D-Link DWA-140 RangeBooster Draft 802.11n Wireless USB Adapter

by D-Link

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.1 x 0.5 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0010T8X54
• Item model number: DWA-140
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Exceptional Performance

The D-Link RangeBooster N USB Adapter (DWA-140) is a 802.11n compliant wireless client for your desktop or notebook PC. It delivers up to 12x faster speeds* and 4x farther range* than an 802.11g network while staying backward compatible with 802.11g networks. Once connected, you can share a high-speed Internet connection, photos, files, music, printers, and more.

 

Key Features

Wireless N connectivity for superior wireless performance, clarity, and coverage Single-band Wireless N connectivity Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) for secure, simple 1-button setup Delivers up to 12x faster speeds* and 4x farther range* than 802.11g. Backward compatible with 802.11g networks. Access secure networks using WPA or WPA2 encryption. Easy to install and use with the included Quick Adapter Setup Wizard.

Get Connected, Stay Connected

The RangeBooster N USB Adapter is powered by RangeBooster N technology to provide superb wireless performance in the home or office. Connect to a RangeBooster N Router (DIR-625) and experience smooth Internet phone calls (VoIP), responsive network gaming, secure Web surfing, faster file transfers, enhanced audio streaming, and greater wireless coverage in larger homes and offices*. The DWA-140 supports WPA and WPA2 encryption that allow you to connect securely to a wireless network.

Easy to Setup, Easy to Use

D-Link's Quick Adapter Setup Wizard guides you step-by-step through the installation process. Configure this USB adapter without having to call a networking expert to help you. The D-Link Wireless Manager is also included with this product to keep track of your most frequently accessed networks so that you can join them quickly and easily.

With unmatched wireless performance, reception, and security protection, the D-Link RangeBooster N USB Adapter (DWA-140) is a great choice for easily adding or upgrading wireless connectivity to your desktop or notebook PC.

What This Product Does

Connect your desktop or notebook computer to a wireless network and access a high-speed Internet connection, transfer files, and stream media from greater distances around your home or office.

* Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11g and 802.11n specifications. Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate. Environmental factors will adversely affect wireless signal range. Wireless range and speed rates are D-Link RELATIVE performance measurements based on the wireless range and speed rates of a standard Wireless G product from D-Link. Maximum throughput based on D-Link's 802.11n devices.

Product Description

The D-Link RangeBooster N USB Adapter (DWA-140) is a draft 802.11n compliant wireless client for your desktop or notebook PC. It delivers up to 12x faster speeds* and 4x farther range* than an 802.11g network while staying backward compatible with 802.11g networks. Once connected, you can share a high-speed Internet connection, photos, files, music, printers, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't be scared off, November 28, 2008

By 

Mr. M. Sexton "cable connoisseur" (Bedford, Bedfordshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Link DWA-140 RangeBooster Draft 802.11n Wireless USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

having owned a 108mbps DWL-G132 usb adapter from d-link and never having any major issues with it, i got one of these for my flashy new dir-655 router. the old d-link 624 router actually died but the usb adapter never had any real issues.

i hoped to get much better wireless speeds with the whole N thing. firstly, grabbed the latest drivers off d-links site, plug in - direct windows to the driver folder for my OS (xp) and away we go. IMPORTANT - do not install the drivers/software off the disc because this installs unnecessary services onto your pc. the default xp/vista wireless connectivity menus are fine if you ask me. also, these little d-link services cause issues with XP SP3 and have even been known to make the connection itself unstable. it's definitely best to run with the driver only.

i was connecting at 130mbps to start with, full signal as i am top of the router. running perfectly for a while and still very fast but scratching my head why it's not even faster given my proximity and the top speed of 300mbps on wireless n. another reviewer mentioned running at 130mbps too but was happy enough. well, after a little googling i found out you can fix it up to full speed by changing a router setting. i was thought that would be the case anyway. so if you are running a dir-655 or similar d-link router with this adapter and only getting 130mbps this is what to do...

you need to go into manual wireless network settings and change channel width from the default setting of 20mhz to auto (20/40mhz). you can still run a mixed mode wlan and changing the security type didn't make any difference either - its just that channel width setting. broadcasting at 20mhz will always max out at 130mbps and is the more neighbour friendly option, which would explain why its defaulted. now connecting at a smooth 270mbps :)

so far big thumbs up for the device, can't understand why there's so many negative reviews for these things. £25 is a very fair price too, my old turbo G adapter cost over £40 a few years back. this could all change if it isn't reliable over a period of time but rest assured it will get a lot of use and my review will be updated if anything happens. d-link give a 11 year warranty on all their new wireless equipment. if you ask me that's pretty damn good.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent range for USB and Wireless N, sturdy construction, works with Windows 7 64 bit, September 27, 2009

By 

Make IT happen - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: D-Link DWA-140 RangeBooster Draft 802.11n Wireless USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

I like USB portability and compatibility, but as far as wireless goes, I have seen some issues with many products in the past. I wasn't sure what to expect from this but needed a portable N card for my network and am pleasantly surprised, but was still hoping that USB/N wireless technology had come a little further.

SPEED: Good. Delivers consistent 216-270Mbps even at the furthest point from the router I can find in my house.(using Dlink DIR 655 router in N only mode).

RELIABILITY/RANGE: Good, but had hoped for better. No drops so far, but the range is less than my other wireless cards, and most notably, my cheap Belkin USB adapter. This is to be expected from any wireless N product though, and given the consistently awesome speed and absence of dropped signalls, I wouldn't even notice if I wasn't monitoring the range counters during testing and comparisons to my other devices.

DURABILITY: Constructed well. Made of plastics like most of the new products, but very solid construction. Really impressive is the extension cradle which has about a 4' extension cable and could literally be used as a paper weight in a hurricane. My Belkin by comparison seems like it would blow across the room with a sneeze. Heat is always a concern with many new products, but not with this. It maintains a steady operating temperature and has small vents to release internal heat.

COMPATIBILITY: Of note, I have read many reviews of products causing blue screens and crashes, especially for VISTA 64 bit computers. I am using this on Windows 7 64 bit and have no issues except that the Wireless Connection Manager software doesn't run, which is probably a blessing as most 3rd party wireless managment software causes more issues than good and I always revert back to the Windows wireless management anyway. I am not a MAC user, but it came with MAC utilities for what that is worth and I don't believe I came across any bad reviews from MAC users prior to buying, but I wan't paying attention for that either.

Overall a very good product. As with any wireless N product, it carried a higher price tag than the Wireless G products and the range/signal does not live up to all the N hype, but it delivers the N speed I wanted with no issues. This is the mid-level Dlink USB wireless N card at the time of this writing, and maybe the high level offers more range at a higher price tag, but I don't need it. There are some less expensive N cards out there, but read the reviews before you buy, especially if you run MAC, 64 bit, Vista, or plan to use Windows 7 when it comes out as some of the "off brand" and even some familiar branded products are causing some crashes and other issues. For me, this one did not.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible adapter and terrible customer service, November 13, 2008

By 

dabird "dabird" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link DWA-140 RangeBooster Draft 802.11n Wireless USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

Based on previous reviews here and on other sites, it seems that either this works beautifully or it pukes. I decided to take a chance on this since the price was right and it was recommended for my D-Link DIR-625 router.

I connect three computers to my wireless DIR-625 router. I had no problem connecting my two other computers. However, my third computer did not have an available internal slot, so I opted for this USB device.

The first time I purchased this, I spent two hours on the phone with Level 1 tech support due to a myriad of issues (wouldn't connect to a hidden SSID, wouldn't connect to an unsecured wireless network from the neighbor, etc.). In the end, the agent could not resolve my issue, and he transferred me to Level 2 support. That Level 2 agent told me he couldn't help me because based on all the work the Level 1 tech performed, he concluded that the card was dead. He told me to exchange it for a new one.

The second card was finally able to connect, albeit at a very slow rate. My laptop in the same location was getting about 80% connectivity throughput, whereas this card was getting about 20%. Additionally, it was constantly dropping the connection. After sitting on the phone with support once again, they told me there was a problem with this card.

When I returned the second card, I purchased a Belkin N+ MIMO USB card and couldn't be happier. The Belkin installed in minutes and I had no problem configuring the software to connect to my hidden SSID. The Belkin has not dropped the connection at all and I'm getting very good throughput.

One last thing: I am a software engineer, so I consider myself pretty adept technically. I'm very familiar with networking and hardware, so this was really a no-brainer for me. Tech support was not willing to do advanced troubleshooting with me, and that was extremely disappointing. Since they weren't willing or able to help, I had to try a different manufacturer, and I'm so glad I did.