Connecting Wired-Only Devices to Wi-FiUpdated 2 months ago
5S® tenant Wi-Fi networks
- Primary tenant network: EngineWorks 5S Main
- IoT tenant network: EngineWorks 5S IoT
Wired-Only Device Options
If you have a device that does not have native high-performance Wi-Fi capability, this article lists some inexpensive options to convert the device so that it can be connected to Wi-Fi and into your private tenant domain.
Option 1: USB Wireless Adapter
Use cases where this Option is a good fit:
- your device is running a desktop operating system, like Windows, MacOS, or Linux
- you have a computer with no viable Wi-Fi option (e.g. weak Wi-Fi antenna or no Wi-Fi antenna)
- your device has an available USB interface
TP-link Archer T4U Plus USB Dongle Adapter with 5dBi Antenna
How it works:
- Physical Connection: plugs into your device's USB port
- high-performance high-gain antenna
- 802.11ac 2-stream MU-MIMO capable, dual-band support (5GHz and 2.4GHz)
- also a good high-performance option if your device's integrated Wi-Fi chipset is underpowered/underperforming
- supports 802.1x WPA2-Enterprise security, so you do not need to onboard as an IoT device in the user portal. Rather, join the main Wi-Fi network with your username and password.
Note: Once installed, be sure to configure the adapter to use its more capable 5GHz antenna by setting these options on the adapter:
- VHT 2.4G set to off
- Wireless Mode set to IEEE 802.11ac
Option 2: Wired Ethernet Client Adapters
Use cases where this Option is a good fit:
- your device is running a non-standard (and possibly proprietary) operating system
- you have a computer with no Wi-Fi option (e.g. work-from-home scenario where employer requires physical Ethernet connection)
- you have a gaming system that has a spotty integrated Wi-Fi chipset (i.e. Sony PS5)
Option 2a - Good: GL.iNet GL-A1300 - for Ethernet Ports
How it works:
- Physical Connection: plugs into your device's Ethernet port
- your device sees the connection as a "standard" wired Ethernet connection
- can be powered via your device's USB port or via standard wall outlet
- 802.11ac capable, single-stream
- dual-band support (5GHz and 2.4GHz)
- can be joined directly to the main tenant network with your username and personal password (since it supports WPA2-Enterprise security)
Option 2b - Fastest (but expensive, and hard to find): Aruba Networks 501 Client Adapter - for Ethernet Ports
Part Numbers:
- Main unit: J9835A
- Power Supply: J9405C#ABA
How it works:
- Physical Connection: plugs into your device's Ethernet port
- your device sees the connection as a "standard" wired Ethernet connection
- 802.11ac capable, 3x3 MIMO with three spatial streams
- dual-band support (5GHz and 2.4GHz)
can be joined directly to the main tenant network with your username and personal password (since it supports WPA2-Enterprise security)