Will do a review about it as time permits
i'll rate it from 1 lowest to 10 highest.
Key specifications
QWA-AC2600: PCIe 2.0 x1 interface, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4/5 GHz DBDC, 4 x 4 MU-MIMO, max. 2533 Mbps, antennas detachable, with magnetic stand base and full-height & specialized (for selected QNAP NAS) brackets included
packaging (8/10)
- aesthetically it's a nicely marketed box with graphics and details. easy to know what it is and does. colors are white text, with dark blue and light blue background. as for durability, it's a solid card board box, with foam compartments for the parts. Seems sturdy enough for shipping, but i'd still not try to toss it onto the floor needlessly.
installation (8/10)
- i did read the manual, but in the end it was pretty obvious to me what to do. i simply remove the casing for my ts-877 (had to unscrew before can remove. I was worried about what if i already had a graphics installed, but this part used the other slot which is in the other segmented part of the internal which has the smaller pcie slots separate from the other one used for the graphics. so no problem.
had to remove the default slot cover, then insert the wireless adapter module, and screw it back.
and lastly, you have to screw on the wires to adapter, and also add the antennas, very simple.
just need a screw driver, and to ground yourself before handling electronics.
wireless adapter hardware 8/10
- yes the wireless plate is plastic most part but it has a small weight to it due to the magnet inside. the magnet is quite strong to stick very well to metallic surfaces (i tested ontop of my qnap case). So even if it was upside down, i doubt it would fall down, put it that way.
wireless app (in qts appcenter) 8/10
okay the app software tested is wireless ap station and the virtual network (PCIE wireless). it works well.
the wireless app configurations work quite solidly without issue (wonkyness during setup to get the wireless working properly could be something non qnap specific related to either my router or pc that went awry. but got fixed as soon i rebooted the qnap, router and pc. anyway works fine now.)
i'm actually going to be testing over a month usage using pure wireless to connect to the QNAP. so i will update wireless app/performance when i sufficiently tested this to have a better idea how i feel about using wireless to the QNAP instead of wired.
previously i said that vpn gateway does not work when using wireless. that is incorrect. the only reason it didn't work was due to a misconfiguration on my part. i was supposed to separate the wireless adapter to a different ethernet port from the vpn. so no, the setup is not merely plug and play. you need to also carefully configure the virtual network and pair the wireless adapter to a different unused port to prevent conflicts like the one i discovered.
Summary
it's a quality hardware wireless adapter that does what it's meant for. If you want good wireless direct to the qnap, or either to offload workload from your existing wireless router, or you don't have existing wireless ap to use already, or you want to relocate your NAS to an area where a wired connection may not be possible. Then yes this is a good item to get.
performance can vary depending on your client devices wireless capability, like my own tests demonstrates. but on the qnap side, seems decent enough.