Review: 200mW USB RealTek 8187 Adapter & Antenna with Magnetic Base
Increase Your Wireless WiFi Reception Range with an External Antenna
For an investment of $18.99, with free shipping, it claimed to be able to increase your reception range by up to 5 times from what the factory installed WiFi receiver within most laptop computers is able to do.
It's a simple matter of plugging the adapter into a USB port on your computer and setting the antenna at least 3' away from the computer. In a vehicle the best reception is accomplished by setting the antenna, which has a magnetic base, on the roof.
Installing the driver software is done by placing the supplied CD in your DVD drive and it will automatically find and download the information.
I tried the setup in three different computers. My desk top model, which had no previous WiFi capabilities was a snap. It immediately picked up a whole slew of possibilities, 2 of which were unsecured and allowed access to the internet.
My laptop, which is also running Window's Vista and has it's own onboard CD/DVD reader, loaded the software equally fast and worked flawlessly.
I also have a notebook Acer model running Window's XP. This computer doesn't have an onboard CD/DVD so I copied the original disk into an external hard drive and attempted to download the driver that way.
After multiple attempts, I was unable to get the computer to recognize the adapter so I cannot say whether or not the antenna/adapter system will work with Window's XP. The information given by simpleWiFi indicates it will work. Maybe if I can locate an external CD/DVD I will try it again.
As it is, I'm very satisfied with the product. I've found over the years that many campgrounds with WiFi have a weak signal that often is unreliable from many spots on their own property.
Even stopping at McDonald's for free WiFi can be an issue unless you go inside the restaurant with your computer.
Their claim of improving your reception 5 times over is completely accurate. The difference in signal strength is a solid indicator that the antenna makes a huge difference.
If your computer already has an onboard WiFi receiver, this system will not interfere with it. It simply lists the two connections separately allowing you to switch back and forth between them. You can easily compare the two and picking the simpleWiFi system will obviously give you more options and a better signal.
Finding WiFi hot spots is a whole lot easier when you upgrade the antenna and receiver. Something every traveler will appreciate.
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
Published by Curtis Carper
Semi-retired, part time want-a-be journalist who is thrilled to have developed a small but devoted following. View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI asked the seller about it and he said the cable was only 3 feet long. ccrane.com has a similar one with a 7 ft. cable, which would be a little better but still too short if I want to sit at the table in the back of van. Stealth would be difficult. With a 3 ft cable, I can picture myself holding the laptop up in the air in the window opening with that bright screen glowing for all to see.
5 feet would be extremely short. It would be a very tight stretch from the driver seat. Would not work at all from the back seat of my minivan with laptop sitting on the table. With CBs, if you cut and patched a coax, it would never be the same again because of RF loss, so don't know if you could extend this one or not.
Bob, the coax is about 5' long. If you're sitting in the driver' seat with your laptop it's long enough to easily reach out the window with the antenna on the roof.
The description doesn't say how long the coax is, which is very important if I want to use this in my van. The cable has to be long enough to reach out a window and to the roof. Like a CB.
order me one thanks , im sure it be very helpful cannt beat the price
Very thorough review. This antenna sounds like a great investment in mobility that I should consider making.
It's also quite possible to install a different wifi adapter inside the computer--many will take two or three antennas and receive the new, faster 802.11n signals that are starting to be more common. These may also be able to be set up with external ports to attach antennas to.
Also, for those who have such an external antenna port, check out the instructions for making a "cantenna"--using a Pringles can or something similar, the difference can also be astonishing for very little cash.