NETGEARRangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Adapter WNDA3100 v3

My son had the V2 of this so we decided to upgrade to the V3 for speed. This has a better range no more cutting in and out, quick to install and his speeds and connection are great. When you're ready to connect your desktop or laptop to a wireless hot spot or new Wireless-N network, the NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter (WNDA3100) will get the job done with outstanding speed, minimal interference and robust connections. Featuring the latest dual band Wireless-N technology, the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter delivers exceptional range and speed of new Wireless-N devices while still offering backwards compatibility to older Wireless-G networks. This adapter will connect you to a Wireless-N network and let you surf, email, stream HD video, play on-line games, and even make Internet phone calls--simultaneously! Another notable advantage of dual band Wireless-N is that it works with up to 23 channels that operate on the 5GHz band. Wireless-G networks, on the other hand, operate on the 2.4-GHz band with only 3 channels, which is also home to some cordless phones, microwaves, and other devices that can cause interference. 5GHz Wireless-N avoids the interference that can interrupt Wireless-G networks, giving you greater reliability and performance. The RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter turns your computer into a new dual band Wireless-N device, letting you connect securely to all new Wireless-N gateways, routers and access points.

May 10th, 2014I was afraid that this little thing wouldn't work as expected due to all bad reviews.I bought the refurbished version since it promised to get the factory software defects resolved:NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Adapter WNDA3100 v2It seems that this device did have issues for some time but after a newer firmware went on, issues disappeared according to some reviewers. They said that it is faster than so many other wifi adapters.I connected the wifi adapter to my HP laptop, installed the software from the CD, provided network's details and boom, my wifi network shows up already.And then... I tested its speed, comparing it to my laptop's original network card.[...] scores show:NETGEAR USB wifi adaptersignal strength: 2 bars0.88 mbps downloads0.45 mbps uploadsHP LAPTOP WIFI ATHEROS AR9285 network cardsignal strength: 4 bars0.87 downloads0.44 uploadsNetgear seems to move faster than my original network card (1 more mbps) and I did notice the speed went faster.I'll use this wifi adapter in a desktop PC later but for now it seems to work great in my test environment with my laptop.Updated review 8/14/16:This device is not plug and play.One has to install it first and then you can use it.It disconnects once twice 3 months I would say.-----------------------------------------------------**Jesus loves you***Revelations 3:20: ¨"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."

So for years I completely ignored the fact that my Viera plasma can connect to the internet. But last weekend as I was trying to get my xbox to play a video from my PC I stumbled across the Vieracast and had a smack-my-head moment. Why hadn't I done this before? My xbox is connected via cable so I could use that cable (I would have to switch back and forth each time I wanted to use either so that was a no go) or string a new one (my router is full anyway so that was a no go too). So I googled and found out that you can use a wireless dongle from Panasonic which costs about $80, Eff that was my first reaction so I searched for alternatives and found some reviews that said this one worked just fine. I bought mine refurbished for less than $30. Plugged it in, went to the settings menu, searched for my router, manually keyed in the security id and voila! One quick software update and TV/internets combo Done! I got so excited I wrote this review. Now I haven't tested netflix yet so I cant speak for connectivity, lag, or resolution issues and I suspect that I will have to string a cable to my receiver to get decent sound but my guess is that will all work and be pretty easy. Bonus! There was a withings app in the viera marketplace and I got my withings wireless scale on board in a couple seconds. Pretty cool! Save your money, buy one refurbished or used. This little adapter worked out of the box for me!

Following the included printed instructions, I attempted to install the driver to three computers (a Win11 desktop, a Win11 laptop and a Win10 desktop) from the included physical CD. It offers an option to "check for updates" but that simply locks up (and had to be canceled via task manager). As a result, I was forced to attempt to install the driver from the CD. After it prompts to plug in the adapter, it fails in its attempt to locate the device, even though the device DOES show up in the Windows device manager.So I returned the seemingly defective device and got a replacement, which arrived the next day (isn't Amazon shipping amazing?).The replacement had the same problem.So, I searched the Netgear website and downloaded the current driver installer (WNDA3100v3_V1.0.0.13.zip). It installed perfectly and the device works great. The laptop has internet connection from every far corner of my house - much better than the previous device I had been using.