Dell Desktop Deals
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CNET editors' rating:
3.5 stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 68 reviews
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Product summary
The good: WPA and 802.1x security; fast maximum throughput; removable, external antenna.
The bad: Mediocre mixed-mode throughput; harder to install than a simple USB adapter; for Windows OS-based computers only.
The bottom line: The DWL-G520 offers solid speed and security, but like all PCI adapters, it's a pain to install.
Specifications: Data transfer rate: 108 Mbps; Bandwidth: 2.4 GHz; Connectivity technology: Wireless; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 09/22/2004
- Released on: 06/22/2004
To install the DWL-G520, you must remove your PC's cover, locate a free PCI slot, insert the card, then screw the card's end into the back of your system. Sounds relatively simple, but PCI slots aren't always easy to access through the jungle of other component cords, and seating the card just right can be a pain. D-Link helps you through the installation process with a printed, color setup guide that includes lots of screenshots and photos. Once you've completed the process, you can rotate the wireless antenna that extends out of the card's end, moving it up, down, and in a circle to achieve the strongest signal. Because the antenna unscrews from the card, you can also replace it with another optional antenna to improve your range.
The DWL-G520 is a Windows-only device. Windows XP users have two ways to configure the DWL-G520's settings: the Wireless Zero Configuration software included in Windows XP or D-Link's own AirPlus Xtreme G Wireless Utility. The latter is essential for those running earlier versions of Windows that lack integrated Wi-Fi capabilities (the DWL-G520 works with 2000, Me, and 98 SE), and it will automatically load after installing the card. The utility lets you alter key card settings, such as SSID, data transfer rate, and channel. It also includes handy status bars that display link quality and signal strength.
The card offers the baseline standard in Wi-Fi security--64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption--and it keeps track of up to four different WEP keys. The DWL-G520 also works in conjunction with a RADIUS server to provide WPA protection via TKIP, or temporal key integrity protocol, which dynamically alters your security keys with every 10,000 packets of data you transmit combined with 802.1x authentication via the RADIUS server. Because not every home user has a RADIUS server lying around, D-Link has also built WPA's Pre-Shared Key capability into the DWL-G520. This feature doesn't require a RADIUS server, but it provides you with a new key every time you access your network.
D-Link offers a few additional features with the DWL-G520 that could be helpful under some circumstances. The external side of the card includes two status LEDs that light up to show when you're connected to and have activity over a network. Since the lights stick out the back of your PC, however, you'll have to poke your head around when you want to see them. The same goes when you want to adjust or replace the external antenna that shoots out the end of the card. Finally, the DWL-G520's Xtreme G technology has a scorching maximum speed of 108Mbps, but you'll reach that high only if every device on your Wi-Fi network includes the technology as well. When you add a standard 802.11g connection or an 802.11b connection to the mix, your overall network speed plummets, as evidenced in our mixed-mode tests.
Continue reading- See more CNET content tagged:
- D-Link Systems,
- RADIUS server,
- PCI,
- WPA,
- IEEE 802.1X
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