TRENDnet Wireless Adapter: Poor Quality and Bad Customer Service

When I began using my laptop more than my office PC, I found myself in need of a reliable wireless adapter to use the Internet in different locations of my house. I have a cable connection that has been about 98 percent reliable over the course of four years.

So I went to my local computer store and noticed that they were holding a special on the TRENDnet TEW-424UB Wireless Adapter. The adapter was normally $19.99 and they were offering a $12 rebate. It was cute and blue, and had a flip top. When I asked the disinterested salesmen (in those kind of stores, you don't really exist unless you are trying to buy a $3,000 television that you don't need) about this particular wireless adapter, he flippantly said, "Yea, I have one at home and it's fine." That is probably their standard answer to someone who is not spending big bucks and dares to "bother" them. Anyway, at $7.99 a pop, I figured hey, why not get two! Then I could hook one up to a third computer which was set up in another room of my house.

So I purchased two TRENDnet adapters at full price ($39.98 plus tax) with the expectation that I would be getting $24 in the mail soon from TRENDnet. I filled out the forms and included copies of the receipt and UPCs in the mailing, just as the rebate offer requested.

The adapters worked fine for about one month and then started acting up. They connected at the distance I needed--about 20 or 30 feet from my router, and through walls.

But then the adapter that I hooked up to the third computer in my house completely conked out after one month. The other one I was using for my laptop started dropping the connection, coming back on, and dropping again around that time. About a month later it stopped working completely. I admit that the second one got bent a little due to my own clumsiness, but the other one was not affected by human interaction in any way, and still malfunctioned. I was angry, because now I had to go back to the computer store and get another brand of wireless adapter and pay more money. But I figured I would just write off the $8 per adapter as a lesson learned that you get what you pay for. Right?