Nice Alternative to WiFi Connection
Written: Feb 15 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy setup, faster connection
Cons: 5 ft ethernet cable may be too short, may require user to reconfigure router
The Bottom Line: A viable alternative to wireless, at a reasonable price.
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| lowbill's Full Review: Lan Adapter for Nintendo Wii |
My Experience:
When initially setting up my Wii, I opted for a wireless connection. I had to upgrade my router's firmware, but setting things up wirelessly required no additional hardware purchase and seemed the best way to go. There was one big problem: every few days the Wii would lose its connection to the Internet and not reconnect until after a hard reset (disconnecting the power cord.) I decided to purchase the Datel Wii Lan Adapter and try a wired connection.
I purchased the adapter at Best Buy for $29.99, a price similar to non-Wii USB ethernet adapters. Connection was simple as I already had an ethernet cable running to my video game area. All I had to do was plug the cable into the adapter, plug the adapter into the Wii and change the connection setting in the Wii configuration menu. The process took just a few minutes.
Immediately the connection speed improved. Accessing the Wii news channel takes less than half the previous time and downloading the latest firmware update went pretty quickly. I am still having the occasional loss of connection, but it now seems to be directly associated to peak traffic times -- not perfect, but an improvement over my wireless connection.
Good and Bad Points:
If your router and firewall are set properly, setup is quite easy. Otherwise, you'd need some LAN expertise to reconfigure.
A wired connection is noticeably faster than a wireless connection, and probably more stable.
The adapter comes with a 5 ft ethernet cable (though the website claims 6 ft.) This is fine if your router is only about 4 feet away from your Wii. I suspect most people will want a much longer patch cable, so the "no more to buy" comment on the packaging isn't necessarily accurate.
The manual is small, but includes brief, though adequate, walk-through and trouble-shooting sections.
The adapter has USB and ethernet access lights. This is good for checking the connection but, as the Wii's USB ports are located on the back, you probably won't see the lights during normal use.
Overall:
Most people will probably be able to connect this adapter quickly and with no problem. It offers a good alternative to a wireless connection and is more economical than purchasing a new wireless router.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lowbill
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Reviews written: 14
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