Definitely not "ready, set, connect"!
Written: Apr 30 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Don't have any
Cons: Tech support, distance, setup, US Robotics
The Bottom Line: While it works, it is not what it was hyped to be...and tech support is non-existent.
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| donnyho's Full Review: 3Com Wireless Access (USR2216) Network Adapter |
US Robotics has a long way to go to gain my trust of them and their products. For my first wireless network I chose USR on name only - never again. I purchased an 8022 router, two 2210 PCMCIA cards and three 2216 PCI cards. I also connected two other computers with cables to the 8022, all with XP Home or Pro. I also bought a 5686 external modem as I had dialup. From the beginning I had nothing but trouble. The 2210's wouldn't connect and the modem setup did not address connecting it to an 8022 although the 8022 had a port for it and it was a choice in the WAN section.
Tech support was never helpful. Over 5 emails I asked many questions in each email, but for some reason I only got one answer (sometimes) for one question for each email. It was as though I had only asked one question. Tech support was and is non-existent.
After about a month I finally got everything working on my own. The distances obtained for the laptops with the 2210's was 50' at best (I think they claimed 300'!!). If a wall or ceiling was in the way, less than 30' and the signal was low causing a 2Mbps transfer rate.
The modem was controlled by the 8022, so when I turned the modem off at night, I had to unplug the 8022 the next morning or the modem wouldn't dial out.
The most recent problem, and tech support's non-answer, involved my moving. When I was setting up the network I inadvertently connected the adapter for the modem to the 8022 - big mistake! The modem adapter outputs 9VAC, not DC, while the 8022 adapter outputs 5VDC, not AC. The thing that torked me was that BOTH adapters have the same size connector, making it easy to use the wrong adapter, and only the modem adapter had Robotics name on it while the adapter for the 8022 had "Bothhand Enterprise Inc." and no indication it was for a Robotics product let alone for the 8022. Tech support was quick to point out the warranty did not cover using the wrong adapter, when I never asked about the warranty.
Now for the really big problem - using the modem adapter on the 8022 not only zapped it but also two 2216's and a 2210 that were active at the time. This wiped out over half of my wireless network.
I can't say another wireless network company would be better or would have provided safeguards to prevent using the wrong adapter. I accept my mistake and present it here for others to be aware. However, Robotics should acknowledge their contribution to this problem by not providing different size connectors for AC and DC adapters and for not labeling them to advise their customers for what product it is meant. Buyer beware!!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
donnyho
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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