Hawking HWUG1 Wireless G USB Network Adapter with External SMA Jack

by Hawking Technology

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.1 x 0.4 inches ; 6.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000HCMTJG
• Item model number: HWUG1
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

Hawking Technology's HWUG1, 2.4Ghz Wireless-G USB 2.0 Network Adapter with removable antenna, packs the latest wireless technology into a compact unit, capable of transferring data at speeds up to 54Mbps and 108Mbps, capable when paired with the Hawking HWRGM1A Mimo Router. The external dipole antenna can easily be removed and upgraded to a Hawking Hi-Gain Antenna for extended wireless range. For piece-of-mind wireless security, the HWUG1 supports 64/128-bit WEP data encryption that protects your wireless network from eavesdropping. It also supports the WPA and WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security standards that combines IEEE 802.1x and TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) technologies. Client users are required to authorize before accessing to APs or AP Routers, and the data transmitted in the network is encrypted/decrypted by a dynamically changed secret key.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works with Mac OS X, January 4, 2007

By 

F. Goodman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hawking HWUG1 Wireless G USB Network Adapter with External SMA Jack (Personal Computers)

This adapter works with Mac OS X, version 10.4, with a driver available from Ralink Technologies. I have tried this on both a Power PC (Powerbook G4) and an Intel machine (Imac). It worked on both.

To get the driver, go to ralinktech DOT com, navigate to support, then to Macintosh, and download the driver labelled RT2571...USB. Install the driver package, restart your machine, and then insert the adapter in a USB port. A "USB wireless utility" will then start. There is no documentation, but the utility is more or less self-explanatory. If you also have a built in airport card, it probably makes sense to turn off airport before using the adapter, just to be safe.

Out of the box, the sensitivity of this adapter seems to be at least as good as that of the built in airport card in my Powerbook. The adapter allows use of an external antenna. I expect that in situations where the built in airport cannot get an adequate signal, this adapter with an additional antenna could do better.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful device, November 9, 2006

By 

Lyndx (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hawking HWUG1 Wireless G USB Network Adapter with External SMA Jack (Personal Computers)

I purchased this little USB wireless adapter because it has a removable antenna which allows me to connect a more powerful antenna when needed. It works extremely well. On several occasions, for example when staying at a hotel with free in-room wireless, the built in network adapter in my laptop wouldn't connect to the network but this USB adapter did. At home, I use it when sitting in areas where the signal strength from the network is too weak to activate the internal adapter.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works on OS X, and better than my integrated card on MacBook Pro!, February 5, 2007

By 

Jason D. Stone "J. Deacon Stone" (Bloomfield Hills, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hawking HWUG1 Wireless G USB Network Adapter with External SMA Jack (Personal Computers)

When I moved my office to the basement, my WiFi wouldn't quite reach where I wanted to place my computer. Since my network is broadcast from an iMac upstairs (which is also in a very comfortable place), antenna upgrades and such were not an option... at least not without a considerable amount of money, time and trouble (not to mention I'd have to remove covers and dig into both computers). Repeaters are fairly steep, and I needed a cheaper solution. Though the Hawking Tech drivers are only for PC's I took the advice of reviewer F. Goodman (thanks!) and downloaded the RT2571 USB driver from [..], and after installing (as he described) and switching to "Ad hoc" under "Network Type" in the "Profile" pane (this took me a while to figure out) I was picking up considerably more signal than with my computer alone! (especially considering that I was picking up NO SIGNAL WHATSOEVER before!!)
Great product, I like the added versatility of the external antenna options, as well as the fact that one could easily use a USB extension cable to place the adapter in a better area to recieve signal. It even comes with a little velcro sticky tab just for this purpose. I love it, and highly recommend it, it saved me quite a bit of stress, not to mention money!