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802.11n Adapter roundup

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I don't suppose there's any plans afoot for another adapter round-up soon?
Nope. With most networkable devices coming with built-in wireless, manfs are real interested in putting out new adapters.

The Intel 5300 and 6300 are still pretty much the best available and support three-stream N (with three antennas, of course).
 
Fair enough makes sense, is the 6300 the 5300's successor?
Hey I don't suppose you can spare a few minutes to look at these 3 other USB adapters you may not have seen before?

No 802.11N or A but some other interesting aspects
http://www.hfield.com/the-wi-fire/specs/
http://www.wifi-link.com/product.php?class1_id=602&class2_id=661
No 802.11A but some other interesting aspects
http://www.hornettek.com/index.php/wi-fi-usb-dongle/janus

I was just wondering if you see anything compelling that makes one or more a better option than the models listed below?

Hopefully this place still has a convert-to-usb option for the mPCIe Intel WiFi Link 6300.
http://www.hwtools.net/
Might be quite pricey, but at least it'll support 802.11n & dual-band.

Based on your review conclusion... do you think I'd be right in asserting....
DAP-2553 or DWA-160 B1 are the best dual-band 802.11n adapters in a USB form-factor* if 2.4Ghz is the main interest.

Thank-you so much if you can spare a bit more time to offer your thoughts, all the best/night.
*I'm assuming something already in a usb form-factor will be markedly cheaper than something from hwtools, YTBC.
 
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I have nothing to offer on this beyond the roundup. I have not been looking at adapters since adopting the Intel 5300. The Intel 6300 is the most current model.
 
Fair enough...
I was kinda fearing that response, and it's entirely within your right.
 
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Fair enough makes sense, is the 6300 the 5300's successor?
Hey I don't suppose you can spare a few minutes to look at these 3 other USB adapters you may not have seen before?

No 802.11N or A but some other interesting aspects
http://www.hfield.com/the-wi-fire/specs/
http://www.wifi-link.com/product.php?class1_id=602&class2_id=661
No 802.11A but some other interesting aspects
http://www.hornettek.com/index.php/wi-fi-usb-dongle/janus

I was just wondering if you see anything compelling that makes one or more a better option than the models listed below?

Hopefully this place still has a convert-to-usb option for the mPCIe Intel WiFi Link 6300.
http://www.hwtools.net/
Might be quite pricey, but at least it'll support 802.11n & dual-band.

Based on your review conclusion... do you think I'd be right in asserting....
DAP-2553 or DWA-160 B1 are the best dual-band 802.11n adapters in a USB form-factor* if 2.4Ghz is the main interest.

Thank-you so much if you can spare a bit more time to offer your thoughts, all the best/night.
*I'm assuming something already in a usb form-factor will be markedly cheaper than something from hwtools, YTBC.

Placed an order (paypal) for the MP2W-6300H
http://www.bplus.com.tw/Adapter/MP2W_6300.html

$130AUD in total, $75 more than for e.g. a WUSB600N, which I can pick up locally.
I hope it's worth it for that premium!!?!

Their website sux, very hard to see if there's better options 4 people interested in interfacing via USB, not PCIe.
MP2W-6300H is the best option as far as I can tell, but I wouldn't be surprised if I've missed something.

I've emailed them & asked that they not post it until they've answered some of my questions.
It could be a while, C.N.Y at the moment.... :mad:
 
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Just so no one else makes the same mistake...

This mob does not sell adapters that convert mPCIe cards into USB clients.
Your mPCIe card has to be USB-based, then one from their MP2W range may do the trick.

As the 6300 is not USB-based*, their adapters can only convert it to PCIe.
Their site is very misleading... all over the place...

I asked them to hold the shipment until a few things were clarified.
They said that wouldn't be a problem, we discussed things further until we ascertained that they have nothing suitable.
I asked them to cancel & refund me, but just now they've sent me a notice advising that shipment has proceeded!

Apparently they may have something in Q3 which is a true PCIe AND USB converter.
I won't be buying from them if they don't give me a refund, & Ill take my time sending the item back to them.

*update*
It seems they were able to stop the shipment and refund what I paid in full.
So I may still be customer come Q3, in the meantime I need the next best performing USB WiFi client.

*as is the case for 99% of mPCIe cards I'm aware of!?
 
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Anyone know how the new Intel Centrino WiFi 6205 (referred to as Taylor Peak by Lenovo and Rainbow Peak by Wikipedia) is compared to the Intel Centrino WiFi 6300 "Ultimate-N" (referred to as Puma Peak by both Lenovo and Wikipedia)?

Upon purchasing the new Lenovo ThinkPad X220 series you get the option so chose between the two and as the Intel WiFi 6205 is newer and a part of the Intel SandyBridge (Intel Huron river platform) and the Intel WiFi 6300 is of the late 2009 Intel Calpella platform I was wondering if there might be some improvements making the 6205 a more preferable option over the 6300?
 
Anyone know how the new Intel Centrino WiFi 6205 (referred to as Taylor Peak by Lenovo and Rainbow Peak by Wikipedia) is compared to the Intel Centrino WiFi 6300 "Ultimate-N" (referred to as Puma Peak by both Lenovo and Wikipedia)?
From http://www.intel.com/products/wireless/adapters/6205/index.htm,
bolding mine:
"Intel’s advanced 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi product for business and home. The Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), 2x2 adapter delivers up to 300 Mbps¹ bandwidth, extended range and unique Intel-only features including Intel® Wireless Display, and Intel® vPro™ technology support."

Looks like a cost reduced model.
 
It might save time to find out what chipset (Atheros, Marvell, etc) these adapters use. The performance differences among retail products using the same chipset are likely small, assuming the adapter/laptop vendor doesn't do a really poor antenna design.
 
Intel adapters use a unique chipset not sourced from any of the mainstream WiFi chipset makers.
 
Since Intel's chipsets are used in different retail brands, that makes them a peer of Atheros, Marvel, et al, right?
 
Does anyone have any experience with the HWTools devices? Specifically, would this device work on my MSI motherboard with an available PCI Express x1 (v 1.0a compliant) port? There's also this similar product (with a different model # and aesthetic, as far as I can tell, but performs the same function). This is the model Jalyst purchased at the beginning of the year. Quite confusing as to what the differences are between the two packages (MP2H vs MP2W).

It looks like I'd be good to go, but I have not delved much into the incarnations of PCI since the slots have been downsized and speeds increased with newer generations and was just looking for a second opinion before I take the plunge.

EDIT: Better yet, perhaps I could save $ and nab one of the adapters here and buy the card itself separately. Then, I would still need 3 antennas, not to mention the 3 IPX to RP-SMA cables as listed @ hwtools. While costlier, hwtools keeps item sourcing headaches to a minimum for those needing a Jerry-rigged solution. Would still like to know if anyone here has managed to get one of these Intels working in an older board with only PCI Express x1.
 
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You are far better off using a USB adapter or a wireless Ethernet bridge. Both are off-the-shelf products and provide better placement options to optimize your wireless connection.
 
I have an ole' Asus WL-160W (draft N) I'm using. I grow tired of using it because there are times when it stops functioning, and I am forced to reboot the machine to get it to be of any use again. I think that it is inherently fidgety basically due to being a USB device, and I want something with more stability. It appears that Trendnet offers both products you listed, but I am again hesitant...I realize I reduce my placement options with using the PCI-e port, but it's a limitation I'm nearly ready to forgo.
 
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Could very possibly be the adapter itself, but I regularly use the Hibernate and Sleep functions a lot. When returning from sleep, the adapter has to regularly be disconnected and then physically reconnected before it reconnects. Other times, the PC fails to recognize the adapter without cycling the power. This could be due to the simple fact there are no updated drivers since 2007.

Testing with the Trendnet or aforementioned Netgear in this thread would definitely be a more affordable fix. ;-) Unfortunately, I am seeing similar complaints about the Netgear USB adapter: http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Range...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

The Trendnet is newer but seems to be the way to go with USB. I may take the plunge yet at half the cost of that mPCI-E maelstrom.
 
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I used a wireless-n USB adapter (NetGear WNDA3100v2) for several months to provide an internet connection for a desktop, and it was totally stable, never was the source of any networking problems. And always provided the "faster than wireless-g" wireless-n speed that I expected from it.

While I started to use it when I was using a Netgear router, it has continued to work well with both D-Link and Linksys routers.

So it seems that USB adapters can be pretty stable and fast, if you choose with care.
 
Right, well, this one was paired with the WL-500W at the time (when N was merely in its early draft stage). In any case, its software was written for a world filled with Windows XP (and the dawn of the painful Vista), so it's understandable to me there are bugs remaining given that fact. ;) Oddly enough, since I've been badmouthing it, it's been behaving lately (that may be due to the fact that I disabled the Windows 7 sleep function). I will hold onto it for a little while...finances are tight. Perhaps there will be more options available when I'm ready to buy. Thanks for your inputs.
 
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Is this win XP? I've found that it doesn't manage USB and hibernate well at all. Win 7 drivers do much better.
 
I'm using Windows 7 for which there are no drivers, just Vista 64-bit, which I might try installing now (not sure what's installed now, perhaps the default chosen by Windows).
 

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