Wireless Internet access is sure to be one of the great innovations of the past several years. There’s no need to list the myriad ways in which Wi-Fi has improved our use of the Internet, or indeed, is poised to improve numerous aspects of daily communication and commerce. But if you’re anything like myself, or my girlfriend, friends, co-workers, or acquaintances, you’ve also experienced Wi-Fi’s perplexing dark side: inexplicably limited connectivity, even in areas where networks are known to be operating.
The culprit? Bad hardware or bad software, perhaps. But most likely, your problems are due to the nefarious little gremlin called interference. It’s the reason you can’t detect the wireless access point a measly ten feet away in another room, but the next door neighbor’s network (encrypted, alas) comes in just fine.
Gigabyte Technologies, best known for its PC components, proposes one way to circumvent these issues: a Wi-Fi antenna that can be manually rotated and pivoted to home in on a signal.
The Gigabyte GN-WBKG 54Mbps Wireless USB Adapter also supports older, and slower, 802.11b networks, as well as 64- or 128-bit WEP encryption, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and 802.1X authentication.
But its key feature is a “hinged antenna” that promises to swivels 360 degrees. Actually, it’s the entire adapter that’s hinged, with the pivot joint located immediately above the USB connector.
At any rate, this feature is designed to enable a user to position the antenna to maximize reception. Anyone (like my girlfriend) who has furiously tried to re-locate a fading signal just to send that last, mission-critical email will certainly appreciate this.
Before we dive into testing the adapter, a look at its specifications as provided by Gigabyte.
| Gigabyte GN-WBKG 54Mbps Wireless USB Adapter Specifications | |||
| Interface Type | USB2.0 | IEEE Standard | 802.11b/g |
| Data Rate | Up to 54 Mbps | Security | 64/128 bit WEP, WPA, 802.1x, AES |
| LED Indicators | Power, Link, Intensity | Antenna Type | Chip antenna |
| Signal Range | Indoors: Up to 100m Outdoors: Up to 400m | Weight | 25g |
| Humidity | 10% ~ 90% Maximum (Non-condensing) | Dimensions (W x L x H) | 109mm x 25mm x 16mm |
| Certifications | FCC, CE, DGT | Os Support | 98SE/ME/2000/XP |
| Features and Accessories |
The 54Mbps Wireless USB Adapter comes housed in plastic, in a stylish, if fairly unusual, metallic blue color. Six tiny green LED lights on one side of the device show signal strength.
The device ships inside a static-protective bag. Debate here at SysOpt rages over what, exactly, the adapter looks like. One coworker suggested a laser pointer. I vote instead for one of those flat magic markers or highlighters; it even comes with a pen-cap-like cap (complete with pocket clip) that protects the USB connector.
In addition to a manual, the device also includes SmartSetup 3, a utility that configures your adapter and wireless network (including the setting-up of WPA encryption) and handles connectivity via a System Tray pop-up called G-EzLink. The SmartSetup feature only works with Gigabyte components, so unless you’re also using the company’s wireless router/access point, they’re largely unnecessary. G-EzLink, however, is vastly superior to Windows’ built-in network connectivity tool, and operates more usefully, similarly to a program like NetStumbler.
 Gigabyte’s included G-EzLink software |
Now, the 360-degree swivel does, in fact, enable you to point the thing in any direction away from your computer. Of course, since the hinge assembly doesn’t actually rotate a full 360 degrees — it only goes about 270 degrees, but a pivot allows you 180 degrees of y-axis freedom, compensating for the adapter’s rotational limitations. This means that it’s foreseeable that you might have to position the thing in such a manner that you won’t be able to see the LED lights. Naturally, that’s not supremely important, but it’s an ever-so-slight annoyance, particularly if you lack an on-screen WiFi signal strength meter.