the Realtek website that you can download.

I did experience a problem with the driver + utility package though, because it seems the utility on their site is older than the one on my CD? (I didn't look into this too much because it works anyway, but when i uninstalled BOTH utilities - yes, they created seperate installs - then re-installed what i had from the CD it gave me the newer utility version, but after updating only the driver it then displayed the older utility version.. weird)

Also of interest: this adapter uses a RP-SMA antenna connector. The connector has threads on the outside and a prong sticking out in the middle. So if you're ordering a seperate antenna, make sure you get one that screws ONTO this; one with threads on the inside, and a hole in the inside. See [..]

Like many others I was skeptical, if for no other reason than the cheap looking graphic and the price drop from $220 to 38.99.

My situation -

I recently received a new Dell desktop and I've had problems with weak signal reception in my office. Previous to that I've worked on Dell laptops in my office with 4 bar access. The desktop was only receiving 1-2 bars with frequent losses of reception.

I was tempted to give this product fewer stars only because I had a difficult time configuring it - which is to say with a lack of clear instructions written in plain English and my own desire to make it harder that it really is, I spent almost 3 hours trying to get it to work.

Here's all you need to do -

1 Attach antennae to unit.
2 Plug in USB cable to unit and to computer
3 Windows Vista automatically downloaded the latest driver for me. (I didn't need to install the software that comes with it and the "old" wireless device still works.
4 "Connect or disconnect" to your network using the wireless network icon in the lower right corner of your screen (two monitors and a globe) - if you already have a wireless device installed you may need to scroll to see there's a new one. Disconnect your current connection with your old device by clicking on the correct icon, then connect to the network using "Wireless Connection 2".

I went from 1-2 bars to solid 5 bar connectivity. Everything's working great now - finally. It works well and I'm happy. I nearly spent $100 plus tax for a booster at Staples, so this is a great deal.

This adaptor solves the many problems inherent in wireless cards. Sure, they make high power wireless cards, but the strongest only go up to 300mw. The antenna connections are so weak on the wireless cards, they tend to break off and become useless in just a few days.
This adaptor is the strongest on the market: 500mw. It plugs into your USB port, enabling you to use high gain antennas connected directly to the sturdy adaptor.
The results: Amazing. You'll find active links you never knew existed in any geographic area previously searched.
The software is simple to install, and the functionality of the adaptor's program is fantastic.
I wish I had found about this when it was first released. I wasted much too much time with my other "high power" PC card adaptors.
Don't hesitate to buy this product!