| Hawking HWU8DD Hi-Gain USB Wireless-G Dish Adapter |
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Model: HWU8DD
Brand: Hawking Technology
Manufacturer: Hawking Technology
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 70
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Designed to connect your desktop computer or laptop easily to any Wireless-B or Wireless-G network via a USB connection
Hawking's award winning Hi-Gain Antenna technology extends wireless connection distances by up to 300%.
Equipped with a new 8dBi Directional Dish antenna that provides more distance and better speeds than other wireless adapters on the market
The only wireless adapter to integrate the distance benefits of wireless Dish Technology with WiFi networking
The built-in LED signal strength indicators provide network signal information to pinpoint the strongest signal available within your area |
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| Description: |
| The HWU8DD is designed to connect your desktop computer or laptop easily to any Wireless-B or Wireless-G network via a USB connection. Hawking's award winning Hi-Gain Antenna technology extends wireless connection distances by up to 300%. The HWU8DD is equipped with a new 8dBi Directional Dish antenna that provides more distance and better speeds than other wireless adapters on the market. The Hi-Gain Wireless-G Dish Adapter is the only wireless adapter to integrate the distance benefits of wireless Dish Technology with WiFi networking. The built-in LED signal strength indicators provide network signal information to pinpoint the strongest signal available within your area. |
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| User Reviews (70 total): |
Page 1 2 3 4 of Total 4 Pages
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Not for Windows Vista, July 26, 2008
By user (Alpine, TX)
The software included is for XP. A note included with it gave a website for software. Instructions in writing and on-line are opposite. I contacted customer service and was given a different website address.....MAJOR hassle!! Doesn't seem to work at all with encripted sites. I really wish I hadn't......
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powerful reception and transmission - the best yet!, July 17, 2008
By user (Chicago, IL, USA)
One quick note before I share with you my real world before and after test results. If you are using Vista then you need to visit their web site to download the vista driver, but and here is the important point don't download the driver that says HWU8DD in the list. Despite the manual shipping with the product listing the product model as HWU8DD it is actually HWU8DD rev B. So be sure to download the second driver, HWU8DD rev B. or else Vista will report that it can't find the driver when you specify the exact folder.
Now on to my test results. Before I was running the Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G USB Adapter and it was frequently dropping connection throughout the day(others report same problem), this despite the excellent signal strenth and lack of interference. So I decided to switch to the Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless-G USB Dish Adapter and it provides much more stability and signal strength than the linksys adapter. My results of the test are below.
Real world signal strengths - 2 competing brands
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5 - excellent strength; 1 - poor strength
*actual SSID network names have been anonymized
Linksys - Hawking - Network
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5 - 5 - WAP1 (my network)
4 - 4 - WAP2
2 - 4 - WAP3
2 - 3 - WAP4
1 - 4 - WAP5
1 - 2 - WAP6
1 - 3 - WAP7
1 - 3 - WAP8
1 - 3 - WAP9
1 - 2 - WAP10
1 - 3 - WAP11
0 - 2 - WAP12
0 - 2 - WAP13
As you can see from the above table, the hawking adapter had double, triple, and even in some cases quadruple the signal strength than the competing linksys adapter. And to top it off it also was able to pull in 2 additional networks that linksys didn't even see due to poor signal strength.
I'm really happy with the performance on this product. I'll provide an updated review in a few weeks so that I get more time to test the hawking card.
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Free Internet Can't Be Beat!, June 30, 2008
By user (Lafayette, IN USA)
I recently moved downtown and discovered that there was free WiFi internet at a few of the local government buildings. My computer--a relatively new laptop--could pick up the signal, but the signal strength never got higher than 14%--and sometimes the signal couldn't be picked up at all--and my computer HAD to be in the perfect position.
I purchased the Hawking little satellite and viola! The signal never drops below 37% and is as high as 64%, both of which allow for fast surfing. I'm not sure why it fluctuates, but I don't notice a difference. The signal average is about 50% strength, which is almost 4 times higher than what I was getting without it (and that was on the best days!).
The only thing I found that I need to do is unplug the dish from the USB slot about once a day. The internet slowed down to dial-up speeds (even though the Wifi signal was strong) and so I simply unplugged the dish for about 5 seconds and when I plugged it back in, it was back to broadband speeds. This isn't that big of a deal because I had to unplug my Linksys router once a day.
For the price of two months of Comcast internet, you can buy this dish and then never pay for internet again!
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Does what it says...Says what it does., June 28, 2008
By user (FL)
Great little antenna. Expected to be bigger. It's only about 3" in diameter. Easy install for the SW. No complaints whatsoever.
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Not bad but not great, June 24, 2008
By user (omaha, ne usa)
This antenna is probably a shy better then a laptop wireless adapter I am waiting for a usb extension cable to see if that helps because i am using it for my desktop computer that is in my basement I did try this upstairs on another computer and i was able to see about 3 more networks than my laptop was able to detect in my neighborhood so that was good I would give this adapter a 4 star rating if it was weather proof so i could set it out side my basement window and see what kind of hotspots i could pick up. As far as the software goes it is not that bad it tells you what you need to know to adjust the dish and compensate the direction. I have found that you can get online with only a 15% signal anything below that will not work. Also the dish base is about the size of a cd and the dish itself is about half an inch wider than a gamecube game disk ie: mini disk. So its not to clunky to have around. All in all it serves my purposes fine for now. I would recommend buying this but make sure you get a usb extension cable just in case.
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Disappointing results, June 17, 2008
By user
One thing that was never conveyed by the manufacturer on this product is that if you have any obstructions (e.g. trees) to the signal you can't get proper reception. Since there are a LOT of trees here (North Carolina) I can't pick up a signal strong enough to get online. I tried buying longer cables and still no luck. Disappointed isn't the half of it.
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Trippled my wifi Signal, and it works with linux, June 7, 2008
By user
My connection from my outside table was 17% and now it in between 40-70%. I highly recomend this product.
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Better than the best!, May 20, 2008
By user (Phila, PA)
This adapter is awesome better than anything i had. It reached a signal that i used to get one bar and now i get two bar. One bad thing is that it takes drew too much power from the computer so i can not use other accessories while i am using the wireless but thats only for me because i have 10 other things running at the same time. I recommend everyone give this one a try...
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This thing actually works!, May 8, 2008
By user (New York, NY)
So I was a little bit skeptical that this would improve signal receptivity (thought you could only boost range from the source of the wireless transmission), but thought I would give it a try before calling the local cable company to shell out $50 a month. Even the guy at the local Best Buy told me that these things don't work and it would be a waste of time, but I figured I would give it a shot (and see for myself), and that in the worst case I could always return it (so little downside risk). Well as others have mentioned, it surprisingly picked up lots of other signals that my internal laptop card could not previously see. Needless to say, I no longer need to call the cable company as this pays for itself in less than 2 months! Note: For Vista users, you have to download the drivers from their website (don't use the included CD)...for some reason the signal meter on the unit doesn't seem to work (it always shows full signal strength regardless if it's connected or not) but the unit still works. Very satisfied and recommend you to try it before paying for Internet service!
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hawking hwu8dd wireless dish adapter, May 8, 2008
By user
I received a good connection but a little trouble getting it working on
the vista platform.
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Excellent Product!, May 1, 2008
By user (Portland, OR USA)
I live in SE Portland in an area where the city provides free Wi-Fi, but have never been able to get a signal while sitting outside (it's been equally hopeless inside). I haven't been able to access the network on either the Dell or Mac notebooks that I have.
I hooked this little dish up to my desktop inside my apartment and it picks up the signal for the network that I was looking for with no problem... along with a lot of other networks. It's well worth the initial purchase price considering I won't have to pay Comcast or Qwest for access to the internet every month!
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Definite Improvement in my WiFi !, April 9, 2008
By user (San Francisco, CA)
Definitely increased the amount of networks I pick up. I usually connected to about 3-5 networks and now I the option of connecting to over 13 !!!! The only downside to this product, is that its very fragile. I recommend securing it.
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Works great but only for extending range, April 3, 2008
By user (Trinidad,Carribean)
Only until now I truly see the real worth of this device.I purchased this item to pick up signals that were around my neighbourhood but realised that it gave the same performance as my built-in labtop wireless networking.But I just decided to use it to push out signals or extend a wireless connection from a friend and it really does extend your wireless range 300% or even more as they claim...So I must say it does what it is really intended to do.It pushes out signals better than it receives.But don't expect to use this device to pick up poor signals or get stronger signal quality from existing wireless networks.If the network or access point you are trying to connect to is in your line of sight u may be happy with it.IF not it may function just as your ordinary built-in wireless on your labtop or any other device that does the same job...I may be wrong but that is my opinion on what this device is capable of doing.But I must say it really works and does it's job as hawking said it delivers.
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Not so good on Vista, March 13, 2008
By user (Minnesota, USA)
I've used the Hawking HWU8dd on a computer with XP for about a year and it works very well. I suspect that most of the people who found it ineffective failed to disable an existing wireless adapter in their computers. It's fragile but I transport it in the original container which has very good foam protection. You could drop it off a building without damaging it.
On Vista, however, the adapter works fine once you download the Vista drivers from the Hawking web site BUT, the Hawking software that shows you the available connections is nowhere to be found and the blue bars on the unit that indicate signal strength never show more than one bar even if you're on top of the WiFi antenna.
I e-mailed Hawking about this but never got a reply.
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Honest Opinion from a Pro Website Designer, February 25, 2008
By user (Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States)
The Hawking Hi-Gain dish is a lifesaver. I spent a great deal of time researching wifi antennas, settled on this one, and couldn't be happier with my investment.
I recently discovered that my phone company couldn't continue providing my DSL service at the location of my new office due to wiring issues. The PCs in my office could only pick up a very faint signal from a local hot spot, but it was too weak to upload projects, and would only stay connected 30% of the time. A web design firm with no real internet connection is dead in the water, things looked bad.
I ordered the Hi-Gain dish, installing the software was a breeze, and the dish didn't seem as fragile as how some reviewers made it out to be. After a minute of positioning the dish, I encountered that same hot spot signal, but screaming in at 90% link quality. Now I'm surfing, downloading and uploading files at the same speed I was with AT&T's DSL service. I couldn't be happier about the dish, I'm ordering several more for the other PCs in my office. It's a great investment, easily worth twice what I paid for it.
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Wow!, February 20, 2008
By user (White Lake, MI)
Main internet cable (Comcast) connection is on main floor (colonial home), we can easily get very good wireless connections from anywhere inside or outside the home, EXCEPT the basement, where it is dismal at best, (1.0 at its' worst up to 18 mbps at its' best). After reading recommendations & reviews, I purchased the Hawkins HWU8DD, expecting a half-way decent connection, at least good enough for the kids casual surfing. Was I wrong. The connection went all the way to 54.0 mbps. FYI: The main cable internet line goes through a computer with Vista and the one I hooked up the Hawkings to runs on XP. Set up was virtually painless and completed in less than 5 minutes. I am so impressed!
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wifi on crack!, January 21, 2008
By user
i work with the military and sometimes im not able to get a land line where i stay but with this product im able to pick up signals from buildings as far away as 300-400 feet!!
if you travel alot and can never get a good signal at a hotel or something, i would highly recommend this =)
right now im accually using internet from a training school down the street. im about 250 feet away from it and im recieving 3-4 bars!!!
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Doesn't work as it should be.., January 4, 2008
By user
It took me over an hour to set up because there wasn't any specific direction to help me set up. I use Vista and over 3 year old manual doesn't mention anything. (though, the box says it supports)
When I finally figured out and set up. It didn't really work better than my integrated laptop WLAN.
It shows connections with more bars but i had hard time connecting and even after the successful connection, speed was slower than before.
I'm returning the item tomorrow.
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Good, not quite there yet., December 24, 2007
By user
I think this is a good product but not quite there yet. Since, I am by myself, it is expensive for me to get an internet. So I tried this prodcut. I catch some signal from around my neighborhood. But the thing is every one uses internet security wep. Only one provider I can catch, but far I guess, not a good signal. Overall, it works well.
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RV park signal, December 20, 2007
By user (Oak Harbor, WA USA)
Before purchasing this device we had a weak WI-FI signal using a D-link airport card. With the Hawking Hi-Gain USB Wireless-G dish adapter our signal strength was much improved and more reliable.
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