D-Link AC1900 Ultra WiFi USB Adapter Review
The D-Link AC1900 is a Dual-band WiFi USB Adapter DWA-192 will help you keep you quickly rolling along at the fastest wireless speeds you can. The new ball & chain design is anything but old and sports 3×3 internal antennae to maximize performance throughput over your AC wireless network.
Let’s not allow the ball & chain reference hinder your opinion on the adapter, is anything but old and gives excellent performance. The DWA-192 does what it says and does it well!
The DWA-192 AC1900 Ultra WiFi USB adapter is able to provide significantly faster speeds than over USB 2.0 but also supports Dual-Band so you can reap the most benefit from you AC3200 router in both 2.4GHz up to 600mbps and 5GHz up to 1300mbps and is of course backward compatible a/g/n/ac. WPA/WPA2/WPS compatible.
D-Link AC1900 Ultra WiFi USB Adapter Design
I’m not a big fan of this wireless adapter’s ball & chain design as it can be quite clunky and the size and odd shape doesn’t make it possible to stuff it into your pocket or any easier on your backpack. That said, although I find the design somewhat juvenile, the physical shape allows the unit to safely hold the 3×3 antennae array without worrying about snapping off anything on your adapter. The bottom is flat so it will sit on your table easily.
What’s in the box?
Inside the box we find the AC1900 WiFi adapter, a 3ft USB 3.0 cable, Installation CD and a Quick Install Guide. (I haven’t had a CD or DVD ROM on my pc for at least 6 years now.) Setting up the DWA-192 Ultra WiFi USB adapter is a snap using the WPS button to pair the devices quickly and mindlessly. Physically the unit measures 3.15 inches in diameter and weighs about 10.4 ounces; Just slightly larger than and weighing approximately double a MLB baseball (A MLB ball is 2.86 – 2.94 inches in diameter and weighs 5. – 5.25 ounces). It’s MAC & PC compatible.
A blue LED ring at the equator will give a solid light when connected, blinking light when it’s establishing or unable to make a connection. You also have the option to turn it off entirely.
Performance
Before using the DWA-192 Ultra WiFi adapter you’ll want to makes sure to flash up to DWA-192A1 1.02b03 WHQL validated firmware version.
The performance on the DWA-192 is excellent. At short and medium ranges up to 30 feet or so from the router I am able to maintain a solid and speedy connection that I am accustomed to but where the unit shines is with long range performance. It’s considerably quicker than our previous DWA-182 AC1200 WiFi adapter from D-Link. The DWA-192 with it’s 3×3 antennae allows you to improve your range and maintain higher speeds than with 2×2 antenna arrays. More antennae greater range right? Also with the USB 3.0 interface you are seeing potentially 10x the speed of USB 2.0 on paper but what makes the DWA-192 worthy is it’s performance level at longer distances. Your mileage will vary. Quite a nice improvement from the days when people were trying to connect their computers to their router over USB 1.1, Classic. You know who you are!
Already own the D-Link AC3200 Ultra WiFi router? The AC1900 WiFi adapter also takes advantage of D-Link’s Advanced AC SmartBeam Technology which optimizes your signal by directing bandwidth towards your device as you move and change location.
Conclusion
The D-Link AC1900 Ultra WiFi USB Adapter gives fast, consistent speeds at close and medium ranges. The awkward Ball & Chain design makes it slightly cumbersome to carry but the 3×3 antenna array allows you to increase performance and maintain faster bandwidth over greater distances and improves signal strength through walls. The DWA-192 is made for larger homes, portability and takes advantage of USB 3x throughput, AC1900 speeds and the Advanced AC SmartBeam Technology and is an excellent performer.
$129.99 DWA-192 Ultra WiFi Adapter
Currently on sale for the Holidays at $99.99
www.dlink.com
