Home > Consumer Reviews > Actiontec WiFi 11Mbps USB Twin Pack

Needed a network solution for my house and also for linking laptops together for trade shows and customer demonstrations.
Specific requirements included TCP/IP connectivity, file and printer sharing and Internet Connection Sharing.
Wireless appealed for the portability and USB connectivity offered the most flexibility.
This product literally works out of the box, plug it in, load the software drivers, switch to adhoc mode and off you go.
I use this to share an ADSL connection between my W98 desktop and XP laptop, downloading Mb of data via the wireless network with no discernible delay.

Great product !

I got the Actiontec USB WiFi Twin Pack as my very first foray into the world of wireless networking. I decided on the Actiontec package once I had confirmed that the adapter supported the 802.11 "Ad Hoc" mode, as I would initially be running without a proper access point.

The box arrived with two USB cables, two 802.11 adapters, one driver CD and quick guides for installing the devices under Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. As it turns out, you just plug the adapters in and search for drivers on the CD. The install worked flawlessly on both Windows 98 and on Windows 2000. On W2K it doesn't even require a reboot.

The manual is very sparse, but installation is childs-play. Configuring the devices after installation is a matter of picking options from a few list boxes, and once I'd entered my SIID, the green light changed from flashing (scanning for connections) to solid (connected).

From the time I opened the box to the time I had a solid green light on both adapters took 5 minutes, tops.

In summary then - true plug and play, supremely easy setup, but I'll only award 4 out of 5 stars as the supplied manual is sparse to say the least. The driver CD does contain fuller documentation and step by step guides, though, so do not let the lack of a hard-copy manual in the box put you off this product.