D-Link DAP-1522

D-Link's DAP-1522 is a wireless bridge: if you have a device that has a wired network connection you can attach it to the DAP-1522 and it will appear on your home wireless network.

That’s good for devices such as games consoles, network hard disks and printers, which have wired but not wireless connections. With the DAP-1522 those devices no longer have to be placed close to your router.

It’s a good way to get around having network cables lying around the place and can link four wired devices to your wireless network. It also doubles up as an access point.

The device can use the latest and fastest 802.11n networks as well as the more widely used 802.11g. There are two ‘wavebands’ used by wireless networks, and in 802.11n mode this device works on both, which can reduce interference to improve the range, although the 802.11g mode can operate only on one of those bands. It supports all the usual network security features so you won’t compromise your network by using this device.

For Windows users, the supplied CD is used to set the DAP-1522 up, while Mac users can simply attach the device to their computers and configure it using the D-Link website. We found that the site was hard to use and so would be tricky for less-advanced users because it requires them to have a good grasp of internet and networking technical terms. D-Link's customer support was helpful, however.

Using the DAP-1522 as a wireless bridge for a games console worked very well: after the initial setup, it was a relief to find that it was easily fast enough to deal with online gaming for recent Xbox 360 titles. We noticed no degradation in quality or speed when we placed the device in a television cabinet next to the console (being obstructed in that way affects some wireless devices).

If you are happy using the older and slower 802.11g wireless network, cheaper alternatives are available, but for those who want a faster experience the D-Link DAP-1522 offers wireless access with high security and good signal quality.

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