The Most Useful Flash Drive To Date

{mosgoogle}The TEW-429UF is the next evolution in its Award-Winning WiFi Detector product line. The new unit incorporates a Wi-Fi Detector with LCD Display, 802.11g USB 2.0 Adapter, and a 512MB Flash Memory Drive, creating the ultimate All-in-One mobile solution.

Have you ever been traveling with your laptop and suddenly run into a need for the internet? Whether it’s looking up directions, a phone number, or even movie times….. This is something that happens more often than you’d think. I’ve been there myself on numerous occasions and I found myself driving all over trying to find a coffee shop or retailer that provided free wireless internet. Well my friends, these problems are a thing of the past if you own Trendnet’s Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter with HotSpot Detector. The model that we reviewed was the TEW-429UF and is quite frankly, one of the most useful accessories you could purchase if you’re a mobile user without a wireless ready notebook.

The Trendnet adapter features 802.11g and 802.11b compatibility. You’ll be online in the blink of an eye, provided that there is a wireless signal in your vicinity. Being that the adapter doubles as a hotspot detector, you will be able to check for wireless signals with a simple flip of a switch on the adapter. Once turned on, the adapter automatically begins to search the area for wireless signals. The information found is then displayed on the LCD display. With this information, you will know an access point’s security scheme (WPA/WPA2, WEP), signal strength, and wireless standard (802.11b or 802.11g). It will also tell you how many total signals are detected and then allow you to browse through the list with the ‘Next’ button. If you need to refresh the information, just hit the ‘Seek’ button and will have updated information for the area within seconds. The ultimate convenience lies in the fact that you can find all this information out now, without having to turn on your notebook!

Current Real Time Pricing

The TRENDnet TEW-429UF sells for $149.95. This is quite a good price for a product that does three things. If you add up the cost of a separate 512 MB fash drive, USB 80211.b adapter and hot spot finder, you'll see that it will cost way more than the TEW-429UF.

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Performance Testing

{mosgoogle}To make things even easier for users, this adapter has a built-in rechargeable Li-on battery that will automatically charge when connected to a USB port. It is the size of USB storage key and weighs in at only 1.2oz. When not in use, the LCD display will automatically power off to conserve the battery life. Let’s not forget the primary purpose of this product though, which is to provide your computer with wireless connectivity.

After plugging the device into the USB port without any pre-installed drivers, it took 2 minutes for Windows to search for the appropriate drivers online. That is pretty much the extent of the setup process. It sniffed out all the available wireless connections and had me enjoying free internet in no time. Signal strengths remained constant and I was never dropped after the initial connection. With a stated range of 35-100 meters indoors and 100-300 meters outdoors (depending on environment), the adapter provided consistent wireless connections while I tried to move to different locations within the building I was in. I was very impressed with the quality of the product.

The speed of the 512MB of flash memory was comparable to other USB flash drive. We measured read speed at about 12 MB/sec and write speed at 6 MB/sec. With only 512MB of storage space, we're not over concern about having a super fast drive because you can fill it full of data in less than two minutes.

This is undoubtedly the perfect solution for mobile users. It is easy to use, convenient to carry around, and provides solid performance along with some very helpful features. For those of you using laptops without built-in wireless connectivity, go do yourself a big favor and pickup this product today! At a suggested retail price of $149.99 and even cheaper at certain dealers, it will be money well spent.

Current Real Time Pricing