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by D-Link

D-Link has always been there for our networking needs. We’ve come to expect that networking equipment from D-Link should be easy to install, very customizable, and reasonably priced. Of course, that was in the wired world of the 1990s. Now we’ve entered a world of WiFi – wireless networking is the buzzword of the 21st Century, and we want to be a part of it. So where do we look to get involved? D-Link. And who comes through for us, even in this brave new realm? Yep, D-Link. All hail the big D.

Continuing a string of hits, the D-Link DWL 900AP+ wireless access point has brought our earthbound ethernet into thin air. This wireless access point is ideal for anyone who already has a broadband router to connect several devices to the Internet or an internal network at the same time. Sporting 2.4GHz wireless muscle, 128 bit WEP encryption, and a reasonable (if still illustrative of new technology) price tag of $99.99, the DWL 900AP+ is an ideal solution to add wireless capabilities to your existing network.

How does it work? Smoothly. Simply plug the DWL 900AP+ into your router and you’re off. You can use a standard D-Link web-based interface to configure, customize and tweak the access point, but odds are you won’t have to do much to get it up and running. It’s amazing how smoothly these devices work together, especially when used in a homogenous environment of D-Link products. In fact, the DWL 900AP+ can be used as a repeater to extend your D-Link wireless network, and when used in conjunction with other D-Link products it can push speeds of 22Mbps, twice the industry standard. (NOTE: If you plan on using the DWL 900AP+ as a repeater, you’ll want to download the latest firmware upgrade from http://www.dlink.com/)

We’ve mostly been using our DWL 900AP+ to connect to our DWL 810, which is plugged into our console gaming systems. This configuration works perfectly for online console gaming, and we’ve been very happy with the performance we’ve seen. If you’re looking for a solution to connecting your Xbox or PS2 to a broadband mode, check out the possibility of going wireless. You won’t regret it.

Shawn Rider   (12/16/2002)

Snapshot

Ups: Easy installation; nice customization; downloadable upgrades; super fast.

Downs: A bit pricey.

Platform: PC