Hawking HWU8DD Hi-Gain USB Wireless-G Dish Adapter Review

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(More customer reviews)(see my latest update at bottom)

We purchased this unit to try out on vacation at a beach house rental where typically we have to connect to neighborhood hot spots. At best we usually have to manipulate our laptop to just the right position to find a sporadic at best connection (you know-- we're ultimately standing on our head, wearing a foil helmet, and holding the laptop on edge etc-- that kind of thing).

I'll have to report back to you from the beach house next week but right now I just pulled it out of the box in our urban neighborhood setting at home. We typically have an abundance of signals here but only 1 or 2 have been connectable using my Netgear Rangemax 240 (which does better than my other standard b/g wireless adapter cards).

The Hi-Gain picks up a ton of signals in each direction I point it and is able to connect to nearly anything with a signal strength of 20% or better.

The Quick Start guide warns you all over the place to be gentle when moving the antenna on its axis or swivel, so comments from others on fragility seem to be correct. It looks like for travel purposes you'll need to keep it packaged in its box (6"x8"x4")

But I'd have to say-- so far so good. I have no immediate criticism or disappointment, other than the Wireless LAN Utility has a somewhat undersized window showing available network info--but this is a small issue.

I'll report back from the beach house next week to share what our final verdict is.

Oh the USB cord is no more than 6 feet long so you will need an extension or a longer USB cord (I ordered a 10' extension for $8). By the way, if you intend to replace the USB cord rather than use an extension, it uses a mini-USB connector (the type you see on cameras and camcorders-- your standard connector as you see on printer will not work.

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AUGUST 4TH BEACH HOUSE UPDATE
As promised, here is a bit more after a week of trying it out.The good news is it does consistently work. The ability to move the dish around to locate the best signal is a big plus when you are in some remote area. I am currently connected solidly to a site about 1/2 mile away across a Bay (I have a clear line of sight) with 2 of 5 signal strength bars illuminated.

We just repeated a download speed test and confirmed the wireless connection at 4861kbs down and about 420kbs up.

To be honest though, I'd say the HWU8DD appears only slightly more sensitive than my current pcmcia adapter, a Netgear Rangemax 240 (WPNT511). Again the advantage here is the ability to move the dish to the best reception spot rather than manipulate the computer itself.

Again, the short length of the USB cord (about 5') means in most cases you really need an extension, but with the 10' USB passive extension we also purchased from Amazon, I'm able to sit where I want to and let the antenna do its work. The bad news is I have a cord draped across the floor which may drive my wife a bit nuts at times.

We also discovered this is not compatible with my wife or daughter's Mac (also not compatible with Linux.)I just checked the Hawking website that tells me only Windows Vista 32, XP, 2000, Me, and 98Se are supported with drivers.

Finally, I also have to agree with those who note both size and fragility again.For traveling "road warriors", this is a relatively bulky, and somewhat cheaply made little plastic unit to be taking along on your flights or packed in a car somewhere unless you are desperate.I can see it being totally destroyed in my luggage at the airport, so we won't be taking it along flying to Chicago next week. (Isn't it possible to create a flatter, more compact and durable unit these days?)

Who is this perfect for?

I'd say the RV'er is going to love it. It's great even here at the beach house where we're not worrying about little people playing with or tripping over the cord. At home, I'd hate to be carrying this little thing everywhere my laptop goes, though with a stationary computer, it may be a good solution.

If you've tried everything else, I'd definitely give this a test-drive, but keep in mind the need for a good return policy if you don't like it or if it doesn't work for you.

I'm giving it 4 stars because it does work as promised.

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Sept 19, 2007 Update:STOPPED WORKING
As mentioned in my review, the dish is somewhat fragile. Yesterday we noticed it quit functioning. Perhaps the box was jostled a bit too much, or the dish popped off its stand once too often (the dish connector pops out of its base sometimes leaving the connecting wire exposed or potentially vulnerable to breaking its solders).

I looked on the Hawking website and am going to try to return it to the manufacturer if I can.I am past the 30 day Amazon return period.

No bitterness, but just a little bit of frustration. Drop my rating to 2 stars.

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Product Description:
TheHWU8DD is designed to connect your desktop computer or laptop easily to any Wireless-B or Wireless-G network via a USB connection.Hawking's award winning Hi-Gain™ Antenna technology extends wireless connection distances by up to 300%.The HWU8DD is equipped with a new 8dBi Directional Dish antenna that provides more distance and better speeds than other wireless adapters on the market.The Hi-Gain Wireless-G Dish Adapter is the only wireless adapter to integrate the distance benefits of wireless Dish Technology with WiFi networking. The built-in LED signal strength indicators provide network signal information to pinpoint the strongest signal available within your area.

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