The D-Link DWL-122 adapter is Wi-Fi compliant, meaning that it can connect and interoperate with 802.11b wireless routers, access points and adapters. The DWL-122 connects to any available USB port on a laptop or desktop Windows- or Mac OS X-based computer. The included USB extension cable lets you position the DWL-122 to achieve the best available wireless signal reception. It also features 64-bit or 128-bit WEP encryption, providing a level of security for your wireless data. Using its default settings, the DWL-122 automatically connects to other D-Link wireless products as soon as its active.
The DWL-122 plugs right into the USB port of your Windows or Mac laptop, desktop, or other wireless-enabled device so you can receive data from wireless transmitters such as network routers or Wi-Fi signals at rates up to 11Mbps.
This adaptor also includes a standard USB extension cable so the device can be moved about to achieve the optimal wireless signal reception, whether you're at your desk or Wi-Fi enabled airport terminal or coffee shop.
The DWL-122 also includes 64 or 128-bit WEP encryption for the security of your wireless transmissions, and is a plug-and-play device that can automatically connect to other D-Link wireless products as soon as it's active.
1 unreliable and bad range...
I work as a PC technician for my local cable company's internet service and install these adapters daily for their customers... as well as trouble shoot problems for them. First off, regarding Mac users, you might as well forget it. They're supposed to work with MacOS X (10.2) but never have... at best I've seen them work intermittenly (and usually you have to plug it into the computer after you've booted it). As for PC users, it's a mixed bag. The adapters themselves seem to get unreliable after about 30 feet... sometimes I get good signals with interference-causing objects in between and sometimes I get poor signals with no apparent objects that should be causing interference. So... for PC I would say try one if you get a good price for it... and for Mac's my advice would be to not use this adapter as you will definitely experience problems with it.
2 Good product bad support
I own this DWL-122 since more than a year now. I bought this for $39 as it was on sale Fry's. Since then I am using it with one of my Sony Windows 98 laptop and is working great. However when I bought my new Toshiba laptop, I couldn't locate the CD ( I am not proud of it but happens with most of the people). So I tried downloading the driver over D-Link website and boy! I spent more than 2 hours but couldn't get to work. The website instructions are very confusing. I tried installing and uninstalling different drivers, none of them worked. So gave up and connecting it using Ethernet cable :(.
If I have to buy new adapter just for the driver. I would rather not buy D-Link product itself.
3 Works great with my Tivo series 2
All the newer series 2 units support this unit, my only wish would be for better reception.
4 Very unreliable
It is not reliable. It loses the connection and causes my iMac to lock. The computer doesn't recognize the device if it is plugged at power up. Causes USB conflicts. May be it works with the windows drivers, but don't get it if you are planning to use it with a Mac.
Ricardo Escall—n
5 TIVO Wireless
This is what you need to connect TIVO with an XP Wireless system. TIVO updates the device and connects to your home network flawlessly. All you do is select the home network that TIVO finds and type in your password (WEP). If you don't have a password, ask your neighbor for help, he's probably on your network anyway.
Download the TIVO desktop, follow the instructions for what you want to do and the world is yours.
6 DWL-122 works fine with Tivo - DWL-G122 does not
I got this adapter for my Tivo to connect wirelessly to my home network. It works just fine. Note that Tivos are notoriously picky about which adapters will work. A previous reviewer suggested getting the DWL-G122, but I assure you it won't work. That is why I bought this one, and so far I'm really happy with it.
7 Great for TIVO...11.g adapter (DWL-G122) does not work
I have a D-Link 11.g router. I needed an adapter for my TIVO. I bought and returned 5 different adapters before getting advice from TIVO on the ones to use. This was one supported. It worked instantly - no drivers, no nothing. I've not tested it for speed yet, but its getting 50% (good) signal.
Of course, if you have a 11.g compatible device I'd not go for this...go for the DWL-G122 or something else.
The small adapter comes with a (long) usb extension cord so it fitted easily into the back. Some I tried without the extension cord were a tight fit in the back.
8 works with mac........ sort of
this product did manage to work for the imac (OS X 10.2.8) that I was configuring, but the driver was extremely flakey and I could not get the WEP encryption to work. the solution for all macintosh computers that you wish to be wireless-capable is to buy a linksys WET11 wireless ethernet bridge. this product doesn't use drivers, so it's perfect for getting apples onto wireless if you have almost no other options left. I used a windows laptop PC to configure the WET11 before hooking it up to the apple, but i'm not sure if it's necesary to do that (it's explained in the instructions, there's a setup CD that needs to be run... not sure if the CD will run on a mac or not) this product is the only sure-fire solution that i can find to the macintosh wireless epidemic, but at all costs DO NOT BUY THE DWL-122, it won't perform to what you expect it to. also, it's completely unnecessary to purchase the airport base-station either, you'll get a lot more versatility if you buy a standard router, say the MR814 from Netgear.
9 Spotty performance with OS X computer
I picked this device up when our apartment set up a wireless network. Installation on my computer was a pain (I had a iMac G3 running os 10.2.8), eventually I had to reinstall the whole OS. When I did get it working the computer could not go more than thirty minutes before freezing (something that had never happened before). Finally I was able to correct it by downloading the most recent drivers (which are NOT currently on the company website). Even then the connection was still only so-so.
Out of frustration I picked up a Belkin F5D6050, and it worked like a charm. Now my connection is twice as fast and umpteen times more reliable. My advice is to skip the DWL-122 product and go straight to the Belkin (much cheaper too).
10 Now hear this...
This product is not the best. I spent many hours trying to get it to work with 10.2.8 until I happened across an updated driver [v. 1.4.7] on version tracker (now I know why I should subscribe). Even the d-link website itself only had version 1.3.2 (and even then it was 1.3.1 when unpacked/installed). Even with this driver the signal has a tendency to deterioriate and it needs to be unplugged and replugged.
11 D-Link DWL-122 works for Both PC & MAC..
I've been testing the D-Link on both systems (PIII 850 WinXP sp2 / OS X 10.28 iBook G3/900Mhz) and it works just fine with (at this time) Get the OSX v1.4.7 drivers. This is exactly what I was looking for.
12 Works With My TiVo But Had Trouble With Apple OS 10.2.8
I tried to use this USB adapter with my Apple iBook laptop computer and a D-Link router (the DL-514). Unfortunately, it kept freezing my computer after a minute or two. It was also a little awkward in that when it was plugged into one of my USB ports, it blocked access to my available USB port. I put it on my TiVo and it worked fine to allow my TiVo to use my wireless network to access TiVo Central for daily data updates. Seems to work well with a TiVo series 2 DVR, but anyone contemplating this adapter for use with an iBook might wish to consider and Apple Airport Card and Apple Express base station.
13 Works great with MAC OSX!
I need to make older macs work with a wireless network at work, and original airport cards are not available. The d-link worked great! Easy to set up, just install the drivers, plug it into the usb slot, and good to go! Even with a weak signal I can surf the internet at high speeds.
14 Great for TiVo
When I first bought my TiVo (about a year ago), I totally hated that fact that I had this forty foot phone cord running from my bedroom to the next room where I had to split the phone connection. After about a month of that madness, TiVo announced the launch of their new Series 2 network dial-in. So I bought this piece of equipment (the only USB to wireless internet I could find at Best Buy) and my TiVo recognized it immediately.
There has never been an issue with the device and I'm always getting at least a 60% signal, which registers as "Very Good" on my Tivo. Since TiVo announced that the Home Media Option was becoming standard on all boxes, I have never had a problem listening to music or viewing photos. I loved the setup so much that I bought a new TiVo for my sister last month and insisted that she buy the Dlink product. She has had no issue and her connection is nearly always at 90% or higher.
I couldn't see me having a TiVo until without this technology and just keep having tremendous success and no service interruptions with it. I am extremely pleased.
15 easy and no black screen of death
after a couple days of searching for a wireless adapter for my dell 8400, i settled on this one. although i wanted a G adapter the current ones seemed to be too unstable. i also thought that this one might cause a crash too. but i took a chance and went for it anyways. the set up was easy. just installed the driver. shut down. inserted the usb, and restarted. the only mistake was that i removed the CD from the tray before shutting down. and when it restarted and looked for the driver i had to reinsert the cd upon which it immediately asked to continue the installation. and then a few more clicks away and i was up and running. although i havent checked the speed. it seems to be fast. and the signal is as good as the internal wifi built into my vaio sitting right next to me. also i figured that if it didnt work very well i could always give away this small usb wireless to someone who owns a laptop and needed an adapter.
16 DWL-122 is NOT Mac OS X Compatible
Despite what D-Link would have you believe, the DWL-122 is not really Macintosh compatible. I tried using one on my Mac OS X, and had problems from day one. The adapter would get a connection, but would lose it usually in a matter of minutes. Every once in a while I could reseat the adapter, and the connnection would come back. But most times I had to reboot, and often it would cause a total system freeze. I downloaded the latest driver from D-Link once, and it so totally trashed my system that I had to wipe the hard drive clean and reinstall all my software. I tried to resolve the problem with D-Link, and did everything they suggested. However I kept having problems, and kept talking to D-Link, but they were unable to help me. And I understand that my Mac laptop was not an isolated incident, other Mac users have reported similar problems with their systems when using the DWL-122. Until they can prove that their DWL-122 works reliably with computers using the Mac OS, as far as I am concerned the product is not Mac compatible, and I'm not sure I could trust D-Link equipment because of my bad experience with the DWL-122.
17 did not work with Mac OS X 10.2
Installed device, and was able to establish a connection, including WEP128, for a few minutes - but it was slow, and then the connection broke down entirely. Considering the number of negative reviews, it seems odd that D-Link still claims this device works with Mac.
18 If wishes were wings...
Sadly this doesn't work. Or should I say it works sporadically if at all. What a great concept though. I hope D Link will improve this and make an alternative for Mac users who don't have Airport cards, especially in older machines that need the original Airport card which Mac stopped making. I tried three of these before I gave up.
19 DO NOT USE WITH OS X!!!!!
This product does not work at all with OS X. I thought that I would be an exception to all of the negative reviews found online, but I was wrong. This product causes OS X to FREEZE!!! Yes, FREEZE! This should NEVER happen. Do yourself a favor and pick up a Belkin F5D6050. They have OS X drivers on their website and you will find yourself surfing the net from any wireless point.
20 Works with Yellow Dog Linux on my iBook!
I was totally stoked to find out this little D-Link USB adapter works on my Linux iBook. Yep! and I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but this does show the versatility this device has. It uses a Prisim chipset and I found drivers and instructions online for making it work correctly with Linux on my iBook. I use Yellowdog Linux on my Tangerine iBook. It runs faster than OS 9, plus it was free!
Anyhow, this D-Link adapter works just fine, is easy to plug in, didn't take long to install, and hold a connection great.
I got to coffee shops and browse the net just like everyone else.
21 OSX - DO NOT BUY
D-link claims this works with osx, but as you can read here, it causes osx to freeze. the latest version of osx that dlink supports for this product is 10.3.2. the drivers on cd froze osx 10.3, and the drivers from dlink 1.3.2 froze osx 10.3.5.
if you have a mac, do not buy this product.
22 TIVO Home Network
Got it in record time from J&R. Plugged it into my TIVO series 2 and just followed the bouncing ball. If I can follow the easy directions, anyone can. It quickly found the network and now I am enjoying pictures, MP3's and contact with my other TIVO so I can share TV shows. This is the wireless network device to get for your TIVO Series 2 box. No muss, no fuss, and J&R Rocks!!
23 Great, if you like kernel panics and constant disconnects...
If you own a Mac AVOID THIS PRODUCT!
Tried two different driver sets for it, the original packaged drivers (1.0.2) and the updated ones (1.32). The original drivers didn't work, were slow, and caused a kernel panic. So I un-installed them then tried the 1.32 drivers.
They seemed to work much better and didn't cause the slowdowns that the original drivers caused. I was actually able to go to a few sites, but I was constantly getting disconnected and having to unplug and plug the device back in. After about an hour of this, it caused another kernel panic. The 1.32 drivers were suppose to fix this problem, but didn't.
System: Duel 867 G4 running Mac OS 10.3.4
D-Link DI-624+ router (I thought that it would work better then this, being from the same company and all)
MAC USERS AVOID THIS PRODUCT (unless you are looking for a $40 paperweight)!
24 Installed and Worked Easily
I used this with my Netgear wireless router.
Installation - Very Good
-Plugged it in and was automatically detected on Windows XP. Was able to use it right away after some basic configuration on the router.
Nit-picking - Looks bad and don't know where to put
If anything, I don't like the way this unit looks. Looks very cheap and it's hard to come up where to put it. It has a little clip on it, but it's useless. I just taped it onto the wall, but does not look good.
25 Lost patience and peace of mind(again!)
D-Link DWL-122
I've recently bought the D-link 802.11b wireless router for my home and installed the router(in DHCP mode) in minutes. I've connected my Sony VAIO with no hassles.
My Compaq desktop (Windows 2000) desktop doesn't have the wireless capability and I bought the new D-link (DWL-122) Wireless USB adaptor. I preferred the D-Link adaptor over the Netgear USB adaptor because the same company products may work fine. Unfortunately, it doesn't. I put the installation CD and the Installation application popped up and clicked the Install button. Then I got an error message from Windows Installer and obviously the Microsoft error message doesn't help anyway. So I reinstalled the Windows installer and the installation application did run.
Then I plugged the USB adaptor and the hardware has been recognized by the system and I configured the USB adaptor and the signal strength was around 70%. That was awesome? huh!, apparently not. I have to restart my computer to get the IP Address configured and everything seems good finally. Then I started browsing yahoo, amazon, bbc.co.uk sites. After couple of minutes, the browser started hanging(for more than a minute) and still the signal strength around 70% in my adaptor. The Router is just 30 feet away from my desktop.
The USB adaptor is consistently failing to connect to the router at regular intervals and sometimes it doesn't connect at all.
Finally I've lost my patience and returned the product.
26 Works GREAT with Toshiba SD-H400 Tivo/DVD player!
Bougth this for $20 (after MIR) from a local office supply store. Connected to the Toshiba SD-H400 using the supplied cable. DVR detected it immediately, prompted for a firmware/ driver upgrade. Once that was done, I configured the SSID and 128-bit WEP encryption key. Added its MAC to DLink DI-614+ router's MAC filter list. BINGO! I could download program content in a few seconds that used to take several minutes over dial up. Connection speed and signal strength is reasonably good.
Have not tried with a desktop/laptop. So, no experience on that front. If you want an USB WiFi adapter for Toshiba sd-h400, don't look any further.
27 Worst working device I have ever bought
Ok, bought this installed on a mac running Panther, freezes OS every 5 min, downloaded updated drivers which claim fixes this and the 20 other problems, does not fix jack. The usb adaptor gets extremly hot which is strange because it is only running off of a low voltage and drains my ibook battery extremly fast. I was going to contact D-link about this but after a quick search I discovered alot of sites devoted to how poor this product is. Ps I also installed it on my pc running xp and it did not freeze but gave me the wep key error and kept loosing its connection even though my router is 6 inches away from my pc.
28 whats all the problems??
Just received via Amazon ( fantastic service by the way)- had it up and going within 2 minutes. ( D link-614B adsl wireless router)"very good" signal at 20 meters and " good " at 60 meters. Ok this review is aimed at the "grumblers" Is it me or am I missig something??. I do not have problems as detailed by numereous reviewers. I do not understand the litany of problems
exposed by so many. Ok I am a tech pro - but these days - you buy a product " FOLLOW SETUP PROCEEDURES " and thats it. ( XP/2.66 HP laptop)- you see bog standard hardware. The same thing for an Ipaq 5455. Admittedly, you must understand a few fundamentals about wireless and Ip addresses- but its all very logical and should not entail a tremendeous amount of brain power. Go back to the mid eighties and windows 95 - then you were sure to run into problems- but we have come a long wasy since.Cut it short/ excellent product/ good value for money.
jonathan ( florida where it is always shining)
29 Works with a win 2k
(...) The setup is not difficult. The CDROM has the latest version of driver and utility so I don't have to downloan. I plugged it to a Win2k and it works well with a netgear MR814v2. Giving its small size, I don't expect its antenna to be powerful. 4 stars instead of 5 because I think there are still room for improvement.
30 Works with Macs but not too well
An easy to install device and works ok with Macs but freezes the computer after a couple of minutes.
31 Freezes my Beige G3 with Mac OS X.2.8
I have to agree with everybody here. It works great when it works. But after about 10 minutes it hangs my Mac and if I wait more than that I get a nice message telling me to restart my Mac. I'm taking mine back to the store I bought it from.
32 What a hunk of junk!
I installed the drivers from CD. I re-started computer as directed. Computer will not boot! I call tech support, and I wait a couple hours without anyone anwering. I search D-link support board and there is no information at all!!!
33 Feel totally lead-on by D-link (iMac 400MHz 10.3.3)
No end of problems, including the adapter not even being recognised by the D-Link software! Needed to unplug, and plug in again to get a connection.
Our vendor has now got an updated driver direct from D-Link that has improved things but after restart the DWL-122 still won't connect (incorrrect WEP key), although it you click 'connect' it appears to connect. Although yet to actually get a network connection!!
Seem to be spending all our time travelling back to the vendor for them to test/fix(!?) and collecting it.
Feel 100% conned by D-Link, into buying a half hearted Mac product, certainly won't be using them again.
Don't waste your time and money, instead buy an AirPort card. You have been warned ;)
34 Mac OS X Drivers cause hangs
Wish I'd read these reviews before purchasing - now I'll have to return it. Am seeing hangs on my iBook running 10.3.3 with this device plugged in. Connection is also intermittent and takes a long time to come up when waking from sleep or booting. Driver panel fails at time as well. This is as poor a product as I've ever seen. I wish there was an alternative but my experience with the MacSense Aeropad USB 802.11b is nearly as bad.
35 Connectivity Issues With Macs
Though they say they support Macs, I've had nothing but problems with this card. The installation went smoothly, but connectivity on OS 10.2.8 was inititially a problem. After many hours of different configurations, I got it to work. Then, I find that it was locking up periodically. My Mac works fine without the adapter plugged in. Who want periodic lock ups? Not me. I don't recommend this item if you own a Mac. Can't tell you about installing on PCs --havn't gotten that far yet--
Oh yeah, the updated driver version on their web-site doesn't match the driver version it installs (tech support wasn't able to explain why). What's up D-Link??
36 Waste of time for MACS and OS X
So far, this is the biggest piece of junk I have ever purchased. Most of the other reviews have stated the fact well, that this unit crashes OS X on a highly regular basis. When I purchased it there were no reviews out there, I wish I had waitied and read some reviews. I also was a victim of D Links tech support. "Reinstall drivers" became a recurring answer from them, and that does not work. Congratulations D Link, you have made the only product that has ever crashed my Mac and OS X!
37 Works Great on Mac and Windows
I purchased this for an Apple i-Book. After downloading the new drivers from the D-link web site, the DWL-122 works fantastic with the OS 10.2.8 Jaguar version. No crashes, no freezes, easy install and setup. I use this at the Coffee shop on their WiFi access, but I like to compute from my car while sitting in the parking lot drinking coffee. I tested this D-link DWL-122 from about 150 feet away from the Coffee shop and had a very good consistant signal. It never dropped off during 5 hours of net surfing. AFter reading all the reports about the DWL-122 not working with the Mac OS, I almost returned it, but am glad I did not. The included light weight USB cable makes it easy to postion for good reception. This is a very good purchase because it works equally well on both my Apple and PC computers, it is very small and durable, and the price is right. If you are looking for a good inexspensive USB WiFi for the Mac OS X, this one works great. The power output is a meer 40 miliwatts which makes it suprising how well it radiates, but that is what a good antenna design can do and the low power consumption makes for longer battery life. All the Mac OS technical issues with the driver have been solved. D-link tech support is also very good because you can actually get them on the phone and they will help you. That accounts for alot in a tech world where many other companies hide behind a web site. Go D-link DWL-122 all the way for USB WiFi!
38 Do NOT buy this crap
I have a powerbook with MacOSX 10.3, and it only crashes when I'm using this adaptor. I've gone weeks without a single crash, and as soon as I use this adaptor for more than 2 hours, I get a kernel panic. Their tech support is no help either. I needed to buy this because my Airport card can't see the DWL-900AP access point we have (we have an all D-link network... a big waste of money). Go linksys or netgear, but definitely NOT D-link.
39 Very Poor Mac Compatability
Despite advertising claims to the contrary (i.e. "Supports MacOS X 10.2 and Later"), this product DOES NOT support 10.3. The drivers cause 10.3 to crash (seemingly randomly) after about 10-15 minutes or so -> nothing else has been able to bring 10.3 down on my machine, but the DWL-122 manages to cause a good ol' OS 9 style complete freeze. I emailed the company asking about a timetable for new drivers, but they have not responded. The connection is also intermittent (despite being about 10 ft from the router) on an eMac running 10.2. Unfortunately, it seems like the best option is to save your pennies and buy an Airport card - a dispointing option for those of us who wanted a USB adapter we could use on multiple machines.
40 Don't trust the box when it says 10.2 and above
The box claims this thing works for OS X 10.2 and above. When I installed it on my 10.3 box, I was unable to boot even into single user mode. I had to actually do a clean install to 10.2 to get it to work. Even then performance was terrible, and I encountered random crashes. Mac users know how tough it is to completely freeze OS X ... great work, D-Link.
Their customer service was absolutely terrible. They had no solutions, and wouldn't cover my restocking fee if I had to take the thing back. They reasoned that they could state that they support "10.2 and above" or "10.2 and later" because they may some day have 10.3 drivers.
Spend the extra $20 and get a wireless bridge or gamelink.
41 Works well for what it is
The actual hardware works fine. I've so far tested it under Windows XP and Linux. The drivers, as others have stated, lack polish. Under Windows XP the supplied D-Link utility is useless -- it won't even run. However, you can set it up using the normal XP wireless tools. If you download and install the wlan-ng package, it also works fairly well under Linux, but takes some hacking. I had to write a small script to delay the wlan-ng event handler's invocation of ifup, otherwise it tried to bring up the interface before a link to the wireless access point was established, and it failed.
I bought this because my old Prism card, the only one Linux understood of all my various wireless cards, did not do WEP. The DWL-122 uses a Prism 2.5 chip, so will do 128-bit WEP, but not the more secure 256-bit WEP.
Others have asked about signal strength. I was two walls away from my access point and I was getting 4 out of 5 bars at worst. You can also stick this on the end of a USB extension and move it around to find a stronger signal, which you can't do with a normal Cardbus adapter.
It's not fast, it's not fancy, but it does seem to work and is tiny and portable and runs everywhere even on desktop computers. So I'm keeping it. It is now my standard wireless interface.
42 Well...
Nice package, and I really like how small it is. BUT!!!! Some iMac users will be frustrated with it. The drivers do not appear to integrate well into OS X. For example, sometimes the device is not recognized at startup, so I have to unplug it and plug it back in. Annoying. It also displays incorrect connectivity information, and the utility is overall rather slow and quirky. Finally, I had to disable WEP because the incorrect key would always transmit. Overall, I have a good connection, but the bugs are too annoying for me, and I am returning the unit. Belkin makes an adapter compatible with OS X, and I hear AeroPad is good too. Apple's Airport, of course, is probably the best solution but is costly.
43 Excellent price, but some difficulty in installation
The D-Link DWL-122 is overall a so-so product. Price after rebates was $29, the cheapest product I could find. There was some difficulty in the installation (Windows XP Home), as the drivers needed updating. Took about an hour to get it all set up, Windows finally detected a network and it was up and running.
The price is excellent, I don't think you can find anything as cheap as this right now. However, the speed of this adapter varies constantly. My signal reception is "very good", but the transfer speed sometimes can be as low as 1.0 Mbps.
Recommended for those on a tight budget, but in the future I would go for something like the Netgear Wireless G USB adapter. 3 Stars for the inconsistent signal and difficulty in installation.
44 It would be better if it just didn't work, but unfortunately
it kills Mac OS X. There's very few products out there where you can honestly say that it would be less disappointing if it just weren't working at all. Stay away from this product for Mac OS X. The best you can hope to have after much tinkering is, as others have noted here, an intermittent connection of poor strength, that will take forever to start up, and that will crash your system frequently. Sure it's cheaper than the competing Apple product, but it doesn't work reliably, destabilizes your system, can't easily be removed, and the company won't acknowledge its problems on the Mac platform.
45 Looks sexy, but very bad wireless adapter for MacOSX
- high latency at boot time
- failure to connect to wifi network at boot time
- high rate of connection drops (every 2-5 min)
- crash while going on suspend mode
- sometimes the wifi config panel would crash the system
- the first driver provided on the cd-rom with the device made the system crash at startup
Overall, having to reboot every 5 minutes makes this device completely unusable. I have bought this device on the Internet since its not sold in my country and Wifi adapters for Mac are quite rare. When I called the D-LINK US support, the guys refused to support me because I was calling from outside of America ! And they pretend to be a global company !
When I contacted them by email, the only answer they could provide me was to reinstall the latest drivers (which I was already running).
DWL-122 = Buggy drivers + inefficient technical support
46 Excellent price, but you'll get signal drop sometimes
Great price, but the range has to be considered. If you're looking to share with computers in a small area (all computers in one section of the house, dorm, etc...) it should be fine except for the occasional droped signal. Performance is good (using D-Link 2.4GHz 80211.B router) my wife can watch Launch music videos at high-bandwidth settings at full speed (again, only problem is ocassional signal drop and it usually kicks right back in so you just get an annoying pause here and there).
47 Another Mac Thumbs down
Initially was able to connect long enough to download and install a OS X (10.3.2) security update. After that it would not bring up a web page, though the control panel indicated good connection signal of 70-80%. Reboots, uninstalls, reinstalls all gave similar results. (Seemed to work fine on my Windows laptop.) Maybe I'll try the Belkin since it seems to have good reviews.
48 Needs More Range - try DWL-120 Plus instead
I bought this product with a DI-514 WI-FI Router and was amazed at the low price. The installation and encription setting was simple, but there was one thing I didn't really like. The range wasn't the best that WI-FI can offer. It had some dropouts as it reached 20% link quality (seen through D-Links great status monitor). Although the signal did have to travel through a couple of walls the router was less than 100 ft. away.
I then bought the DWL-120 Plus and was amazed at the difference. I was reaching 100% link quallity when before I only had 40%. The DWL-120 plus is surprinsingly small (less than double the size of the DWL-122). It also doesn't require an external power source.
So if you need some range or you won't be line of sight wiht the router use the DWL-120 plus instead.
49 Not worth the $ savings over buying an Apple card
I purchased this adaptor as a cheap alternative to an airport card for a Macintosh G4. It works in OS X, but connections can be buggy and sometimes the Airport and computer need to be powered down and rebooted to get a connection. For ease of use and features I would recommend spending the extra money to buy an Apple airport card.
50 Just plain cool and it works good too!
I guess you all know by now not to use on a MAC or Apple. Well I have a PC and this thing was cinch to install and it seems to work quite well for being a 11MB adapter. I have a 802.11G router that is backwards compatable and I can't tell much difference from the 54MB adapter on my notebook. If you want a solid connection in a super tiny package this is your ticket.
51 MAC OS X Support
I purchased this adapter for the low price and OS X support as I believe that USB should not normally be used in lieu of an installed NIC. After reading the other reviews of folks having trouble with the OS X drivers, I went straight to the D-Link Web site and downloaded the latest drivers. I then installed the drivers, shut down, and inserted adapter. The MAC recognized the network immediately and I was up and running wirelessly. On reboot the MAC had problems receiving an IP from the wireless router. To overcome this, I assigned a static IP in the appropriate range. Once the connection was stable I added WEP. Seems to work flawlessly. I strongly recommend this adapter as an inexpensive way to wirelessly network a MAC with OS X.
52 Great wireless network USB
I notice that only MAC users are having problems with this adapter and not even all of them are having problems. I would suggest maybe going to a PC and ditching the MAC.
I have used many wireless adapters and this one is a great value. It has the same or better range that the Linksys PCMCIA card, Belkin card or Dell true mobile USB. Actually it is better than the Dell true Mobile. If you follow the quick start guide, it should work right away. I am running XP on an IBM A20m laptop and it works great.
53 Serious problems remain for Mac OS X users
I was hoping that this product would provide a solution to the problem of how to incorporate an older Mac G3 (Blue and White) into an AirPort network, but my experience with it resulted in more problems than it was worth. I downloaded the newest drivers from the web site and managed to get it up and running rather easily. But I soon found myself faced with serious problems involving an external firewire hard disk connected to the computer -- the drivers seem to have been corrupted to the point where it appears that only a complete erasing of the internal hard drive and reinstallation of the system is going to solve my problems. Obviously, this is more than I bargained on. Perhaps there is a way of getting this to work with Macs and some who have purchased it report good results. But, in my case, the costs have far outweighed the benefits. Let the buyer (or at least the Mac-user buyer) beware!
54 Crashes my PowerBook
Since I installed the DWL-122 driver on my PowerBook (running Jaguar), my computer (which never ever crashed before) became very unstable. The computer regularly freezed up completely (so I couldn't even force quit), often wouldn't start up and was generally impossible to use. As soon as I got rid of the driver (which was tough, since they don't include an easy uninstall) the computer started working fine. This product simply doesn't work with a Mac, and I feel deceived that they claimed that it would.
55 Not really Mac compatible
I was only able to maintain a connection using the DWL-122 for 2-3 minutes between kernel panics. Without WEP, connections lasted slightly longer. Some channels worked better than others. But the longest I was able to connect was 10 minutes before another kernel panic. D-Link should not be marketing this as Mac compatible. That is the primary reason I bought this particular device. I am returning this product ASAP.
56 Neat device..works just fine (Win 2K, Pentium 4 laptop)
I looked into USB based WiFi adapters because the PCMCIA slot in my laptop suddenly stopped working. I approached this rather cautiously as I was concerned about the range. The early reviews I saw indicated that USB based adapters had a much shorter range than PCMCIA wireless cards.
I am very glad I got this device for $29.99 after rebate..(at a local retailer who is the best buy I know :-)). This just worked perfectly right out of the box (Hint, read the slim manual D-link ships with the device).
I was in for a pleasant surprise on another front: the wireless range is amazing. I have my SMC wireless router on the second floor; my office is in the basement. The signal strength is pretty decent in the basement office ...I clocked the transfer speed at 2.5 Mbps in speed tests. Not bad for a signal traveling two floors! I get pretty good reception all over the house - it is as good as what I used to get with my Orinoco Gold PCMCIA based card (which is believed to have the best range in its class).
Overall, I would strongly recommend this to anyone.
A few words of caution:
a) Be careful when you pry the cap off the adapter. It fits on real tight and I almost cracked the device. Page 4 in the manual shows you the little trick you need to open the cap.
b) I stongly recommend that you download the latest version of the driver available at the D-Link site. The latest version (v 3.00.04 for Win2000) is much better than what came on the CD shipped with the item.
57 Neat device..works just fine (Win 2K, Pentium 4 laptop)
I have had a nice WiFi network using an Orinoco card at home for the past two years. The PCMCIA slot in my laptop suddenly stopped working and I was stuck. Thankfully, I learnt of USB based WiFi adapters - I approached this rather cautiously as I was concerned about compromising range. The early reviews indicate limited range with USB based adapters as compared to PCMCIA cards.
I got this device for $29.99 after rebate..(at a local retailer who is the best buy I know :-)). This worked really fine out of the box. A pleasant surprise, the wireless range is amazing.
I have my SMC router on the second floor..my office is in the basement. The get great signal strength while in the office ...I clocked the transfer speed at 2.5 Mbps in speed tests. Not bad! As good as what I used to get with my Orinoco Gold PCMCIA based card which is believed to have the best range in its class.
I would strongly recommend this to anyone.
A word of caution. I suggest you download the latest version of the driver available at the D-Link site. The latest version (v 3.00.04 for Win2000) is much better than what was shipped with the item.
58 nice concept, needs a lot of polishing up & software tweaks.
Nice concept. Completely portable. Pocket size. Wireless convenience.
I bought this unit so that I could connect some older machines wirelessly to our network at home, and also to my workplace's wireless network. It was advertised as compatible with Mac - and I had good experiences with our D-Link 614+ Wireless Router.
Using the latest drivers (1.3.2) for Mac OS X, on three different machines (brand new G4 1.25 GHz, older G3 533MHz & G4 630MHz, all with fresh installs of OS 10.2.6 or 10.2.8) I have had only very limited success. It initially works, giving a good connection, but within anything from several seconds up to an hour or two, the connection spontaneously drops and it does not reconnect. Sometimes it will only reconnect if I restart the computer. Often a simple disconnect& reconnect of the adapter gets the connection up...for a while. Without fail, I can't get through a day without the connected machine freezing completely (this should __never__ happen in OS X).
The control interface in the System Preferences sometimes displays incorrect/garbled information (wrong channel, WEP status says on when it is off, etc.)
In my opinion, as the D-Link's drivers for the DWL-122 are now, it is not reliable and not really usable on Macs. I have spoken with a Level 3 Tech person at D-Link, and gave him all my data & symptoms-he committed to passing on the information to the software/driver gurus at D-Link. Apparently, a fix is forthcoming...clearly though D-Link should have __never__ put this out on the market for Macs yet...so many of us are having headaches with it. It is most disappointing.
When they fix the drivers for the DWL-122 so that it works as well in OS X as it does on Windows, then it will deserve 5 stars, I feel. For now, only 2 stars, though.
59 Good Solid Adapter
I like the extension cable so it doesn't have to stick out the back of my laptop. The range is good enough for me, since I have an apartment. The WEP works and doesn't effect speed when enabled. Overall this adapter is great and I'd recommend it to others.
60 A Permanent Piece of my Laptop
One of my laptops doesn't have a PCMCIA/CardBus slot, but it does have 2 USB ports. So this adapter was a natural selection for that laptop. Surprisingly enough this works just as good and sometimes better, but sometimes worse, than my DWL-G650 in my newer laptop. The speeds aren't worth relating to each other, but with this USB adapter and my DI-624 I can be anywhere in my 2 bedroom apartment and have a strong enough signal to surf the net at broadband speeds.
This adapter might as well be glued in my laptop since I just boot the machine and suddenly I'm on line, just like it should be. I get no software problems and connections are real stable.
I'd recommend this for people whitout a PCMCIA/CardBus slot or their slots are full all the time. Very easy to use/setup.
61 Great connection, great price!
Tested this against a D-link 614+ 802.11b wireless router and after a few teething issues (more on that later) got it working just fine. When the router is in the same room as the DWL 122, I get a 100 % connection rate, after moving the router a few rooms away, the connection rate drops to about 75 % but that doesn't really affect the upload/download speed in the slightest (1200/300). (I tested the speeds using the speed test tool at www.dslreports.com).
I had some problems getting it connected initially, the problems though were mostly caused due my ham handed go-it-alone configuration attempts. Wouldn't have been difficult if I hadn't tried to set the SSID/WEP/MAC address filtering from the get go. Called up the tech support when I was totally frustrated, and spoke to an extremely rude operator, who obviously din't know the first thing about the products. Luckily on my second attempt, got this nice gentleman who managed to untangle my mess and get me up and running.
My reason for giving it 5 stars:
1. I din't want to penalize D-link for my clumsy configuration attempts,
2. The connection is so strong and sweet, couldn't find any fault with it,
3. The DWL 122 looks pretty nice and is easily hidden from view.
My rig:
PIII 450 Mhz, Win 2000, SBC YAHOO DSL
62 Disappointing performance on my Mac
I bought this mostly because I could use it on my G3 laptop (running 10.2.6) or my PC desktop. However, after a couple days of using it I'm not at all impressed. It doesn't hold a connection on the laptop, makes my system unstable (freezes and kernel panics), doesn't work after the laptop wakes up from sleep, can't be unplugged (kernel panic)... I have to reboot my computer every half-hour or so because the connection just suddenly goes away.
I downloaded the latest (beta) drivers from the D-link website, so an outdated driver isn't the problem.
63 Mac Wireless (somewhat) quickly.
Well, I finally bit the bullet and decided to see if I could make our house wireless. I purchased the D-link wireless router and this USB wireless adaptor and had everything installed and hooked up within an hour.
First the bad: I am using a Mac PowerBook and the drivers and software were not as easy as previous plug-and-play items. At first, I could not get a consistent connection after reboot. I would have to go back into my network settings and fiddle with them for a good 5 minutes until the computer finally connected. I think the problem is because I had the wireless adaptor plugged in at all times. If I plug the adaptor in right before I need the internet...everything works fine.
Now the good news. It works. And works very well. I have a 3 story house and the router is on the third floor in my office. The connection on the bottom floor is about 50%+ signal strength--pretty impressive. I cannot get a connection outdoors, but that may be due to the fact that I am in an all brick home with lots of electrical wires outside.
I was looking for a solution that would allow my wife to work downstairs wirelessly. Since she is not a big computer geek, the solution had to be very easy, simply to use, and require nothing more than opening the laptop and start working. This product certainly fit the bill.
I would have no problem recommending this device, particularly since the price point is very attractive. As a Mac user, it is refreshing to have a company that supports the platform; one more reason to purchase this item.
64 Very Quick To Setup
I like it because it takes more time to buy it than it does to install. The price value is good, the speed is good for 11b and the range is better than I thought it would be.
I also recommend downloading the latest drivers from the web site and then installing it. You will have a nice fresh up to date install and I doubt you will have problems.
A thanks goes out to D-Link for making such an easy to use and useful product. The size is what sells it for me.
65 Great product
I have an older Compaq laptop (AMD/K6 475Mhz) running W98SE, which I wanted to add to our home network. I believe the PC card slot/controller somehow is no longer working, and my only other option was to use the one USB slot. I bought The DWL-122 mainly due to very favorable prior experiences with several D-Link products. The windows instructions, geared for XP, are simple and concise, and it works great (using DI-713P as the access point). The included USB extension cable is very handy and tremendously improves the signal. I did have to call D-Link tech support because windows was "unable to find the driver". Their technician walked me through "browsing" the CD and manually assigning the "driver" folder, instead of "drivers" subfolder. Maybe this is was unique for my older laptop or W98, but I don't care since it is working very well. The price with rebate makes a great value, and I definitely recommend.
66 Jump on it.
Get on the bandwagon and go wireless. And what better way to start off than with this little wireless toy. I say toy because this adapter is so small and cute that it looks like a toy. And in a way it is a toy, a toy for your laptop. This allows your laptop to play freely where ever it wants.
Just install the drivers, reboot, and stick it in. Then walk or sit anywhere you want with your laptop and still have wireless internet capabilities. I like it and so does my laptop.
67 Finally
I have a Mac Powerbook that I wanted to use with my 802.11b network at home. I was glad to hear of a wireless adapter that wasn't the Apple Airport that actually worked with a Mac. I looked at the reviews of some that said that this adapter didn't work with their Macs. I decided to give it a try anyway. When I installed the driver on the CD and put the adapter in the USB slot, the computer gave me an error message and asked me to reboot. Well, I decided to look on D-Link's website to see if there was an updated driver, and sure enough there was a new driver for the adapter. I installed it, and the adapter worked immediately. The adapter seems to have similar range to my other PCMCIA cards and seems to work pretty well.
Summary: If you have a Mac that you want to use this with, I would recommend that you download the latest driver from the D-Link website and install it instead of the driver on the CD. It will save you a little time and ensure that your adapter will work properly. Otherwise, this is a great wireless USB adapter.
68 Good Range and Clean Cut Operation
With the painless install and ease of use this D-Link adapter I'd have to rate it one of the easiest devices I've ever needed to install. Load the drivers and software, reboot, and plug it in an available USB slot. It is as painless as that. It reminds me of a docters office for some reason, but I still like it.
I use the little extension that comes with it to get the best signal where ever I am at. I've used this with various hotspots from starbucks to airports and it's never failed me.
69 I am Wireless! Weeeeeeeee!!!!
I love this new wireless thingy. Now I can just plug it in whenever I want and see if there is a wireless access around the area. I use this on campus with my laptop and I can sit almost anywhere I want to in the quad. I even get access in one of my classes since I sit next to the wall. Then I get to be online while in class. SCORE!
Making it work didn't take long at all. I actually thought I might have problems, but I was wrong. I want to tell everyone at school about it, but then they'd all have one too.
Recommended if you want easy wireless.
70 Something Weird is Going On.
I have an iMac and this tiny adapter worked out of the box as the directions say they should. I am running 10.2.6 on the iMac.
Via the instructions and some common sense I was able to configure it quite quickly and was connected to my wireless access point in only a couple minutes.
I am happy for my purchase and recommend others get this for Mac or PC.
71 Mac OS X problems
After properly installing the drivers provided on the CD for my Mac I plugged in the wireless adapter and was promptly greeted with a "You Must Restart Your Computer" error message. No matter what I tried the device could not be recognized by my iMac with OS 10.2.6. I have found other people have the same problem, and it is specific to certain macs. Do research to be sure you will be fine with this product.
72 Works in 10.2.X on both my Macs
I've tried this on two different Macs and both had zero problems.
The install was simple, the configuration is self explanitory and both found and connected to my AP in only a couple seconds.
This works as stated on the box for me.
I haven't tried many other systems because I don't have them to test on, but it does work, and it works well.
73 Extremely user friendly.
This little device is a great addition to any wireless network. I am running Windows 2000 and installation was a snap. It immediately located the access point and had a strong signal (approx 80-85% two rooms away from the access point) . It comes with a USB cable extention which is very helpful if you have 2-4 USB slots next to each other. Based on its size, ease of use, signal quality and price it is definately worth purchasing.
74 Terrific as Expected on my PowerBook G4.
Install the drivers via the included intructions.
Reboot, and then insert the adapter after reboot.
Then connect to your preferred access point.
Speeds are good, range is sufficient for my home, and compatibility has been nothing but easy.
I thank D-Link for making such an easy to use and small wireless adapter. The whole thing about being mobile is mobility and I think a USB tethered box with antenna is not very mobile.
75 Works Excellent on my Laptop with my DI-614+ as AP
I can go anywhere on the first floor which is where the 614+ is located and still have a wireless connection. I can still get a connection in about 90% of the upstairs as well. Some spots only get signal if I turn my laptop a certain way or not, but I know this has better coverage than my neighbors other brand of networking hardware (I forget which).
I have a laptop that runs windows 2000 and the installation was extremely simple. Just follow the instructions and you will be connecting to your AP in about 5 minutes.
The speeds of this and the 614+ are very adequate, being that I see no lag in internet browsing, or in anything I do.
I'd recommend this to anyone with a laptop that has a free USB port and wants to go wireless.
Oh this USB wireless adapter thingy also comes with a little 3 feet or so of an "extention" cable, thus allowing you to position the adapter itself on the left or right of your laptop if needed for better signal instead of just sticking right out of your laptop.
76 Poor performance on non-Powerbook models
REVIEW UPDATE: Poor performance and poor technical support from D-Link with the DWL-122. When used on a PowerBook G4, the DWL-122 appears to work fairly well (see my earlier review below). However, after reading additional negative reviews from other users here and at MacFixIt, as well as the review in MacAddict (Nov. 2003), I tried the DWL-122 on an iBook (Dual USB, 500 mhz).
Performance was horrible. Continuous disconnect and frequent kernel panics. This was on an iBook that I had just erased and re-installed Mac OS X 10.2.8.
If you have a Mac other than a Powerbook G4, this is not a product for you... until D-Link works out the technical problems. I certainly hope they will soon, as this is would otherwise be a great product (small, USB support doesn't require use of a PC card slot).
Finally, D-Link has done nothing to address the security problems caused by their menu bar widget. If you install the DWL-122 software and connect it at or before the Mac OS X log in screen, the widget appears in the menu bar. From it, you can open the System Preferences application and modify all system preferences (including log in settings). Serious security problem...
77 STAY AWAY if you have a Mac!
This product will not work for more than a minute or two with my PowerMac G4. The driver hard crashes the entire computer within a couple minutes from a clean re-boot. The behavior is 100% repeatable, unfortunately.
I checked on the D-Link website and they do not have a newer driver update.
I can't believe that a company would ship such a defective driver. This experience certainly does not endear me to D-Link.
78 Bad, D-Link! Bad!
Promises compatibility with MacOS X 10.2.x--instead, you get freeze on start up (or kernel panic, if you insert it after start up)--on a brand new, clean OS install with no other software or hardware!
Don't want to believe? Search Randyrants for "dwl-122", or go to Apple support site's discussion forums and search for "D-Link", "USB", "G3".
The D-Link support people also lied; they said (8/18/2003) they had no info of problems with DWL-122 with Mac's--check the Net, look at post dates, and you'd realize many have called already, and received no help.
There is no Mac sucess story for DWL-122.
79 Forget it
Claims Mac OS X compatibility - crashes the computer everytime under all flavors of 10.2.x. The driver must not have even been tested - false advertising! Stay away from this one mac uses.
