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Edimax CV-7438nDM N600

Edimax CV-7438nDM N600 Review – The Edimax CV-7438nDM is a curiously funnel-shaped device that lets you connect up to two Ethernet-only devices – such as smart TVs, older Sky+ HD boxes and Blu-ray players – to your wireless network at home so they can access the internet. Not only that, you can also connect speakers to the CV-7438nDM and stream audio to them from any compatible PC or mobile device. The CV-7438nDM can draw power from a USB port on your computer, Blu-ray player or other device, or you can connect it to the mains via a supplied plug adapter.

Edimax-CV-7438nDM-N600 Edimax CV-7438nDM N600

Edimax CV-7438nDM N600

We’d recommend using the adapter because we found that the Ethernet connection to our test laptop kept cutting out when the CV-7438nDM was powered by USB, but not when it was plugged into the mains. Once switched on, you can connect to the CV-7438nDM wirelessly via your tablet, computer or smartphone, and select the network you want to use in the adapter’s web interface. The CV-7438nDM scans the airwaves before listing all the wireless routers it’s detected. Select one, then restart the CV-7438nDM once it’s connected to your router. Now you should be able to connect the CV-7438nDM to a computer, Blu-ray player or any other device with an Ethernet port, so that it can access your home network and the internet. You can also plug speakers into the CV-7438nDM and stream music to them from any device that uses Apple’s AirPlay streaming technology. This means any computer running iTunes, any iOS device or any Android device running the Twonky Beam app (free from Google Play).

Edimax CV-7438nDM N600, A bizarre-looking network adapter with a trick up its sleeve

We found there were occasional audio drop-outs when streaming to the CV-7438nDM from an iPhone 4s and a Nexus 5, but this was largely due to the heavy wireless congestion within our test environment. As the CV-7438nDM is essentially a dual-band wireless adapter, we connected it to our test laptop and configured it to communicate with another PC via a Linksys EA4500 wireless router on the 5GHz band. This test setup transferred data at 119.8Mbps at a distance of one metre, 114.8Mbps at 10 metres and 28.9Mbps at 25 metres.

When we used our test laptop’s built-in Wi-Fi adapter to perform the same test, the setup achieved transfer speeds of 76.3Mbps at one and 10 metres, and 21.7Mbps at 25 metres. This shows that the CV-7438nDM is capable of very fast wireless performance. The CV-7438nDM is a brilliant means of connecting Ethernet-only devices to your wireless network, and the fact you can stream music to connected speakers from AirPlay-compatible devices is a major bonus. But if wireless reception in your home is poor, then the similar Netgear Music Extender XAUB2511 is a better choice as it relies on Powerline instead.

Edimax CV-7438nDM N600 Specifications

  • 802.11a/b/g/n
  • 1x Gigabit Ethernet port
  • 1x 10/100Mbps Ethernet port
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • 95x97x100m
  • 250g
  • One-year warranty

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