Overall and Final Verdict
The USB-AC56 is certainly one of the quickest ways to gain access to a wireless AC connection. With minimal effort required for both installation and setup it is certainly a great option for both the enthusiast and the relative network layman. All that’s needed is a USB3 connection and you are good to go. The included utilities are easy to use and give you all the functionality you need. With the external antenna attached we were able to still achieve a 4-bar connection at 30 feet through four internal walls meaning you should be able to remain pretty mobile in your own home should it be used in conjunction with a laptop. The fact that the adapter is dual band means you can continue using it in places that don’t have an AC network just yet.
That being said, the major drawback the AC56 adapter has is its size. I previously mentioned the adapter was about four inches in length but when you attach the external antenna the overall length balloons to a shade over ten inches and is something I, personally, would not feel comfortable hanging out the back of my system at all times. The other drawback is that it is of course a USB adapter and thus ultimately limited to USB speed. This isn’t so much a problem with USB3 but ultimately is still going to be slower than a more permanent PCI solution.
You’d probably be hard pressed to find a quicker solution than the USB-AC56 adapter, though. Being a nearly plug-and-play way to access the speed of Wireless AC makes this adapter well worth it and a perfect accessory for laptop users just converting over to the new wireless standard. With support for both PC and MAC, no one gets left out and everyone can enjoy AC speeds for the cost of a USB3 port.
