Actiontec Wireless USB Network Adapter (Black)

10 Review to this product

• 

  David Edmiston
  August 19th, 2010 on 2:09 pm

  Rating

  This USB wireless network adapter is a simple way to add wireless connectivity to your wireless-less laptop or desktop.

  I was hoping to use it to add network connectivity to other devices in my home: specifically, I wanted to use it for firmware updates on a couple of Blu-Ray players and DVRs. None of my devices recognized it, but I really didn’t try to hard.

  But if you just need cheap and simple wireless connectivity for a WINDOWS PC, then this is a decent solution.
• 

  rbhatta
  August 20th, 2010 on 2:40 pm

  Rating

  Actiontec Wireless USB Network Adapter is truly a plug and play device as the device drivers needed for installation is part of the device itself, it automatically installs the drivers for you and enables the device for use.

  The Actiontec Wireless USB Network Adapter is slightly larger than your normal USB stick and it also comes with an USB extension cord for certain laptops that have very little clearance near the USB slots.

  There is a WPS authentication button when pressed pops up a screen to tell you to pair it up with your router or access point, if your router has WPS button these two devices will get paired automatically without having to manually keying the security key. If your router does not have WPS authentication you can still use this Actiontec Wireless USB Network Adapter and manually authenticate just like any other wireless device using the security key.

  PROS

  [+] Truly plug and play – Drivers comes built-in the device – Thank you!
  
  [+] Good Signal strength and does not drop connections
  
  [+] The MAC address comes printed on the device for easy security configuration of router if needed

  CONS

  [-] Gets fairly warm but not too hot, it is better to use the USB Extension cord to keep the heat away.
  
  [-] It is slightly larger than a regular USB stick which can be problem for some USB slots when not used with the USB extension cord.
  
  [-] Marginally expensive compared to other 802.11n USB devices

  I could not test the “802.11n” speeds that this device is capable for, but it did connect to my 802.11g wireless access point and did not drop connections. When I do have the 802.11n network ready for test I will update my review with my results.
  
• 

  D. Brennan
  August 21st, 2010 on 5:08 am

  Rating

  I tried this adapter on two computers. The first was a Dell Vostro laptop running Vista Intimate. The other was a Dell Desktop running XP, fully patched. A few of the major findings:

  1 – In both cases, the install took under a minute. The drivers are built-in and install easily.

  2 – Using the Speakeasy speedtest, ([...]) as my benchmark, this adapter actually had better download speed than the built-in wireless of my Vostro laptop. While it was nowhere near as fast as the wired network I have at home, my desktop had more than adequate upload and download speeds using this device.

  3 – Setting up secure access to my home router was simple enough using the standard Windows settings.

  This device can easily substitute for a wired connection for most home and business uses, so maybe you can save yourself the trouble of running wires to distant parts of your home.
• 

  Wade W
  August 22nd, 2010 on 1:31 pm

  Rating

  – Good Design from the start –

  I previously used a Belkin USB wireless adapter. The thing was huge (3x the size of the Actiontec), so right from the start, I was pleased with the Actiontec adapter. It feels solid, well made, and even the USB cable extender is of good quality.

  — Extremely Easy to Set up –

  I loved how the back of the package mentioned that there’s no bloated CD of wizards, drivers, software bundles, etc. to install. I plugged it into my XP machine, and after a quick status screen appeared, it was done.

  — WPS is Awesome –

  I have a router with the “sync” icon-button. I knew what it was for, but didn’t know that the acronym is WPS, but I didn’t have any devices that were WPS enabled until I got the Actiontec. I enabled WPS in my router setup (I can’t remember if it was turned off by default, so if you have trouble, check to make sure that “Wi-fi Protected Setup” is enabled in your router setup.

  After enabling the feature in the router settings, I held down the WPS on the router for two seconds, then pressed teh WPS button on the USB adapter, and in about two seconds, it connected, and I had wi-fi. It was awesome! Especially since the other day, I had to enter a pass-phrase on another device and it took forever to get it set up.

  — Other Pro’s –

  I like that it came with an extender cable that’s about 24 inches long.

  — Drawbacks –

  I was pretty impressed with it. The only drawback was the setup was a little unnerving in that it didn’t prompt me to install, it just went ahead and did so. I know that’s by design, and it mentioned it in the setup guide, but still.
• 

  Mark Taylor
  August 22nd, 2010 on 4:10 pm

  Rating

  The first thing that surprised me about this USB Network adapter is that it is bulkier than USB thumb drives. The plastic does not feel nice, and it is ugly.

  That said, it is incredibly easy to use and does provide high speed N coverages even with USB 1.1. And the product comes with a USB extension cord, about 32 inches (81 cm) so you can reposition the adapter if needed.

  On Windows XP, with a 6 year old Toshiba laptop with USB 1.1, the Autostart worked and it installed with no problem. I do get a warnings whenever I login that the device would perform faster if connected to a USB 2.0 port (but since I don’t have one…). Regardless, I still get a higher speed connection than with my old Wireless G card –> 54 Mpbs with G, and 104 Mpbs with this N adapter.

  On Windows7 (not officially supported by the adapter), with a 3 year old Acer 4000 Ferrari, and USB 2.0 the Autostart did not work, so I found the drive, and launched the startup program. The installation completed with no errors. 130 Mpbs were achieved, compared to 65 Mpbs with my Linksys PCMCIA slot Wireless N adapter.

  I highly recommend this USB adapter over any PCMCIA style adpater.
• 

  An Engineer
  August 23rd, 2010 on 5:59 pm

  Rating

  Installing the Wireless USB Network Adapter is the easiest network card install I have ever done. To set the adapter up you simply plug it into the USB port and then install the software and you are done. There are eight wireless networks in close proximity to mine and the adapter functioned well. I noticed no interference from other wireless adapters in my home or from household appliances like the microwave or cordless phone. I did not perform a rigorous performance so I cannot comment in regards to the exact performance numbers my connection was getting in comparison to other devices. I believe in order to review the performance I would have to compare to several competitors. I say this because be cautious in reading other reviews saying the adapter didn’t perform to spec. After all there are many factors such as software and hardware performance layers that would have to be ruled out first. Remember, we are talking about windows

  My only complaint is when are these manufactures going to learn that hard plastic packaging is a thing of the past … for the love of the Earth my fingers please use a more sensible packaging.

  cheers,
  
  Pat
• 

  Samuel M. Stone
  August 23rd, 2010 on 10:56 pm

  Rating

  I opened this adapter from the package and plugged it on my office desktop PC. The system recognized the adapter right away and within seconds, the software from inside the adapter began to install itself. Within a minute or two the wireless network was found and ready for me to connect. Both the strength and speed are very strong. Even though I haven’t tested with heavy file transfer or playing network games, it’s more than enough for Internet connection and daily office use on a local area network.
• 

  Dylan Ginsburg
  August 24th, 2010 on 6:26 pm

  Rating

  The coolest thing about this adapter is that the drivers are stored on the device. When you plug it in, the drivers automatically install with no download or CD needed. The only thing that concerns me is there are no updated drivers on the company’s web site. There are newer drivers for the chipset used in this device but Actiontec has not released them. But for now the included drivers work well on my Windows 7 64 bit machine.

  Note that this is a single band adapter. If you live in a crowded area you may want to pay the extra for dual band 802.11n equipment that works in the 5 GHz band. I recently moved to a much denser townhouse community where I can see 20 wifi networks at my house. I could no longer reliably stream music and upgraded to 802.11n equipment that works at 5 GHz.
• 

  S. J. Northrip
  August 25th, 2010 on 7:42 am

  Rating

  When we received this wireless adapter we quickly realized this would solve a problem with our Grand Son’s computer. Their Uverse modem is frankly not placed in the best area of his home, so the signal strength on his computer has been at best spotty.

  We first installed this adapter on my notebook and were pleased at the N Speeds. We then installed the Actiontec Wireless Network Adapter on his computer and he has experienced very satisfactory results. His reception was greatly improved and is still functional today. He is quite pleased with the product and indicates how much better it works compared to his previous wireless adapter.
• 

  Just a guy
  August 25th, 2010 on 5:09 pm

  Rating

  PHYSICAL REVIEW: The adapter is a large USB stick. It sticks out about 2.5″ from my laptop. It comes with one of those useless USB stick covers. It also comes with a 30″ USB extension cord – which is really useful for something else I needed (I don’t understand why they include it with the usb stick). Oh wait. I just figured it out. The USB stick is a bit wider than a normal USB stick and might take up more than one slot if you needed to use the nearby USB ports. (It is 1 1/8″ wide.) The extension cord lets you have a more narrow plugand use the nearby USB ports. Smart. There is a green light that binks – presumably showing you it is connected.

  I was unable to test the WPS button.

  It came with very good printed directions.

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW: The installation could not have been any easier on my XP (SP3) computer (Dell Mini 10v). I just put it in and the computer automatically did the rest.

  With the Actiontec operational I have an intranet connection of 54.0 Mbps and an internet connection of 14.7 Mb/s / 4.31 Mb/s with a 10ms ping.

  Without the Actiontec operational – over my built-in 802.11b card – have the same 54.0 Mbps intranet connection and an internet connection of 16.18 Mb/s / 4.29 Mb/s with a 10ms ping.

  These results were obtained using speed test dot net. I guess since I do not have an “n” wireless access point, the Actiontec adapter is not getting its full benefit.

  NOTE: The Adapter does get fairly warm (not quite “hot”) after a few minutes of use.