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Buffalo Wireless-G USB Adapter |
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Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
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Page 1 of 2
Product sample purchased.
Wireless is everywhere. Bookstores, malls, coffee shops, schools, the list goes on. If you own a laptop that's not completely archaic, chances are it'll have a built-in card. Unfortunately wireless technology hasn't evolved much the past couple years. Sure we have better adapters, but we're still stuck at mainstream 54Mbps speeds (wireless-g). Furthermore, the traffic congestion at those frequencies and the hardware differences vary so much that we end up with oddities. I personally have a D-Link USB adapter that disconnects every few minutes just to reconnect again. Sometimes it disconnects every minute. Then I have an older AT&T PCI card that crashes Windows XP - all the time. Today we'll be looking at a (hopefully) more reliable solution from Buffalo.
The $35 adapter was chosen for one simple reason: it claimed to be completely plug-n-play with no outside driver installation required. This is a big deal - in fact it's the biggest factor when mobility and ease of use is a priority. Many adapters require you to install drivers before you even plug anything in, else your computer could malfunction (or in the case of the AT&T adapter, not start up at all). It ships in the box shown above.
The contents are limited, just how it should be. You get the USB adapter, a USB extension cord (if plugging it into the back of a PC), a quick manual which basically says "plug it in, sit back, and relax", and a CD with additional software. The software includes drivers and a utility used to scan for access points. It should be noted that none of this is actually required since the adapter will take care of everything on its own. Think of it as extras.
The adapter itself is very simple and resembles as flash drive. There's a green activity LED near the end. The cap fits tightly and won't accidentally pop off. Unfortunately there's nowhere to store the cap once it's removed, which is a good way to lose it. It would have been nice if it could plug into the back of the drive for storage.
As you can see the drive is narrow enough to still allow neighboring USB devices to be connected. The same can't be said for all adapters. The installation process is extremely simple. Once you plug it in, Windows (XP) will go through the motions of recognizing the drive. Then the firmware kicks in. A flashing screen appears that reads "preparing for installation". A few seconds later a typical installer window comes up. The neat thing about this is that it takes you through a Windows-style installation, but instead of waiting for you to click next, locate drivers, etc, it does it all for you. All you do is sit there and watch the screens go by. Once it's set up, you're presented with a 3-tab network connection tab.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 07 July 2007 )
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