Customer Reviews

TP-LINK TL-WN725N Wireless N Nano USB Adapter, 150Mbps, Miniature Design, Plug in and Forget, Support Windows XP/Vista/7/8

I am a soldier in Afghanistan where I live in a tent. The nearest internet hotspot is about 120 meters away behind a 1 foot thick concrete blast wall. Before I purchased this relatively inexpensive 'high-gain' antenna I had to leave my tent and walk outdoors towards a signal to connect to the internet.
Now, not only am I able to connect, but I have twice as many choices of networks to connect to. This little gadget is awesome! The upload and download speeds are good enough for SKYPE. It is one of the best devices I've purchased since I've been here.

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UPDATED: August 21, 2013 (Update section below)
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Installed January 14, 2011 and still excellent.

Here's my take on the TP-Link TL-WN722N Wireless USB Adapter:

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POSITIVES:
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** It really, really works like mad. ** I get constant download speeds of 12Mbps+, which is close the the max of my internet bandwidth.

- It's very cheap cost-wise for the great performance it gives you

- It's small(ish), though it will look big connected to your laptop

- Comes with a 3' USB extension cable which I definitely recommend using. It helps position the device, and keeps it from crowding your laptop or from being destroyed by being knocked out of your PC's front USB port.

- Has a diffused green LED under the white plastic to let you know it's working, instead of the blinding blue LEDs that everyone uses these days. The light turns off when it's not powered (like when you hit Standby on your PC). NOTE: It's still annoying in a dark room when I'm trying to sleep, but a few post-it notes helps that.

- The software is relatively simple to install and use, and allows you to use other products to manage your WiFi instead.

- The current driver, software, and documents come on a mini CD and are all up to date with what's available on TP-Link's web site

- The documentation is good, but it could use some more detail.

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MINOR NEGATIVES:
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- The TP-LINK Wireless Client Utility is functional but could be more intuitive. A configuration "wizard" would be a good improvement for manual configs. (It has been updated as of Jan 5, 2012 - see below)

- Manual configuration (which you need if your network is securely hidden and requires a pass code) isn't well-documented, though you will be able to get it to work with the document, and maybe a little trial and error. If your setup is totally open security-wise (this would be BAD), you will have no problem with the software.

- Even if the driver is installed incorrectly, the client utility may report enough information to make you think it is installed. When in doubt, do a complete removal of the software and drivers and re-install.

- The QSS software that comes with the device is ONLY usable with other TP-Link products. Don't bother installing it unless you have a TP-Link Router/Access Point that has QSS built in. (As of the client update on Jan. 5, 2012, it appears to be installed automatically)

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UPDATED 08-21-2013
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Nothing new to add! This thing still rocks. No news is good new, right?

Thank you everyone who chose to mark my review helpful!

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UPDATED 01-23-2012
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- I've kept track, and this device has worked well even with interference from Coronal Mass Ejections from the sun (sunspot activity), though I have noticed that the performance decreases (could be other things along that long internet path, as well).

- I now have a TP-Link TL-WA901ND 2.0 Access Point, which this device works well with. Unfortunately is does NOT connect at the advertised "150Mbps" potential speed when it's configured to do so, but I never really expected it to. My max internet connection of 13Mbps is far below that high rating, anyway.

- The latest WiFi utility for this device is up on TP-Link's web site as of Jan. 5, 2012, and I'm a bit disappointed with it. On the plus side, it is probably simpler to use - which is a good thing for most users, but it's been dumbed down to remove all of the extra connection info power users like me appreciate. The message windows are also annoying and the English grammar is sometimes embarrassingly wrong. It also looks a bit cheesy compared to the previous utility version. At least it works well.

- It is difficult to tell if the actual hardware drivers have been updated, because software info on the page for this device is really incomplete. It looks like they are not updated since I originally posted this review.

- I still benefit from disconnecting and reconnecting the device once in a great while, but the problem that causes the lowered performance could be my PC, the access point, or electromagnetic interference. Hard to say.

- To date, 4 people were helpless in the face of my review - maybe it put them to sleep. Thanks very much to everyone who took the time to click "Yes".

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My installation experience
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A friend of mine needed a WiFi adapter since she moved to a location that wasn't wired, so I recommended this to her based on the great reviews it's received. She successfully and easily installed this device on her work laptop, and was extremely impressed with it's ability to drag a much better signal out of the almost inaccessible 802.11n WiFi router located down stairs, the signal of which is blocked by many walls and turns.

She also needed to install the device on her personal PC. Unfortunately we spent hours over chat trying to get it installed and working, and FINALLY got it done after completely removing the software and drivers that she had installed, and then reinstalling those drivers with my guidance. It was only at this point that she said, "Oh yeah, I kind of passed over that part" where XP asks for confirmation to install an unsigned driver. AHHHHHHH! Well, now it works. :) The signal is not fantastic, but it's 4 times better than it used to be (for her laptop) and is good enough for her PC. It definitely works. So one lesson for you is: Please do yourself a favor, and let your operating system install the driver properly. ;)

The night I helped my friend with her WiFi, I received and installed my own TL-WN722N adapter, to help her through the install process and to replace the D-Link 4300 router I was using as a WiFi receiver (firmware v1.8 has bridging).

After installing this little thing and adjusting the antenna, I got download speeds almost twice as fast as before to the aging Linksys 802.11b-only wifi router downstairs. I then spent some time replacing that Linksys device with the D-Link 4300, turned on Super-G, and got almost 13Mbit down and 1.7Mbit up, which is more than four times what I was getting before on download and upload. The download speed varies between 8Mb-12Mb - it probably hits 12mb because of Super-G infringing on other people's signal space :P - but the upload speed has been really constant at 1.7Mb or so since I installed it, even to the Linksys router. The download speed is almost as good as I can get by plugging in a 75' network cable directly to the router.

So this little thing really rocks!

FYI, DSL Reports has an excellent set of speed reporting tools, as well as info on increasing network equipment and WiFi performance. Check it out! I'd enter a link, but Amazon would probably only delete it.

That's it, another novel for my reviews. I'll update this over time if anything new happens...

It has my respect for two reasons.
First, It pulls in signals from somewhere, not on our acreage.
And secondly, anywhere I've tried it, it has an outstanding, full five bars signal.
This is paired with an AT&T 2wire wireless N router and has no loss, I can find.
Windows 8 loads its own driver, which has worked well for months.
The Only con is you must D/L Win 7 driver from their site, which took 30 seconds to locate and download.
XP and Vista drivers on disc supplied.
It made my first wireless box happy, the rest have been converted.
Simple, Painless, Secure.
If you are looking for something reliable, this is currently $20 shipped to your place.
Get you one.
To test I had 4 secure pages and 2 different HULU channels playing and a few web pages, all open concurrently, and each was clear and fluid.
With "inSSIDer3" it shows a signal range of -24 to -38 dBm
It also shows all the pert. info.

This TP-Link TL-WN722N Wireless adapter works great on Ubuntu-10.10 without installing its driver CD.

Additional info:-The driver CD comes with it is smaller disk and it will not fit a CD/DVD drive of a laptop, if there is no Tray coming out of the Laptop to place the CD.
Some of the latest laptops DVD drives are built within and need to just insert the CD/DVD and drive will automatically pull the CD/DVD inside.
To take it out we needed to eject out by using eject keyboard button. (Also, it is possible, one could use another PC to burn this CD to a bigger CD and use it )

However, the product works great, I have purchased this for Ubuntu 10.10 (Linux) and which could not able to recognize built in wireless card of my Dell Studio laptop. As soon as I have plugged this to USB port, instantly it picked up lists of available wireless connections. Just select your connection and provide SSID and pass code, thats it.

This package is compatible with Windows 7 / Win XP as well

Great product.

Bought this to hook up a new desktop system to our historical society's wifi network.

Step 1: Plug into computer using supplied USB cable
Step 2: Install driver from included CD
Step 3: Connect and enter password (one-time)

Took all of 2-3 minutes! Windows reported excellent connection and I didn't even have to extend the antennas.

Our network is currently Wireless G - but this connected with no problem. Router is in another room about 40 feet away.

Used to download and install several hundreds of MB's of OS & application updates, anti-virus, and firewall software. Connection remained solid entire time.

I just received mine 5 minutes ago. I plugged it into my desktop and I'm writing this review online with better connectivity than the laptop next to me. I'm running Ubuntu Linux Maverick Meerkat 10.10.

This review is for the TP-LINK TL-WDN3200 Dual Band Wireless N600 USB Adapter, a white stick-shaped USB device. The way Amazon has it listed seems to combine reviews for multiple sister products from TP-LINK.

[See updates below--product may not be reliable!]

After buying a dual-band router and learning that 5Ghz is really only useful within a small range and line-of-sight, I decided to switch the family PC to wireless N over 5Ghz, since it resides across the room from said router. One less device on 2.4Ghz.

I probably over-analyze/research things I buy on Amazon, but I like to avoid disappointment. So far this USB adapter is great. I'm getting the same speed that I get via wire (about 42 Mbps down), which makes me very happy. I also bought the UC100 cradle for $13 so that I could set the adapter in an ideal spot. Windows did not have a built-in driver, but the included mini-CD had the driver, which I installed along with the TP-LINK utility. The software is basic, but works well and is not intrusive after everything is up and running. It will also support other adapters attached to your computer if you have any.

Note that this device can also be used in "SoftAP" mode as a wireless access point. So if you only have a modem with a wired connection to your PC, this device can serve as a wireless router by itself. I have not tried this function, but I could see how it might be useful in some situations. The manual is currently available here: [...]

Also, it has an embedded blue link/activity light behind its white face, near the USB plug end. This is not visible until the device is in operation. Probably not a deal-breaker, but worth noting.

I am using this with a Windows 7 PC.

I've had USB adapters like this die without warning (other brands--this is my first TP-LINK device.) If that happens with this one, I will update my review to warn other buyers.

And...UPDATE!
November 20, about 3 weeks after being put into service, and this adapter started acting up. Set up on a 5GHz network, suddenly it couldn't find the network. I confirmed that the 5GHz network was in fact operational (using an Android phone) but the TP Link adapter just wouldn't "see" it despite re-scanning. So I connected to the 2.4GHz network instead (slower speed, but better than nothing.) That was yesterday. Today--no connection at all. The device simply wouldn't work and the TP-LINK utility wasn't finding an attached device. I disconnected it and found it VERY hot to the touch. Almost too hot to hold onto. After letting it cool down for a few minutes, I plugged it back in to see what would happen. No response, and PC doesn't even recognize a USB device attachment. This occurred while the PC was on, but no one was actively using the connection other than sending a print job via Google Cloud print. No streaming or anything, so it wasn't even operating at full load when it died.

I'm going to try another one to see if it was an anomaly--replacement already on order from Amazon. I *want* to like this little device. I'm glad I kept the packaging. We'll see if the replacement lasts more than three weeks...

UPDATE 2
I dropped the rating to one star. The replacement arrived DOA! (Yes, I tried it in multiple USB ports on multiple computers--no response at all on any of them.) I can't in good conscience recommend this product. It worked great while it worked, but one fail and one DOA is not a good sign. I think the $25 price was too good to be true. I'm returning the second one for a refund and looking for a different brand of dual-band wireless USB network adapter.

I am very happy with this adapter. It's cheaper than most competitors, yet performs much better. I have a half dozen different wireless adapters in my house. I bought all different models to test them out. This TP-LINK is by far the best performer. It sees more wireless networks and maintains a better connection.

It is much bigger than most USB adapters, especially with the big antenna sticking out the side. But that's the price you pay for better performance. I also had to install drivers on my Win7 64 computer. Most USB adapters are plug&play.

I am very impressed with this adapter.
I've never tried to use wifi with any of my desktops, but after moving one of my systems to a room that wasn't pre-wired with RJ-45 ports, I began looking for a wifi adapter.

My initial instinct was an internal PCI adapter, but I stumbled across this one which turned out to be great luck! It's a lot cheaper than many PCI options too!

The two antennas pick up signals incredibly well. When testing it with my laptop, I get 5 bars wherever I go in the house... even outside.

Additionally, the capability to position the adapter wherever you like is a huge plus. I'm sure it helps to improve reception and avoid clutter.

If you need a dependable N-speed WiFi adapter, look no further. I highly recommend this product!

Update 5/22/2014
I still use this adapter, and it has been performing great. I've also taken it traveling abroad to catch some free WiFi hotspots, and it almost always has better reception than the built-in antennas in my mobile devices. It's light and compact which makes it a good travel companion.

Going from two bars on a $60 Linksys N adapter to FIVE bars is more than impressive. My connection speeds are faster than ever, now. Definitely the best adapter I've bought in history, and definitely tells me TP-Link is who I need to make my future purchases with. Thank you for making a great adapter, at a great price.