D-Link DWL-900AP USB Wireless Access Point w/ SNMP

by D-Link

Product Details

Product Manual [1.34mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000636Y3
• Item model number: DWL-900AP
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 8, 2002

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The D-Link DWL-900AP is an IEEE 802.11b Wireless Access Point* with point-to-point bridging capability that provides an easy solution for connecting two locations through a wireless connection. The DWL-900AP utilizes the 2.4 GHz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) at 11Mbps with either "point-to-point bridging" or "point-to-multipoint bridging." In addition, the DWL-900AP provides an option to be configured as a client AP instead of a bridge. The DWL-900AP can be managed remotely via the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) Manager software. In addition, a USB port is provided for flexibility in configuring the device.

In bridge mode, the DWL-900AP can connect directly to another DWL-900AP to extend the area of coverage for the wireless network. In a network with a DHCP server, the DWL-900AP will automatically obtain an IP address. The DWL-900AP comes with one external detachable antenna. The DWL-900AP implements 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) to ensure a secure data network connection.

*A wireless access point is a device that acts as a bridge between a wireless network and wired network. The access point converts data packets over a wired Ethernet LAN into radio signals to be used on the wireless network and vice versa.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Does not work as advertised, August 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: D-Link DWL-900AP USB Wireless Access Point w/ SNMP (Personal Computers)

I bought the 900AP to use as a client and bridge, but found out after many hours that the client and bridging functions only work
with the DLink DWL-900AP and DWL-1000AP (See the FAQ on the DLink website). Unless you have one of those products already, this product only works as an limited access point. If you want an access point, the SMC 7004AWBR is much better. It alos has a router, webserver for configuration, switch, mac address filtering, better range, etc.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Works... barely, September 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: D-Link DWL-900AP USB Wireless Access Point w/ SNMP (Personal Computers)

The software included with this device is terrible. There were bugs everywhere, mispellings in the interface, etc. I downloaded the latest version from their website, which had improvements. After playing with it for a while, I got it working. However, some of the features of it don't work (like Mac address filtering) because the software is horrible. Also, the device just stops working periodically, and you need to mess with the configuration for a while until it'll start working again.

I've been updating the firmware and Windows software for the past week (bought it last week), and it seems like they put up a new version of the firmware every 2 days. This is probably a fair indicator that the device was released with immature software, and that they're struggling to get the thing to a point where it actually works for their customers.

I do not recommend this product to anyone.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poor UI--Mac Address Filtering works..., October 2, 2002

By 

James T. Hsiao (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link DWL-900AP USB Wireless Access Point w/ SNMP (Personal Computers)

I'm in agreement with the review from September 30. The software included with the DWL900AP is sorely lacking. There were times where my hitting the 'Apply' button had no discernable impact on the Access Point's operation. Only after I hit 'OK' and re-loaded would the Access Point change its behavior.

In addition, if you install the USB drivers for the access point on a computer, despite USB's hot-swap ability, make sure you reboot prior to trying to modify configurations.

But you can get mac address filtering to work. The file needs to be in a specific format. Each address must be on it's own line, and the last line in the file should be empty (i.e. hit Enter after you're done entering the last entry).