Add wireless to your desktop without opening the case
Written: Dec 17 '04 (Updated Dec 17 '04)
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Pros: Simple set up, easy to use, instant wireless for your desktop
Cons: Cable may cause more clutter but can be run out of the way
The Bottom Line: Recommended for those who want a simple way to add wireless b/g capability to their desktop computer. Easy to set up and works great.
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| sidraw1's Full Review: Dell TrueMobile 1300 802.11b/g Wireless USB 2.0 Ad... |
Here's a nifty unit that does exactly what it claims to. It gives wireless b/g connectivity to any computer with a free USB port.
What's in the Box:
The antenna (thin dark gray rectangle just under 2 1/2" x 6" x 1/2")
6 foot USB cable
Driver disc
Installation manual
Pros:
Add wireless (b/g) connectivity to any computer that has a free USB port.
Easy setup and use.
Powered through the USB port, no need for batteries or additional power supply for the unit.
Cons:
Nothing that I've really seen yet. The unit is a little large but not overly so. I don't need an extra cable cluttering things up on my desk, so it would really be nice if it just plugged into the back of the desktop as a single unit rather than a cabled unit, but the back side of the 1300 has mounting sets on it so that you can run it up the side of a wall or someplace else out of the way. If you do that, the extra cable isn't going to be an issue. It isn't for me.
While this unit will work under Linux, the drivers are not included on the disc from Dell. Do a web search on Linuxant.
Installation and Use:
There is not much to say here, this is a device that is very simple to use (there is one caveat that is mentioned below when connecting to your network)
Installation was painless. Install the software first with the included driver disc. Then attach the wireless adapter and let Windows detect the hardware and install the loaded drivers.
The next step is to connect to your wireless network. If your wireless network is setup to allow connections from only specified MAC addresses (a good policy) you might run into a little glitch at this step and you won't be able to connect. What I found that worked just perfectly was to temporarily disable the authentication on the network, let the TrueMobile connect, get the MAC address from it's properties, and add that to the Access Control List on the wireless router and turn authentication on again. Once I did that, everything went just fine.
From out of the box to working online was less than 30 minutes, and that takes into account the time it took for me to figure why I was able to detect my wireless network and automatically connect at first (MAC Address issue)
Summary:
For laptops you might consider the smaller USB self-contained devices, but for a desktop computer (where it helps to have the antenna a bit farther from the interference of the computer itself) this is a great piece of equipment. Just load the drivers, plug it in, and set up your network connection like normal. No need to open your case and mess around with PCI slots, IRQs, etc.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 45.00
Driver Availability: Windows and Linux
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Epinions.com ID:
sidraw1
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Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 1 member
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