Tp-Link TL-WN722N IEEE 802.11n (draft) USB - Wi-Fi Adapter. WIRELESS LITE N ADAPTER 150M USB HIGH GAIN 1DETACHABLE ANTENNA WL-AP. 150 Mbps - External

----------------------------------------------------------UPDATED: August 21, 2013 (Update section below)----------------------------------------------------------Installed January 14, 2011 and still excellent.Here's my take on the TP-Link TL-WN722N Wireless USB Adapter:-------------POSITIVES:-------------** It really, really works like mad. ** I get constant download speeds of 12Mbps+, which is close the the max of my internet bandwidth.- It's very cheap cost-wise for the great performance it gives you- It's small(ish), though it will look big connected to your laptop- Comes with a 3' USB extension cable which I definitely recommend using. It helps position the device, and keeps it from crowding your laptop or from being destroyed by being knocked out of your PC's front USB port.- Has a diffused green LED under the white plastic to let you know it's working, instead of the blinding blue LEDs that everyone uses these days. The light turns off when it's not powered (like when you hit Standby on your PC). NOTE: It's still annoying in a dark room when I'm trying to sleep, but a few post-it notes helps that.- The software is relatively simple to install and use, and allows you to use other products to manage your WiFi instead.- The current driver, software, and documents come on a mini CD and are all up to date with what's available on TP-Link's web site- The documentation is good, but it could use some more detail.----------------------MINOR NEGATIVES:----------------------- The TP-LINK Wireless Client Utility is functional but could be more intuitive. A configuration "wizard" would be a good improvement for manual configs. (It has been updated as of Jan 5, 2012 - see below)- Manual configuration (which you need if your network is securely hidden and requires a pass code) isn't well-documented, though you will be able to get it to work with the document, and maybe a little trial and error. If your setup is totally open security-wise (this would be BAD), you will have no problem with the software.- Even if the driver is installed incorrectly, the client utility may report enough information to make you think it is installed. When in doubt, do a complete removal of the software and drivers and re-install.- The QSS software that comes with the device is ONLY usable with other TP-Link products. Don't bother installing it unless you have a TP-Link Router/Access Point that has QSS built in. (As of the client update on Jan. 5, 2012, it appears to be installed automatically)------------------------UPDATED 08-21-2013------------------------Nothing new to add! This thing still rocks. No news is good new, right?Thank you everyone who chose to mark my review helpful!------------------------UPDATED 01-23-2012------------------------- I've kept track, and this device has worked well even with interference from Coronal Mass Ejections from the sun (sunspot activity), though I have noticed that the performance decreases (could be other things along that long internet path, as well).- I now have a TP-Link TL-WA901ND 2.0 Access Point, which this device works well with. Unfortunately is does NOT connect at the advertised "150Mbps" potential speed when it's configured to do so, but I never really expected it to. My max internet connection of 13Mbps is far below that high rating, anyway.- The latest WiFi utility for this device is up on TP-Link's web site as of Jan. 5, 2012, and I'm a bit disappointed with it. On the plus side, it is probably simpler to use - which is a good thing for most users, but it's been dumbed down to remove all of the extra connection info power users like me appreciate. The message windows are also annoying and the English grammar is sometimes embarrassingly wrong. It also looks a bit cheesy compared to the previous utility version. At least it works well.- It is difficult to tell if the actual hardware drivers have been updated, because software info on the page for this device is really incomplete. It looks like they are not updated since I originally posted this review.- I still benefit from disconnecting and reconnecting the device once in a great while, but the problem that causes the lowered performance could be my PC, the access point, or electromagnetic interference. Hard to say.- To date, 4 people were helpless in the face of my review - maybe it put them to sleep. Thanks very much to everyone who took the time to click "Yes".-----------------------------My installation experience-----------------------------A friend of mine needed a WiFi adapter since she moved to a location that wasn't wired, so I recommended this to her based on the great reviews it's received. She successfully and easily installed this device on her work laptop, and was extremely impressed with it's ability to drag a much better signal out of the almost inaccessible 802.11n WiFi router located down stairs, the signal of which is blocked by many walls and turns.She also needed to install the device on her personal PC. Unfortunately we spent hours over chat trying to get it installed and working, and FINALLY got it done after completely removing the software and drivers that she had installed, and then reinstalling those drivers with my guidance. It was only at this point that she said, "Oh yeah, I kind of passed over that part" where XP asks for confirmation to install an unsigned driver. AHHHHHHH! Well, now it works. :) The signal is not fantastic, but it's 4 times better than it used to be (for her laptop) and is good enough for her PC. It definitely works. So one lesson for you is: Please do yourself a favor, and let your operating system install the driver properly. ;)The night I helped my friend with her WiFi, I received and installed my own TL-WN722N adapter, to help her through the install process and to replace the D-Link 4300 router I was using as a WiFi receiver (firmware v1.8 has bridging).After installing this little thing and adjusting the antenna, I got download speeds almost twice as fast as before to the aging Linksys 802.11b-only wifi router downstairs. I then spent some time replacing that Linksys device with the D-Link 4300, turned on Super-G, and got almost 13Mbit down and 1.7Mbit up, which is more than four times what I was getting before on download and upload. The download speed varies between 8Mb-12Mb - it probably hits 12mb because of Super-G infringing on other people's signal space :P - but the upload speed has been really constant at 1.7Mb or so since I installed it, even to the Linksys router. The download speed is almost as good as I can get by plugging in a 75' network cable directly to the router.So this little thing really rocks!FYI, DSL Reports has an excellent set of speed reporting tools, as well as info on increasing network equipment and WiFi performance. Check it out! I'd enter a link, but Amazon would probably only delete it.That's it, another novel for my reviews. I'll update this over time if anything new happens...

I had high hopes for this little dongle, but reviews maybe set the bar a smidge too high. That said, it's a great purchase.I bought it with the hope of amplifying signal reception on my laptop. It doesn't do that. In my living room, I get 4 bars with my laptop, and in my bedroom 1-2. I tried plugging this baby in and while the ease of use is indeed great (lit right up, installed drivers automatically, went right to work), I got no more bars in the bedroom with the antenna than without it.HOWEVER, I put the TP-Link to use on a desktop machine that previously had no connectivity, and for that purpose, it's great. I'm very happy with the purchase.So, if you're hoping to amplify your laptop signal... my experience has been that it's no more powerful than a decent laptop's built-in receiver. Now, I should note that my laptop is newish -- bought November 2010 -- so maybe it's wireless receiver is already pretty good, and if you are trying to get a better signal for an older laptop, you might experience a bump in your signal by using this dongle. ALSO, while the signal remains low on my desktop machine (2 bars) it has been VERY stable and reliable, even when streaming video on Hulu. So that's noteworthy. Maybe a low signal isn't the biggest deal in the world, as long as it's stable!Overall - I'd say you really can't go wrong for the money, as long as you know what it's good for. I did a lot of comparison shopping before picking this one and here's the overview:A++ for ease of use and basic functionality -- converting an offline device into a wireless device works great. (Note, installing drivers was a breeze both with the laptop -- which automatically pulled the drivers off the internet since it was online -- and the desktop machine, which installed off the included CD.)C for extra signal pick-up relative to a decent quality modern laptop. Got the same number of bars on my laptop with/without the dongle.A for signal reliability (signal reliability might in fact be better than the laptop - given equal # bars - I haven't done enough comparison of the relative stability of the signal between the laptop and the dongle with the low signal strength - but so far I've never gotten better than "Low" signal strength from the dongle, and yet I've never had my connectivity fail!).A+ for sleek design -- has antenna, but it's not unwieldy, so you can plug it directly into a laptop or desktop USB port without its being a nuisance, or you can connect it to an extension cable (which I had to do simply because the signal behind the desktop machine was only one bar, whereas sitting on top of the desk was two bars) -- ***IT DOES COME WITH A SHORT (maybe 2 or 3 feet?) USB EXTENSION CABLE to reach from a machine situated under a desk, up to the top of the desk, let's say.A++ for price -- Srsly cheap for such a handsome and functional little piece of machinery.I'd say if you are looking to improve upon your (already quality) laptop sensitivity, probably look at other dongles with clunkier antennae, but if you want to convert an offline (or irritatingly wired) machine into a wireless machine, AND/OR improve the signal STABILITY for a laptop that tends to lose its connectivity frequently due to low signal reception, then this little number is probably a good bet.