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One of the unexpected highlights of my trip to
CES this year was a chance to sit down with the PR folks over at D-Link.
If youre a gamer, surely the crown jewel in their lineup is the DGL-4300 GamerLounge router with GameFuel. Not only was this unit prominently on
display at their booth, D-Link was also quick to offer us a chance to review
the DGL-4300 as well as a few other Gaming goodies the DGL-3420 Gaming
Adaptor and the DWL-G520 Xtreme G 108 PCI adaptor. Im happy to finally
present the results of my three week run in this review. If youre looking
for a new router, you will want to read this review!
Packaging & Contents
D-Link sent us a complete Super G wireless
kit
Ill go over each individual unit.
DGL-4300
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First and foremost is the DGL-4300 router. The
box is pretty enough, but the router itself is a stunner considering what
your average router looks like. With a satin black finish, mirrored front,
and blue LEDs, it just doesnt get much better looking than this. Spin the
box around and it turns out the good stuff doesnt stop with the looks. Four
Gigabit Ethernet ports and a detachable 5 dbi antenna complete the package.
D-Link includes stacking feet, and a vertical stand if you want to prop this
up on a shelf, and there are two screw mounts on the bottom of the unit if
you want to mount it on a wall. The 4300 does have a wall wart, but its
actually pretty small and designed to fit in a power strip or wall socket
without covering up an adjacent slot.
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Specifications |
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Package Contents |
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DGL-4300 Wireless 108G Gaming Router |
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Detachable Antenna |
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CAT5 Ethernet Cable |
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Power Adapter (5V, 2.5A) |
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Mounting Kit |
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Vertical Stand |
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CD-ROM with Manual |
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Quick Installation Guide |
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Minimum System Requirements |
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Cable or DSL Modem with Ethernet Port |
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To Change Default Settings |
PC with
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1.2GHz Processor |
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256MB Memory |
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CD-ROM Drive |
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Ethernet Adapter with TCP/IP Protocol Installed |
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Windowsฎ XP/2000/Me or Macฎ OS X v10.3/v10.2/v10.1 |
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Internet Explorer v6 or Netscapeฎ Navigator v7 |
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Hardware Interface |
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4 x 10/100/1000 Auto-Sensing Gigabit Ethernet LAN Ports |
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1 x 10/100 Auto-Sensing Fast Ethernet WAN Port |
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D-Link 108G Wireless Technology |
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Software Features |
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GameFuel Priority Technology |
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Up to 256 Firewall Port Configurations |
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Access Control Policies (Parental Controls) |
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Internal and External System Logging |
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Static/Dynamic Routing |
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Oversized NAT table |
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Email Alerts |
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Wireless Distribution System (WDS) |
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Security |
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WPA-Enterprise |
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WPA-Personal |
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64/128-bit WEP |
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MAC Filtering |
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External Antenna Type |
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1 - 5dBi detachable antenna |
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Standards |
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IEEE 802.11g |
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IEEE 802.11b |
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IEEE 802.3 |
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IEEE 802.3u |
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LEDs |
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Power |
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WAN |
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WLAN (Wireless Connection) |
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LAN |
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Dimensions |
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L = 7.5 inches (190.5mm) |
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W = 4.6 inches (116.84mm) |
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H = 1.375 inches (35mm) |
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Wireless Signal Rates* with Automatic Fallback |
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D-Link 108G: 108Mbps |
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54Mbps |
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48Mbps |
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36Mbps |
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24Mbps |
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18Mbps |
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12Mbps |
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11Mbps |
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9Mbps |
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6Mbps |
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5.5Mbps |
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2Mbps |
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1Mbps |
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Power Input |
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External Power Supply DC 5V, 2.5A |
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Warranty |
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DGL-3420
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The DGL-3420 Gaming Adaptor is a simple device
that allows you to connect your Playstation or XBOX to your wireless
network. In line with the DGL-4300, this unit features the same satin black
finish and blue LEDs. The antenna is small and adjustable, but not
replaceable. The only connectors on the device are an Ethernet jack and a
power jack. The DGL-3420 is managed through a web interface, much like the
router.
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Specifications |
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Package Contents |
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DGL-3420 Wireless 108AG Gaming Adapter |
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CAT5 Ethernet Cable |
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Power Adapter (5V, 2.5A) |
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CD-ROM with Manual |
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Quick Installation Guide |
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Minimum System Requirements |
To Change Default Settings using PC
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200MHz Processor |
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64MB Memory |
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CD-ROM Drive |
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Ethernet Adapter with TCP/IP Protocol Installed |
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Windowsฎ XP/2000/Me or Macฎ OS X v10.3/v10.2/v10.1 |
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Internet Explorer v6 or Netscapeฎ Navigator v7 |
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Standards |
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IEEE 802.11a |
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IEEE 802.11b |
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IEEE 802.11g |
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IEEE 802.3 |
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IEEE 802.3u |
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Wireless Signal Rates* With Automatic Fallback |
For 802.11a/g:
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108, 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9 and 6Mbps |
For 802.11b:
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Device Management |
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Web-Based Internet Explorer v6 or later; Netscape
Navigator v6 or later; or other Java-enabled browsers. |
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Security |
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64-, 128-bit WEP |
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WPA Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA TKIP PSK) |
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Wireless Frequency Range |
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2.4GHz to 2.4835GHz |
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5.15GHz to 5.35GHz and 5.725GHz to 5.825GHz |
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Radio and Modulation Type* |
For 802.11a/g:
OFDM:
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BPSK @ 6 and 9Mbps |
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QPSK @ 12 and 18Mbps |
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16QAM @ 24 and 36Mbps |
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64QAM @ 48, 54 and 108Mbps |
DSSS:
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DBPSK @ 1Mbps |
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DQPSK @ 2Mbps |
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CCK @ 5.5 and 11Mbps |
For 802.11b:
DSSS :
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DBPSK @ 1Mbps |
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DQPSK @ 2Mbps |
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CCK @ 5.5 and 11Mbps |
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Receiver Sensitivity* |
For 802.11a:
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6Mbps: -86dBm |
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9Mbps: -86dBm |
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12Mbps: -84dBm |
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18Mbps: -84dBm |
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24Mbps: -81dBm |
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36Mbps: -78dBm |
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48Mbps: -70dBm |
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54Mbps: -66dBm |
For 802.11b:
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1Mbps: -91dBm |
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2Mbps: -91dBm |
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5.5Mbps: -89dBm |
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11Mbps: -88dBm |
For 802.11g:
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6Mbps: -87dBm |
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9Mbps: -87dBm |
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12Mbps: -85dBm |
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18Mbps: -85dBm |
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24Mbps: -83dBm |
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36Mbps: -80dBm |
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48Mbps: -74dBm |
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54Mbps: -70dBm |
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External Antenna Type |
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Non-Detachable Dualband Dipole antenna with 2dBi gain |
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Transmit Output Power |
For 802.11a:
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25mW (14dBm) |
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10mW (10dBm) |
For 802.11b/g:
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50mW (17dBm) |
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20mW (13dBm) |
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LEDs |
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Power |
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Wireless |
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System |
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Operating Voltage |
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Dimensions |
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L = 4.46 inches (113mm) |
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W = 3.94 inches (100mm) |
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H = 0.95 inches (24mm) |
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Certifications |
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Warranty |
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DWL-G520
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The final items D-Link sent out were a matched
pair of their XtremeG DWL-G520 PCI Wireless adaptors. If youve ever uses a
wireless PCI adaptor theres really not much to say about these than they do
support the 108Mbs wireless that I use already. Since both this card and my
current network are both using the Atheros chipset, they should be
interoperable. Also inside the package were the removable antenna and a half
height PCI bracket
an essential addition if you want to use this in a small
HTPC case. Kudos for adding that to the package D-Link! Interestingly, its
the only one of the bunch with more than a one year warranty.
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Standards |
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IEEE 802.11
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IEEE 802.11b
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IEEE 802.11g
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Bus Type |
PCI
2.2 |
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Wireless Signal Rates*
With Automatic Fallback |
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D-Link 108G: 108Mbps
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54 Mbps
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48 Mbps
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36 Mbps
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24 Mbps
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18 Mbps
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12 Mbps
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11 Mbps
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9 Mbps
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6 Mbps
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5.5 Mbps
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2 Mbps
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1 Mbps
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Security |
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64-, 128-WEP
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802.1x
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WPAWi-Fi Protected Access (64/128-bit WEP with TKIP,
MIC, IV Expansion, Shared Key Authentication)
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Media Access Control |
CSMA/CA with ACK |
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Frequency Range |
2.4
GHz to 2.462 GHz |
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Wireless Signal Range* |
Indoors: Up to 328 feet (100 meters)
Outdoors: Up to 1,312 feet (400 meters) |
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Power Consumption |
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PowerSave mode = 28 mA
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Standby mode = 4.66 mA
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Transmit mode = 248 mA
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Modulation Technology |
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Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
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Complementary Code Keying (CCK)
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Receiver Sensitivity* |
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54 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -68 dBm)
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48 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -68 dBm)
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36 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -75 dBm)
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24 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -79 dBm)
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18 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -82 dBm)
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12 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -84 dBm)
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11 Mbps CCK, 8% PER, -82 dBm)
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9 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -87 dBm)
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6 Mbps OFDM, 10% PER, -88 dBm)
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5.5 Mbps CCK, 8% PER, -85 dBm)
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2 Mbps QPSK, 8% PER, -86 dBm)
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1 Mbps BPSK, 8% PER, -89 dBm)
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Wireless Transmitter Power |
15
dBm ฑ 2dB |
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Internal Antenna Type |
Dipole with detachable reverse SMA connector |
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Operating Temperature |
32ฐF to 131ฐF ( 0ฐC to 55ฐC) |
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Humidity |
95%
maximum (non-condensing) |
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Dimensions |
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L = 4.64 (114.3mm)
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W = 2.13 (54mm)
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H = 0.34 inches (8.7mm)
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Weight |
0.12 lb (55g) |
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Certifications |
FCC
part 15b |
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Warranty |
3
Year |
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