TP link wireless USB adapter. USB WiFi Network Adapter TP-LINK TL-WN822N - Connecting to a Computer or Laptop and Setting up the Internet

Modern participants in the market of wireless solutions offer a large number of data transmission devices that are diverse in their functions. They are distinguished by both the way of connecting to a PC or laptop, and functional and productive filling. Comparing models that provide different speeds transmission due to the support of various communication standards, then the difference in price is quite understandable. However, how can models with built-in antennas differ from solutions with external antennas? What if the number of antennas is different? Often these and similar issues are not considered by the buyer when choosing a wireless solution. However, do not underestimate the importance of the amplification of the transmitted signal and the reception sensitivity of the wireless solution, which directly depend on the quality of the antennas.

Into a separate niche wireless devices you can take out models with a USB connector to connect to a PC. They are a relatively inexpensive yet versatile alternative to both laptop-integrated solutions and Wi-Fi cards PCI and PCI-e expansions that can be installed in a stationary computer.

Wi- Fi USB-adapterTP- LINK TL- WN821 N

Wi- Fi USB-adapterTP- LINK TL- WN822 N

Even the range of one manufacturer of wireless solutions can be quite large Wi-Fi selection USB adapters. So, for example, the company TP-LINK there are models TL-WN821N, TL-WN821NC and TL-WN822N. Although they are the same USB Wi-Fi adapters in their functions, their design is different, in particular, the TL-WN822N model is very different from the TL-WN821N and TL-WN821NC, both from a technical point of view and from an ergonomic point of view. However, they are “greeted by their clothes,” but often the main criterion for selection is performance against the background of equal technical capabilities declared on the site.

First, I would like to bring all the "performance characteristics" of the TP-LINK TL-WN822N model in a small but capacious table.

Specifications

Manufacturer

Number of ports

Quantity

Built-in omnidirectional outdoor antennas, 3dBi

Antenna Replacement Capability / Connector Type

frequency range

2.4 - 2.4835 GHz

Forcing the number of the working antenna

Supported standards and speeds

DSSS:
DBPSK @ 1 Mbps
DQPSK @ 2 Mbps
CCK @ 5.5 and 11 Mbps

OFDM: 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 11, 9, 6 Mbps

OFDM @ 30/60/90/120/180/240/270/300 Mbps

Region / Number of channels

IEE802.11n protocol extensions

Manual speed setting

output power

(maximum?)

IEEE 802.11b @ 11Mbps

IEEE 802.11g @ 54Mbps

IEE802.11n @ 300Mbps

Receiver sensitivity

IEEE 802.11b @ 11Mbps

IEEE 802.11g @ 54Mbps

IEEE 802.11n @ 300Mbps

Security

Block Broadcast SSID

Binding to MAC addresses

WPA-PSK (pre-shared key)

Nutrition

from one USB 5V direct current +/- 5%

Additional Information

Ability to work in Access Point mode.

yes (IEEE 802.11g)

Firmware version

Dimensions, mm

Products webpage

These are the characteristics that were announced on the manufacturer's website.

Package

The outer packaging is made of thick cardboard in shades of green and light green. This style of packaging is typical of all the latest models of wireless equipment from TP-LINK. The inside contains a white dense corrugated cardboard box.

The front side lists the standards that this product supports. Some of the special features described here, which are developed by the manufacturer, are designed to make it easier for the owner quick setup of this adapter and the choice of a method of protection against unauthorized wiretapping of the wireless line, as well as unwanted connections to the user's network.

On the sides of the package, there is a fully expanded specification of this model and a list of additional equipment that comes with this product. There is also a sticker with serial number and an indication of the model of this particular instance.

On the back there is a small visual diagram that describes the main points of using this model. There is also a brief specification in nine languages. In the lower left corner, there are a series of pictures that describe the installation procedure for this USB adapter. A separate list of the main features and features of this product is presented. Information on the TP-LINK TL-WN822N model provided on the package will easily help the buyer to know all the main features of this solution.

Equipment

The Wi-Fi USB adapter itself is quite simple and limited in its capabilities. This allows the user to get by with a minimum of additional equipment, which can include only one USB cable. This is quite enough for quick installation and further use of such a wireless solution.

The set includes:

    USB 2.0 Wi-Fi adapter TP-LINK TL-WN822N itself;

    USB cable (150 cm);

    CD with software and documentation;

    User manual on English language (short instruction for installation and maintenance software).

AdapterTP-LINK TL-WN822N

The snow-white glossy body looks quite attractive and stylish. With all the edges and corners of the rounded shape, the TP-LINK TL-WN822N model leaves an impression of completeness and practicality in its design. The overall whiteness is slightly emphasized by the slightly gray "TP-LINK" lettering on the upper part of the case. A standout element of the overall style is the green translucent plastic insert above the mini-USB connector. It covers the only indicator of this Wi-Fi USB adapter. It signals both the activity of data transmission and the modes of connection and settings of this model.

Recently, more and more solutions from this manufacturer began to have cases with streamlined shapes and original design. This speaks of the desire of the developers of the TP-LINK company to make not only practical and functional solutions, but also models that will easily fit into the atmosphere of any interior, thanks to their stylish appearance.

In working mode, on both sides of the TP-LINK TL-WN822N model, the user can raise two antennas, which should ensure best quality signal, which means to increase the data transfer rate. On the one hand, this is an indisputable plus of this wireless solution. However, the presence of moving parts can lead to some inconvenience and introduces a fraction of the likelihood of their breakage. The effectiveness of such an arrangement and design of antennas will be directly verified in the testing section, where we will also compare the performance of TP-LINK TL-WN822N with the more compact solution TP-LINK TL-WN821N, in which two antennas are located inside the main body of a wireless USB adapter.

While creating a fairly simple and convenient case, TP-LINK engineers did not take care of ventilation holes to remove heat from the rather hot elements of the board. This can affect the quality of the wireless link and its stability.

The reverse side contains a sticker with technical information about this model and serial number.

Availability is enough long wire will allow the owner to install the TP-LINK TL-WN822N adapter in a place with the highest quality radio signal reception, which is sometimes very necessary for normal network operation. The dimensions and design of the case will allow the TL-WN822N to fit in the user's pocket without any problems, and the folding two omnidirectional antennas will provide high-quality reception while using this wireless solution.

Software

The accompanying disc included in the delivery contains software and documentation for all models of the latest line from the manufacturer TP-LINK. Directly to the solution TP-LINK TL-WN822N here are two utilities TP-LINK Wireless Client Utility (TWCU) and QSS Utility, as well as instructions for their installation, configuration and use.

Upset by the fact that the TP-LINK Wireless Client Utility (TWCU) and QSS Utility, present on the disk and downloaded from the manufacturer's official website, did not want to be installed in the WINDOWS 7 operating system (both in 32-bit and 64-bit versions) ... There were no problems with installing the driver. The first and the most main utility TP-LINK Wireless Client Utility (TWCU) has already been described on our resource in the material about the TP-LINK TL-WN821N Wi-Fi USB adapter, so here we will focus only on its significant differences from the standard manager wireless networks WINDOWS.

In most ways, the functionality of the TP-LINK Wireless Client Utility (TWCU) software repeats many aspects of the standard WINDOWS manager for wireless networks. However, the main advantage of the TP-LINK client can be considered the simpler availability of various options, since they are collected in one place, and it will not be difficult to find the required option.

For example, the first tab is distinguished by a fairly detailed set of information about the active in this moment connection: its status, the operating frequency of the wireless communication channel and the connection speed. Next comes the type established connection, The IP address of the network assigned to the adapter, then the connection channel number, encryption type and band of the network signal strength.

More advanced network status can be viewed by clicking the "Advanced" button.

The second rather interesting point of the TP-LINK Wireless Client Utility (TWCU) software is its advanced functionality of the supported wireless channel data encryption standards, as well as connection protocols. A complete list of standards was listed in the TP-LINK TL-WN822N Specification Table.

There is also a bookmark here enough fine tuning selected network. Of the features, you can pay attention to the ability to select the operating mode of the adapter: the network client mode or an access point for connecting another client with it. In the access point mode, the model will operate on the IEEE 802.11g data transmission standard, which significantly reduces the throughput of the organized wireless channel. Also on this tab you can set the speed of the wireless network by selecting one of the three supported standards (IEEE 802.11b - 11 Mbps, IEEE 802.11g - 54 Mbps and IEEE 802.11n - 300 Mbps).

The second utility, QSS Utility, helps the user to quickly create a secure wireless connection. Separately, it is worth noting the lack of a program / algorithm that is simple and intuitive step by step setup, which have become so popular today with all manufacturers. But the QSS Utility application is designed to partially compensate for this shortcoming.

First, you should choose the method that best suits your situation. The first point is the simplest and most convenient, but it requires the presence on the access point to which this wireless adapter is connected, the "QSS" button, which is available on all modern solutions from TP-LINK. Buttons similar in functionality are also found on models of network equipment from other manufacturers, but in combination with the TP-LINK TL-WN822N model, they will not be able to provide the functionality laid down in them. For such a situation, it is better to enter the password for connecting to the wireless network at its request by the access point.

After pressing the "QSS" button or entering the required network password, an automatic connection to the access point occurs, and the program displays the corresponding window.

The included software can be characterized as rich in functionality and flexible in settings, but still compatible with a limited number of operating systems. This approach to equipment can greatly facilitate the user to use the TP-LINK TL-WN822N model in non-standard situations.

Testing

The main task of the testing section in this material will be to study the capabilities of modern Wi-Fi USB adapters using the TP-LINK TL-WN822N as an example. but this model has a fairly large dimensions and two external omnidirectional antennas, which does not always attract the attention of the buyer and is not very reliable. For this reason, I would like to draw your attention to the performance of the TP-LINK TL-WN821N model, which is more compact and at the same time similar in terms of the declared capabilities. For a complete picture describing the performance of both wireless adapters, we present here the performance of the mini-PCI solution integrated into the laptop - the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN card. Only by determining the real speeds of wireless channels, which are implemented using these solutions, you can finally be convinced of the advantages and disadvantages of a Wi-Fi USB adapter with external omnidirectional antennas.

The throughput capabilities of wireless channels, which are built on the proposed Wi-Fi USB adapters, will be tested at the maximum supported connection speed of 300 Mbps. The experiments were carried out at a distance of no more than two meters between the points. The testing used TP-LINK router TL-WR10431ND. This router is the most productive solution in the modern series of devices from TP-LINK. It is its capabilities and supported standards that are maximally compatible with the wireless network, which will be organized during the testing process.

As in all our previous materials, let us pay attention to the incomplete adequacy and repeatability of test results. The tested communication channels use wireless standards IEEE 802.11, and all radio channels are very sensitive to radio interference from almost any household or digital equipment... Therefore, it is worth taking into account the operation of mobile devices, microwave ovens and other electrical appliances that cause radio interference. Nevertheless, we will try to show more or less practical results and prove some assumptions about these and similar devices.

Comparative testing of the performance of TP-LINK TL-WN822N at a connection speed of 300 Mbps with line of sight at a distance of two meters with WPA2 encryption of the channel.

In both directions.

Data stream from USB adapter to access point.

Data flow from the access point to the USB adapter.

For comparison, we present here the results of testing the performance of TP-LINK TL-WN821N at a connection speed of 300 Mbit / s with a line of sight at a distance of two meters with WPA2 channel encryption, obtained by us in previous materials.

In both directions.

Now we present the results for the reference mini-PCI solution in our laboratory - Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN card, which connected to TP-LINK TL-WR10431ND at a speed of 300 Mbps with line of sight at a distance of two meters with WPA2 channel encryption.

In both directions.

The results of testing the throughput of the wireless channel, which is organized using the TP-LINK TL-WN822N Wi-Fi USB adapter, can be confidently called appropriate real price for similar models. In the best conditions, the average transfer rate was 63 Mbps, with a peak hop of 100 Mbps. But, as it turned out, the most important thing in his work can be called the almost equal distribution of bandwidth, both for data transmission and reception. Whereas the TP-LINK TL-WN821N model has an obvious "bias" towards data transmission. The upstream speed is about 60 Mbps, while the downstream speed barely reaches 10 Mbps. Consequently, when using the TP-LINK TL-WN821N Wi-Fi USB adapter, the user receives a much lower data reception speed than their transmission. This behavior is not quality work.

In comparison with the integrated solution from Intel, the Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN model, both Wi-Fi USB adapters are outperformed. This is a clear consequence of the fact that the mini-PCI card has three rather large antennas, which are hidden behind the laptop screen. It is also worth considering the better performance of all integrated boards that are connected via the PCI or PCI-e data bus. The USB connection method has only one indisputable advantage - versatility. Indeed, in almost any modern digital solution there is a USB port.

conclusions

Contributor to this material USB-adapter TP-LINK TL-WN822N has a fairly compact and streamlined body. However, it cannot be called small or commensurate with the size of a flash drive. The younger model TP-LINK TL-WN821N boasts a small size, while the TL-WN822N model provides a better and more stable wireless data transmission channel. Two external adjustable antennas directly contribute to better signal transmission. The TL-WN822N adapter from TP-LINK can be recommended as an interesting and relatively inexpensive solution for organizing access to a Wi-Fi network via a USB 2.0 connector using an IEEE 802.11n connection. It is for these capabilities that the model considered in this material can be called optimal in terms of price and performance.

The bundled utilities are not supported by the operating system. WINDOWS systems 7, for this reason, the modern user will have to use the standard wireless client of the operating system. The situation is slightly facilitated by the presence of a green QSS button on the body. It will help you automatically configure a secure wireless connection. However, it can only be used when connected to an access point or router from TP-LINK, which also supports this way of organizing Wi-Fi networks... Also a little upsetting is the lack of a convenient step-by-step configuration algorithm in the utility, which almost all participants in the market for custom network solutions have already acquired. However, in spite of all of the above, the TP-LINK TL-WN822N model will help the owner effortlessly get rid of so annoying and aesthetically cumbersome wired communications, while almost without losing in data transfer speed, as well as the reliability and security of the wireless channel.

Valery Parovyshnik

We express our gratitude to the companyLLC PF Service (Dnepropetrovsk) for the equipment provided for testing.

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In this article, I want to talk about a way to make a branded Wi-Fi adapter for your TV. I do not exclude that given here technical solution will be applicable for other manufacturers and other TV models.

This article is for informational purposes only. I am not responsible for the consequences of your actions, and in no way do I force them. You do everything at your own peril and risk.

For the rest, welcome to Habrkat!

I have a TV set Philips 55PFL7606H , model 7000th series. Its characteristics can be found at website manufacturer. Unfortunately this model is from 2012 and initially does not have the ability to connect to a wireless network. The operation of the device with the world wide web and home network can only be carried out through LAN port, which in my case is impossible for a number of reasons. The TV has several USB interfaces, and this gives a chance to bypass the existing problem with the help of external devices.

On the above specifications page, the manufacturer states that a compatible USB wireless adapter must be used. Philips PTA01 ... This device is no longer in production, and my attempts to find and acquire it have led to nothing. In addition, where there was information about him in online stores, a very impressive cost was indicated - more than 3,500 rubles.

The experiments I conducted on connecting various models of other manufacturers failed - the TV informed about the incompatibility of adapters with it. And I wanted to watch Smart TV and surf the Internet using the TV ...

First of all, I studied the characteristics of the brand wireless adapter Philips PTA01 ... It is said that it is built on a chipset AR9002U , and the chip responsible for the Wi-Fi operation is AR9271 ... The search for wireless adapters fully compatible with these microcircuits yielded the following models:

  • D-Link DWA-126
  • Netgear WNA1100
  • TP-LINK TL-WN322G v3
  • TP-LINK TL-WN422G v2
  • TP-LINK TL-WN721N
  • TP-LINK TL-WN722N
There are also wireless USB adapters from Onkyo and Sony, but the cost is comparable to the original.

For my experience, I acquired the then commercially available TP-LINK TL-WN722N with a declared data transfer rate of 150 Mbit / s and an external antenna for stable operation. Its characteristics and photographs can be found.

Connecting this adapter to the TV did not work, the TV stubbornly did not want to perceive it. Further search for information on the Internet showed that it is possible that it is in identifiers. VID and PID... The original Philips PTA01 ID: 0471: 209e, at TP-LINK TL-WN722N ID: 0cf3: 9271... Seeing this inconsistency, the operating system of the TV - linux refused to activate the driver to work with the adapter and it was necessary to change the identifiers.

During an external examination of the device board, I found a microcircuit EEPROM memory 24C04 and assumed that the given identifiers are written there. I dropped it and assembled a simple I2C programmer for the COM port according to the diagram below:

As a replacement for a diode KD522A you can take 1N4148, and the zener diode KC156A- any 5.6V Zener diode.

Using the programmer program WinPic800 I took a memory dump, for those interested you can download it from here .

The addresses at which the VID and PID bytes are written, respectively:

0x0000003e, 0x0000003f, 0x00000040, 0x00000041 (values ​​in HEX - 46 33 30 43, in ASCII - F 3 0 C)
0x00000042, 0x00000043, 0x00000044, 0x00000045 (values ​​in HEX - 37 31 39 32, in ASCII - 7 1 9 2)

Please note that the bytes of the halves of each of the identifiers are reversed.

So, I registered at the above addresses also swapping the halves of the identifiers in places the following values:

VID (values ​​in HEX - 37 31 30 34, in ASCII - 7 1 0 4)
PID (values ​​in HEX - 39 45 32 30, in ASCII - 9 E 2 0)

Modified firmware is available.

It is important to make changes to the byte values ​​in the programmer program itself, since in this case the checksums are automatically recalculated. Otherwise, the dump will not be written to the microcircuit.

I uploaded the modified dump to EEPROM and soldered it back into place in the adapter. After the performed manipulations, the device was detected by the TV, requested the settings for connecting to the wireless network and began to work.

This is how I got the functionality I needed on the TV and saved a decent amount of money.

Good luck to everyone in upgrading Wi-Fi adapters for your TVs!

Hi. Not very long ago I wrote an article in which I talked about what kind of Wi-Fi receivers are and how they can be used to connect a regular stationary computer to Wi-Fi that does not have a Wi-Fi module. After installing the TP-Link TL-MR3220 router, which I wrote about in the article, I needed to connect one stationary computer to the Internet via Wi-Fi.

Of course, one could just lay network cable from the router to the computer, but I thought this was the wrong decision. Pulling a cable through several rooms is not very convenient and is unnecessary. So I just bought a Wi-Fi receiver. If I'm not mistaken, this is the cheapest network adapter from the TP-LINK family. It cost me about $ 11. I bought TP-LINK because I have a router from this company, and I really like the devices of this company and the prices are nice.

If you decide to create a network, no matter whether it is wired or wireless, then I advise you to buy devices from one company. The fact that the devices of the same company in conjunction with each other work more stably has already been tested by me in practice.

Review of TP-LINK TL-WN721N Wi-Fi network adapter

If you are just going to buy this device, then I will do a little review and show you a few photos. I think it will be interesting for you.

As is customary for TP-LINK, the device is packed in a nice green box. In this box, there is another box :), opening which we see a securely fixed TP-LINK TL-WN721N Wi-Fi network adapter. The upper part of which is sealed with a transparent film, as is customary for glossy surfaces.

We pull out the cardboard in which the adapter itself is installed and we see several brochures, a disk with drivers and a small USB extension cable, for which we are very grateful to the manufacturer.

Of the controls on the body, there is only the QSS activation button:

And while working on the front of the adapter flashes green indicator.

Specifications TL-WN721N

The device is running at speed up to 150 Mbps, has a built-in antenna, supports 64/128-bit WEP, WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK encryption, and has the ability to quickly establish a wireless network connection thanks to the QSS function.

For connecting to Wi-Fi with a low data transfer rate and for organizing a small home network this adapter is enough. But for the organization of high-speed wireless connection and for better long-distance reception, I advise you to look at more expensive adapters.

Connect the Wi-Fi adapter to your computer. I connected it using the USB extension cable that comes with the TL-WN721N. This is much more convenient, and the signal is slightly better.

If, when connecting, windows appear that the driver is not installed, etc., then do not pay attention to them, just close them. Take the disc that comes with the adapter, run it on your computer, then run the installation wizard from the disc.

A program will appear in which select our adapter TL-WN721N and click "Install driver and utility".

If you have 32-bit Windows, then most likely a window will appear that only the driver will be installed. That's okay, click "Yes".

You may also see a warning that. Please select "Install this driver anyway".

We wait a little and everything is ready. On the notification panel, where the status of the Internet connection, I immediately appeared available for Wi-Fi connections networks.

Click on the connection status and select the Wi-Fi network to connect. Click the button "Connection".

A window will appear in which we enter the password for the Wi-Fi network and click "OK".

Everything, the connection is established!

We just connected and configured the TP-LINK TL-WN721N Wi-Fi network adapter in just a few minutes and even connected to the Wi-Fi network with its help.

Installation is very simple and fast for which many thanks to TP-LINK. I worked on the Internet through this adapter for several hours, no disconnections were noticed. This adapter is even very good, especially when you take into account its price.

Update

Setting up the network Wi-Fi adapter TP-LINK TL-WN721N updated: February 7, 2018 by the author: admin

Very often there is a need to purchase an inexpensive and at the same time high-quality Wi-Fi adapter for a computer. You can find quite a lot of different models on the market, but make right choice not always as easy as it seems. Anyway. Today we are not going to talk about how to choose an adapter, but about one of the rather popular models - TP-Link 722.

Introduction

The TP-link company has been known for a very long time. She is mainly engaged in the production of network equipment, but in recent times smartphones have also appeared in the company's product range. Adapter 722 is not new model on the market. It has been produced since 2013, but nevertheless continues to be popular among buyers. Among numerous reviews You can find both a lot of good and not so much about the adapter, but we will talk about this separately.

Among the main features of TP-link 722, it is worth noting support for several standards of wireless connection (Wi-Fi), speed up to 150 Mbps, good antenna power and compact size... Let's take a closer look at this device.

Contents of delivery

TP-link 722 is delivered in a small cardboard box. The colors are proprietary, on the front of the package there is an image of the adapter itself and some features of the device are listed. The reverse side contains all the characteristics of the model and other information for the consumer. Nothing special.

Inside the package, you can find the Wi-Fi adapter itself, instructions, warranty card, flyers of TP-link smartphones, a meter-long USB cable, a disk with drivers and additional software, and, in fact, that's all. By the way, everything is packed neatly enough. It is also worth noting that, despite the simple packaging, a box is used here, and not some translucent blister like some competitors. But this is a trifle.

Device appearance

Now let's go over the appearance of the adapter a little. It looks neat and compact. The body is made of high quality plastic. The upper part has a glossy finish, while the bottom is, on the contrary, a little rough and painted black. The corners on the adapter are rounded and smooth, it is pleasant to hold the device in your hand. Fingerprints, of course, remain on the glossy surface, but fortunately they are practically invisible on white.

On the bottom of the adapter there is a small slot for a strap - a trifle, but nice. Above is a removable cap similar to those found on flash drives. The cap hides from view the usual USB plug for connecting to a computer. There is a small WPS button on the left side of the adapter, and a detachable antenna is installed on the right. It has a standard connector - RP-SMA. The antenna length is a little more than 13 cm. If you wish, you can try to buy additional antennas for an adapter with a similar connector, but with a higher power, and experiment with the signal quality.

In addition, it is worth mentioning the presence of an LED indicator on the device. It is located closer to the front, and when the adapter is connected to the computer, you can see it glowing green. At this point, the description of TP-link 722, or rather the appearance of the adapter, you can finish and move on to the next item.

Main technical characteristics

It's time to tell you about the characteristics of TP-link 722. Here they are:

  • Device type - Wi-Fi adapter.
  • Connection type - USB.
  • The frequency is 2.4 GHz.
  • Supported wireless standards - Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n.
  • Supported security standards - WEP / WPA / WPA2.
  • The maximum data transfer rate is 150 Mbps.
  • Antenna is available.
  • Antenna type - removable.
  • Dimensions (H / W / D) - 11 mm / 26 mm / 93.5 mm.
  • Additionally - the ability to install more powerful antennas, WPS support, quick setup.

In general, the characteristics of the TP-link 722 adapter are standard and differ little from competitors. It is much more important here how well the device will cope with its duties and how stable the reception signal will be.

Connection

Now with regard to connecting TP-link 722. Connecting the adapter is quite simple - you just need to plug the device into any of the free USB ports on motherboard or laptop. After that, the device will be automatically detected operating system and will start working.

If you suddenly have any problems or the adapter does not work quite correctly, then you need to install the software and drivers from the included disk. If this does not help, then the driver version on the disk may be old and you need to update.

Updating Drivers

To download the most latest version driver for the adapter, you will need Internet access and the hardware version number of the device. How do you recognize him? It's simple, just look at the back of the adapter. There is a sticker with a serial number, after which the hardware version is indicated in the Vx.x format.

So, knowing the hardware number, you need to go to the official website of the company. At the very top, select "Support", then on the page that opens, scroll down a little and click on "Downloads". Next, you need to scroll down the page until the "Adapters" section appears. As you can see, there are not very many models there and there will be no problems with choosing the right one. TP-link 722 has the technical name TL-WN722N, this is what we choose.

Now on the page that opens, you just need to select the hardware version from the list and then go to the "Driver" tab, where the latest and most current driver version will be located. All that remains to do is download setup file and install it on your computer.

Customization

After the adapter is connected, you can go to setting up TP-link 722. In general, this step is optional, since the adapter works fine without additional settings... Actually, to configure you need a special proprietary utility... You can install it from the included disk or download the latest version from the official website. To do this, you need to do all the same steps that were described in the section "Updating drivers", only at the end, after selecting the hardware version, you need to go to the "Utility" tab.

The entire adapter configuration process is fully automatic, with minimal user involvement. The utility writes all the necessary adjustments to the system just during the installation.

It is worth noting that for many who installed the utility, the speed of the Internet connection has become much lower than it was before. To fix this all, you need to go to the "Control Panel", there select "Network Control Center and general access". In the window that opens, on the left side, click on" Change adapter parameters. "Another window will open, where all connected network devices... Each of them must be pressed right click mouse, select "Properties" and in the small window that appears, uncheck the Epfw NDIS LightWeight Filter and AppEx Networks Accelerator items.

WiFi for a computer that is not equipped with a built-in module can only be done by connecting a wireless adapter to it. Today I will show you how to connect the TP-LINK TL-WN822N WiFi network adapter to a laptop or computer via USB and configure the Internet on it. It works with the modern "N" category WiFi standard and in theory supports wireless speeds up to 300Mbps. How true this is, we will find out at the end of the article, but for now let's look at it. appearance and characteristics.

External view of the WiFi adapter TP-Link TL-WN822N

The adapter is packed in a traditional green box. The kit is not rich, but it contains everything you need - this is the usb adapter itself, quite long USB cable- miniUSB, disk with drivers and configuration software, visual instructions in pictures and a warranty card.


Very original appearance of TP-LINK wifi adapter. We are used to the fact that the network adapter looks like an enlarged USB flash drive. The concept of the device is slightly different here - it is not designed to fit and stick out of a computer or laptop case. TP-WN822N is designed from the ground up for maximum wifi signal reception.

  1. Therefore, firstly, it is equipped with two external 3 dBi antennas that rotate 180 degrees to find the most suitable location for better reception.
  2. Second, it connects to a computer or laptop USB cable, thus the user has the opportunity to place the adapter in the optimal place for "catching" the signal.

By the way, in the folded position, these antennas are originally disguised as a white glossy body and visually complement it.


From external elements controls on the TP-Link wifi adapter case:

  • Light-emitting diode
  • mini-USB connector
  • and a QSS button for quick automatic tuning connection between it and the router, if the latter has a similar function.

Specifications

Connecting wifi adapter TP-Link

In order to connect the TP-Link wifi adapter to the computer, we connect them through the supplied cable and insert them into the CD drive, also included in the kit, and install the drivers for the wifi adapter and the configuration program. When disabled in Windows autostart the installation program must be run from the disk - "autorun.exe". In the event that your adapter is not new, and the disk is lost, then you can download the driver for the TP-Link wifi adapter from the official website, as well as the installation program itself.

The software on the disk is universal for several models of TP-Link adapters, therefore, to configure the WN822N, we select it from those offered in the list.

Further, we are offered to either install only the drivers, or together with the utility. By and large, you can only firewood, since Windows already has everything required program to work with wireless networks. But we'll see what happens if we put everything together.

Configuring wifi network adapter TP-Link

After installation, the application will open to us on the "Network" tab, where we see a list of all wireless networks available for connection. We select the SSID of our router, enter the password and voila - the Internet appeared on the computer

After connecting, you can go to the "Status" tab and see all the data about the current connection - SSID, IP address that the computer received from the router, wifi channel, MAC address of the access point, etc. Pay attention to the speed - this is the theoretical declared speed from the manufacturer, which has nothing to do with the actual speed.

WiFi speed via USB adapter TP-Link TL

And we checked the real one separately. First, with the help online service SpeedTest found out how the Internet speed through the TP-Link adapter differs from direct cable connection provider. As WiFi router we used the TL-WR840N model, which also supports operation at speeds up to 300 Mbps in wireless mode and which is guaranteed not to cut the Internet speed like this, which means that our test will be quite objective.


We got the following result.


As you can see, the speed remained the same as with a direct connection of the provider's cable, which means that the adapter also does not cut the Internet speed.

Secondly, we measured the speed of data exchange between two computers inside local network connected through a router.


As you can see, with each next addition of a wireless link, the data transfer rate between computers, as well as its stability, dropped. Here it was measured in slightly different units - not in megabits, but in megabytes per second. To compare with the first tests, you need to translate the readings using a converter and get the following data on average speed(average):

  • 10 Mbps
  • 8.9 Mbps
  • 4.2 Mbps

In the last test, you can discount the fact that the adapter on the second laptop supported speeds up to 150, but I think this was not critical for end result.