Updated 15 Feb, 2012, 6:16 pm IST

Audioengine AW1 Wireless Adapter

28 Mar, 2008, 2:33 pm IST | Siddharth Bhatia | Wi-Fi Routers

Prompt and eager are the mantras for new players in the electronic market. Yes, we received an AW1 unit from Audioengine within three days of its launch. At first glance it looked like a normal USB dongle, which we normally wouldn’t have spent too much time on. On scrutiny, however, we felt this merits a close look after all....

Design and Features
The package has two dongle-shaped adapters, which are actually a sender and receiver for wireless transmission. Each unit has a USB jack at one end and an EP (3.5mm) port at the other. For the sender, this acts as line-in – the sound from your player has to go into the unit, to be sent out wirelessly, and vice versa for the receiver. Both have a glossy black finish, and the size of about 10 x 3 cm makes them a little larger than your usual USB dongle.

The sender has a small clipart-type print of a rocket, while the receiver has a planet illustration on its top face. So the rocket takes off and lands on the planet, carrying all the audio information with it, through, well, Byzantine intergalactic airwaves.

Coming back to Planet Earth, the range is 100 ft, which is good. The protocol is Wi-Fi. I’m assuming 802.11n, which is one of the newer flavors (the specs state 340 Mbps, which is quite high). The frequency of transmission – the familiar 2.4 GHz – should become as significant as the golden mean before long!

Tags: Audioengine , AW1 , USB , Wireless

Would you buy it?

Many of the new motherboards come with USB 3.0 headers, but all of them ship with the necessary expansion bays.

Buffalo launches AirStation WZR-HP-G450H router in India

Iomega launches eGo portable drives for the Mac

Sony KDL-46EX720 3D LED-LCD TV

Asus launches O!Play Mini Plus media player

ASUS Xonar Essence One DAC and amplifier

Silicon Power launches affordable USB 3.0 flash drive - Marvel M01

How We Test

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

Leaked Images, Availability, Pricing,
Specs, Pre-order