N150 Nano Size USB Wi-Fi Adapter

The TP-Link USB WiFi Adapter (TL-WN725N) is an absolute lifesaver for older laptops without built-in WiFi capability. This tiny yet powerful network adapter has truly transformed my older laptop into a modern and fully connected device, and I can't praise it enough. First and foremost, the ease of installation is a standout feature. It's a simple plug-and-play solution; just plug it into a USB port, install the necessary drivers (which are readily available on the TP-Link website), and you're ready to connect to WiFi networks. It's a hassle-free setup process that even those with limited technical expertise can handle. The compact design of this WiFi adapter is perfect for laptops, especially older ones with limited USB ports. It doesn't protrude from the USB port, so you can leave it plugged in without worrying about it getting in the way or being accidentally knocked off. The N150 wireless technology may not be the fastest, but it provides a reliable and stable connection for everyday internet use. Whether I'm browsing the web, streaming videos, or checking emails, this adapter performs admirably. It's a great solution for basic internet needs. Moreover, the TP-Link brand is known for its quality and reliability, and this WiFi adapter lives up to that reputation. I have peace of mind knowing that my connection is in good hands. The TP-Link USB WiFi Adapter (TL-WN725N) is a fantastic and cost-effective solution for older laptops lacking WiFi capabilities. Its easy installation, compact design, and reliable performance make it an invaluable accessory for those looking to breathe new life into their older laptops. Whether you're a student, professional, or simply someone who wants to stay connected, this WiFi adapter has got you covered. Highly recommended!

I use this in an industrial setting when I need to connect a computer to the internet via WiFi. The computers do not have on-board WiFi capabilities. I just pop this into a USB port and I have WiFi access in about 30-60 seconds. The dongle doesn't do a lot of heavy work, just connecting to a few websites to activate various programs. I don't download or upload any data. For this type of activity, it works great. The only issue I have encountered is that the computers have metal cases which interfere with the WiFi signal for this low profile dongle. I also purchased a 1 foot USB extension cord. With the dongle plugged into the cord, the problem goes away.

I got this because of it's size. Most wireless adapters are so huge and I've never understood it, personally, as I assumed it was possible to make smaller antennae these days for WiFi. In any case, I needed an external adapter because my laptops internal wifi was on the fritz (more on that later). It works like a charm so far. I will update this review if I have problems, but installation was a cinch. Just installed the software, plugged in the thingy, and boom. Amazing reception and, surprisingly enough, my average download speeds have gone up by 2mbps (I used to get about 8-9mbps depending, now I get 10-11). It has better range than my older full-size adapter too. So, no issues so far. It's worth mentioning, though, that the reason I had to purchase this was because my laptop has an Atheros modem in it. I'm sure many of you out there have run afoul of these wireless adapters. For some people, they work fine for years with no issues, but then for some people they constantly drop connection, go much slower than they should, have terrible range, or basically just become such a problem you have to stop using the internal wifi. So, if any of you are curious why, I eventually found out why: Atheros wireless cards have a glitch that, for some reason, has never been fixed whereby they attempt to turn on their own signal diversity system by piggybacking onto your computer's bluetooth antenna which it thinks is another wifi receiver Needless to say, a wifi connection cannot piggyback onto a bluetooth connection, so it crashes the modem or will cause major connectivity issues. For some people, turning on their bluetooth and leaving it on will stop this, but for most, it still doesn't stop the glitch, so the only permanent solution is to literally sever the physical connection inside your computer between the bluetooth antenna and the frame which means no more bluetooth. So if you ever wondered what was up with your Atheros modem, there it is.

worked perfectly until it started overheating a few months later.

Works well, good range.

I have been working with Linux, many different flavors for years on PCs, both desktops & Laptops without very few issues. However that has not been the case with Apple products running Linux. I have an older MacBook Pro that was useless with the current Apple OS. It was so slow and crashed so often it was no longer usable. I had tried Linux in the past but fought with the notorious over heating and no air card support by Linux OS, all of them. Many Linux forms which I have come to the conclusion have very limited knowledge with Apple products running Linux come up with many complex, costly trial and error suggestions none of which I have ever had success with. I finally settled after trying many flavors of Linux on Mint Mate as its the only OS other than Manjaro (which resembles something one would find on a child's first computer) both of which solve the over heating issue. Both of these OS had the failure to work with the onboard Apple air card, thus to have online access one had to physically plug in a LAN connection, a real pain with a laptop! This very small USB WIFI adapter did the trick, it.s very small and hardly noticeable on my MacBook Pro. Best of all works flawlessly without doing anything other than plug it in and it works! No Computer programming degree needed! If you have an old MacBook Pro you want more useful life out of than get this USB WIFI adapter and install Linux Mint Mate (to replace the slow Apple OS) which is a free OS and you will be very pleased indeed!

It’s a really small but sturdy USB stick that just barely pokes out of the back of my PC, which is an old Lenovo M920s small form factor computer that didn’t bring a WiFi card. It doesn’t support Bluetooth, which was expected since it’s not mentioned anywhere. I’ve only used it a bit so far in order to run updates on my PC, so I can’t really talk too much about it, but it seems to have a strong enough WiFi connection - it hasn’t disconnected randomly or anything yet. For the drivers, it brought a CD disk you can use. However, the instructions also give you a website to go to in order to look them up. It seemed to be well organized and it was easy to find the drivers just by looking up the model of this USB stick. It was just a matter of downloading the drivers on my phone and passing the files onto another USB stick to then plug into my PC. It really only took like 5 minutes.

short version: the RMA process makes you waste hours talking with an incompetent support agent so you'll give up. I bet this review gets the same cut/paste "check your drivers" reply as all the other bad reviews. If we knew when we started trying to get an RMA how many hours we'd waste, I would have just bought one from Plugable and thrown the tp-link one out. long version: The wireless card in my wife's Surface Pro 3 died, so I bought this to replace it because of the 2 year warranty. However after a year and a half, it would only work half the time. No software or driver changes were made, not a single other device in the house has issues, there's been no interference from the neighbors, and our router has always been insanely reliable; this was definitely a hardware issue with the product. She borrowed another wifi dongle so she could get online to chat with a support rep about getting a replacement, but the rep kept wanting to re-do diagnostics that were already done, and couldn't understand that if she unplugged the working borrowed dongle to put back the failing TP-Link one they'd be disconnected (a Surface Pro only has 1 USB port), nor could the rep understand it wasn't a driver issue. She was forced to disconnect and start a new chat later from her phone (obviously much harder to type on). The chat agents kept asking questions that she already had to answer in the form to start a chat, so clearly the support company can't even set up their own software correctly. The support agent was also extremely slow to respond, didn't always use clear English, and frequently transferred her. Eventually they insisted on being sent a picture of the computer, but the chat program didn't actually have an option to send pictures. After being told this, the chat agent took several minutes to respond with a picture pointing to a button that doesn't exist saying "use this to send pictures". After being informed (again) that no such button existed, agent sent the exact same picture. The most insulting part is the agent kept saying "I understand..." when clearly they didn't. Finally we got them to let us list all the troubleshooting steps that proved this product was defective, then they forced us to try various increasingly silly ways to "fix" the issue, all clearly indicating that the agent didn't actually understand networking diagnostic (I am a web programmer who's been building and maintaining my own computers for over a decade, trust me when I say these steps were absolutely unnecessary for proving that the product was defective) The support agent was regularly so slow to respond (more than 5 minutes, sometimes more than 10) that WE got a message saying we'd be disconnected if we didn't reply (while waiting for the agent to answer the last thing we said). Over an hour of slow replies later, the agent starts again asking for photos and things that we already stated we tried and we had to give up and disconnect. No matter how many times we said "we already tried that, as I told you" they just kept asking the same questions. Total time wasted so far was about 4 hours. A few hours later they finally agreed to do an RMA but they refuse to pay shipping on the defective part or let us throw it out, so we have to spend almost as much as it would cost to buy a new one just to send the broken one back. At this point we regret ever trying to get them to honor the warranty because of how much time it wasted, but also figured we might as well finish the process up so we at least get the replacement part for all our hassle. after mailing the defective one, we finally got a replacement a couple weeks later. SO far that's been in use for a little over a month, we'll see how long it lasts. Next time I'll buy from Plugable instead, as they state their support is based in Seattle and from what I've read they don't hassle customers nearly as much about replacement of a defective product. I will never buy a product from TP-Link again, unless perhaps a more skilled support agent sees this review, profusely apologizes, and sends out a more reliable model to compensate us for all the lost time. I'm guessing the reply my review will actually get is the same cut & paste "check your drivers, sometimes interference happens, our support team would love to hear from you" response as the other bad reviews.