Review on Enhanced Connectivity with Panda Wireless Combo (WiFi+Bluetooth) for Raspbian by Jason Sundstrom

My rating only refers to the WLAN device. There is a separate Bluetooth device that I haven't tried at all. Got Panda, plugged into an external active USB hub and recognized it immediately - not even a reboot required. It was so easy to set up the SSID and provide the correct WPA key and I was connected! Everything was as easy as a Pi thanks to the GUI on my Raspberry Pi. (Yes, I know.) This is a minimalist device in one dimension: First, the design is such that the outer shell falls off when you hit it. While popping things will keep things from breaking, I wouldn't want to hook this up to a device that's likely to get jostled, like a laptop on my lap. My particular application is stationary and is used to connect an SDR (Software Defined Radio) USB dongle to a network using a Raspberry Pi and a TCP/IP channel. I found the range of the device to be just average. The Pi is upstairs in my bedroom to position the SDR and its antenna as high as possible for good reception. I found it easy to block the signal with furniture. The overall range, most likely, is no worse than that of more expensive counterparts. It just doesn't get any better. Once installed and plugged into a good spot, it was rock solid. The Raspberry Pi puts out a stable Wi-Fi signal, and even if the AP crashes (which it does), once the AP is taken apart, everything works again. Some other Wi-Fi devices stop working when the signal is throttled, especially when Linux is part of the mix. It's also worth noting that I tried Netgear's popular USB Wi-Fi dongle before I bought it and couldn't get it to work. Raspberry Pi is recognized. It was an old device so I was surprised by the lack of driver support. Made this device even more attractive when it "just went live". Will i buy it again? Almost certainly, and I expect that will be the case as my Raspberry fleet grows.