Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased the MA101 in the UK which may have a slightly lower output power that the US version mandated by the FCC. I must admit that the software installed easily enough on Win 98 and had some nice features like scanning for new SSIDs to find your network however it did not install properly on my XP machine.
The problem with the unit is that it is POORLY designed RF wise. I was attempting to connect to my neighbor who lives 250 feet up the street with little success. Even when the two antennas were line of site between the access point and Netgear MA101, the link seemed very poor.
Having worked in the wireless industry for the past three years as an engineer, my curiousity go the best of me and I opened the Netgear MA101 to discover to my horror that the antenna lead is just a piece of wire soldered into the motherboard that travels down the length of the unit and then up into the plastic antenna. In other words, the actual wire antenna will always act as if it is in a L shape when the platic anntenna is up and as two parallel antennas when the plastic antenna is down. This is very bad as the antenna is supposed to act as an isotropic radiator.
To prove just how poor the design is, I was able to increase the signal strength significatly by adding a piece aluminum foil to the bottom and back side of the antenna to act as a ground plane/ reflecting back. After doing this, my signal strength shot up by more than 50%.
I wish Netgear would put a little more effort into their RF design even though the case looks nice and the user interface was good.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Netgear MA101 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter
With Netgear's MA101 802.11b wireless USB adapter, you can easily network all of your employees at 11 Mbps speed without installing any new wires. Because the MA101 is USB-powered, there is no need to open the case of the PC. Set up a new wireless network or extend your existing workplace to remote sites in your building in no time, and escape the hassles and expense of Ethernet cabling. Your work force can immediately use your wireless network to access e-mail, file servers, printers, and cable/DSL Internet access.
Standards-based 802.11b technology plus Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption provide your wireless network with the highest level of reliability and privacy. The MA101 is equipped with automatic speed adjustment to extend the communication range for longer distances from other 802.11b PC nodes or 802.11b access points. Designed for PCs running Windows 98, Me, and 2000, the MA101 performs with the vast majority of PCs, supports plug-and-play installation, and includes a five-year limited warranty.
Click here for more information about Netgear MA101 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter
No comments:
Post a Comment