Home > Consumer Reviews > Actiontec WiFi 11Mbps USB Wireless Network Adapter

I had this up and working pretty quickly. I am using Windows XP and installed this without a hitch, then enabled it as a bridge, sharing my ADSL internet connection from my fixed PC to anywhere else in the house. In fact, performance seems faster on my other half's laptop (also running XP) whilst she's sat downstairs than it does on my desktop. Her laptop has a different make of wireless network card than this and it still works easily!

Sorting out the bridge was a little bit fiddly but only took half and hour or so. I haven't yet sorted out the encryption - the devices wouldn't work at first so I disabled encryption on both links and it all started working. I also have yet to configure peer-to-peer file and printer sharing, etc. Occasionally connectivity drops but it is easily re-instated from the client end.

So, it is easy to get working with basic functionality but a bit more tricky to enable all the features.

The sticky pad that comes with this to mount it on a vertical surface is rubbish, by the way! There are no guidelines as to the best orientation for the device and the manual gives good instructions for installation but is of little help for configuration.

All in all, it is good value for money but not 100% straightforward.

These cards although comparatively expensive (I got a set of two on ebay for £60!!) are a touch of class. They have all the drivers you need on the included cd so you dont need to go downloading and sarching for the correct ones, and they are fairly robust. I have found though that if I turn off my computer without shutting down when I turn it back on again the card doesnt detect the network, I do not know why this is. You will need two of these cards if you have a 2 pc network and it is worth investing in a router also.