I'm using this dongle/antenna to connect my media server on the ground floor of my house to a wireless router, which is on the second floor and in the opposite corner of the house. I've used several laptops in this room with many different wireless adapters, as well as a previous media server with built-in wifi card, and all generally get about 2-3 bars (out of 5) of signal in this location.
When I use this product in the same room, and even with one of the same laptops, I get 5 bars of signal, and the utility app says the connection ranges from 98-100% quality! I've streamed all kinds of video content with this new dongle, including HD, and it is amazing how well it works, comparable to plugging directly into the router via ethernet. It also pulls in routers from all the neighbors' houses, which were previously invisible, so I guess we could have free broadband if we really wanted it. The reception is way better than I dared hope for, and I'd buy this product again in a second if I needed another wifi connection for some reason.
In addition, I was surprised at how easily I was able to install the driver, even on Vista. . . when was the last time that happened? I hadn't heard of this company, and I was hesitant to buy from some small company because I've experienced compatibility problems before with obscure drivers working with XP, Vista, even Mac OS. Not this time, I was up and running in a couple of minutes.
One note of caution: the high gain antenna is very long (about a foot) and about a half-inch thick, so it would be cumbersome if you're using it with a laptop or expect it to be portable or unobtrusive. This is not an issue for me, and I guess the size is what makes it so powerful, so it's not a problem with the product, just something to consider in advance.
*** UPDATE 7/15/10 ***
I had some trouble getting this to work when I installed it with a new Windows 7 machine. The driver disk that came with it only goes up to Vista, so I had to download a current version from the Alfa Network site ([...].). Once I installed the new driver, it worked as well as reviewed above. The tricky part was that Win7 recognized the device and the wireless network icon in the taskbar, networking control panel, etc. all said that it was working, even though it actually wasn't. Wish I hadn't been fooled by that, so I'm posting the above link to make it easier for the next guy (or gal). 1000mW 1W 802.11g/n High Gain USB Wireless G / N Long-Rang WiFi Network Adapter - Dongle With Original Alfa 5dBi and 9dBi Rubber Antenna *Strongest on the Market*
Without an antenna, the adapter picks up a better signal than the internal wifi on this laptop.
With the small antenna, I'm getting 100% reception quality from anywhere inside and in the immediate vicinity of a 2-story house (with an 802.11G router in the basement).
And with the large antenna, it's picking up the neighbor's wireless--who's all the way across the valley--from INSIDE the house...
In other words, I'm very happy with this ... and maybe a bit concerned for my health ...
This product is amazing! I'm using this wifi adapter with the 9dBi antenna on my Asus eee 1000HA and I do find more networks in range and other networks that were already existing have 2 or 3 more bars now. Everything is going faster and as far as I have noticed battery life is not negatively affected. The only thing I don't like is that the 9dBi antenna is quite heavy for the usb port so I prefer to use it with a 6 inch USB extension cable like this one [...] but other than that absolutely no other problems.
Totally recommended.
Good item. I gave it 4 stars because the dongle itself feels somewhat fragile and large to leave attached directly to USB port.
I solved this by also ordering a 6' usb cable extender.
USB 2.0 Extension Cable Type A Male to Type A Female 6 ft, Black
This allows me to move the dongle/antenna for maximum signal strength.
Dongle w/9dBI antenna is top heavy so be aware you'll have to lean it against something. Not an issue for me. Orginally received wrong 9dBI antenna (connecter was incorrect) but both ALFA & DB ROTH customer service were excellent and they sent me the correct one and let me keep the other.
2 antennas and the dongle included with cd. I did not use the cd for installation due to warnings in other reviews. Downloaded driver from ALFA site and it worked perfectly.
For those with Asus Eee 1005HAB's which appear to have major problems with onboard WIFI receipt strength, this is a great fix. Picks up amazing amount of WIFI broadcasts i could not see even with my other machines that had no problems.
Just disable the onboard WIFI and plug this in, my Windows XP picked it right up and it worked w/o any hassle.
This antenna is the best one I've owned. I have two more from NETGEAR, but they don't work with windows7- 32/64 bit. This antenna though is awesome, it works with windows7 -32/64 bit. This antenna is the best you can find on the market. Very strong and wide range. This is what you need. I hope this review is helpful guys. I am an independent user that doesn't serve to any company what so ever. Thank you
It works as advertised.. I WAS using this in my home to help boost local wifi signals, on average it would increase the low signals from 2 to 4 bars, increasing download speeds from 150-300 kb/s to a whopping 400-700 kb/s depending on the weather condition outside and number of people on the local wifi signals.... The problem with this product is the weight of the antenna that is attached to the USB portion... It is nearly impossible to have the antenna stand up straight... Within 2 weeks because of the antenna constantly having to be re adjusted from falling, the metal insides of the USB that allow the USB to connect to your laptop broke... It would just no longer detect the adapter when I plugged it in... Now the package did come with a smaller antenna which I haven't tested yet.. But the USB should have been build to where it could hold more weight while plugged in... Because of this I feel like I threw away money... Great while it lasted but its a short lived product if you don't CAREFULLY watch to make sure the antenna doesn't fall over while attached to the USB... - Signal Booster - Antenna - Usb - Wireless Network Adapter'
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