New Alfa AWUS036H retail boxes coming soon

The retail box for the AWUS036H wireless USB adapter from Alfa Networks will soon be getting a makeover. Other models such as the AWUS036NH and AWUS036NEH will also be getting new boxes.

The new box is white in color and has a plastic window on the front and back that allows you to see the actual product. The USB adapter has the anti-counterfeit sticker on the back side but the retail box no longer does. This is because you can see the sticker on the back of the Alfa unit thanks to the plastic window on the back side of the retail box. We do not have a precise date on when the new box units will ship- it depends on when our current stock is sold- but we estimate early June 2010.

Would a new ebook reader be DOA?

You may have heard of Acer, but you may not have known the company is the #2 maker of laptops and netbooks. Acer bought Gateway and eMachines several years ago, and they have also carved out a nice share of the netbook market.

They have announced plans for a new eBook reader to launch sometime this fall. They are entering a field dominated by Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. Oh yeah, and then there’s the iPad.

Acer’s goal is to become the number one maker of “tweener” devices, which are devices in between smartphones and netbooks. But is there much of a point in introducing a new e-reader, or would that be similar to a company launching a new word processor for Windows?

Alfa AWUS036H, AWUS036NH, and AWUS036NEH anti-counterfeit hologram stickers

Effective immediately all Alfa model AWUS036H, AWUS036NH, and AWUS036NEH model wireless USB adapters have a new anti-counterfeit hologram sticker on them from factory. See this video for more details.

If you have purchased a unit after this date from any retailer and it does not have this hologram, be sure to contact Alfa (www.alfa.com.tw) with your serial number and MAC address to confirm that it is genuine. Some retailers may still be clearing out non-hologram stock in early April, but most retailers, including Rokland, will be shipping only the hologram stickered units.

Rokland.com now offers US Postal Priority Mail shipping

We know in these tough economic times everyone is looking for ways to save money. While our web site has always offered actual UPS Ground rates with no markup, we were aware that especially in rural regions, standard shipping charges for a small order could exceed $10.00.

We heard your suggestions, and integrated US Postal Priority Mail shipping into our web site. For many single item purchases shipping will be just $5.00 for this service, which (according to the US Postal Service) averages 2-3 mailing days.

We did not make any changes to our UPS offerings, so you can still select UPS Ground, which may be more cost effective on larger orders. UPS 3 Day, 2 Day, and Next Day Air options are also still available.

You can choose any of these shipping options during the checkout process. To get a shipping quote for your order, unlike many web sites you do not first have to create an account or login. All you need to do is add the items you want to the cart, click the Checkout button, and then select your state and zip code from the drop down menu to see what the shipping charges will be if you opt to proceed with the checkout process.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about US Postal Priority Mail shipping:

1. Priority Mail will only be available for US purchases.
2. Priority Mail averages 2-3 mailing days to many locations in the US, but this is not a guaranteed time frame, it can take longer than this.
3. Priority Mail tracking service gets one scan at the time of shipment, and a second at the time of delivery. Sometimes it may get scans in between, but usually not. UPS tracking is point-to-point which means it will generally get multiple scans during transit and also provides you with an estimated delivery date the same day the package is shipped, whereas Priority Mail does not.

How to install your 2Wire wireless USB adapter in Windows 7 (legacy and current)

If you have a 2Wire 802.11g USB adapter, legacy or current, you can use it on Windows 7.

First you need to identify whether you have a legacy or current adapter, and then you need to find out if you have Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit. The great people at 2Wire have put together a support page that not only shows you how to do both of these things, but also provides you with screen shots showing you how to complete driver installation on your Windows 7 system.

A haiku about the importance of buying your Alfa products from an authorized Alfa reseller

If your Alfa breaks,
Alfa Networks will honor
the year warranty.

Adverse weather condition notice

We have been getting calls and emails from buyers this week who have had packages delayed due to adverse weather conditions. In some cases, these buyers are located in places that have not experienced bad weather.

Weather problems such as severe snow storms may cause delays in transit even to parts of the country and world that are not being directly impacted by bad weather. There may be a snow storm occurring at some point in between your location and ours. If the package was shipped outside of the USA, especially to our friends in Canada, weather conditions can cause backlogs at Customs clearance centers, adding additional time to the transit period.

We do encourage anyone with questions about their shipment to contact us via our support page at Rokland.com. But please remember that unfortunately we have no control over delays caused by weather conditions and we do appreciate your patience in allowing extra time for packages to arrive.

Adjust output power settings for the Alfa AWUS036H 1000mW wireless USB adapter

Editor's note on March 31, 2010: Alfa has pulled the power control driver's from their web site and the explanation is the drivers had some issues the regular drivers did not have. The recommendation is to switch over to the regular drivers available at their web site, Alfa.com.tw.

If you own the 1 watt version of the Alfa AWUS036H wireless USB adapter (came on the market in November 2009), you can now manually adjust the output power in Windows thanks to a new power control utility released by Alfa Networks.

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to download the power control software utility program for your version of Windows. Then use this chart to determine how to set the power.

According to Alfa, the default setting is 100% power. You can opt to set it to a lower power if you are within close range of the access point and do not need the device operating at full output power.

Alfa AWUS036NH and AWUS036NEH long range 802.11n wireless USB adapters now in stock

New this month are two long range 802.11n wireless networking products from Alfa Networks, a name many know because of their popular AWUS036H model high powered 802.11g wireless product.

With the AWUS036NH, Alfa brings high output power and great receive sensitivity to wireless-N network.

The AWUS036NH comes in a palm style form factor just like the AWUS036H wireless-G model. It features a Ralink chipset. It is a single band 150 mbps 802.11n product.

For those on a budget, Alfa brings us the AWUS036NEH which also has high output power, though not as high as the AWUS036NH. It comes in a smaller form factor and connects directly to the USB port on your computer.

For those planning to upgrade their networks to 802.11n standard this year, give the Alfa models a serious look. You won't be disappointed. Please see the item description of each product on our web page for more details and specifications.

Beware of fake/phony Alfa products

In the past month we have confirmed with Alfa the removal of five online marketplace listings that were for fake Alfa AWUS036H wireless USB adapters. Some of those had in excess of fifty sales. A phony Alfa adapter is not like a pirated song or movie. A fake Alfa product only looks very similar on the outside. On the inside the hardware is inferior, the performance is sub-par, and there is no warranty from Alfa. Here are some tips to help ensure you are buying a genuine Alfa product, and to help keep the market clear of pirated products.

1. Always be sure to purchase from an authorized reseller of Alfa products. Authorized resellers have passed a multi-faceted test with Alfa to ensure they give the best customer service and support, and it also confirms they buy the products directly from Alfa to ensure they are 100% genuine. Alfa will be launching a reseller verification page very soon, but in the meantime you can confirm if a seller is authorized by contacting Alfa directly via their web site (http://www.alfa.com.tw).

2. Be cautious of killer deals. If it is too good to be true, it probably is. All of the removed listings mentioned in paragraph one were selling well below the regular market price. Sellers of pirated items can sell them very cheap because they are not quality items and cost very little to make.

3. If you are buying for resale, check to make sure the distributor you are buying from is an authorized reseller, or obtained them from an authorized reseller. A proportion of pirated sales comes from reputable and honest online shops who did not investigate their purchasing source.

4. When in doubt, contact Alfa directly with a link to the advertisement or web page of the seller. If you have already received a product and want to make sure it is genuine, email Alfa with the name of the place where you purchased the item, the date of the sale, the serial number, and MAC address of the item you received.

When fake items are sold, we all pay the penalty. Reputable businesses lose sales, Alfa loses sales (which means less money to invest in developing more great products), and perhaps most importantly, the people who unknowingly buy the fake units get an item of inferior quality and performance.