14 DAY TRIAL // No one can deny that wireless networking is becoming increasingly popular over the older wired technologies and while most computer manufacturing companies are still lagging behind in adopting it as a default solution for connectivity, Asustek through its Asus brand takes the lead once more and introduces the WL-160N wireless card that is designed and manufactured with users satisfaction in mind.
The Asus WL-160N wireless card comes as a little marvel in its own right as it is currently the smallest mass manufactured piece of widely available computer hardware that is fully compatible with the new wireless networking standard, 802.11n. While supporting the cutting edge of wireless technology, this new card from Asus is also integrating support for older protocols like 802.11b and 802.11g, making it valuable even for users that are not inclined to upgrade their network infrastructure to the latest available standard.
Coming in a slim and small overall package the Asus WL-160N wireless card is aimed at both desktop and mobile computer users and the latter will surely appreciate the handy and out-of-the-way design as well as the easy connectivity feature that makes the most of the "plug and play" features of the USB 2.0 standard. Thanks to its small form factor this new wireless card from Asus is easily fitted even in crammed spaces and as it integrates MIMO technology it is also able to send and receive signals over great distances while keeping the network throughput at over 100Mbps. This speed is exceeding even most wired networking solutions widely available and thanks to the great signal quality, the Asus WL-160N wireless card helps reduce deadspots while increasing the overall networking coverage when compared with the previous G standard.
As the Asus WL-160N wireless card is USB 2.0 and "plug and play" compatible it can work just as well on Microsoft Windows Vista( both the 32 and 64 bits editions) as it works on more exotic operating systems like Mac OS( versions 10.3 and 10.4 supported). As Windows XP is still one of the most popular operating systems around the world, this network card also offers integrated support for it and it natively works with a broad spectrum of WLAN functions like Zeroconfig or Media Sense.
On the software side this new Asus networking card comes bundled with an easy to use wizard that will make the driver installation a snap and it will also help the novice computer user setup his network. Among the software utilities that can be found on the CD bundled with the Asus WL-160N wireless card there is the Mobile Control Center, which is a system wide tools integration utility, the Wireless Setting wizard that helps diagnose and configure a wireless network, the Mobile Manager tool which supports network profiling, as well as the Site Survey application. This last software application lets users quickly and easily browse the topology of their respective wireless network and collect different information about its nodes.
As a wireless network offers a more lax environment that a wired one, the new Asus card also provides native support for both ad-hoc networking as well as an infrastructure network mode that is more common in enterprise applications.
Following the general industry trend of increasing communications security, Asus integrates a number of advanced security features that are mandatory for any 802.11n compliant wireless networking device. Among these security features there are WEP, WPA, WPA2, TKIP, AES, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK and for those users that feel that the default 64-bit encryption is not enough, the new Asus card also offers a higher 128-bits security feature.
As the Asus WL-160N wireless card is particularly well suited for use in a mobile operating environment on laptops or notebooks that lack integrated wireless networking cards the power consumption levels are important, and the manufacturing company is providing a piece of computer hardware that is especially kind to a mobile device's battery as it only needs 450 mA in Tx (transmission) mode and 300 mA in Rx (receiving) mode. Like any other wireless networking device this new Asus card also needs an antenna for sending and receiving data but unlike most other devices out there it comes with two antennas, both integrated into the PCB of the card itself in order to provide a smooth external appearance and minimize the risk of damage from rough handling.
For users' convenience, a LED is embedded into the new ASUS WL-160N wireless networking card and it shows the device's state like "acquired link" and activity. Also, the presence of a docking station is yet another good point for this new device as it helps both mobile and desktop computer users place the card in a good spot.
