BIOS: Technology Means Business

As wireless networking increasingly becomes ubiquitous, more and more people are looking to access the Internet on the go to check e-mail, access corporate networks, share music and pictures, and send and receive documents. The AG-225H (£56.04) is an ideal tool for the road warrior who can't be without Internet access. It would also make a great holiday gift.

ZyXEL's AG-225H Wi-Fi finder is a handy gadget that features a dual-band client adapter and soft access point (AP) for quick and simple on-the-road networking. Perfect for frequent business travellers who rely on public hotspots, the gadget is the only Wi-Fi finder available today that locates 802.11a and 802.11b/g access points in range and provides detailed information like SSID, security, and signal strength. Unfortunately, it offers no Flash-based storage capacity, which would have made it the ultimate travel accessory.

What's so neat about the device is that is has multiple uses. For instance, not only does it let you scan for wireless networks to connect to, but it also lets you turn your laptop into an access point to allow you to share wireless access with others. A built-in antenna even means you don't have to worry about additional bulk or bits dropping off. The soft access point feature makes the AG-225H ideal for improvised conference and meeting rooms in hotels where there is one wired network connection but multiple users. The device also offers 64-bit, 128-bit and 256-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) data encryption for network security, and supports IEEE802.1x, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2.

Using the AG-225H really couldn't be any simpler, although a backlit LCD would have been greatly appreciated. After powering on the device by moving the dedicated On/Off switch, it then automatically detects the available wireless networks in around 6 to 7 seconds. Once it has searched the display shows site survey information including SSID, channel, signal strength, wireless network protocol (802.11a/b/g), and the type of wireless security/encryption (WEP or WPA).

If it fails to find a network, you can press the dedicated Seek button to rescan. You can also press the Next button to see if there are any more available access points. Another neat feature is that you can set the device to scan for all Wi-Fi networks, or only those determined 'free hotspots' due to their lack of security settings. If there is a wireless network present but it's protected, the AG-225H will report 'No service'. This is a useful timesaving feature that will prevent you from unsuccessfully trying to access a private network. Finally, you can set the device to connect to a specific access point and lock onto it.

You can set the AG-225H to operate in either wireless station or access point modes. In wireless station mode, the AG-225H must connect to a peer wireless station or an access point to take part in a wireless network. In access point mode, the gizmo allows you to set up your wireless network without using a dedicated access point device. Up to 15 wireless stations can associate to the device to form a wireless network.

Using the supplied software, the AG-225H provides various transmission (data) rate options for you to select. Options include Fully Auto and 1- to 54Mbit/s. In most networking scenarios, the factory default Fully Auto setting proves the most efficient. This setting allows the AG-225H to operate at the maximum transmission rate. When the communication quality drops below a certain level, the device automatically switches to a lower data rate. Transmission at lower data speeds is usually more reliable. However, when the communication quality improves again, the AG-225H gradually increases the transmission rate again until it reaches the highest available transmission rate.

Wireless LAN works in either of the two modes: ad-hoc and infrastructure. To connect to a wired network within a coverage area using access points, the AG-225H can be set to Infrastructure (BSS). An access point then acts as a bridge between the wireless stations and the wired network. In case you do not wish to connect to a wired network, but prefer to set up a small independent wireless workgroup without an access point, you can use the Ad-hoc (IBSS) (Independent Basic Service Set) mode.

When the device is not used for 1 minute, it enters into a power-saving mode until you push the Seek button again to search for access points. When the low power icon appears on the LCD screen, you need to connect the device to you computer's USB port in order to recharge it. To save power however, you can of course just switch the AG-225H off.

As a USB 2.0 Wi-Fi adapter, the AG-225H detector worked perfectly well in our tests. The software installation was without a hitch, unlike many other adapters, and the configuration software made it easy to set up profiles for WEP, WPA Personal, and WPA2 Personal network encryption (buttons exist but are greyed out for authentication options for enterprises). [8.5]