Hello dear readers. Today's mini-review is dedicated to a USB Wi-Fi adapter from TP-LINK - model TL-WN722N v.1.0. The device has been produced for several years and in terms of technical characteristics, by current standards, it does not represent anything outstanding - the maximum wireless connection speed is only 150 Mbps. A feature of the model is the presence of an external removable antenna with a gain of 4 dBi, which, according to the manufacturer, can significantly increase the signal power. On occasion, I decided to check this statement, since there is a similar adapter in the household, identical in hardware, but without an external antenna.
Specifications
Chip - Atheros 9271
Interface - USB 2.0
Standards - 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n
Frequency range - 2400-2483.5 MHz
Wireless speed - up to 150 Mbps
Transmitter power - 20 dBm
Antenna Type - Detachable Omnidirectional Antenna (RP-SMA)
Antenna gain - 4 dBi
Encryption - 64/128-bit WEP, WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK
Supported OS - Windows 8.1 32 / 64bit, Windows 8 32 / 64bit, Windows 7 (32 / 64bit), Windows Vista (32 / 64bit), Windows XP (32 / 64bit), Windows 2000
Working temperature - 0 ~ 40 ° C
Optional - WPS button, activity indicator
Dimensions - 93.5 x 26 x 11 mm
Packaging and equipment
The adapter is supplied in a small box with dimensions 205x150x37 mm. On top it is covered with a film, this ensures the preservation of the appearance and ensures that the product you bought is really new.
Inside there is another box made of thicker cardboard. Plus the adapter itself lies in a foam backing. In terms of the safety of goods, everything is well thought out here.
The kit, in addition to the adapter, includes:
- documentation package
- driver disc
- USB extension cable (wire length 1 meter).
Appearance
The adapter looks quite elegant - rounded corners, white plastic on top, black on the bottom and sides. You can only complain about the glossy finish on top, over the years it will inevitably be covered with scratches. 
Of the functional elements, there is a USB connector on top, covered with a removable cap, on the bottom an ear hook for attaching to a strap, a WPS button and a connector for an external antenna.
On the "belly" there is a sticker with the model name and serial number.
Antenna length 135 mm. The connector itself is standard RP-SMA, often used in routers and other Wi-Fi equipment. If you wish, it is quite possible to experiment and choose another antenna in place of the standard one.
In work
Connecting to a PC does not cause any problems, just insert the adapter into a free USB port. On Windows 8.1, the driver was installed automatically from the pre-installed ones. You can also use the drivers / utility from the supplied CD.
Windows 10 support for the adapter has not been officially announced. Nevertheless, I checked it on Windows 10 Home x86 - there were no problems, the driver was installed automatically.
The adapter is equipped with an activity indicator in the form of a green LED, which is located on the main board and "shines" through the case. Thanks to this solution, the glow is not bright and does not strike the eye.
Further, comparative testing, for the sake of which all this was started. The TP-Link TL-WN721N adapter will act as a competitor. It is built on the same hardware platform - the Atheros 9271 chip, the drivers are the same. Only in this case is the adapter equipped with a built-in antenna.
A mini-PC ( Atom Z3735F 4 × 1.33 GHz
/2 GB
/eMMC 32GB / Windows 8.1 / 10
).
Network infrastructure - ASUS RT-N12 router, D-link DGS-1005D switch, NAS WD MyCloud
... The distance to the router is about 9 meters, through one concrete wall.
The signal level was checked using the utility inSSIDer 1.2.8.
TestTP-Link TL-WN721N:
Signal strength 43 dBm, in the reception area "sees" 5 networks.
Test TP-Link TL-WN722N:
Signal strength 33 dBm, in the reception area "sees" 16 networks.
Using an external antenna gives 30% increase in signal level, and the number of "seen" networks increases threefold!
Now let's see how this affects local network copy operations. To do this, a video file of the size 2.18 GB from your WD MyCloud NAS.
Test TP-Link TL-WN721N:
3.6-4.5 Mb / s.
Test TP-Link TL-WN722N:
Copy speed fluctuates around 6.9-7.5 Mb / s.
The copy speed results were surprising - the gain was impressive 66-91%.
On this optimistic note, one could end, if not for one fact. During the tests on the PC, the OS was updated to Windows 10 Home x86, so I decided to check the speed again:
Test TP-Link TL-WN721N:
Copy speed fluctuates around 5.7-7.5 Mb / s.
Test TP-Link TL-WN722N:
Copy speed fluctuates around 6-7.8 Mb / s.
It's amazing, but true - on Windows 10, the copy speed of TP-Link TL-WN721N has grown significantly, the results are very close to TP-Link TL-WN722N. The average values are in the region 6,6 and 6.9 MB / s respectively.
At the same time, the signal level did not change dramatically. Here, rather, it's even the other way around - the signal of TP-Link TL-WN721N dropped slightly, while TP-Link TL-WN722N improved.
Test TP-Link TL-WN721N:
Test TP-Link TL-WN722N:
Conclusion
The manufacturer did not deceive at all - the use of an external antenna actually increases the signal strength. If the distance to the access point is more than one room, purchasing such an adapter is a smart choice. And not necessarily this particular model, after all, in terms of technical capabilities, it already looks rather weak. The main thing here is the very principle of construction - the presence of an external antenna.
Advantages and disadvantages:
+ external detachable antenna
+ stable signal reception
- wireless speed
Thank you for your attention and happy shopping! I express my gratitude to the CSN company for the platform for publications.
Hi. Not very long ago I wrote an article in which I talked about what kind of Wi-Fi receivers are and how they can be used to connect a regular stationary computer to Wi-Fi that does not have a Wi-Fi module. After installing the TP-Link TL-MR3220 router, which I wrote about in the article, I needed to connect one stationary computer to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
Of course, you could just lay the network cable from the router to the computer, but I thought this was the wrong decision. Pulling a cable through several rooms is not very convenient and is unnecessary. So I just bought a Wi-Fi receiver. If I'm not mistaken, this is the cheapest network adapter from the TP-LINK family. It cost me about $ 11. I bought TP-LINK because I have a router from this company, and I really like the devices of this company and the prices are nice.
If you decide to create a network, no matter whether it is wired or wireless, then I advise you to buy devices from one company. The fact that the devices of the same company in conjunction with each other work more stably has already been tested by me in practice.
Review of TP-LINK TL-WN721N Wi-Fi network adapter
If you are just going to buy this device, then I will do a little review and show you a few photos. I think it will be interesting for you.
As is customary for TP-LINK, the device is packed in a nice green box. In this box, there is another box :), opening which we see a securely fixed TP-LINK TL-WN721N Wi-Fi network adapter. The upper part of which is sealed with a transparent film, as is customary for glossy surfaces.
We pull out the cardboard in which the adapter itself is installed and we see several brochures, a disk with drivers and a small USB extension cable, for which we are very grateful to the manufacturer.
Of the controls on the body, there is only the QSS activation button:
And even during operation, a green indicator flashes on the front of the adapter.
Specifications TL-WN721N
The device is running at speed up to 150 Mbps, has a built-in antenna, supports 64/128-bit WEP, WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK encryption, and has the ability to quickly establish a wireless network connection thanks to the QSS function.
To connect to Wi-Fi with a low data transfer rate and to organize a small home network, this adapter is enough. But for organizing a high-speed wireless connection and for better reception over a long distance, I advise you to look at more expensive adapters.
Connect the Wi-Fi adapter to your computer. I connected it using the USB extension cable that comes with the TL-WN721N. This is much more convenient, and the signal is slightly better.
If, when connecting, windows appear that the driver is not installed, etc., then do not pay attention to them, just close them. Take the disc that comes with the adapter, run it on your computer, then run the installation wizard from the disc.
A program will appear in which select our adapter TL-WN721N and click "Install driver and utility".
If you have 32-bit Windows, then most likely a window will appear that only the driver will be installed. That's okay, click "Yes".
You may also see a warning that. Please select "Install this driver anyway".
We wait a little and everything is ready. On the notification panel, where the status of the Internet connection, I immediately had Wi-Fi networks available for connection.
Click on the connection status and select the Wi-Fi network to connect. Click the button "Connection".
A window will appear in which we enter the password for the Wi-Fi network and click "OK".
Everything, the connection is established!
We just connected and configured the TP-LINK TL-WN721N Wi-Fi network adapter in just a few minutes and even connected to the Wi-Fi network with its help.
Installation is very simple and fast for which many thanks to TP-LINK. I worked on the Internet through this adapter for several hours, no disconnections were noticed. This adapter is even very good, especially when you take into account its price.
Update
More on the site:
Configuring Wi-Fi network adapter TP-LINK TL-WN721N updated: February 7, 2018 by the author: admin
Hello reader!Three months ago I bought myself a very useful thing - a Wi-Fi usb adapter from TP-LINK, and today I want to tell you about it. For those who can, do not know what kind of device it is and what it is for, I will briefly explain. TL-WN821N is a portable Wi-Fi adapter that can be connected via USB to computers and laptops, connected through it with your home router (access point) and safely access the Internet at speeds up to 300 Mbps. In what situations will it be useful? Well, for example, you have a router and two computers at home, one of them is connected to the Internet via a cable, and the second is in another room and is not connected to the Internet. You insert the Wi-Fi adapter into this second computer, install the drivers in 2-3 minutes, connect to your home router, and voila - the second computer has full access to the Internet without wires! :) Agree, isn't it convenient? There are also such situations - the built-in Wi-Fi module stops working in a laptop due to a breakdown / malfunction, in such cases a portable Wi-Fi adapter will also come to the rescue. Just plug it into the laptop's USB port, install the drivers, and use the wireless Internet, just like before :)
If there is no router and the Internet at home, but there is a smartphone with 3G / 4G mobile Internet and you urgently need to access the Internet via a computer / laptop, then you can configure the smartphone in the access point mode and connect to it via a Wi-Fi adapter inserted into the computer / notebook. Thus, we get the same Internet on a computer / laptop without wires, quickly and conveniently.
| TL-WN821N |
Completion and appearance.
Adapter TL-WN821N Supplied in a nice little box with green shades. The kit includes: the adapter itself, a CD with a driver and software for quick installation, instructions and an extension cable USB ... See the photo below (all photos and pictures are clickable, enlarged by clicking). |
| Box, front view |
 |
| Box, rear view |
This same USB extension cable may be needed if you want to plug the adapter into the rear USB ports of your computer.
The adapter itself looks very nice, lightweight and convenient. It is very similar in design to USB sticks. The cap sits firmly, but at the same time it can be easily removed and put on. There is a small button on the left side of the adapter WPS, it serves to quickly connect to the router.
 |
| Adapter TL-WN821N, in person :) |
Specifications and specifications TL-WN821N.
| Wi-Fi adapter TL-WN821N | |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Type of | Wi-Fi adapter |
| Connection interface | USB 2.0 |
| Wireless standard | 802.11 b, g, n, 2.4 GHz frequency |
| Buttons | Quick Security Setting (QSS) button |
| Antenna type | Built-in |
| MIMO support | There is |
| Max. wireless speed connections |
300 Mbps |
| Reception / transmission | |
| Protection of information | WEP, WPA, WPA2, 802.1x, Wireless MAC Filtering connecting |
| Transmitter power | 20 dBM |
| Additionally | |
| Contents of delivery | Wireless network adapter, USB extension cable, CD with setup utility and user manual, Quick setup guide |
| System requirements | Windows 10 (32/64-bit), Windows 8.1 / 8 (32/64-bit), Windows 7 (32/64-bit), Windows Vista (32/64-bit), Windows XP (32/64-bit), Windows 2000, Mac OS X 10.6-10.12, Linux |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 86 x 26 x 12 mm |
Regarding the specifications of this adapter, I would also like to add that there are several revisions (versions) of the TL-WN821N adapter. The adapter version number is located on the end of the box, next to the barcode. My adapter version is Ver: 4.0, at the time of purchase (at the beginning of 2014) this version was the most current. Later, at the beginning of 2016, a revision (version) of the adapter 5.0 appeared on sale, and then the 6th version. Versions of this Wi-Fi adapter differ only in that they have a different network chip (chipset) installed, and for each version only a specific driver is suitable, and not any.
In version 4.0, for example, the chipset is installed Realtek RTL8192CU and the 3rd version had the Atheros chipset. I am at a loss to say which network chip is installed in the 5th version, but I can say that starting with the 5th version of TL-WN821N, support for Windows 10 has appeared.
Installation, configuration and testing in operation.
Installing and configuring the adapter is very simple, it takes just 2-3 minutes. All actions are described in a paper manual, I will not dwell on this in detail.1. Insert the adapter into the USB port of the computer / laptop, a window will appear New Hardware Wizards(Found new equipment), press Cancellation.
2. Insert the CD and install the driver and utility. After that, you should have a wireless network, and you can already connect to the router / access point.
If you do not have a CD with the software for this adapter, you can download the driver and utility using this link in the "Support" section.
Note! If you are installing the adapter on a computer running WindowsXP, then you must install both the driver and the utility! The fact is that some versions of Windows XP (especially customized pirated versions) do not work correctly with the adapter if only the driver is installed. In this case, after restarting the computer and reconnecting the adapter, the OS will not turn on the adapter automatically ... In the device manager it will be detected as disabled, you will need to use it in the manager so that it turns on and a wireless network appears. I came to this conclusion by accident while testing the adapter on several different computers with Windows XP. I don’t know exactly what it’s connected with. Probably with some kind of services or registry settings that should be responsible for the correct operation of wireless networks. On computers with Windows 7(especially on clean, licensed versions of the OS) - it is enough to install only one driver, everything should work fine and without a utility :) In general, if you have a similar problem on Windows XP (the adapter does not turn on, the wireless network does not appear), then install the utility as well.
After everything is connected and configured, you can start using the Internet. In the system tray (notification panel in the lower right corner), click on the wireless networks icon and connect to your router / access point. See screenshots.
 |
| Wireless connection status |
During operation, the green LED indicator on the TL-WN821N adapter blinks, it looks very cool :)
 |
| Blinking LED during adapter operation |
Branded Wireless Settings Utility in principle, not much different from the built-in Windows wireless network configuration tools. The utility allows you to:
- View available networks and connect to them- View detailed connection status - profile name, network name, connection speed, signal strength, etc.
- Create several connection profiles, edit them.
- In the settings of the utility, you can disable its autoload when turned on Windows ; you can choose what exactly to use to configure wireless networks - a utility or built-in Windows means of configuring wireless networks. See screenshots.
As for the speed and stability of the adapter - that's okay. The speed is absolutely not cut even at high loads, the signal is caught well even in the next room through a concrete wall. The signal is stable, I have never observed any interruptions in communication.
Conclusion.
Wi-Fi adapter TL-WN821N has shown itself only from the best side. I liked it very much and I can safely recommend it. Beautiful design, ease of customization, stable operation - all this cannot but rejoice :) And a very affordable price adds extra points to its "piggy bank". At the moment, the average price for this adapter is only 420 rubles(judging by Yandex.Market), I bought for 450 rubles. Such a gadget should be in every home, especially if you have a router at home.That's all, thanks for your attention! I hope that the article will be of some use to you.
You can buy this Wi-Fi adapter, for example, in the OLDI online store, here is the link to the product card in the store.
Was this article helpful? Then support the author with a pretty penny
by contributing any amount to the development of the blog.
Most Wi-Fi adapters with USB interface can work in two modes: infrastructure and Ad-Hoc. In the mode infrastructure the adapter is connected to a wireless access point, after which the computer has access to the network and the Internet (if any). In the case when there is no access point, but there is a Wi-Fi adapter, and you need to connect a laptop or phone (equipped with Wi-Fi) to the computer, the mode will come in handy Ad-hoc.
Wi-Fi adapter configured in computer-computer(Ad-Hoc) allows you to open access to computer files, and if the computer is connected to the Internet - open internet access.
Example for configuring a Wi-Fi adapter
A configuration example was made for the adapter in the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic operating system.
First of all, you need to install a driver for the TP-Link adapter. The adapter comes with a CD with drivers or you can download it on the manufacturer's website.
Go to "Manage wireless networks".
Create network type computer-computer based on a wireless adapter. To do this, click the "Add" button in the "Manage wireless networks" section of the control panel.
In the "Connect to a wireless network manually" dialog box, select all as shown below:
- Network name- write any;
- Security type- for better compatibility, it is better to choose WEP;
- Security key- access point password.
As a result, you will have a new connection in the list of wireless networks.
At this stage of configuration, the adapter is already working in the computer-to-computer mode and you can connect to it with a laptop or phone, having previously registered the IP address settings for both the adapter and the connected device.
The states of connection to the adapter can be seen in the control panel:
No connections
Client connection
There are connected clients
If your computer is connected to the Internet and you want to open access to connected clients, you can use the standard Windows service. To do this, in the control panel you need to go to the "Manage wireless networks":
Open the properties of the adapter that is connected to the Internet, open the "Access" tab and check the box allowing access and select your wireless adapter from the list. It should be remembered that Internet providers may prohibit multi-user access and not issue network settings via DHCP. In this case, you will have to register the IP addresses manually.
Conclusion
The article shows how to configure a Wi-Fi adapter as an access point. This article shows only the key points related to configuring the Wi-Fi adapter in Ad-Hoc mode for Windows 7. For any settings you make, the site administration is not responsible.
Is your computer wired to the internet and would like to use your TP-Link wireless adapter as an internet sharing device? If so, then we will just talk about how to configure the TP-Link wireless adapter to distribute the Internet to other devices (WiFi adapters, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) using the native configuration utility.
But, not all TP-Link wireless LAN adapters can work as an access point! First of all, you need to find out if your device has support for SoftAP mode, which in fact stands for: software activation of the access point. There are several ways to find out if your TP-Link adapter supports this mode:
1. Find your model. Download and open the user manual for your model. In the content, find an item labeled SoftAP. If there is such a point, then everything is fine! If not, then most likely your adapter does not support access point mode!
2. Find the package for the adapter and look in it for the paper manual for the adapter. Everything is similar to point # 1, only with a paper version.
3. Well, the last option - look at the end of this article for a list of TP-Link WiFi adapters that support this mode.
So, if all is well and your wireless adapter supports access point mode, let's get down to the setup process.
In order to make it clearer, I will take the TL-WN722N V1. Wireless USB adapter as a sample. First you need to download and install the latest version for it. This is necessary because older versions may not support all device functions and the SoftAP mode setting will not be available.
After installation, open the TP-Link Wireless Configuration Utility and go to the Advanced tab. Below the SoftAP inscription, select Enable (On) and in the window that appears, click Yes (OK).
If the SoftAP mode is enabled and working, the corresponding icon will appear in the upper-right corner of the program.
Click on the SoftAP icon and change the following settings:
- Internet Connection Sharing, select Local Area Connection
- Create an SSID. We enter any invented network name. For example: ABC
- Choosing a security key for a WPA2-PSK wireless network
- Set the encryption type to AES
- Enter the security key. For example: 12345678 (this combination is not recommended!)
- Click the Apply button and click OK in the window that appears
The IP Address column should display the IP address of your access point.
This completes the configuration step and you can start testing. Run a search for wireless networks on any device you want to connect to the hotspot and find a network named ABC, select it and enter the key. After that, you can freely use the Internet.
Yes, here is a list of adapters that support AP mode: Archer T2U, Archer T2UH, Archer T4U, Archer T6E, Archer T8E, Archer T9E, TL-WN721NC, TL-WDN3800, TL-WN722NC, TL-WN781ND, TL-WN725N, TL-WN721N, TL-WN723N, TL-WN721N, TL-WN723N, TL-WN721N TL-WN881ND, TL-WDN4200, TL-WN951N, TL-WN851ND, TL-WN7200ND, TL-WN8200ND, TL-WN722N, TL-WN727N, TL-WN821NC, TL-WN751N, TL-WDN3200N, TL-WN8 WDN4800, TL-WN751ND
Software you might find useful
Utility for automatic driver search
Carambis Driver Updater is a program for automatically finding and installing all drivers on almost any computer, laptop, printer, webcam and other devices
A utility for finding and installing new drivers and updating those already installed on a computer running Windows operating systems. Search for drivers for any devices unrecognized by the system, fully automated download and installation of drivers for Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista and XP.
