Side by Side Comparison of: Panda vs TP-LINK vs Alfa vs Panda Wireless

This is a single (2.4 GHz) band device with two radios, supporting the 300 Mbps claim and accounting for its larger size. You get the faster speeds with "channel bonding", i.e. using two wireless channels at once. This is of dubious value if, like most of us, you live in a place where there are many wi-fi routers competing for channels in the crowded 2.4 GHz spectrum, and aside from that it's not always clear how to get channel bonding working (it doesn't seem to be happening for me and I have no idea what to do about it).

Anyway it's working fine in single channel mode out of the box with Raspbian Jessie on a Raspberry Pi 2. It does not work with my other RPi2 running OSMC, but there's probably a way to fix that.

Finally I noticed the USB connector gets very hot to the touch; am guessing at least the advertised maximum operating temperature of 50C (122F). This makes me wonder if it will fail prematurely, and I'll update here if it does.

UPDATE 2017-02-14: I talked with Panda support about the heat concern and they mailed a replacement out (PAU03 150Mbps version at my request), no charge. Comparing the two, I find the PAU05 gets a better signal, I guess because it's bigger. I will continue to run it and see if it holds up. 5 stars for awesome support!

UPDATE 2017-04-02: Still working well with continuous use under Raspbian.

I had some problems getting this setup at first and reached out to their support who were super responsive and helpful throughout troubleshooting. My problem was that I could connect to my wifi but couldn't get an IP address. If I configured a static IP, it worked. I remembered that I had a static IP configured for my Ethernet card even though at this point I didn't have any network cable plugged in. After clearing the static IP config on my network card, I was able to get a DHCP address off my wireless network and all is working fine since then.

5 stars to their support and for the product itself. Just had to get over that initial problem which is probably specific to my computer.

We recently brought home 2 Lenovo work computers that are 2 years old, both were upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8. They both had ethernet only as an internet connection, no onboard wifi. So we were in need of wifi adapters to connect at home without having to string cables everywhere. After researching different wifi adapters online, it appeared that a lot of them had issues with Windows 10. So I thought it would be best to get one at a midrange price and well known brand just in case of problems. So I originally purchased 2 Netgear AC600 mini adapters for forty bucks each, which were also supposedly backwards compatible with N routers. They were installed as instructed with the provided CD. No initial problems. However, after restarting the computer it would not connect to the internet. It actually kept shutting down our whole network with 2 iPads, laptop, and the tv, whoever was on it. I had to keep resetting the router, which did not have issues until adding the adapters. This happened for over a week. I tried all the install, reinstall, driver updating from manufacturer and Windows, disabling certain settings, etc.. All to no avail. I finally decided to return them and search for something else. I checked out a bunch of ones here on Amazon, and decided to go with this Panda Wireless PAU05. I was worried about the same type issues happening again, but for seventeen bucks each was worth a try. It had very good feedbacks and said it was plug and play, so I figured I would give it a shot even though I had not heard of this brand before. I got them on same day shipping, put them in, turned on the computer, and voila! Internet connection. These have been awesome for like 10 days now, without a single issue on both computers. They are pretty quick too. Take a chance and go for it. You might just be surprised as I was. Thank you Panda Wireless!!!

Saved functionality on my new Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 laptop, which apparently has a faulty/finicky wireless adapter. after checking on Dell's site and googling reviews I found this common problem- none of the Dell suggested fixes, resetting my router or "troubleshooting" the wireless seemed to help, it would completely lose my "Favorite" network as well as the 5 or so neighboring networks I always used to "see". all of a sudden NONE of them exist? when I read to try USB wireless adapter and bypass my computer's internal wireless altogether I thought, sounds simple enough for me! I saw so many good reviews on this one by Panda Wireless, it's not too big, but has good range. I sit in an alcove of sorts, surrounded on 3 sides by walls, with the router a good 30+ feet away, through several other walls. this dongle has no trouble connecting to my wireless with full signal strength (4 bars!). it was plug-and-play with Windows 10, didn't need to download anything. this computer came loaded with 8 but I upgraded to 10 Prior to purchasing this wireless adapter

My Windows 7/64bit did not recognize the dongle. Not a problem, I thought, a mini-CD is included with the Windows driver and a "utility application" on it. I installed the driver and the utility app and then went through several hours of frustration trying to get the thing to work reliably at something better than dial-up speed. I even removed and re-installed it twice without any improvement.

Here's what finally made it work...install the driver ONLY, do NOT install the utility app. Windows 7 sets it all up automatically as soon as it has the driver. It works great when you install it this way.

Ed

Replaced the built in 2.4 Ghz only 802.11N Wi-Fi in a Lenovo gaming laptop about 4 to 5 years old. It was no longer working that well and was having an especially hard time staying connected to newer AC Wave 2 routers. I downloaded the windows 10 drivers from the website and plugged in the USB adapter and installed the drivers only.Pros: Nano sized, think about the same size as a Logitech Unifying Receiver USB adapter. You can leave in all the time on an average to bigger sized laptop and it won't get in the way.Works in 5 Ghz only. This is actually a plus as it helps in troubleshooting because it can't switch to 2.4 Ghz at all. More and more of the new whole home Wi-Fi systems are broadcasting one SSID for both 2.4 and 5 Ghz and this adapter makes sure you are using the faster band available.Speed, this is a AC450, it connects reliably at 433 Mbps for network transfers, which is close to USB 2.0's transfer rating of 480 Mbps, so if you have USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 on your system, stick this in the USB 2.0 port and save your faster USB 3.0 ports for other things.Cons: Obviously will not work with a 802.11N 2.4 Ghz only router.Shorter range because it is 5 Ghz only instead of being able to switch to 2.4 Ghz that can connect at longer distances from your router/access point.

My WiFi router is in my office in the basement. I plug my computer directly into the router when I am working down there. During the winter, I like to move my work area up to the guestroom where it is a little warmer. This also means I have to connect to my internet via WiFi. The WiFi connection was not that great and on VPN it was even worse. I tried this little external USB WiFi adapter and the connection is very solid. Before I hooked it up, my connection speed would vary between 2mbps and 20mbps. With the N300 attached, I am connected at a solid 130mbps. It is like night and day and it solved the problem. Installation went like this:Disabled the existing Intel Centrino wifi (built in to the laptop). This step could probably be skipped, not sure. The installation booklet didn't mention doing this, but it seemed like a good idea.Plugged in the N300. Windows 7 couldn't find the driver, which was expected. I closed that notification.Inserted the CD. Autorun started and I clicked on the install file.I selected the UBS device from 3 listed.Waited about 3 minutes and it was done. Pretty easy.I think this solution worked because it wasn't my router's WiFi range, it was my laptop's WiFi range. It might not be the fix for someone who is truly out of range, at which point an extender or high gain router antenna replacement might be the next step. But for 17 bucks, it is a cheap first step in the troubleshooting process and it worked for me.

I can't honestly attest to the ease (or not?) of setup because I was lucky enough to have my in-house tech support (bf) offer to set it up for me and I'm no fool, so naturally I agreed. It is definitely not "plug-n-play" in the sense that some setup is required, but it seemed to be done quickly and since then, I have never had to think about settings, configuration or running crying back to my in-house tech support with any problems. The problem is, my laptop [[ASUS Zenbook UX31) shipped with a notoriously crappy network card--it's just the luck of the draw--so if this adapter hadn't fixed my spotty, slow-as-hell wireless connection--or made it at least bearable--I was going to have to consider getting a new laptop--a miserable thought because I love almost everything else about my Zenbook). Anyway, the adapter has to stay plugged in unless I want to mess around with a bunch of settings to change my default connection (luckily, I haven't needed to). It protrudes out about an inch from the side of my laptop and the little green light glows or flashes depending on what's going on. Aside from that, I barely even notice it's there -- oh yeah, except that now when I watch YouTube videos, they don't constantly stop and "buffer" and cause me to freak out and swear and go t DSLReports.com to run speed tests and then swearing even more). Our wifi router is approximately 35-40 feet away from my desk and the connection I was getting was insanely slow/unreliable, especially when trying to stream videos. This little adapter was exactly what I needed. I decided after several hours of research, comparing 20+ similar models and reading pro/con reviews, and I'm completely satisfied.

I purchased this adapter for an old computer running Windows 2000 (it hosts an ISA card that runs a CNC mill) because it was tagged as working with Windows 2000. The Ethernet cable to the computer was damaged so it made more sense to install a wireless adapter than pulling a new cable. I can happily report that once I found the right driver, this adapter works well and makes up to a 150 Mbps connection with a TP-Link 802.11n wireless router (N450) at 2.4 GHz. You will have to look somewhere other than TP-Link for a compatible driver as the only drivers I found on the mfg's website were too recent to work with W2K. I installed the driver in "TL-WN722N_100629.zip" from 2010 which I found by googling for a WN722N driver for Windows 2000. The adapter comes with a 3' USB extension which is handy since an old machine like this has limited USB ports and plugging the adapter directly into the machine would block the other ports.

Works great every time with mine getting 300mb/s connection to the router. Additionally, this device can simultaneously receive a wireless connection and act as a wifi hot spot. Both the main computer it is connected to can browse the web like normal but there is a program which lets you also make the device a hotspot to connect other wireless internet devices through it. I wondered when I first got it if it would do one or the other but like I said it is simultaneous, you just have to leave the computer it is connected to on the whole time. I never tried to connect my computer to an Ethernet wire (not receiving internet through wifi) and trying to use this device as a wifi hotspot, but I imagine it should still work that way. It can be nice if your using internet from someone else but want to connect your other devices through your own wifi (with its own password and all). You can even set up your own subnetwork for your own personal devices which would still make those devices inaccessible (an virtually invisible) to the main wifi your receiving your internet from. I like it since I have roommates and share my internet between them all. I allows all my devices to connect to my own network within the main network giving me virtually a private network, the main router only picks up the main computer this device connects through. Please note however, this device does not hide or make any more secure your personal internet surfing activity on any device which is connected through this wifi hotspot. The main network, as in any instance, can still track your web usage and possibly obtain personal information. This is a nice tool for using public wifi or wifi in a hotel for instance, but since it still requires to connect to another router to get internet, that router can track your web activity. In conclusion, it is a nice wireless router since you can double it as a hotspot, it has been very fast and always dependable (for the last 6 months I have owned it) and you can control your own mini wireless network through it.

My laptop's wireless card is a piece of -- well, you can guess. I looked at some super expensive wifi adapters and then at this one, and thought, well, for $10, how can I NOT try this first? And: OMG. I love it. Previously, I could not be further than about 15' from our home's router. My study, about 20' away: frequently zero reception. Even when connected, the connection would time out sporadically and interrupt my work or uploads (I do a lot of high res photo stuff so this was more than annoying).NOW: Full bar connections anywhere in my 1200 sq ft apartment. Consistent connection. WAY faster download/upload speeds. FYI, laptop is a 2014 Sony Vaio running Windows 8.1.Plus, this is such a wee little thing, I don't even notice it plugged in. Could not be happier. I'm sure this is made in horrible Chinese factories and should feel really guilty about the artificially low cost...but. I'm a terrible person and am really just happy I have it.

Great device that instantly connects to WiFi without fail on a Linux Mint 17.3 operating system.

One quick caveat: On a dual-boot operating system, if the Panda Wireless USB Adapter is plugged into a USB port when booting the computer, the bootloader on our computer will not function and no operating systems will appear; the Panda Wireless USB adapter is somehow interfering with the boot loading sequence and the computer display remains blank. The cure for this problem on our dual-boot system is to unplug the Panda adapter before booting the system and then plugging the adapter in after the operating system has loaded.

Once the operating system has loaded and the Panda WiFi adapter is plugged into a USB port it's off to the races with fast and consistent WiFi connection and speed. No drivers were needed with Linux Mint 17.3, it was a quick plug and play. We've used several wireless USB adapters over the years and this one is the best we've seen so far (small USB WiFi adapters the size of a thumb-drive all seem to fail over time, probably due to the great amount of heat they produce internally.)

On a single boot computer (a machine running one operating system), there probably won't be any bootloader issues so you might not have to unplug the Panda Wireless USB Adapter before turning on the computer, but if you do experience a problem with the operating system booting up, just unplug the Panda adapter until the machine loads.

The Panda 300Mbps wireless N USB Adapter is a solid performing WiFi adapter and works with Linux Mint, so will work with Ubuntu and likely other Debian derivatives without needing to add WiFi drivers.

I bought this to use on a Debian Linux machine. It did not work immediately, and the drivers included were not helpful, but with the appropriate apt-update I was able to get this to work. It's not the strongest WiFi adapter, and I found to get a 5-bar signal I needed to put it on a USB extension above the desk. But it does work, and has been reliable. I've not tested network speeds through it, but for what I've used it for it's been fine.

I got this mainly because I needed a wifi connection for Linux on my desktop PC. I dual boot Windows 7 and Kubuntu 14.04. I'm quite happy with this device. It is truly plug and play under Kubuntu 14.04: I didn't have to install anything. I just plugged it in and Kubuntu found nearby hotspots. From there, I just logged into the wifi network and was connected. Regarding Windows 7, I did what one or two other reviewers did: downloaded the latest driver from the manufacturer website, installed it, and **then** plugged the adapter into a USB port. From there, it was the same experience as Kubuntu.

Under Windows 7, the connection seems quirky at times, though I am not sure since I have had this for only about two days. I tried it out with Netflix, and it seemed to handle that kind of video streaming fine. Under Kubuntu, the connection is great. It seems fast and, like Windows 7, video streaming seems to be no problem for the device.

Overall, I'm very happy with it. Even if it lasts only a few months, the inexpensive price tag makes it easy to just get a replacement down the road (I'm thinking of getting another one as a backup), and with the easy setup under both operating systems I use, as well as the strong connectivity, I can highly recommend it.

UPDATE: Just ran Linux Mint 18 (Mate) live from disc, and the adapter works like a charm under that, too: plug and play, no software or driver installation needed.

It seems to have a high error rate resulting in poor speed and reliability. Unfortunately, the errors sometimes cause my browser to freeze or the graphics to become useless.
I think I'll get the better quality adapter. It's not quite as compact but the extra cost will probably be worth it.
I'm about 25 ft from my router but this adapter only has 3 of 5 bars. The internal adapter on another laptop has 5 bars from the same location.
UPDATE:
I have been in contact with the manufacturer and was told that it is in fact a short distance wireless adapter. Their representative helped me troubleshoot the problem and it just doesn't have the range. It's okay for some places, just not my home where the router is downstairs, the other side of a wall.
After spending some time with them troubleshooting the problem we have agreed to upgrade to a more powerful model. I hope that works better.

Works great after you figure out how to install. Little frustrating at first to get to work properly with Windows 7. Kept losing connection and would not connect after it work up. However this is how to fix.

BEFORE plugging the device into your computer, download the latest driver and install the driver ONLY. REBOOT. Plug in the device and it will set it up correctly. If you plug in the device first then install the driver you will be frustrated.

Did get instant customer support when I emailed them.

Delivery was very fast - received a day after order, and that was on a Sunday! Kudos, especially since it restored my access to the Internet.My laptop network card had failed on me, as I couldn't even see it in the list of adapters (when I went through Control Panel). The TP-Link Archer USB WIFI worked well. Why not 5 Stars? Well, it didn't 'plug and play' with my Windows 10 (package/box said it was Windows 8 compatible). So, I had a Catch 22 situation, where I had to go to the Internet to download their drivers for Windows 10, and I couldn't with my laptop.Fortunately, a neighbor was home and helped provide the download on a USB thumb drive. My son also reminded me that I could have tethered my smartphone via a USB cable to the laptop, and set the smartphone into a hotspot for the laptop to access the Internet for the drivers.One final unknown - when I booted the laptop this morning, it 'hung'. Tried booting twice without success. Since the USB Wifi was the only change, I took it out of the laptop, and voila, the laptop booted in the usual span of time. BUT here's the unknown, the laptop was connected to the Internet even though I had not inserted the USB Wifi. Thus, it seems my laptop couldn't complete the boot because it was not able to reconcile the two options to get onto the Internet. Thus, my network card wasn't totally fried after all. I will keep this USB Wifi as a back up.Update 1/18: Adding another star as I didn't realize the box had the drivers on a CD, until I was about to recycle the packaging box.

I bought this adapter as an inexpensive way to get my mom's desktop switched to wireless so the family could just skip all the unnecessary CAT5 cables in their house. It works perfectly fine for what it is.What it isn't: A gaming device. Do not expect super high-speed, low-latency support from a wireless adapter smaller than most thumb drives. It just can't happen. There's no antenna. It's also not a long-range wireless device. Again, it's tiny and there's no way to put antennas on it.What it is: A quick and easy way to connect a desktop computer to a wireless network. It's plenty reliable (It's TP-Link, of course it's reliable). It's plenty inexpensive. It's also tiny, so it's not going to muscle out one of your other USB devices or make it hard to fit something in the back or front of the computer.Keep some things in mind with the technology we're dealing with here though: This is a USB2.0 device, so your speeds will reflect that. This is also limited to 150Mbps, so if you have some crazy-fast internet, this is not the right choice for you. Better to stick with an installed card.So if you just need something to get online for checking email and watching Youtube videos, this is a fantastic product. If you need your internet to actually work, consider spending more than a couple big coffees' worth on something that you actually install in your computer.

I bought this because I was building a Mini-ITX computer without built in WiFi on the motherboard. So far it has worked most of the time with only a few minor hiccups. I do have to keep it plugged into the front IO of the computer because it does not have as strong of a connection if it is behind the computer. This would not be too big of a problem if it weren't for the obscene flashing green LED in it whenever there is network activity being transferred over it. Every once in a while it looses connection and I have to unplug it and re-insert it, but after that it works fine. Considering how cheap it is, I can't really fault it for its drawbacks. Overall it is a very solid product that will get you through in a pinch if ethernet is not an option.

I had the more advanced version of this adapter, but my dog ended up breaking it (TL-WN822N); since I work from home so often, I decided to replace it with something similar. Now this adapter and it's big brother have the same problem; there are no windows 10 drivers for it. You CAN just plug the stick into your computer and use the drivers that come on the CD, but you'll get stuck with around 5 mb (megabits) per second no matter what internet you have.Go to the TP site and download the driver that HAS THE INSTALLER FILE; as of right now, the file is called TL-WN722N_V1_131113. Download and extract the file, DON'T INSTALL IT YET. Then download the latest driver file, as of right now it's called TL-WN722N_V1_140918. Extract file and cut and paste the correct windows 10 drivers for your system (32 bit or 64 bit) FROM THE WINDOWS 8.1 DRIVER FOLDERS. Then go to the analgous folders in the TL-WN722N_V1_131113 file (they only have windows 8 drivers), delete them and paste the new ones. You need to RUN THE INSTALLER to get the updated drivers to install.My connection went from 5 mb per send to over 40 mb per second (with a max speed of 5 MB {Megabytes...yes that's correct, per second)}(download) by using the "updated" drivers.I also use Fedora Linux 23 on my main system; it had the driver package already installed, but if your linux distro doesn't, this chipset is really well known as uses the ath9k driver...you can download and compile it from several sources. Chances are your linux distro will already have a package you can download an install instead of having to compile it.EDIT: The 4 stars are for the clear lack of support on TP-Link's end; Since windows 10 will be the last "windows" I doubt it will matter much, but other companies (such as linksys/Cisco) take the time to product products which don't have to be hacked in order to get working on new hardware/software.

I got this after having an HP Pavilion with a terrible Ralink card that just couldn't hold a WiFi connection. I was despairing of ever being able to just work with my computer without constantly fussing with WiFi. This HP problem is common and their machines won't accept a different card. Finally for the price of a very nice chocolate bar, I have a low-profile accessory that I can use when I'm out that has been stable in challenging environments. I'm starting to feel more confident about my connection and able to focus on the task, not the computer.Nice little adapter. It isn't as fast as my Mac on speed-test, but it's pretty sweet- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Update for HP Pavilion owners - Like me.I'm still glad I bought this, because it does make my connection more stable. I think there is a problem with these computers being able to hold a wireless connection. I blamed the built in RaLink wireless card and so I bought this USB dongle. It did improve things a lot, so I'm happy. Still there are times when the only thing I can do is restart the whole computer. I dual boot Ubuntu and Windows and the problem seems platform irrespective. Happens at home, happens on the road with my Verizon hotspot. Happens with Open DNS or without. Just a dog of a computer when it comes to WiFi. The wired connection is always fine, albeit limited to 100mb/s- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Another update; This isn't a concern for everyone, but it will help some. This adapter made it through the laundry and dry cycle last night and seems to be no worse for the wear.Also; We have very hard water.

I am a soldier in Afghanistan where I live in a tent. The nearest internet hotspot is about 120 meters away behind a 1 foot thick concrete blast wall. Before I purchased this relatively inexpensive 'high-gain' antenna I had to leave my tent and walk outdoors towards a signal to connect to the internet.Now, not only am I able to connect, but I have twice as many choices of networks to connect to. This little gadget is awesome! The upload and download speeds are good enough for SKYPE. It is one of the best devices I've purchased since I've been here.

Purchased this item December of 2014. It served it's purpose well for about 2 years, but has been dropping connection more and more frequently as of now (FEB 2017). My router is a dual band 2.4GHz/5GHz. Other computers and laptops on the network have better connection, especially on the 5g band. That being said, 2 years of good use at this price (and continued use at about 90% uptime) WAS a good deal in 2014, but now I would say that you're much better off buying 600Mbps dual band 802.11ac wifi adapter, now that they cost around $20.

Don't even have to install software (Windows 10 32 bit) . Purchased this for a friends old laptop.

Update: I just purchased another one of these for my laptop (Windows 7 64 bit) - Installed driver only; works without a hitch.

Update: It kinda fizzled out after about 4 months; somewhat disappointed. There are other "dongles" on the market for the same or lesser price that are flush to the USB port, and, as a result, will not twist and bend.

This worked great on Windows 7, but has been giving me grief on Windows 10. I of course suspected drivers, and did a full uninstall-reinstall from the Panda Wireless website- it hasn't seemed to help.

The issue is that throughput speeds are sometimes significantly slower then they should be. I test with my cell phone while sitting at my desk and the connection is running full speed, so it doesn't seem to be a networking issue. Windows 10 often reports poor signal, which is strange because the router/switch is a mere 10 feet away. This same problem did not happen on Windows 7, the connection and speed were always rock solid.

I admitted defeat on Windows 10 in place upset, and just did a clean install. Most of my other issues were resolved (it was, after all, a very well used installation of Windows 7, needed a good clean wipe anyways). However, the problem with the device is still there.

I would gladly rate this 5 stars if I found out the issue was not the device, but rather something on my computer or network. However, I fear it's a driver issue, and will await an updated driver for Windows 10.

I ordered this USB wireless adapter because my previous Linksys AE1200 USB adapter would not work with Windows 10. If you have recently upgraded from XP, Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8.x then this adapter may be just what you need. Be aware however that installation is not for the faint of heart. It is promoted as a simple plug and play device. It most certainly is not. It comes with a mini CD with a PDF file describing the installation for everything but Windows 10. Windows 10 is unique and requires some modest expertise in translation from all the other operating systems. Several emails to the company were promptly answered but they offered only generic replies and referred me to the installation disk. I already looked at the installation disk and had difficulty figuring out what I must do for my particular desktop machine. After several days of pondering, I tackled it again and finally was able to install the driver using the Windows installation utility. I was not at all clear that the drivers on the disc were the most current so images of my driver version under device managers was sent to the tech support department at their request but they failed to acknowledge receipt nor proceed with the directions. Fortunately, I knew that my machine was capable of using this adapter and simply needed directions for getting the drivers matched with my Windows 10 operating system. In summary:
Pros: very sturdy and professional looking USB adapter. Packaging was professional. Mini CD was provided along with a Windows utility installer and a PDF file manual.

Cons: device is not plug-and-play as advertised. Installation of the drivers cannot be accomplished by simply asking the computer to retrieve drivers from the mini CD. Directions for Windows 10 are not included on the disc. You have to guess what operating system works best for you. Since most of us will have recently upgraded from a previous Windows operating system to the latest Windows 10 or have just purchased a new laptop or desktop that is in need of a wireless adapter for one reason or another, such installation directions should be front and center on the PDF file.

received your product on time.
I received this product on time. I bought it based on user's review.
I plugged it to my desktop (just upgraded to Windows 10). This desktop use an on-board wireless card. The signal is weak (1 bar). That's why I would like to buy an external USB wireless adapter. After installing the driver and utility, scanning the signals, it can find my neighbor signals, but not mine. After rebooting a few times, and scan a few times, it get my signal (by luck). The signal is strong (96%). However, if I reboot the machine, the the connection disappear. It took me an effort to rescan signal to get the signal again.
When I get the connection, I have problem with the web page retrieval (E.g. yahoo.com). It takes 5 times longer to retrieve yahoo.com page comparing with my internal onboard wireless. This is very frustrating.
I don't know if this problem is related to Windows 10 or something else.

Bought this for a Desktop Gaming PC with no wireless card back in 2013. At the time I was living at a dorm at University which had no Wired ethernet in the rooms. I don't know if it was the school wireless security restrictions causing a problem or this card but it would drop connection pretty frequently. (The Wi-Fi itself would not drop as my phone stayed connected but the desktop using this card would suddenly stop connecting to the network and it would need to be unplugged then replugged and it would start working. Wait 3 hours. Needs to be unplugged then replugged again.) Lots of troubleshooting needed to get it to connect half the time. Sometimes it would work great for a while then not. I moved out of that dorm a few months later thankfully and was able to stop using this but it was a cheap solution that worked for the most part. I still have it just in case I ever need it.

I purchased this device for attempting to use under android-x86 project, for which does include the Linux rt2x00usb driver/modules, however this specific device can not use the in-kernel rt2x00usb drivers! This device requires the manufacturer's (eg. TP-Link) specific drivers! To use the in-kernel rt2x00usb drivers and from other forum posts on the Internet, purchase a Panda (eg. PAU005 or PAU006) usb wireless/wifi device.This TP-Link device registers on the USB bus as the following:Name: "MediaTek WiFi [0100]"Vendor ID: 2357Product ID: 0105Revision: 0100Manuf: MediaTekProduct: WiFiSerial No: 1.0Requires separate manufacturer specific driver and does not and is not able to, as of this date, use the in-kernel Linux rt2x000usb driver!Other than the previously mentioned, this device appears to be a very well made RoHS compliant device with apparently lots of features and well liked on Amazon.com! Yes I dinged it two stars, but I was misled causing the item to be returned shipped.

Very reliable wireless adapter. A few hiccups here and there and it is reliable most of the time. However, I noticed today that my PC does not recognize the adapter. My wifi suddenly shut off today and when I tried replugging the device, my PC didn't recognize it. I restarted it and it still didn't work; also used different usb ports, didn't work either.Then, I used my backup tp-link wifi adapter to download the most recent driver from the official TP-Link website. When I ran the setup.exe, it says that the "proper hardware was not installed" and wouldn't let me continue further. Finally, I had to use the original installation disc to get the device to work again. The device still does not appear in my device manager, so I won't be able to update it in the future. And, this problem could happen again.I hope this problem gets fixed, it's apparently a persistent issue for TP-Link products. If I didn't have the installation disc, I would have been stuck.

I purchased 4 of these in Oct 2016 to take advantage of the 5G speed and reliability for my 4 Windows 10 PCs, 2 Dell and 2 HP. It is now January 2017. One of them has failed, I think (keep reading). Customer support was responsive, although RMA's are sent to TP-LINK in Canada, so there are delays in mailing the device to TP-LINK to be replaced. Since these are relatively inexpensive, I don't even pay for my RMAs to be tracked.I thought a second one had failed, and called support again. After testing and just as we were about to arrange an RMA for the second one, the support engineer said in an email almost as an afterthought that these work better in USB 2.0 ports instead of USB 3.0 ports. I tried it in a USB 2.0 port. I had to uninstall and re-install the driver from the provided CD, and it works fine now. I am wondering if the first one would have worked in a USB 2.0 port. I'll never know. I am assured that the speed of the device will be good in a USB 2.0 port, that trying to use it in a USB 3.0 port would not provide increased speed, and the device may not work at all.I still believe that TP-LINK is a reliable brand. Perhaps I have just been unlucky. If I go now for a year without more failures with my remaining original 3 and the replacement that I just received, I will upgrade my review, one star per year of good service.

I have a older i5 Dell xps laptop that a few years ago I upgraded the internal pci-e card to a Intel centrino card which improved the original reception. I have home Comcast Internet and learned you can use Comcast when out, if someone nearby has Comcast. The new Comcast wifi modems have guest account built in, so is a bonus if you are close to someone when your old(just put in your home email login) when Comcast(xfinity) connects, it will prompt you. In my office at work one spot I get 3 bars and can sometimes connect and watch Netflix. Or if I hold laptop in middle of room head level I get 4 bars. So I decided to get this TP-Link to not have to move around the laptop and get better reliability on wifi connection. First, the CD that comes with the TP-Link is a mini CD, which won't work on my slot DVD in the Dell xps I have, so I went on website and downloaded the drivers, installed(which took awhile and disabled my itel wifi :/). I didn't see any win 10 drivers, hmmm. The TP-Link connected after multiple installs, but to be honest, was worse signal, not real bad, but I can't connect to Netflix for more than a few seconds here and there, then no internet at all for periods of time. I moved it all around, but still worse than the Intel centrino card. So I looked for and found win10 drivers from link on this review, when I installed them Win10 said, I already have best drivers installed. I would give it 1 star, but it did work, just not great reception. I might mess around with it and see if I can get it working any better, but at this point, I am getting irritated and may get the best pci-e Intel card and possibly run wires out of laptop to do a external antenna.

**EDIT MARCH 9 2016**After messing around with it for a long time. Checking drivers, moving ports, reboots etc. I finally got it working. However it only works in 1 port on the laptop. I assume it has a higher voltage than the other 2 since it is on the opposite side of the laptop and all by itself. It now works. Mostly. Every so often it just stops sending and receiving traffic. If I remove the dongle and reinsert it into the same port it comes back online and it's business as usual. I think I lucked out because I had tried that same port multiple times before with no luck, it still fails in the other 2 ports. I would give it a 2.5 rating because of all the hassle I went through but at least its working now. It has been working for about 3 weeks now.Massive packet loss while I'm less than 20 feet away. There are only 2 other routers in my neighborhood using 5Ghz and not even on the same channels so there is no chance for interference. My other devices work fine connecting to the wireless, 30+ Mbps. I got this dongle because the 2.4 Ghz range in my neighborhood is packed and has a ton of interference problems. So I disabled the 2.4 Ghz radio and I bought this for the only device that cant see 5 which is my wife's laptop. It's almost completely unusable. You have to try multiple times to get a page to load and when it finally does it takes forever. Speedtests give me 1-2 Mbps on a good run and .just completely times out on bad ones. More often than not it times out. While writing this review I had a ping running and never had a consistent connection. I never have windows tell me the connection has dropped or that I have limited connectivity, the dongle just drops packets like crazy.

...but it crapped out after fewer than 6 months. I bought this for my children's old desktop PC so they could connect wirelessly to the home network. It worked great for several months, the speed was fine and the connection pretty steady. However, it stopped working completely and without warning about 5 months in. Bought them a new PC that had a wireless adapter built-in. Much better.

Of course this is an inexpensive item, but I spent twice as much as necessary to get 300 Mbps. This adapter is about half the speed of my cell phone's adapter and considerably less than than half the speed of the 150 Mbps built-in adapter of the laptop I bought it for. I tried both the Panda driver and the built in Windows driver.

UPDATE: With the latest driver from the Panda website and a tweak or two from their support, the Panda is now slightly faster than the built-in adapter. I suppose that's pretty good because the very helpful Panda support technician said that the built-in adapter has a big antenna.

I am using Windows 8.1, and while it does say it is plug and play I still downloaded and installed the drivers before I plugged it in, based on suggestions from other Amazon reviewers. This resulted in it detecting and setting up my wifi without any hassle. However, I am getting network speeds of about 35 mbps on my home network, trying to transfer files from my NAS in the next room, ~12 feet away with a strong signal.

I bought this to avoid resorting to needing to walk back and forth with a flash drive all the time, but I was expecting performance at or near the 300 mbps claim and I am not getting anywhere near it. I originally plugged it into a USB 2.0 port and saw improvement when I switched to a USB 3.0 port, but not nearly the improvement necessary to be satisfied with my purchase. I have used a TP-Link 300mbps USB adapter in the past and it performed to my expectations, I should have spent the few extra bucks and gone with them instead.

I had high opes for this product but I am disappointed in it's performance and the annoyance trying to get it working. First off, the micro cd with the drivers on it will not even go into my pc because I have a tower with a vertical drive. the disc falls out before I can close the door and I fear it would get stuck in there anyway. I tried leaning my drive on it's side and it still did not work. I do not know how I am supposed to download the drivers to get this thing to work online, when I cannot get online in the first place because I can't get the drivers from the disc either.

When I first plugged this item in, it worked for a few days seemingly fine. I turned my PC off for a few days, turned it on, and now it is not working. Nothing I have tried is working. I used an old wi-fi adapter I had (which still works) to download the drivers on the official website and I installed it, didn't work. Restarted and it still didn't work. I don't know what else to do and it would be nice if they would send you a normal sized cd-rom which works in all dvd drives out there. the mini cd is rarely used, cheap and not ideal for all users. Disappointing and I will look for another adapter elsewhere because this isn't the answer.

I can't go too deep into the ins-and-outs of different USB adapters. I purchased this adapter as an afterthought with my desktop PC and I've already put out for a wireless card. I've always been able to connect to our home router on the other side of the house with every device I've ever owned, from my laptop to my game consoles to my handhelds, but this adapter barely manages a passable connection with my main modem's wi-fi and wouldn't achieve more than a Limited (no internet access) connection to the Belkin router at the same range (this being the normally-superior connection option). I finally found a workaround in a program called a Virtual Router--by running this off of my laptop, I was able to use my laptop's wi-fi as a secondary router, basically bridging the wireless connection: my laptop's superior adapter picks it up, and then re-transmits the signal at a range the Panda has no trouble using it from.

So the primary weakness appears to be range, but I'd also like to mention that the Panda runs pretty dang hot, most particularly when extended downloads are in play. At one point I set it to download a Steam game and went to sleep; when I woke up I found the game had only partially downloaded and the adapter was registering as an unrecognized USB device, presumably a heat-induced malfunction.

As a budget wireless adapter for limited connectivity time--say if you want to use it at the coffee shop or in college class for lightweight wi-fi--it's not a totally bad option. One thing I noticed was that I got better performance out of the Panda after going into Device Manager, selecting "uninstall" on the Panda USB drive, and then putting in the installation mini-CD and installing the drivers from there (and ONLY the drivers--Windows 8.1 comes with more than sufficient wireless internet management, and I've heard the Panda software isn't very good).

For a desktop or for more connection-intensive activities such as long downloads or video livestreaming, I would definitely recommend something a little more "hardcore."

As a side note, don't be too dazzled by that 300-megabits-per-second connectivity. First of all, that is not the same as a megaBYTE (which would be written all in capital letters: MBps as opposed to Mbps). Second of all, that only applies to the connection to your router. Make sure to check what sort of connection you can achieve in your desired network before putting out for a higher-end or higher-performing adapter. It might be handy as a "just in case" but if you're not capable of achieving the best connection to your router in the first place, getting an adapter that can achieve a higher connection mostly amounts to untapped potential in the end. Just a thing to keep in mind if you're shopping for cheap, efficient hardware rather than top-of-the-line stuff. Always be conscious of your needs versus the hardware's capabilities.

This is a slightly more technical review for you folks, and if you're just using this to connect to WiFi, you can safely ignore it.After purchasing this, I found it does not properly work with some Linux setups that were usually guaranteed to work (Kali). After some reaserch, I found that the adapter has two versions - one with an Atheros Chipset, and one with a RealTek Chipset. So far, the only reliable way to tell that I've ascertained is to look at the bottom of the device itself for the FCC number, which is a small sequence of numbers directly above the barcode on the back. If yours reads "TE7WN722NV2", you have the RealTek version 2, which is unusable for some projects. Otherwise, you likely have the superior Atheros version. Another way to tell is, sometimes, next to the S/N on the back, it'll say "v2.1" or something similar. So far I haven't worked out if the FCC number or version is on the box, as I threw that away before realizing this.I'm rating this product two stars for not making it clear that this was something that I needed to worry about. There should be, at least in the description, something saying that this is Version 2 using the RealTek Chipset instead of Atheros. I don't know if they sell the Version 1 at all, but some people I've asked said they received that version, meaning the seller may be just randomly picking between versions 1 and 2 to ship out.

I really hoped this would work... the adapter was showing anywhere from a few hundred ms latency to 1000+ (long enough for sourceforge.net/speedtest to time out). Was able to get 1 meg down, then 4, then 1 again all on the same 2.4 channel. Also there is no option to update or roll back drivers, all the options are grayed out. The included image is from the last test I ran. note the latency jump and the poor download connection over the 15 or so seconds the test runs.This was for a Win10 Intel NUC. Need to find another option...

This thing will pick up 5ghz connections with decent speed, however the longevity is pretty poor. It overheats really fast, and if you are a person who is on your computer for hours at a time, then the overheating of this device will greatly reduce your internet speeds. It usually just needs a few minutes to be unplugged and plugged back in to cool it down and that will fix the problem, but this is a glaring design issue that is certainly related to the miniature size of the device. It works, but it doesn't work for a long time, and it needs constant breaks in order to preserve your connection. It can work in a pinch, and the price of the product is good. I would recommend going elsewhere unless price is your number 1 priority.

unstabledo not buy thissometimes it works normal, sometimes it cuts the connection super dumb and stupid.using internet download manager, this stupid usb wifi drops the connection a lot, no matter what USB port i use, and yes, my pc is fine and i am not a noob, also my router is fine, it is a tp link with 3 antennas using a slow internet from venezuela, and even like that this dongle cant mantain several connections, yes it is that bad, specially with torrents and IDM, and opening several tabs in a browser. sometimes it works great for hours, but most of the time it hangs, cuts, etci have to unplug and plug it again.like a said, router is fine, every wifi device is fine, tried other USB ports, not a noob, connection drops or cuts is a confirmed issue. be warned. it is kinda random sometimes but come on, super annoying, are you telling me, this stupid dongle cant handle a 1.8mb (200-250 kbps download) with idm, hell nop.

Extremely unhappy with this product after three months. I use this to connect my non-wifi PC tower. to my modem/router. It was very easy to install, and connected quickly to my existing TP-Link network router. However, at just over 90 days, it stopped connecting to the network, Unplug/reset did not work, and subsequent reboots of the modem and router did not help either. That day, I hunted thru my stash and found a very old thumb-drive USB wifi adapter, and immediately connected to the net (though slow). I went to the TP-Link site to make sure I was current with drivers, fixes, etc -- found nothing new. Over the past two weeks, while researching the purchase of a better high-speed wifi adapter, I plugged the TL-WN822N a couple times (for speed) and it connected both times. Both times I attributed it to something wrong with connections, but both times the TL-WN822N stopped working after less than 12 hours.Bottom Line: My entire home wifi system is built with TP-Link routers, extenders, and adapters, but TL-WN822N is completely unreliable. I have read other posts about TP-Link lack of product quality so I am now concerned about my other TP products, but hoping for the best.

***Update***I would no longer recommend that people buy the T4UH AC1200 from TP-Link. Why? Three reasons.1. You cannot find this device anywhere on TP-Link's website2. The Windows 10 drivers have caused BSODs on my machine (yes, I have verified, no I'm not a moron).3. The device connects and disconnects at will.The original N-version of this device was rock solid for many years for me, but the AC1200 has been more problems than it's worth. I know me stating that the drivers causing BSOD are giving people pause (especially the super smart people), but trust me, I uninstalled the drivers in the Device Manager and the BSODs stopped happening. Before that I tried re-installing my USB3.0 drivers, most of the various other drivers, and even the graphics driver. I'll be buying another product and hoping it works a little better.***Original review***So after a long time, I finally updated my router to an 802.11ac with 2.4ghz and 5ghz dual band. I had the TP-LINK TL-WN822N Wireless N300 High Gain USB Adapter for 4 years but it was only compatible with up to wireless n and only 2.4ghz connections. I left my old review of that device below my review of the TP-Link Archer T4UH AC1200 adapter, which I purchased to bring my desktop up to date with my router. To be clear, the next list of pros and cons is for the T4UH AC1200. Below that is the review for the TL-WN882N :) Hopefully you enjoy it.Pros1. The T4UH definitely flies. I use it on Windows 10 (they do have proper drivers for it now) and not only is my connection rock solid, but I get my full allotted speeds through this adapter (100 down, 10 up).2. Actual USB 3.0 support means I won't be bottlenecked any time soon.3. Two antennas help bring in decent reception. My house is a pretty good size and my desktop is a floor up from the router. I have full bars and max speed with 30-35ms (as per my testing) on a 5ghz ac connection. Very good performance.4. I have a Windows 7 partition that I use for a Minecraft server. This performs exactly as well on Windows 7 as it does on Windows 10.5. The cable is long enough to get it out from behind my tower so I don't get interference from the tower itself.6. Drivers were quick and easy to install, and I always reboot after installing drivers. Once reboot was done, all was well.Cons1. It's not really plug-n-play friendly. You'll want to download the appropriate drivers from the site BEFORE installing. Windows 10 has a setup.exe that you can run, but people on prior versions of windows may have to install manually from the Device Manager (right click, update drivers, browse computer, install).2. I had to re-install my USB 3.0 drivers after installing the Windows 10 drivers because they didn't seem to want to play nice at first. After re-installation, everything went very well. If you get frequent disconnections, try re-installing your USB drivers. Worked for me.Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. My desktop is getting the fastest, strongest, and most stable connection is has ever gotten and I feel like my nice desktop isn't being bottlenecked by my wireless adapter anymore. I definitely appreciate the USB 3.0 support which seems to help really open things up. 30ms with 100 down and 10 up is what I wanted and it is now what I have. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone as long as they know how to install drivers properly.**Update**I have begun having issues with this product dropping internet connection on a fairly frequent basis. It's irritating, so I dropped it a star.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Review of the TP-LINK TL-WN822N Wireless N300 High Gain USB Adapter starts here, originally written in 2012. The adapter still works as of March, 2016, but it is definitely showing its age. Even though I have replaced it, I will be keeping it around as a backup device because it still works, just not as well as my new one does. The only issue I had with it is that it was only 2.4Ghz (which has a ton of interference), USB 2.0 support, and only up to wireless n. Between those things, once I updated my internet from 30 down, 6 up (when I wrote my review in 2012) to 100 down and 10 up on 5ghz and wireless ac, it was faster and more up to date than this device could handle. As promised I said I would update if it ever broke down...well it never did and it may never break down. Nevertheless, it has been replaced-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I bought this to replace an old wireless adapter that is not only not produced anymore but they stopped releasing drivers for it back in like 2012.Pros1. Great reception. My router is on the main floor and I'm on the second story. I have full bars and a solid connection.2. Drivers were easy to install. When I plugged it in, Windows 8.1 installed the drivers automatically. I went to the TP-Link website to get the latest drivers, downloaded them (they make you install the Windows 8.1 drivers manually), and when I went to install it said that my driver software was already up to date. That's always a good sign.3. The speed is what I expected it to be. When I first installed I was getting about half speed (15m down, 3m up). I re-positioned it on a lower shelf and away from the actual desktop and gave it a reboot (sometimes drivers need a reboot). Now I'm getting the 30 down and 6 up that I'm paying for. My old one couldn't do that.4. The USB cable is more than long enough to put this thing where I need it to go. It's like 3-4ft long and it allows me to get this thing away from my desktop tower so there is no interference.5. Wireless N support with 300mbit speed. My last wireless adapter was 56mbit and only supported G.6. The WEP button is insanely useful.Cons1. The driver CD software couldn't find the setup software for the drivers at first. When it could, it said that it "could not install drivers on this platform"...in other words, if the drivers don't install themselves, just go to the website and throw that CD away.2. (added 2016) At this point, wireless n and 2.4ghz only is starting to show its age. You may want to opt for a 5ghz compatible device. Wireless ac is still kind of new so it's not nearly as important, but 5ghz is faster with less interference which the 300N does not support.Overall I'm happy with my purchase. I'll update if it ever breaks down but I don't plan on ever moving it again. I have it hooked into a USB 3.0 port on my computer even though the cable is only a USB 2.0. I don't think that helps but I do it anyway out of superstition. The only weird part was the driver CD not being able to install anything on Windows 8.1 but frankly it installs the correct (and up to date) drivers when you plug it in so I didn't dock a star for that. Just in case, if you ever need the drivers, type "TP-Link TL-WN822N drivers" into Google and it'll be the first and/or second link. From there just download the Windows 8 driver beta. The download comes not only with the drivers but with instructions on how to manually install it in a PDF. I followed the instructions but my drivers were up to date so there was no need.Anyway, this spunky little thing is a great improvement over my prior wireless adapter. The WEP button works pretty well with my router although that took a minute to set up and I accidentally reset my router to factory settings (which was annoying). Bottom line, I would recommend this. Just keep it away from things that could cause interference and make sure your router is optimized and you should have a good experience :)

I am using this device on a new Jaguar board. I updated the drivers from your site for Windows 10, and the device will not work. when I click on the software, the OS will restart and then hangs.

It got hot and no longer recognized by the PC (running WIN 10) every time the downloading speed went beyond ~3MB/s for a short period of time(~15mins). I had to restart the PC to make it work again. Works fine during normal web browsing sessions I tried two of them, both had the same symptom.

Honest review.

I usually do not write reviews on products, unless it is extremely good or extremely bad.

Unfortunately in this case this device proved to last for 22 days which prompted me to write a review. Had it lasted for at least 3 months, I would have thought it to be worth the money for what it's worth and not write a review at all.
It worked great for about 2 weeks. Then it started randomly shutting off on its own until it completely died. I've tried plugging it in to multiple USB ports, and do keep in mind that I am very familiar with networking. This device also has a habit to corrupt its driver on some USB ports, which you have to then use a different one.

When it worked it worked great, maybe this was just a bad pick in the straw. However, I will listen to my instincts again stay and way from non-mainstream brands. It will save you much more money in the long run. I'll be sticking to my regular investments of great quality but expensive products.

There is nothing plug and play about this. Wasn't easy to set up. After I did get it set up, I removed it from the usb slot to place it into a more accessible ubs slot. Had to reenter the wifi SSID which should have been previously saved either to the device or to the computer. Finally, after having the device work for a few minutes it completely failed to work.

I can't recommend this product for use with Win XP. I downloaded and installed the most recent drivers was not able to get any connection in XP Pro SP3. So, I tried installing it in an old PC running a copy of XP that had all XP updates to the support cutoff and found it worked intermittently for a while and then stopped making a connection altogether . I didn't try it on other OS's. After a day and a half of fiddling with it, I returned it for a refund. When a device like this is designed to work on virtually all OS's of the last 15 years, its bound to have problems.

This didn't work at all. A complete waste of money and I'll be returning it immediately. It refuses to connect to any network, 2.4g or 5g. The drivers for Windows 10 allow the system to see the device, but there's no way to actually use the adapter. I've tried to connect on multiple hotspots, multiple computers, doesn't matter. The devices only allows me to "see" 5g hotspots. Honestly it's a complete waste of time and money. Save yourself the hassle.

Purchased this because the wi-fi on my laptop isn't consistent (gets slow or drops at random). The adapter is somehow worse. I have had it for a few days and have yet to get better than 1.5 Mbps when connected through the adapter. My phone, on the same network, gets ~18. The bad wi-fi in my laptop does better (when it isn't cutting out). I've called customer support and updated the driver for the adapter, but that didn't improve performance at all. My OS and network are listed on the device specs, so I didn't buy the wrong adapter.Not sure why it doesn't work, but it definitely doesn't. I wouldn't recommend.

Well, just isn't my day for this unit. Trying to connect with an HP desktop running Vista. Keep getting "windows cannot connect to <myssid>". Network icon in tray alternating from 5 bars to red X several times then constant X. Called tech support, tried forgetting network, updating driver, resetting router, interspersed with computer reboots - still nothing. !5 minutes into call decided this is best placed in the trash - wasn't meant to be. Had previously adapted this PC (all USB2 ports) with a belkin unit that hummed fine out of the box, going to have to retrieve that one to make this machine live. For $10, not worth the aggravation. Gotta give credit to good 'ol belkin. Path of least resistance.

This may not be the case for everyone who buys this, but just be wary that the drivers may cause trouble with your computer. Soon after installing the TP Link on my Lenova ThinkServer, I started having trouble. The computer would hang, freeze up for about 5 minutes, then start working again. It also caused interference with my E: drive, oddly enough, and wouldn't allow me to run any DVDs, CDs, or games. (I'd get "E:/ application error" message, or the DVD drive would disappear completely from Device Manager.) It also slowed down start up by about 5 minutes, which is eternity for impatient people like me. I own a brand new, somewhat loaded computer, backed up by a hefty PSU, and very little to weigh it down. So I was surprised to have trouble with it.After finally doing a diagnostic start up to discover the problem, it was exactly what I expected. I uninstalled the TP Link drivers, unplugged the adapter, and resorted to using an ethernet cable again. Computer is running without a hitch now. I'm running Windows 7 Home by the way.If you own a TP Link wireless adapter, and start having odd computer behavior, this could be the issue! (It may not be the TP Link's manufacturer's fault. There is likely some kind of conflict with a Windows update or Lenova.)

Update: wouldn't you know it. The day after I post a positive review on this product, it goes kaput! I've had to unplug and plug it back in repeatedly just for it to go dead again after 2 minutes worth of service. For barely a month's worth of usability, this gets dropped to 1star.Moving into my first apartment has been an eye opener. Especially with regards to installation fees. When i found how how much it was going to cost me to have an outlet drilled into my bedroom, I blanched. Yet, I couldn't use the one in the living room as it was facing the front door. Odd place for an outlet. Inconvenient for a desk. My modem has wifi, but my desktop (where I do most of my work) does not. Then a friend recommended this little wireless adapter. I was dubious, but she swore by the one her mom uses, so I purchased it, thinking that no little 8 dollar trinket was going to give me fast internet. I was wrong, though I almost made a mistake and sent it back. See, when I first connected it, it was slllllooooooooowwwwwwww. Like three minutes to load a page slow. I searched the internet and found suggestions that the signal might be weak from the modem or that the modem might be placed in an area of interference. That didn't jive b/c my laptop got great wireless. However, I did realize that I had put the adapter in the back of the computer. Thinking that might be the issue, I moved it to the front of my desktop and viola! Instant internet at speeds matching all my other wireless devices. In fact, I can't tell the difference between this performance on the adapter and what I was getting with a direct ethernet connection on my previous dsl service. Great purchase. One thing you might notice though is that your startup might be a tad slower than usual. Also, if your computer doesn't recognize the device (mine didn't...I have Windows 7), you'll need to download a driver. I did that on my laptop and uploaded via a usb.

Despite claims to the contrary in the product description, my Mac did not recognize the device when it was attached. The company's website does not have a driver for Mac OS 10.9, and the driver for earlier OS versions does not work. Tech support was not helpful (when I called, they said to Email; when I Emailed, they sent the response below, which contained broken links and suggested I downloaded a driver that also did not work).In short: For Mac, a total fail.________Thank you very much for your email.Please refer to below link to check the hardware version of your wifi adapter.http://www.tp-link.com/en/Article/?id=46if yours is V1 or V2, then they are not compatible with Mac OS.If yours is V3, it is compatible with Mac OS 10.4,10.5,10.6,10.7,10.8, there is no driver for 10.9 from the chip company. And there is no tp-link official driver for that. You can only download the chipset driver from chip company. The chip of TL-WN822N V3 is Realtek RTL8192CU.You can know more details from below link.http://218.210.127.131/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=21&PFid=48&Level=5&Conn=4&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false&Downloads=trueIf you need any further help, please feel free to let me know.To get technical support more quickly, please go to http://www.tp-link.com/en/support/faq/Best Regards!----------------------------------------------Doris.yinTechnical Support EngineerTP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.E-mail: doris.yin@tp-link.comWebsite:http://tp-link.com/en/Support/