Customer Reviews

D-Link DWL-G120 Wireless USB Adapter, 802.11g, 54Mbps

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I purchased 2 D-Link DWL-G120 802.11g adapters from Amazon through Office Depot to use on two Tivo DVR's. I wanted the extra speed of these adapters, which were the only 802.11g adapters recommended by Tivo. I bought them specifically to make use of the Tivo To Go features that allows you to watch a show on one Tivo that was recorded on another one via the network and to transfer recordings from a Tivo to my PC. Neither feature worked with these adapters. If you read the Tivo website carefully, you will see they recommend D-Link DWL-G120 version B2. The Amazon website did not indicate what version was being sold. I was shipped the B1 version and they keep losing the connection whenever I try to transfer recordings from one Tivo to the other or to my PC. A Tivo person on their community forum verified that a different chipset is on the B2 and that the B1 causes hangups and freezes like what I experienced.

By the way, I don't think the 802.11g makes the transfers any faster than 802.11b. Even when the transfers were working before freezing, the speed was about the same or slower than real time. I've read technical reviews on other adapters and they all say the same thing. Of course, Tivo doesn't mention this in all their hype about Tivo to Go.

I emailed Office Depot to see if I could get a refund or exchange them for the proper version. So far, no reply from Office Depot. To be fair, the first adapter was defective, but Office Depot shipped me a replacement within 3 business days after I phoned them, not that it mattered as it turned out. I'll give them a great review as a merchant if they take back the two I still have.

My advice, pay the extra cost and buy adapters direct from Tivo. Then you only have one vendor to deal with if problems develop. If I ever get the B2 version and they work well, I'll post a new review, but for now I'm giving these adapters the lowest rating possible - 1 star.

I'd read the reviews and debated about buying this. I work in IT so my working knowledge of computers is pretty good. Lots of people complain about DLink but I've worked with products from all the major brands - Netgear, Linksys, DLink, Cisco, Hawking, Belkin - and have had both good and bad experiences with all of them. So despite the poor reviews and because it was on sale I figured it was worth a shot.

I installed it on a Dell Dimension running Windows XP Home on a home network with a Linksys WAP545G wireless router. I simply followed the instructions - didn't try to do anything fancy - and had no problems getting it to work. First I installed the drivers from CD, rebooted, then connected the card via the provided USB cable. Upon reboot the PC detected the card right away and I let Windows automatically install the driver files. It picked up the wireless right away and has been connected since.

The only thing I did differently was disable the DLink software and let Windows manage the wireless connection. This took no more than just right-clicking on the DLink icon in the system tray and choosing "exit", then removing the DLink software from startup via the msconfig utility.

I gave it 4 stars because the DLink gets a slightly weaker signal than its predecessor, a Linksys PCI card that was in the laptop that I replaced. The card itself also gets a little hot compared to other wireless USB adapters I've used. In any case it still works and does what it is supposed to do. So, 4 stars.

I got mine from CompUSA for $60 (...)

PROS:

- They give you a nice long 6 foot USB cable, so you can put it wherever you want.
- Supports WPA and WPA-PSK.
- Small form factor.
- Easy set-up.
(...)

CONS:

- Signal is very flaky. Expect it to fade in and out as you use it. Where you place it is very important -- don't even think about putting it on top of your computer (if you have a desktop) because it will suck. It didn't seem to like being on a desk shelf either. For some reason, it works better on top of the monitor.
- D-Link's configuration software is horrible. If you're using Windows XP, you're better off using the Windows Zero Configuration service. If you're not using XP, good luck.

CONCLUSION:

Most wireless cards on the market don't support WPA yet, though a lot of the newer routers are starting to. If you're using it for a desktop (as I am), the increased security of WPA outweighs the inconvenience of having to place it in that "perfect" spot to get good reception. If you plan to use your wireless adapter with a laptop, get a different one.

This adapter is not worth $55.

Purchased so I could do the daily updates on my TiVo over WiFi, and the products works very well with no trouble setting it up. I'm not sure if it works with "TiVo to go," but for just doing the schedule updates it is great.

This NIC does not support WPA2. Also, WPA is *only* supported by downloading the driver, version 3, at D-Link's Taiwan site.

Before ordering your product from D-Link, it would be smart to call D-link sales, at 877-453-5465, and discuss with a live sales rep what you intend to install, and if all of the D-Link components you are intending to purchase will work with one another. Believe it or not, they may not. I learned the hard way. I also learned that D-Link Tech support does not seem to be aware of compatability factors either, which may account for their inability to solve so many problems that customers have reported. The knowlege in compatability issues is the Sales department! My problem? This USB card will not work with the D-Link DWL-G800AP Wireless 802.11g Range Extender (which I installed near the edge of my router's signal range in order to boost my network signal and lengthen my network's reach). I eventually noticed that the product description and the the box itself tells you what product works with which other product, but all of the product designations are respresented in nomenclature such as DWL-2000AP,DWL-2100AP, DWL-G120, DWL-G132, DWL-G650X, and so forth. I initially found it confusing. As an average consumer, I just assumed that the company would create products that work with all of its network products, but with wireless, many companies just don't. I guess they are designing products and redesigning for different markets, and then rapidly designing newer, updated products as IEEE standards even more rapidly evolve -- Hence, the G20, G22, etc. Bottom line? Dlink is good quality hardware, but you need to have more than plug and play knowledge to set up ANY wireless system no matter whose you buy.

It suddenly stoped working after two months. The tech support is even worse, alway tried to let me believe the problem is from router. Don't trust D-link!

I have the D-Link 120 wireless adapter and I have absolutely no problems with it. I love it!!! I have a dell pc, I am two floors away from the router, and I get 100% strength. This is a must buy!!! For all those who are not getting perfect strength try going into your Wireless network settings--right click on your connection and hit properties. Go to your wireless network tab and UNCHECK "use windows to configure my wireless network settings" This will keep you online at all times.

Background of my set-up: I have an HP computer with a cable modem internet connection with Comcast. I purchased a Dell computer for an office downstairs. I bought the DI-624 router and purchased the DWL-120 to connect the HP computer to the internet connection as the Dell is connected to the DI-624 router by an ethernet cable.
My conclusion: The router works great. I would highly recommend it. The DWL-120? My wife uses the HP for just occasional surfing and light internet use. It works great for that. If you are a heavy-duty internet user you will experience occasional delays as the signal constantly fades from good to poor. I believe another review stated the same. It may not bother you. All in all it's a great device with super easy set-up. I just can't say to the frequent, impatient internet user that you'll be totally happy with it. I have not tried any other wireless products so I cannot compare my impression with others.
Bottomline: This product was super easy to set-up and it's getting the job done and best of all, my wife doesn't complain.

Initially I purchased the D-Link DWL-G120 because it has an exceptionally nice design. Sleek, compact, slick. Afterall, I thought, all these 802.11 wireless adapters are pretty much the same internally, right? Wrong.

I spent over three hours trying to get the DWL-G120 to work on my Dell 4600C system with Windows XP Professional. Despite the fact that the adapter was reporting a wireless signal in the 30-40% strength range, and the 95-100% quality range, I still couldn't get a stable internet connection with it. Pinging Yahoo.com always resulted in 50-100% packet loss.

My other equipment with built-in 802.11g works just fine on my network, so I knew something was wrong with the D-Link product. To test my theory, I purchased the NetGear WG121 for roughly the same price as the D-Link box, and my Dell was on the web in less than 30 minutes. I rest my case. Caveat emptor.