So after using this for about a month now, I can confidently say that this is a fairly solid product with very few drawbacks. For context, my setup is in a pretty crappy spot. I’m on the second floor with my PC tucked between my desk and dresser all inside of my bedroom closet, so I’m sure you can imagine how difficult it is to get a decently strong connection. The previous WiFi adapter I had only got me a messily 50-60 mbps download speed which was barely enough to watch a YouTube video. God forbid I try to download something or play an online game without having to wait hours for it to load or finish though.
I’m fairly new to the PC world and didn’t do much research so it was my fault for getting a weak first adapter. Luckily after figuring out what I actually needed, I stumbled across this one and decided to try it out. It supposedly offered high download speeds, a good reception, and was cheaper than most other adapters with the same features, so I went ahead and bought it.
After plugging it in with the platform extension, it connected immediately and started searching for wifi networks to connect to. I tried downloading the drivers with the usb it came with but it wouldn’t connect for some reason so I gave up on trying, either way, it still works perfectly fine. After connecting to my wifi I saw a HUGE difference. I jumped from 50 mbps to a little over 200 as you can see in the pictures. I could finally use my PC as it was intended and I never have to worry about slow speeds or not being able to play certain online games.
Now there are a few drawbacks as I mentioned, none that are super bad but it was worth taking 1 star off IMO. One drawback has to do with the base extension. You’re not allowed to use it on any of your front USB adapters and I quickly learned why. It overheats the adapter and short circuits itself and the PC. At one point I heard a slight hum and some popping sounds and my PC would start to flicker off and on, so that wasn’t good at all. Given my setup, having it in the front makes it more convenient for me as I was able to put the adapter in a slightly better position, but since I have to use the back, it shortens the length of the wire and restricts where I can actually place it so that kind of sucked, but not a huge issue.
Another thing with the base extension is that it doesn’t securely hold the adapter. Sometimes I’ll accidentally brush against the antenna or if my PC shakes the adapter loses connection with the base and the internet goes out. It’s kind of annoying b/c just the tiniest movement to it will lose the connection and I’ll have to wait a minute for it to reboot itself. Again, not the biggest deal and is probably only an issue b/c of my setup, so this might not really bother others, but I thought I’d point it out anyways.
Overall though, I’d recommend this product. It has risen about 10 bucks from when I bought it though (26 to 36 bucks), but even at this new price, it still beats other adapters going for around 20 to 30 bucks more for the same speeds and hardware. If you need something decent with a pretty reliable connection, aside from the base extension issues, then go ahead and buy this, it’ll be worth the money.
