SENAO NUB-362(EXT) 108Mbps USB 2.0 Adapter - Review

[farhan]

SENAO NUB-362(EXT) 108Mbps USB 2.0 Adapter

Reviewer Name: Farhan Mohsin
Date: 30-03-2006

SENAO International has been in the WiFi business for sometime now and I have to say they really know what they are doing.




I was provided this nifty little device for reviewing. At first it appeared really odd to me. It has what you can say a unique design. I had my reservations about its capabilities. With features such as:-

• 108 Mbps Data transfer
• USB 2.0 Connectivity
• Detachable Antenna

The small thing boasted to pack quite a punch. And it did not disappoint. I tried it with different setups are it performed brilliantly.

Let me just give you an overview of what it exactly is. It is a tiny external Wifi Adapter that connects to a Desktop or Laptop via the USB 2.0 and lets you connect to any wireless networks that may be around. It supports 802.11b/g (2.4GHz) radio operation. It provides high-speed wireless connection with data rate up to 108Mbps. Its small size and light weight make it extremely portable and easy to carry. Its low power consumption makes it even more energy efficient.
To protect your wireless connectivity, the high-speed wireless USB adapter can encrypt all wireless transmissions through 64/128/152-bit WEP data encryption and also supports WPA

Lastly, and most importantly, it comes equipped with an External Antenna which effectively increases its reception capability ensures connectivity over longer distances than most portable Wifi devices. The increased range provides more flexibility in the use.






The external antenna has a minor disadvantage also that being the need to carry it along with the device. But it is also small and fits in the pocket easily. The device, (especially with a laptop) gives a very executive look. People WILL turn and have a look if you are using it in a public place.

Testing Environment


The device was mainly tested on Windows XP based OS. It was tested on 2 desktop PCs and a laptop which was carried around the house to test the range.

At first the device was tested on a desktop located within the same room as the wireless source (router). Here the device performed superbly. Signal strength was 100% and there were no disconnection issues.

Secondly, the device was tested on another desktop PC located about 12m -15m away (a couple of rooms away).There were no disconnection issues and the signal strength was more than 24mbps. There were no problems using the internet though large file transfer between PCs went down a bit, which was expected since there were obstacles in between (walls).

Lastly, the device was connected to a laptop and carried around the house. For distances less than 20m-25m the device’s performed superbly. Normal internet browsing worked without a glitch and transfers of small sized files (5MB-10 MBs) were quite fast. As we moved further away signal strength dropped to about 11mbps but connection was still possible with minimum disconnections. The directional external antenna came in handy when zeroing in on the signal. The antenna could be easily moved around to locate the best possible signal.
Outdoors the connection was consistent up to 45 meters with average decrease in signal strength. General internet use was possible and data transfer became somewhat slow if you moved further away.


Note: Please do note that the results may vary on different wireless sources. For this review the Buffalo Airstation WBR- G54 was used as the wireless source.



Features & Benefits


• High Speed Data Rate up to 108Mbps in Super G mode - Capable of handling heavy data payloads such as MPEG video streaming

• High Output Power up to 23 dBm - Excellent output power spreads the operation distance

• Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) and Wired Equivalent Private (WEP) - Powerful data security.

• IEEE802.1x Client Support - Enhances authentication and security.

• Support for 802.11e standard - Wireless Multimedia Enhancements Quality of Service support (QoS)

• Advanced Power Management - Low power consumption in power saving mode up to 98%.

• Support eXtended Range technology - eXtended Range technology give Wi-Fi products twice the range of existing designs.

• External (changeable) Antenna - Changeable Antenna provides users more flexible to select other antennas.









The Bundle

• CD-ROM with User’s Manual and Drivers
• USB 2.0 Adapter/EXT-NUB-362(EXT)
• Antenna (2dBi)
• USB Connecter Cable

FULL SPECS

Price

The price for this product in the Pakistani market is set at Rs. 4000/-

Now this price, in my opinion, seems to be a bit high. Considering you can get a PCI Wifi adapter 54mbps (for desktops) or a PCMCIA Wifi adapter 54mbps (for laptops) for roughly about Rs.2000-Rs.2500, it seems somewhat foolish to go in and buy this. I mean although it supports up to 108mbps transfer rate but most users would be happy with 54mbps even.
A more acceptable price for this item would be in the range of Rs.2500 - Rs.3000.


Usage

Though the device can be used with either laptops or desktops, its recommended usage would be with laptops. The device’s full potential can only be recognized using a laptop, which is carried around the wireless network.
Using this device for a Desktop might not be bad but it would be overkill as the desktops don’t move much and a cheaper PCI Wifi Adapter would be more suitable. However, in special cases like there are no PCI slots available or desktop PC needs to be on the network temporarily, you can simply unplug it from your laptop and use it with your desktop



Rating

Taking all the factors into account this device is given 8 out 10. It lost points due to its unusual design which might seems overly conspicuous. Not for people who don’t want a great deal of attention. Secondly its price, which seems a bit high.

Award



This product gets the WCCF “CLEVER CONCEPT” award.

Special thanks to HORIZON MARKETING for providing the samples

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