When I think of an antenna, the first thing that pops into my mind is an image of the old rabbit ears that used to sit on top of my TV set back when I was a kid. Perhaps I'm dating myself once again as I reveal such imagery to you, but there it is. Now ask any kid today what an antenna looks like and they're more than likely going to describe something that looks like a dish. And why not, since the satellite dish has become the antenna icon of the 21st century? So it seems only natural that when you design something that's supposed to receive a modern, computer radio signal of some kind today that you make it look like a dish. And that's exactly what they've done over at Hawking Technology in designing a small antenna to receive a Wi-Fi signal.

The "Hi Gain Wireless-300N Dish Adapter" is the focus of this week's column. It's curious that Hawking chose to not call its product an "antenna" but rather an "adapter." My guess is that it's a marketing thing since when you think about it, the word "antenna" really does carry along with it an anachronistic connotation. So it makes sense even if that really wasn't its intention. It's also interesting to note that the company does use the word "antenna" in its product description where they compare a "dish antenna" to a "standard antenna." Evidently when you say "dish antenna," you really are covering all of your bases for both past and present.

The adapter actually uses a built-in dual antenna that concentrates the wireless signals it receives. Hawking claims that its Hi Gain Wireless-300N Dish Adapter extends your wireless network six times, boosts your data throughput 12 times and is calling it the most powerful 802.11n wireless networking adapter on the market. It's backward compatible with the older Wi-Fi standards as well.

To install the adapter, just plug it into any available USB port and run the included setup CD. Hawking suggests that to obtain the maximum wireless range, direct the little dish toward the general direction of your wireless source — typically a wireless router.

Hawking makes a version of their Hi Gain Wireless-300N Dish Adapter for Windows and a version for the Macintosh. My guess is that they are probably functionally identical units but packaged with a CD that works with the corresponding platform. In either case, the adapter really does look kind of cool sitting there on your desk so if you're into geek-chic, this baby's got your name all over it.

Well, actually it has the Hawking name on it. And while the company has no association to Stephen Hawking, the name is still synonymous with one of the great scientists of our day and makes it that much more neat to own.

The suggested price for either the Mac or Windows adapter is $79.99.

On the Net:

www.hawkingtech.com