MvixUSA Solido USB WiFi adapter finds signals a county away, makes you look super important
By Darren Murph 
posted February 25th 2010 3:12AM
posted February 25th 2010 3:12AM
Or tremendously dorky, either one. MvixUSA's newest WiFi adapter / range extender is a dramatic departure from its oh-so-minuscule Nubbin, though we're told that the downright gaudy 5dbi antenna provides more wireless range than you ever thought possible. Put simply, this 802.11n adapter takes advantage of MIMO technology, promising throughput up to 300Mbps and forcing you to look as if you're pinging a satellite just south of Jupiter rather than reaching for that Starbucks router eight blocks over. The good news is that it's only $34.99, and amazingly, it might just be less heinous than the Wi-Fire. Shocking, we know. MvixUSA Launches Mvix Solido Wireless-N USB Adapter with 5dbi Antenna
Chantilly, VA. February 23, 2010: MvixUSA, a market leader in HD entertainment, business signage solutions and networked accessible storage devices, announces the launch of Mvix Solido, a revolutionary wireless-N USB adapter with 300 mbps data throughput and much higher range.
Mvix Solido Wireless-N Adapter uses the latest wireless networking technology, IEEE 802.11n. By superimposing multiple transmission signals, Wireless-N's MIMO technology provides a significantly high data throughput (upto 300Mbps). Unlike traditional wireless networking technologies that can suffer interference, MIMO increases the range and reduces "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. The robust "N" signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 4 times farther than the traditional adapters.
"Solido is our latest marvel for making wireless media streaming a reality. After a thundering success of our award-winning WiFi N adapter Nubbin, we further improved on the wireless-N technology and the results are phenomenal. It is not only an "must-have" add-on for our range of high definition media streamers like Ultio, it's a must for high speed home or office wireless networks." - commented Mike Mallon, the VP of business development at Mvix.
Mvix Solido comes pre-equipped with the popular 5dbi antenna architecture. The 5dbi antenna provides an enhanced and stable reception of the wireless signal allowing faster, more reliable signal at a greater distance from a Wifi Router. The tilt-adjustable head lets one fine tune the reception and provides a signal so strong, it eliminates any hiccups from high definition media streaming.
Mike further elaborated, "Mvix Solido brings incredible speed of Wireless-N to media-centric applications like streaming HD video, audio, gaming, etc. It provides a stable platform to run multiple media-intense streams across your network simultaneously. We are delighted to introduce this much-awaited product - which is a true plug and play WiFi-N adapter for our Mvix Ultio and Mvix Ultio Pro models." Mvix Solido is being launched at an aggressively competitive price of $34.99 making it an extremely affordable accessory to Ultio / Ultio Pro Media Centers. It is also compatible with Windows, Mac OS and Linux. Solido is ready for shipping immediately.
For more information, visit www.mvixusa.com/product/solido be less henious than the Wi-Fire.
So I won't need my Pringle can after all?
Ooh
@Vaio
I wouldn't try it unless their signal is month or better
Imagine using that on a cell phone and using voIP everywhere! Anyone? Just me?
Wait... so what's the range of this thing? Like how many miles?
@mtnDewFTW I checked their store, and they say 300M (~984 ft), but I bet YMMV depending on obstructions.
Not sure how a 5dbi antenna is markedly better than the standard fare...but whatever. Does Starbucks actually use 802.11n?
@gerrrg
wifi N adapters are backwards compatible, so it can pick up G just fine
Any idea what chipset this uses? Their spec sheet isn't really forthcoming.
@gadgetgod
If it has N, I doubt it does packet injection or will work with Kismet.
This wont work with my PS3 will it?
Hmm, linux drivers. Wonder if the specs of
Transmit: around 380mA
Receiver: around 250mA
Mean it uses more than 500mA at any one time, the max some devices can output on a single USB port. If not, I'm definitely considering one to boost the range of some devices.
Hmm, MIMO by its very definition requires multiple antennas - typically 3 to get those advertised 300MBps raw data rate - that are spatially separated from each other, hence the hideously ugly routers we've seen from various brands.
I guess the other two antennas on this thing must be hidden somewhere in the marketing bs...
@pnuding I was thinking the same thing.
"There go my nipples again."
I have one of those on my old Sony cordless telephone.
I could just break the antenna off and glue it to a USB port.
Same thing right?
Edimax have been doing something similar for over a year.
size matters
I foresee a relapse of my packet sniffing habit.
@pnuding It's possible. You can print a perfectly good antenna on a circuit board. Most wifi devices do that these days.... but if you're going to do a 5dbi you DO still need a few square inches of space for the antenna traces. There's no way the tiny board in this thing has one.
FYI, you don't need multiple antennas for 802.11n HT rates, just for MIMO (which helps to achieve those rates, but isn't required.)
As for big ugly MIMO routers... really? Cisco and Netgear do all internal antennas these days. Netgear seems to do it better... The WNDR3700 has lived up to the hype in multiple tests.
Just ordered one on amazon. Headed to the Galapagos Islands in 2 weeks with limited if any WiFI signals in the immediate area, I'll post and let everyone know my experience.
I wish it had a circulsar dish attached to a cable so when i connect it it looks like my own sat terminal.
Wanted it for my macbook pro which so conveniently is covered in non-wifi friendly aluminum...oh well.
HAH! This has nothing on my Alfa AWUS036H!
1000mw (Advertised power, more like 500mw though) with a 5dbi antenna inside a pringles can....I can easily hit 5 miles away, if it's direct line of sight.
Looks like shipping is free, even to Canada. Nice.
The allowed FCC Part 15 power in this band is 1 Watt conducted and 4 Watts radiated (EIRP) with omnidirectional antennas (one can use a patch or directional antenna and trasmit more, using a 4x1 backup formula). If they can transmit 1 W (1000 mW), that's 30 dBm + 5 dBi antenna = 35 dBm (or 3.16 W), which is still under the allowed 4 W limit, meaning you can get a bit more gain.
Will this work with my ps3, Xbox 360, and popcorn hour?
This will be perfect for my dorm! Normally you have to go to the lounge to get wireless. If you want internet in the room, you have to use the wall jack, and that is rate limited t 2GB per day, but not the wireless!!!!
Get 3 of these and use the antennas to increase the range on your router??
capable of packet injection?
Just Curious