Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Having owned an Alfa AWUS036H, I was hoping the R36 would exhibit the same excellent quality and reliability since they both come from the same company. The feature set and concept behind the R36 plus pairing it with the AWUS036H are just great, but that's just about the only good thing I can say about it. The R36 is quite a big disappointment for me and I don't know how this even passed their quality control or even their usability tests.
First, the R36 won't let you connect to WiFi hotspots with spaces in their SSIDs, such as "My Hotspot" or "WiFi Fo Fum".
Secondly, for some unexplainable reason, the R36 disconnects intermittently. Sometimes it stays connected for hours, but there are times it just disconnects after a few minutes. This doesn't happen when using the other WiFi routers I own that run for weeks or even months non-stop without hiccups.
I'm just hoping that these flaws could be resolved by future firmware updates. If not, this was just a complete waste of time and money.
UPDATE (11/04/2010):
I recently checked Alfa's website for firmware updates and I was elated to see a new R36 firmware released just last 11/02/2010. I immediately downloaded it and updated my R36's firmware and all my complaints above have been resolved. The control panel interface was also updated and reorganized, but the DHCP Clients list doesn't always work. I've been testing wireless connection stability by subjecting it to around 600 simultaneous incoming/outgoing connections, downloading multiple torrents on three laptops.
So far so good. I would give it a 5 star rating once I verify consistent stability for at least a week of continuous use and after Alfa gets to fix all minor interface bugs on the next firmware release.
UPDATE (12/03/2010):
After a month of rigorous use and testing, sadly, the R36 still has connection stability issues. It's a moody device. Sometimes it works fine. Then sometimes connections will intermittently drop, then reconnect. There are times while browsing, you will get broken/unloaded images, or a page would fail to load. You will then have to click on reload/refresh to load the page and images successfully, sometimes you need to do this twice or more. This is just very annoying. A major flaw that requires Alfa's serious consideration and attention.
Secondly, when paired with the AWUS036H, the site survey shows far fewer and weaker hot spots than when using the AWUS036H directly. Latency/ping response is also slightly better with a direct AWUS036H connection by 5ms to 10ms. I really wouldn't mind the small difference if only the R36 could maintain a stable and consistent wireless connection.
UPDATE (01/05/2011): 0 out of 5 stars
As of today, my R36 is dead. No power. No nothing. It's not even 3 months old. This is a complete waste of money. Look for a better router. Don't buy this!
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Alfa R36 802.11 b,g,N Wireless-N 3G USB Mobile Router and AWUS036H Extender - Wide-Coverage WiFi Broadband Router for AWUS036H to Create your very own WiFi Hotspot (or Wireless Bridge / Repeater) with the Signal picked up by the AWUS036H or from any 3G modem including the Fly3G (AWUS036H NOT INCLUDED)This Router connects to the Internet using a hard wired connection or by a wireless mobile USB dongle from a 3G Internet service provider such as AT&T, T-Mobile, ect Designed for true portability This compact router connects to the Internet anywhere there is a 3G mobile connection. You can also capture a long range signal with the AWUS036H high power 1w USB adapter and rebroadcast it as a new WI-FI signal to share with all of you wifi enabled devices.Do you live in an area where Hi-Speed Cable or DSL are not an option? Would you like to create your own Wi-Fi Hotspot anywhere? Alfa introduces its new 3G Modem Router to allow you to get Hi-Speed internet Access anywhere you get a cellular signal. Simply insert your 3G modem USB into the router and you are all set. Features* High Speed Data Rates Providing faster data rates of up to 150Mbps and is compatible with legacy 802.11b/g equipment* Advanced Robust Security - Firewall with SPI to protect the internal host from hacker attacks. Wireless security is comprehensive and included WPA/WPA2 PSK* WDS, Dual SSIDs, Static Routing, QoS and moreSpecifications* Security: Access Control Policy - MAC filter - DMZ Host - SSID Broadcast disable - Wireless MAC address Filtering - WEP Encryption - WPA-/W PA2-PSK (Pre-shared Key) - WPA/W PA2 Enterprise mode (802.1x) - WiFi Protected Setup (WPS)* Shares high speed cable/xDSL Internet connection - Static Routing - VPN Pass through - NATP - 802.11e WMM - IGMP Proxy - Dual SSIDs - T* Dimensions: 93 x 70 x 26mm* Weight: 74gCompatible 3G Modem'sZTE MF622, MF626, MF627, MF628, MG880, AC8710v2, AC2726, AC8710v1Huawei - E180, E219, E160E, E220, E219, E169, E169u, D02, D21, D22, D23, D31, ET128Bandluxe C170DoCoMo A2502SoftBank C01LCSony Erission MD300ASUA T500Sierra 598UEVDOC-MOTECH U300PLEASE UPDATE THE FIRMWARE FROM THE MANUFACTORS WEBSITE BEFORE USING
Click here for more information about Alfa R36 802.11 b,g,N Wireless-N 3G USB Mobile Router and AWUS036H Extender - Wide-Coverage WiFi Broadband Router for AWUS036H to Create your very own WiFi Hotspot (or Wireless Bridge / Repeater) with the Signal picked up by the AWUS036H or from any 3G modem including the Fly3G (AWUS036H NOT INCLUDED)
