While many devices come with built in WiFi networking capability, such as any late model notebook, there are still two scenarios where a USB networking WiFi adapter will come in handy. The first is for a desktop that needs to be connected and is either not located near to the router, or Ethernet cable cannot be easily run throughout the house. As I position my router in the basement, and my desktop on a higher floor of my residence, I am in that category, and have connected my desktop to the internet that way for years now. The second scenario is on an older laptop, the computer still works, but the WiFi does not, and by using a USB WiFi adapter you can get some extra mileage out of an otherwise functioning piece of hardware.
With that background, we can now turn our attention to the Netis System's AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Adapter (WF2190). It currently retails for $39.99 on Amazon. This device supports the USB 3.0 interface, and is backwards compatible to the USB 2.0 standard as well.
What's In the Box:
- AC1200 USB Adapter
- (2) antenna
- Cradle with USB 3.0 cable
- Software CD
- Quick Start Guide
The installation started with attaching the two external antenna to the USB adapter, which easily and securely screw on. This makes the AC1200 USB Adapter a larger device, and more suited to a desktop, or a notebook that is not frequently moved, than a notebook on the go that would be better with a compact adapter. The adapter than attaches to the USB cable and stand which than plugs into the computer. The AC1200 comes up as using a Realtek chipset.
I plugged the AC1200 into my desktop which runs Windows 7. It recognized the device, but did find a driver online for it. This was installed via the included CD. The same software is available for download from the manufacturer's website, and I have included a link to it below. The software sits in the Windows tray, and updates live to the signal strength.
The AC1200 supports WiFi Protected Setup (WPS). There is a button to push on the adapter to sync it with the router. It also supports a Virtual WiFi mode.
The AC1200 connected without any difficulty to both the 2.4 Ghz and the 5 GHz signals of my router. Equally important, it maintained the connection, with no drops, and was able to stream HD video with ease. Finally, a SpeedTest confirmed I was at my full internet speeds.
WiFiInfoView is a freeware program that can provide information on WiFi signals, including channels used, and the quality of the signal. This program indicated that the Netis AC1200 had an RSSI of -64, and a signal quality of 64. By way of comparison, a Belkin N1 USB adapter in the same location had an RSSI of -72, with a signal quality of 57, both inferior numbers. The Netis AC1200 was also more sensitive as it detected several more of my neighbor's networks than the other USB adapter.
In conclusion, the Netis AC1200 is an affordable upgrade to implement the 802.11ac networking standard. While it is not a compact adapter, it is hard to replace the performance that the two external antennae provide.
More info (includes driver download)
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