Wireless 802.11b home networks are becoming more and more popular these days, as 802.11b offers significantly more range than 802.11a, and its 11mbit transfer capability is plenty for users wanting to share internet connections. Though very late to the party, Microsoft has a new line of 802.11b WAPs (wireless access points) and WiFi adapters. Can they compete with heavyweights like Linksys and Netgear?
Several moths ago, Ben reviewed two Zonet wireless USB adapters, which he used to set up a P2P network (no AP) between his notebook and main desktop computer. I have two computers in separate rooms in my apartment, and since I can’t start chewing up my walls to run Ethernet cables, I decided to try a similar setup at my place. Ben raved about how easy it was to get his Zonet adapters up and running. Unfortunately, Zonet isn’t available in the states (at least I haven’t seen any), so I purchased two D-Link DWL-120 USB WiFi adapters instead; a NIC is a NIC right?
Not quite. I connected both adapters, and installed the drivers, and followed the same steps Ben listed in his review. It all seemed to go ok until I double clicked the IE icon, where I got a lovely DNS error. Frustrated, I ran the Windows automatic network setup utility on both the host machine, (my computer) and the client (my girlfriend’s computer). More DNS errors. Trying to read the instructions that came with the D-Link cards was a total waste of time, I am a networking major in college, and the instructions could’ve been written in Chinese, for I couldn’t understand a thing.
This is only a foreshadowing of the horror that was to ensue. It took me two days to get the cards to actually work properly (by manually assigning IP addresses, plugging and unplugging them several times, and throwing the leftovers from the drugs I had taken to keep my sanity at them). They worked for about 2 months, and then died. What’s the point of all this? Do not buy D-Link’s USB WiFi adapters; they are the worst networking devices I have ever come in contact with. There is no way that anyone without both their CCNA and CCIA would be able to get them to work without massive cerebral hemorrhages. My D-Link adapters are now in the trash can, and I purchased Microsoft’s new wireless switch and USB adapter to take their places.
