802.11ac wireless was introduced at CES 2012. Unfortunately when the devices were launched there were no adapters to support it. This meant that people were buying expensive wireless products without having any way to support the speeds they were capable of. Fortunately at CES 2013 a couple of manufacturers started releasing 802.11ac adapters. However, there are two schools of thought about how to implement these adapters. We will be taking a look at both in the next couple of weeks, but we will kick things off with a look at the USB 2.0 NETGEAR A6200 Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi Adapter. Let’s dive in and take a look.
The Box and Goodies -The box that our A6200 arrived in looked pretty good although there is a little bit more gold on the box that I personally like. NETGEAR does give you a good look at the adapter and a nice comparison chart on the back. If you were looking for something in a package store I am not sure that you would pick this over another product. The white background and gold foil might give the impression that it is well, cheap.
After we get past the box (fairly easy) we find that NETGEAR has dropped in everything you need to get the A6200 working on your computer. NETGEAR even threw in an adapter so that you can put this on your desk or, extend it away from your laptop if you want to. Of course you also get a CD with drivers and utilities, but who is really going to use that.
