Zyxel bundled a lot of features and value into the ZyAir AG-225H Wi-Fi finder. Though the form factor is identical to the Trendnet TEW-429UB, there are differences. For example, the Zyxel unit also covers the 802.11a.

While the wireless client bundled with the Zyxel product strongly resembles to that of the Trendnet unit, the Zyxel adds a soft access point (AP) feature. This AP actually turns the host computer into an access point, allowing other client machines to connect to it.

At 60 feet, the Zyxel unit turned in an average throughput of just 9.9 Mbps compared to 17.9 Mbps for the Linksys and 14.3 Mbps for the Trendnet. However, this level of throughput is still many times faster than the backhaul connection at most hotspots. Like the Trendnet TEW-429UB, the maximum detection distance on our test range was 90 feet.

The full-featured ZyAIR AG-225H offers support for both the 2.4 and 5Ghz bands. Mac OS X driver support makes it good choice for MAC users as well. While the poorest performer in this roundup, it should still prove adequate in most situations. It should be of particular interest to those in need of multi-band connectivity or the soft access point feature.