Trusted Reviews have reviewed the TRENDnet HotFlash TEW-429UF, a combined wireless network locator, 802.11a/b/g USB adapter and access point as well.

The device operates in three modes and defaults to displaying all available APs regardless of their security settings. A Free mode only shows those APs that have no security enabled whilst the D mode locks on to the selected AP and periodically keeps track of it. The LCD display provides plenty of information about each AP as it shows the SSID, the channel in use, whether it is an 802.11a, b or g AP, if WPA or WEP is in use and the signal strength. So if you're on the receiving end how do you stop your AP from being picked up by the AG-225H? All you need do is switch off SSID broadcasting or turn on SSID masking (whichever method your AP uses) and the AP will no longer appear in the device's display panel.

To use the adapter as an access point you need to have it connected to a system with the ZyXEL utility installed and linked to the LAN via a wired connection. To swap modes you simply select one from the drop-down menu in the utility interface and it is automatically applied to the adapter. However, there is more to do as the LAN and WLAN connections on the system being used for AP duties must be bridged. Typically, ZyXEL points out in its manual that this needs to be done and then forgets that some instructions and an example might be rather useful. It's actually fairly simple as you open the Windows Network Connections from the Control Panel and select the LAN and WLAN icons together with the Ctrl key held down. From the Advanced menu select Bridge Connections and a bridge will be automatically created. We found a bridge connection worked fine allowing our wireless test clients to access the internal DHCP server and other resources on the LAN via the AG-225H. Security features are reasonable as you can implement 64/128/256-bit WEP encryption (but not WPA) and enable a MAC address control list.