THE best USB WLAN adapter going- get it!

As part of our -ahem- celebrated "WokFi" approach to WiFi range boosting(see=> www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz),extensive (& ongoing)testing of numerous USB WiFi adapters has been made.

For close in links where just modest ranges are needed,almost any ~US$20 USB WLAN adapter will do,although some cheapies are pretty "deaf",& of low power (~40mW) and tend to run hot if left on too long. A key point about USB WiFi relates to the ease with which signal sweet spots can be located via cheap & lossless USB cables. Hence even moving a chaepie adapter above partition height (or to a window) can greatly improve WiFi performance- not something inbuilt, PCI or PCMCIA cards allow!

These US$40-60 Engenius/Senao "362"s have shown themselves (at present 2006-7)easily THE best approach for more demanding links however. Their higher power (100-200 mW) & superb receiver sensitivity,plus the convenient SMA external antenna connector suits enhanced WLAN performance even standalone. When combined with a "WokFi",you'll be cooking over many line of sight (LOS) miles.

Perhaps their only weak point relates to the unusual design. Although this makes the "362" stable standalone(with no sign of overheating),mounting at the focal point (FP) of parabolic cookware is not so easy. A workaround however involves running a short coax lead to radiating elements such as biquad/bi-circles mounted at the FP. See => www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/senaorf.jpg and www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/biloop.jpg