Always On Wireless WiFlyer

Reviewed by

Rik Fairlie

on 12/21/2004

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CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
Detailed editors' rating
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 6 reviews
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Quick specs
Data link protocol: Ethernet
Data transfer rate: 10 Mbps
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Add to my list Product summary

The good: Good range; excellent acceleration service.

The bad: Pricey; spotty performance; doesn't work with all dial-up providers.

The bottom line: The WiFlyer adds Wi-Fi to dial-up connections or adds Wi-Fi to wired broadband on the road. It's pricey, though, and its performance is erratic.

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CNET editors' review

CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
Detailed editors' rating

Reviewed by:
Rik Fairlie
Edited by:
Allen Fear
Reviewed on: 12/21/2004
Released on: 10/01/2004

The Always On Wireless WiFlyer delivers 802.11b Wi-Fi for both dial-up and broadband connections. It also doubles as a travel router, letting you connect via Ethernet to a broadband link in a hotel room or other public area and create a shareable high-speed connection. While the WiFlyer could be useful to the roughly 61 million Americans who still connect from home via dial-up, the dual dial-up/broadband capability makes the device most intriguing for travelers who might have a wired broadband connection one night and a poky dial-up connection the next. But at $149.95, it's a little costly. Check out Netgear's WGR101 for a more reasonably priced broadband-sharing alternative.

The device shoehorns a 56Kbps modem and a Wi-Fi radio into a pocketable 6.5-ounce base station. Always On Wireless provides an optional dial-up acceleration from SlipStream that, in our tests, quadrupled the speed of dial-up Web browsing. The service costs an additional $49.95 per year, though.

Setup is pretty intuitive: Plug in the access point to your broadband modem, and it automatically begins transmitting a Wi-Fi signal. Next, launch your Web browser, which automatically opens the WiFlyer configuration-and-connection page. To establish the dial-up connection, first connect the access point to a phone jack, then enter your ISP account info and access numbers. Access numbers are automatically provided for users of AOL, EarthLink, and MSN; the WiFlyer does not work with NetZero/Juno accounts, however. After configuring the connection, a quick-connect button on the unit lets you connect and disconnect with one key press.

Although it's not as sleek as some travel routers, the WiFlyer does house the V90 dial-up modem in addition to the 802.11b radio. On the back, there are two Ethernet ports and an RJ-11 phone jack. The device has no protruding antenna, although it does include a connector, should you want to add an external antenna for longer range. The WiFlyer offers WEP, WPA, and MAC address filtering security, as well as a NAT and password protection for managing the base unit.