5 Attachment(s)
Review: Wii LAN Network Adapter
Wii LAN Network Adapter
Review by: cowdisease
Provided by: DCEmu Reviews
Manufacturer: N/A
Site: Buy from GameInfinity
Price: $19.95
Overview : You’ve got a Nintendo Wii. You have a broadband internet connection on your PC. You’ve heard about all the fun things you can do online with your console. Yet when it comes to connecting your Wii to the net, you don’t know where to start. With our amazing new LAN Adapter for the Nintendo Wii, you can create a wired high-speed internet connection for your console. Just plug the Adapter into your Wii's USB port, and then connect it to your PC’s DSL or Cable modem or your router using a network cable. It’s as simple as that! It's USB 2.0, taking advantage of the latest, fastest USB protocols.
Because Wii LAN Adapter uses a cable connection, it always offers high-speed, reliable data transfer speeds. It’s ideal for places where wireless connectivity isn't possible, perhaps because of thick walls or interference from other products, and it's faster than any WiFi connection. At last, you can enjoy uninterrupted online gaming!
Features:
- Creates a high-speed LAN Internet connection for your Nintendo Wii
- No wireless network required
- Connects to your existing PC connection or DSL modem
- USB 2.0 connection supports the Wii at full speed
Quality/Usability : I applauded Nintendo when they announced that their newest console, the Wii, would come equipped with wireless networking capabilities directly out of the box. “Hooray!” I thought, “I won’t have to pay an obscene amount of money to get an overpriced wireless adapter to connect my Wii to my stunning wireless network!” Instead, Nintendo did it backwards, leaving out the usual wired Ethernet port, so if you are one of the many people who have not yet set up their home with a wireless network (or if you are like me and don’t like dealing with the hassle of wireless network security and dropped connections) then you have to buy this regularly priced wired adapter.
It will cost you $24.99 plus shipping and handling to rectify this omission if you buy through Nintendo’s online store, a price that is comparable to other PC-only USB LAN adapters on the market. The package is as bare-bones as it can be, containing simply the one-piece adapter, a single folded instruction sheet, and a small CD containing PC drivers.
Hooking your Wii up is as simple as the pictures on the back of the box suggest. Simply plug the USB end of the adapter into one of the two slots in the rear of your Wii, plug your Ethernet cable into the adapter, and turn your Wii on. The only remaining step is to go into your Wii’s settings and change the connection settings to “wired” from the default “wireless” option. The one-page instruction sheet has clear, illustrated instructions that will walk you through this simple process, and after a short automated test your Wii will be connected to the internet. The length of the entire process from opening the box to being connected depends mostly on how good you are at opening boxes.
The USB cable on the adapter is about five inches long, just long enough to rest flat on any surface if you have the Wii oriented vertically. The body is about an inch thick and three inches long, so it is not as compact as some of the other adapters of this type on the market, so while it can be used for your laptop it is not ideally suited for portability. It is the same color and shape as the Wii’s power brick so it is aesthetically consistent with the rest of the Wii gear. When plugged in two unlabeled, red LED’s indicate that it is functioning.
The PC setup is also fairly simple, as you can plug and go. However if your computer does not automatically install your adapter properly you will have to deal with the driver disc. When the disc is inserted it simply opens an explorer window that shows the various files containing the different drivers. There are no auto-prompts here, but once you select the proper drivers the install is quick and automatic. The disc supports a wide variety of operating systems: Linux, Windows Vista and XP in 32 and 64 bit, CE, ME, 98, and Mac OSX 10, and works flawlessly.
Conclusion : Overall, if you need or want to wire your Wii to the internet the adapter is reasonably priced, quick and easy to use, even if it is a little bulky. If you want to get over your resentment at Nintendo leaving out a basic component that will cost you thirty dollars, go get yourself some ice cream.
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