Inter-Tech Elektronik Handels GmbH is a company based in Germany and was founded in 1996. Since then the main focus is on a Europe-wide distribution of OEM and retail hardware for PC systems. Originally, the portfolio mainly consisted of PC cases and power supplies. But in the meantime it has been extended by numerous divisions (fans, peripherals, hard disk enclosures, etc.). In October 2020, Inter-Tech added numerous new peripherals to the portfolio. These include the DMG-33 WLAN adapter from PowerOn.
Behind this inconspicuous name is an internal WLAN adapter with one PCIe x1 port, two antennas and a maximum speed of 1300Mbps in 2.4GHz or 5GHz networks. The adapter is also compatible with the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (WiFi 5) standards. Whether this WLAN adapter is recommended, you can find out in this product presentation.
Technical details
| Model: | Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33 |
| WLAN standard: | 2T2R |
| Antenna strength: | 3dBi |
| Data rate: | 1300Mbps |
| Frequency range: | 2.4GHz & 5GHz |
| Connection: | PCIe x1 |
| Chipset: | Realtek RTL8822BE |
| Operating systems: | Windows 7/8/8.1/10 |
| Dimensions (LxWxH): | 20 x 120 x 160mm |
| Price: | € 19.99 * |
Scope of delivery
The outer packaging of the Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33 is colourfully designed and shows a product image and the most important technical features on the front side. The package contents and further technical data can be found on the back. If you slide the white box inside out of the packaging and unfold it, you will directly encounter the WLAN adapter. This is wrapped in an antistatic film to protect it from electrostatic discharges. The other accessories are then hidden underneath the card. These include a mounting screw, an operating or installation manual and a small driver CD.
Optical impression and assembly
Visually, of course, not much can be said about a WLAN card. Fortunately, however, the manufacturer PowerOn has opted for a solution with a black PCB. The Realtek WLAN chip sits on this PCB and is concealed by a silver case. This color combination is very simple and should fit perfectly to many systems. Between this case and the PCI cover you can see soldered contacts which lead to the black antennas. The soldering quality is OK but not intoxicating. The black plastic antennas are firmly connected to the PCI cover, but can be aligned. A free rotation of 360 degrees is unfortunately not possible.
The installation and commissioning of the WLAN card was quickly completed. The Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33 fits into any motherboard that has a free PCIe-x1 slot. After the card was inserted and screwed to the case, we simply turned on the PC with Windows 10 and saw what happens. The Realtek chip soldered on the board is the RTL8822BE and was recognized directly by Windows 10. The corresponding driver is already available in the normal Windows 10 database. Plug & Play should work that easy.
Measurements
The Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33 WLAN card was operated for one week in a PC that was used for work for about 8 hours a day and then for gaming. During this period, we did not experience any connection failures or speed drops. Of course you should test a WLAN card for more than a week, but that would exceed the time period of this review.
In addition, we did a general speed measurement and compared it to a USB WLAN stick for 15 €. Compared to the USB stick, the card performs very well. The stick of a Chinese no-name manufacturer is also based on a Realtek chip. But in this case it is the slightly worse chip RTL8812BU. This chip has already problems to recognize the 5-Ghz network at shortest distance. The Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33 WLAN card does much better here. Even at greater distances, the reception quality is good.
Conclusion on the Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33
Of course, PowerOn is not reinventing the WLAN card. Like many other manufacturers, this internal WLAN card uses a Realtek chip. The RTL8822BE chip used here is often used in notebooks in particular. The RTL8822BE convinces by its compatibility to the WLAN standards 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (WiFi 5) and by maximum speeds of up to 1300Mbps in a 2.4GHz or 5GHz network. The connection via an internal PCIe 1.0 x1 slot additionally saves a valuable USB port on the case or mainboard.
However, the latter also limits the compatibility at the same time. For example, the Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33 cannot be installed on a mini-ITX mainboard if a dedicated graphics card is used. During the review, we also noticed other negative points. For example, the antennas cannot be freely rotated through 360 degrees. Furthermore, the connection between the antennas and the chip or the soldering quality does not really have a long life.
Apart from that we could not discover any other negative aspects in our review and overall the Inter-Tech PowerOn DMG-33 leaves a positive impression on us. However, since we lack the possibilities to test or measure WLAN devices extensively and objectively, we deliberately refrain from making an evaluation at this point.
By the way, Inter-Tech also offers the PowerOn DMG-35, which also has Bluetooth and is even faster with up to 3000 Mbps.
