Customer Reviews

Panasonic DYWL10 Wireless LAN Adaptor for VIERA HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc Players

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There seems to be a degree of confusion out there as to what exactly the DY-WL10 adaptor allows you to do and a great deal of confusion getting it to work properly. I suspect the degree of confusion is due to ambiguous terms such as 'WiFi Ready,' 'dlna' and ill-informed salespeople and the greater confusion is caused by deficient documentation and uninformed salespeople. I thought I would spend a consonant or two in an attempt at clarity.

I'm using the adaptor with a Panasonic Viera television. I was under the impression that the 'WiFi Ready' television would allow me to connect to my wireless home network 'out of the box.' I specifically asked the salesperson this question and was told 'yes.' The answer is 'no.' You require this often hard to find adaptor to connect. I was also under the impression that the adaptor would allow me to view digital assets (movies and television episodes) stored on my computer on the Viera television. Once again the answer is 'no.' The only content you can access is the extremely limited internet available selection that Panasonic has included with the television. These vary with the television model but generally include YouTube, ShoutCast, Napster and Netflix or an equivalent. These are the only internet sites accessible as most televisions do not have an internet browser built into them. You can play media files on the Viera television using its built-in media viewer with an SD card or USB drive however. Hopefully this describes what the adaptor and a compatible television will allow you to do. Now, to get it to work.

I ordered the DY-WL10 from Amazon (via EZ Shop) and found it on my doorstep 9 days later in good order. The small box contained the adaptor, a 3 foot USB cable and a useless information sheet (the television manual gave no instructions for the adaptor either). The adaptor plugs into the USB port on the side of the television. An inch of the adaptor is visible when plugged in. Unfortunately, it's the underside of the adaptor with all its white lettering that faces forward. Come on Panasonic. You make an esthetically pleasing television then have us stick something into the side of it! The adaptor functionality should have been built into the television. But I guess you did get me to spend another $100. WiFi Ready!

The television automatically recognized the adaptor and launched the setup program. Once I completed the automatic setup the television recognized my wireless home network but would not connect to it. I spent two frustrating days playing with settings until finally succeeding. Here's how I connected the DY-WL10 to my Airport Extreme generated wireless home network.

The first thing I did was to check whether there was a firmware update available for the television. I found one on Panasonic's web site and downloaded it to my Apple computer. I then copied the update to an SD card, inserted it into the television's SD card slot and followed the on-screen prompts. The update installed without a problem. At least something worked smoothly.

On the Computer:

1. Launched the 'Airport Utility' that manages the router settings.
2. Selected 'Manual Setup' at the bottom of the window.
3. Selected 'add wireless client' from the 'base station' menu.
4. Selected 'allow client by PIN.'

On the Television:

5. Selected 'Menu' on the remote.
6. Selected 'Setup'
7. Selected 'Network Settings.'
8. Selected 'Wireless Network.'
9. Chose 'No.'
10. Selected 'WPS WiFi Protected Setup using PIN Number.'

The television now searched for wireless networks.

11. Selected the appropriate wireless network.

The television now generated a unique 8 digit PIN number (it will generate a different PIN number each time you run through the setup).

On the Computer:

12. Entered this PIN number in the Airport Utility 'Allow Client by PIN' dialogue box and clicked 'Continue.'

On the Television:

13. Immediately selected 'Continue.'

The network searched for the television. Once connected (fingers crossed) the television gave a 'successfully connected' message.

I found I had to run through the 'Connection Test' the first time I powered off the television after successfully connecting. After that the connection was stable.

Overall, the DY-WL10 adaptor does the job it was intended to do. I just wish I had known of its intentions prior to purchase. I would also like to reiterate that this adaptor should be built into the television. That way Panasonic could differentiate itself from the competition and call its products 'WiFi enabled.' I have removed a star for inadequate documentation, setup difficulty (not just me) and an esthetics failure. Steve Jobs would not have been impressed!

I hope you've found this review informative, helpful and mildly entertaining.

Panasonic implies that this device will give you Internet capability on your TV.

- There are only five Internet apps on the TV when you finally hook it up and no actual browser app so that you can visit a web site. There is no Internet access or functionality outside of the apps. I can get Internet access on my TV through my Wii or PS3 but not through this adapter.

- The apps that Panasonic does have (like Facebook and Twitter) are not nearly as functional as those on an iPod.

I should have known that this adapter would not work because a) it was difficult to purchase in a store and b) the Panasonic web site is asking developers to create apps. I would have returned it but did not want to go through the hassle of returning something by mail.

Panasonic makes good TVs but they are misleading consumers in stating that their TVs are Internet-ready.

i ordered this particular lan adapter because it was the same brand as my television i was using it on. easy hookup and no fuss. great product!

This adapter works really well and allows you to access all the VIERA CAST features, as well YouTube, Skype, Netflix, etc... It is pretty easy to setup with the Blu-ray Player, just plug it in the back, start the wireless network wizard, enter your network password, and you are done. We bought it mostly because it makes firmware updates so much easier, and the update process worked flawlessly. Definitely recommend.

A good product. Easy to setup and use. So far no problems after a couple of months.

But why is this product so expensive compared to other wireless adaptors?
Is it essential to use this Panasonic product or will other adaptors work?

Excellent product. Money well spent. It works well, and no issues found so far. Delivered well before the estimated date.

The first thing that is important to know is that this same unit is up to twice the cost at retailers in Ontario. It works great, picks up a strong signal from my router 30 feet away. It is small and efficient at the same time. Great product and at a great price!