Introduction
| D-Link AirPlus Enhanced 2.4GHz Wireless Access Point (DWL-900AP+) | |
|---|---|
| Summary | TI-based 802.11b access point with' 22Mbps' mode when used with other AirPlus products.Has bridging and wireless repeating features & can act as an Ethernet client adapter. No WEP enabled throughput penalty, best case speed only about 7Mbps. |
| Update | 10/11/2002 Wireless Repeating function added in 2.20 firmware. See the related NTK. |
| Pros | • Web browser administration with lots of features • Multiple bridging modes • Good performance with no WEP enabled throughput degradation • Can use other antennas • 2.20 firmware addes wireless Repeating! |
| Cons | • You won't get 22Mbps |
The D-Link AirPlus product line represents a major move by D-Link away from Intersil and toward Texas Instruments (TI) as a wireless chip technology supplier. It also represents a vote for TI's Packet Binary Convolutional Coding (PBCC) modulation method, and the enhanced performance it allegedly brings to 2.4GHz wireless networking.
Since D-Link's product packaging prominently displays claims of "Up to 20% faster" and "Up to 22Mbps with AirPlus Products", I had to see if they had found a way around my Rule of Wireless Networking #1. Although I wasn't surprised by the results of my performance testing, there's still plenty to like about what D-Link's done in their AirPlus family...