NETGEARN150 Wi-Fi USB Adapter (WNA1100)

I'm an IT person with over 20 years experience working with PCs. As to be expected my home is wired or rather very wireless with over 9 devices that connect to the internet one way or the other (and the number is always increasing it seems).I already owned two Netgear WNA1100 802.11n adapters and and I was happy to order two more from Amazon. I downloaded the drivers from the Netgear website, never looked at the drivers on the disk. Long story short they worked great and with no issues with Windows 7 32bit and 64 bit but this is not where the story ends, I got my best performance after I optimized my wireless network. In some cases I was able to double my connection speeds.Let me share how I optimized my wireless network:a) I used the websites speedtest.net and pingtest.net to determine my internet connection speed (use a wired connection to the router for this). This is your REAL baseline, it is very hard for a wireless connection to beat a shielded wired connection to a router. If your wireless connection equals the speed of your wired connection you are good and probably as good as you are going to get.b) Find a wireless channel that is not in used near your house. The default channel in most routers is 6 and you have a choice from 1 to 11. Use the Netgear Network connectivity software and find an unused channel and test again. You will need access to your router settings for this. This is especially important if your neighbors are close like on apartments or townhouses. I have over 13 wireless networks in range of my house and using a channel that the others are not using was the best improvement I did to my wireless network.c) Move the Netgear WNA1100 802.11n to new locations. Moving the Netgear WNA1100 802.11n on top of the computer or another place on my desks helped increased speed in some cases by over 50%. Always test your speed after any change.To those people only looking at connection speeds to their router (looking for for the mythical 144 mbps); it matters little, why? I can connect at 144 mbps or at 65 mbps to my router but my internet connection is only 25 mbps (that is my case, even from work I get no more than 48 mbps on a commercial internet connection, speedtest.net ).Now, this MAY vary (maybe you have a SUPER fast internet connection) but let me say that the average internet speed in the US is from 10 to 12 mbps. Keep this in mind when trying to upgrade to a faster router, your bottleneck may actually be your provider and not your router (or your adapters). If it is Internet speed what you are looking for begin by evaluating what your internet provider is giving you.Note about the Netgear WNA1100 802.11n: This N adapter uses the 2.4 MHz band ONLY and depending on where you live this frequency might be too congested. Other N adapters (the N300 series) can run on the 5 MHz band (newer, faster, and less congested) but you will also need a router that supports the 5 Mhz. Also note that the 5 Mhz band has a shorter range than the 2.4 MHz band but it also faster (but will not give you faster speeds than a wired connection to your router. If you already run as fast as your wired connection using a wireless adapter you are probably at your best internet connection speed already). Also note that many N capable devices (like iPhones) do not support the 5 Mhz band. Some routers (dual band) will let you run BOTH on the 5 MHz band and 2.4 MHz band at the same time.

(1) This adapter easily provides 802.11n wireless connectivity to a PC or laptop with a USB port. In order to get the full speed benefit, of course, you need an 802.11n wireless access point. But it is backwardly compatible with the more widely deployed 802.11 b/g WiFi access points.(2) The adapter has approximately the same size as a thumb drive and can be plugged directly into a USB port. Netgear also provides an auxiliary cradle with a 52" cable. The cable plugs into a USB port, and the adapter plugs into the cradle. The cradle is useful if you are using the adapter with a PC placed under a desk, for example. You can position the adapter for best RF reception.(3) The adapter runs only slightly warm to the touch. It has an inside slot, which allows good air circulation. When plugged into the cradle, the adapter is held at an ~45 deg angle from vertical, again allowing good air circulation.(4) The adapter does require you to load drivers. I'm using it with an old PC running Win XP. No problems. Just load in the setup CD and follow the step-by-step instructions. You should check for compatibility with other versions of Win.(5) If you have a PC with a standard Ethernet port, an alternative adapter is the Netgear WNCE2001 Ethernet-to-802.11n adapter. That unit does not require drivers; however, it is a lot more expensive (~$60). It also runs hotter and does not come with a cradle (Netgear supplies Velcro strips if you want to mount the unit to a surface). Prices vary a lot day-to-day on Amazon. I bought this USB adapter a month ago for $35, now I see it's selling for $24. That's a good bargain.(6) One word of caution concerning what this adapter will *not* do. It will not allow you to connect a non-network printer with a USB port to a wireless network. This adapter converts USB signals to 802.11n signals. It does not have a network protocol stack loaded in firmware.

I didn't have a MyFi compatable computer, of course I had just ordered it and forgot to click the button. I had been using my MyFi thingie attached to my computer, via USB port, but it wouldn't work with the other computers in the house while plugged into my computer, thus the need of an adapter! It works good, only thing it has a few snags when I try to use it on the computer "it" is attached to, takes longer to get online via that computer. On the laptop in the den, it automaticly connects when I go on that computer, no problems.When you are installing it, don't give up. Take the time it takes to install to relax. Do not give up if you don't connect right away. Sometimes you have to remove the adapter from the holder and let it reconnect again.All in all it has helped me connect all my computers to the Verizon MyFi thingie, and that is a PLUS!

While installing a new power supply and graphics card to my new hp pavilion HPE series computer I accidentally severed the "wireless" internet wire inside of my computer. I was freaking out because I couldn't find out what it connected to or what it did; obviously I found out soon enough. Well I didn't have a lot of money at the time and got the best thing i could afford with a thorough search. After getting it I feel as if I could have gotten a lot better. First off the connection isn't all that great. My router is in the next room and I only have 4 bars. And I feel as if it was definitely faster on my older laptop. Another problem I have found that might just be my impatience is almost every time I turn off my computer, when I turn it back on, I have to disconnect and reconnect the USB for the computer to recognize it's attached. All I know is I am getting a much better replacement. I've had netgear before and gave it to my mom. Never asked why she got her own soon after. Now I know.