Overview

USB to Wi-Fi adapters allow older generation Teradek devices like the Bond II or Bond Pro to use a Wi-Fi connection as part of a bonded connection, as these older devices could not use the built-in Wi-Fi on the device for bonding.

Newer generation (600 or 700 series) Teradek devices do not support external USB to Wi-Fi adapters. Instead, the built-in Wi-Fi on the 600 or 700 series products can be used in Client mode to connect to a Wi-Fi network or hotspot .

Historically, USB Wi-Fi adapter support was added for those older devices to allow the use of Wi-Fi hotspots from mobile carriers, as those devices didn't support USB tethering at that time.

Currently, most mid-tier and higher end Wi-Fi hotspots also support driverless USB tethering, so a wired connection between the hotspot and the Teradek device can be made and a USB to Wi-Fi connection is not necessary.

Additionally, most Wi-Fi networks provided by venues are walled behind a captive portal and wouldn't be able to be used with our devices, as there's no way to authenticate to the captive portal.

The same limitations regarding Captive Portals that may be present on the wireless network also apply to this type of connection; please see this article for more details.

Supported Teradek Devices

These adapters are only supported on the following products:

• Bond original (serial number starting with 018)
• Bond II (serial number starting with 118 or 218)
• Bond Pro (serial number starting with 059 or 059)
• Link original (serial number starting with 030 or 031)

Unsupported Teradek Devices

USB to Wi-Fi adapters are not supported on newer generation products from the 600 or 700 series, including:

600 series

• Cube 605 / 625 / 655 / 675
• Slice 656 / 676
• Bond 657
• Bond Backpack 659

700 series

• Cube 705 / 725 / 755 / 775
• Slice 756 / 776
• Bond 757
• Bond Backpack 759

Supported USB to Wi-Fi devices

The following adapters are supported:

• Asus:
• USB-N53 Dual-Band Wireless-N300 USB Adapter : This product is labeled as the USB-N53, uses a USB 2.0 connection, and has an FCC ID of MSQ-USBN53.  The USB VID is 0B05, and the USB PID is 179D.
  
• NOTE: the newer USB-N53 B1 variant is NOT supported, it uses a different Wi-Fi chipset. This product is labeled as the USB-N53 B1, uses a USB 3.0 connection and has an FCC ID MSQ-USBN53_B1. The USB VID is 0B05, the USB PID is 180B. Packaging may appear similar to this link.
• Linksys by Cisco: High Performance Wireless N Adapter (AE1000)

NOTE:

1. adapters in italics have not been directly tested by Teradek in house, and were reported as working by customers
2. other USB to Wi-Fi adapters using a RaLink chipset may work, but have not been tested by Teradek

Teradek Device Configuration

1. In the Configuration section for the USB port where you will use the USB to Wi-Fi adapter, change the drop-down selection from Auto to Custom, then click Edit to open the pop-up configuration dialog
2. Change the Mode to Wireless and options shown in the image further below will appear
• Enter the wireless network name in the ESSID field
• Select the wireless security protocol in the Security Mode drop down list. The most common option is WPA (aka "WPA Personal" or "WPA2 Personal") which allows you to connect to both WPA and WPA2 networks using a password or Pre-Shared Key (PSK)
• The Authentication field is only used when the WEP security protocol is selected, and will not be shown for the WPA and WPA Enterprise options
• The Username and Password fields are only used when the WPA Enterprise security protocol is selected, and will not be shown for the WEP and WPA options
3. When you have finished configuring the wireless network options, click the Set button to close the pop-up dialog box
4. Click the Apply button on the main USB port configuration page for the product
5. Wait 15 seconds before inserting the USB to Wi-Fi adapter