As Adaptec's first venture into the wireless networking market, the Adaptec Ultra Wireless Access Point is a decent attempt at an 802.11b access point; we are impressed by its performance. An Adaptec router with a built-in AP is also available at the same price. The Ultra AP gives you the basic entry-level wireless equipment for a wireless network at a low price and with little hassle. But for just a few bucks more, you can get a product with more advanced networking features, such as the Netgear ME102.

Configuration:

AP: Client:
The Ultra AP installed directly to our existing network, obtained an IP address from a DHCP server (though rather sluggishly), and began serving wireless clients immediately. Adaptec's Wireless AP Utility was also easy to install, and it let us configure the IP settings of the AP. For additional configuration tasks, the utility launches a Web-based interface that is fairly straightforward. Its configuration interface is well documented and provides context-sensitive online help.

Management: Security:
An SNMP-based AP utility lets you discover multiple access points deployed on the network and connect to their Web-based management interfaces. Those with more sophisticated networking needs should note that the current version of the Ultra AP does not function as a bridge. Security measures include 128-bit WEP encryption, SSID hiding, and MAC address filtering.

Performance: