Wireless networking is the perfect solution for homes and offices where installing cabling is not practical or cost-effective. The Belkin Wireless USB Adapter fits into an available USB port on your PC and you're ready to share data, printers, or high speed Internet access over your network. The plug-and-play card is easy to set up and works with Windows 98, 2000, NT, and Millennium Edition. Using the 802.11b wireless Ethernet standard, the Wireless USB Adapter is interoperable with all 802.11b wireless devices. With a range up to 548.5 m, you can stay connected around the house or office at speeds up to 11Mbps (faster than a 10BaseT Ethernet connection).
1 Does NOT work with Mac Ibook
Instructions are useless - they're just a description - I spent over 2 hours with Belkin Customer service and was completely unable to make the thing function.
2 Defective product
I bought two adapters from a third party site on Amazon. One of them was defective. I tried calling Belkin and after talking to 4 people the problem wasn't solved.
The last one asked me to download some software ferom belkin before they could replace it. I called them back when it didn't work, only to be told that, " They didn't have the power to order a replacement and I would have to wait for someone to call me back.
The WORST customer service I have ever come across. I will never buy a belkin product again.
3 good Airport Card Replacement M7600LL
Since Apple stopped manufacturing the original airport card, they are way overpriced on eBay. You can't use Airport Extreme for the G3 iBooks, either. This is one of the few wireless adapters that has Mac OS X drivers.
Obviously, not as aesthetically pleasing as an airport card or even a smaller keychain-sized USB adapter, but hey it works for $25. I'm on Mac OS X 10.2.8 with a Netgear router. I had a bit of trouble getting it to connect to the internet, but with a bit of trial and error got it to work by changing my router settings to "open system" auth and "allow SSID broadcast".
Downside is that since the iBook is USB 1.0, traffic thru this device is rather slow--much slower than the theoretical 11MBPS that 802.11b supports
4 Works Great With TiVo
Bought this item to go with my TiVo system and it works great. I plugged it in and my system recognized it immediately. It took less than 60 seconds to get my TiVo connected to my Belkin wireless system. The network connection allows me to program my system remotely online and avoid the need to provide a phone connection.
5 This product is the worst networking device I have ever seen
I have been working with networks since 1994 and have not seen a worse network card in my life. It was a pain in the rear to get working with windows 98 and had to actually install windows 98 SE. There was nothing on any website, or in the documentation that stated this. Finally tech support told us it didn't work. Then on a brand new pc with XP we can't get the thing running either.
It usually takes me 15 minutes to install a network card.
This company lied about their product and it should be recalled.
6 Works right next to my eMac
My eMac's ethernet port died after lightning storm, so I bought this bad boy to be able to hook it up. It just worked. The software for OS X works great and I had no problems connecting to a NetGear router. The OS 9 drivers are a bit weird and the documentation is nasty.
This is just what I needed, have been using it for two weeks without any problems. Could not verify the drops that others have witnessed because the adapter is 3 feet away from the router. If you are looking for a wireless network adapter that works with OS X (10.3.5 for me), this is the one to get.
7 Painful... unless your near the router.
I dearly love the little box ^^
but it's only worth having if you can be next to the router itself. The drop off point is terrible, the main place i use my laptop is upstairs (and the router is downstairs) i've even tried hanging the box over the banister rail but no use - it still disconnects anywhere from 1 minute to about 30 minutes (if i'm lucky).
My advice is that this is good until you can afford to upgrade and your not actually going to be playing any online games or anything that requires the internet to be on constantly.
My family have the wireless cards installed into their computers and they have no problems no matter where they are in the house. My next move is going to see if i can have a card installed some how, but until that day i guess i'll stick with the little black box with a strange temperment.
It's actually good if your near the router itself, i just wish it was as good around the house.. i mean thats what a laptop's for right? moveability.
8 Doesn't work for ME or XP
Like you, i'm trying to set up a wireless network; i'd like to connect my old computer (running Windows ME) to my newer desktop running XP. I bought this device at Staples b/c of its price and because it clearly stated it supported XP and ME. Well the drivers were no good for WinME, even the newest drivers from their website would not install correctly. So it was a dead appendage. Their tech support suggested I try it on a third computer we have, it runs XP. Well it installed fine, but could not link to my network (Netgear router), even after tweaking the router settings. He said he was getting a lot of calls with the exact same problem and suggested I return it and try another device. If possible I'm going to get a refund and buy a little better one - maybe a PCI wireless adapter, instead of the bottom of the barrel cheapo which is my wont. When will I learn? Learn from my mistakes folks and move along - nothing to see here.
9 Works Great!!! For about 2 months.
I installed this wireless network adapter on my desktop (windows xp). It worked very well for two months, then just unexpectedly died. I would try to reinstall it several times off the product CD, each time telling me a different file was missing, even though the files appeared to be installed (at least I could see them in on my hard drive). Downloaded the drivers from the Belkin website, but that also failed to get this thing to work. This adaper would be recognized by XP, detect the network signal, but it would always tell me "connection failed". Spend your money on a more robust wireless adapter.
10 WinXP + WEP == Choose ANY other product than this one.
First, the drivers packaged with this unit DID NOT WORK. Had to go to belkin.com and download the latest drivers (not the simplest thing to do without a functioning network adapter, eh?). While those drivers sort-of work, they are still extremely flaky. Not signed/certified by microsoft.
I use WEP to secure my network... this device does not retain the WEP key/settings after a reboot. So, every single time you reboot, you have to re-enter the WEP key and manually start the driver utility.
Signal is very weak - if the signal is lost for too long then the system will eventually hang and reboot itself.
I've been a computer professional for the better part of 10 years now and I'm convinced that ANY product would be better than this Belkin POS. Avoid this product at any price.
11 Does not work with XP
After spending several weekends installing & re-installing this product on my XP Pro box, to use with its sister product (Belkin F5D6130 AP), I GAVE UP. Included CD was flakey -- so, got new driver from Belkin website. Installed & worked -- until I rebooted, then XP froze up. Had to disable an XP service (SSDP Discovery). After reboot, USB device is recognized, but offline, and cannot bring online. I have extensive experience with networking (20 years). Tech support was of no help. Could be an XP problem, but note: Belkin Driver is "unsigned". Avoid this product (for XP) until Belkin releases a better XP driver. Going forward, I will be looking for a wireless Ethernet bridge, possibly LinkSys WET11.
12 Not recommended
I didn't really care for this product. While it did work, the signal was VERY weak and dropped off entirely quite frequently. It received a great signal...as long as I had line-of-sight to my access point. Put even one wall in the way and the signal dropped to about 25%. Take it from a certified PC technician: spend a few extra bucks and get something with much more range.
13 Works Great on PCs, Not So Good on Macs
I live in a mixed PC household consisting of two Wintel laptops, a Rev D iMac running MacOS 9.2.2., and a G4 Mac running OS X 10.2.8. I bought a couple of these Belkin units to get the iMac and one of the PC laptops on my 802.11b Linksys wireless system. The installation on the PC was a snap. The drivers were on the CD that came with the unit and I was up and running in minutes. Fast transfer rates - no issues. Works every time.
The iMac was a different story. First, there is no Mac software on the CD that comes with the unit. You have to go to the Belkin website and download it. Installation of the software was easy but after re-boot the problems began to surface. First, the iMac would freeze during the boot process. After restarting over and over, it would suddenly boot correctly for no apparent reason. After successfully booting, sometimes the control panel sees the device and sometimes it doesn't. I added a powered USB hub to the mix thinking that it would fix the problem - it didn't.
So on the to G4. I hooked it up the the G4 Mac just to see if it worked any better than on the iMac. Again, I had to first go to the Belkin website to get the driver. It installed with no issues, but problems with its use were similar to the iMac. While there is never a problem booting, sometimes the Network Prefs panel sees the device and sometimes it doesn't. Simply rebooting (which I hate to do with a Unix system) eventually 'fixes' the problem.
I think the bottom line is that this is a fine product with poorly written drivers for the Mac OS. I don't want to be too critical because there are so few companies anymore that take the time to support the Mac at all. But in the end, I can't recommend that anyone buy this for use on a Mac until Belkin updates the driver software or makes other changes that bring this product up to the level of plug and play that Mac users have always been used to.
14 Great little adapter
We have a 3-computer wireless network set up (all belkin) and I gotta say.. it kicks. The wireless router is on the main floor connected to my cable modem and the 3 computers are one level up. Even still, I get a great connection 95 percent of the time. The only downside is that about once a day, I get disconnected and need to reset the router. I'm not sure of the exact cause (whether I should blame the adapter or the router itself). Overall, the pros definitely outweigh the cons This wireless adapter is a great addition to the network and i'll never accept anything else!
15 Perfect little unit - small and simple
I bought this because it's one of the few (only?) wi-fi adapters that will work my old Power Mac G3.
So far I'm very pleased. It's very small - almost as small as a pack of cigarettes. It's also USB-powered, so no power cord to worry about, although you can't plug it into a non-powered hub or a keyboard. Not a problem for me. The Mac OS X (10.2) driver utility is simple and works great. It seems to have good range; it gets full strength with my Microsoft router 50 feet away (through a couple walls). It can lie flat or wall-mount, which is nice.
Handy tip: if you happen to have an Ikea "Jerker" computer table, the wall-mount holes on this unit line up perfectly with the holes in the desk's vertical beams. It's a handy place to mount it, where it can be up high and not take up any desk space.
16 Worthless - spend $[...]extra and get something that works.
It takes a lot for me to take the time and write a review (and give one star), but my experience was so bad I hope I stop others from making the foolish purchase(s) I did: This is the second Belkin product I've returned - the first being the Belkin internal PCI wireless network card (F5D6001). This does not have signed drivers with Windows XP or 2000 - I tried to install under both OS's on two different PCs - it freezes the PC anytime I try to change the encryption, if it didn't freeze the PC then it couldn't see the router, there's no online help, and I refuse to call and wait for technical assistance - it's not my PC. Guaranteed. If they can't make it work (even barely work) out of the box, then it's not ready to sell. The experience has sold me on buying any other brand - which I have had much more success in installing!
17 Works with Mac OS X 10.2.4 & TiVo Series 2 SVR-3000
I'm buying another one of these for my Mac because my Sony TiVo Series 2 SVR-3000 just acquired Software Version 4.0-01-2-110 and it works flawlessly with a Linksys WAP. (The Belkin software for Mac is nice if you don't have an AirPort Basestation because it can convert an alphanumeric password to hexidecimal and vice versa. AFP works too.) Attached to the TiVo, the Belkin works great using TiVo Home Media Option and Rendezvous. I have streamed iTunes and iPhotos pictures from my PowerBook G4 with an AirPort card and iMac with an AirPort Extreme card. (Tip: Make sure Mac OS X's Firewall isn't blocking the port TiVo needs to Rendezvous with your Mac.) Streaming audio, video and connecting to TiVo over the Internet works fine too. Now I just need to upgrade to more TiVo Series 2 systems so I can stream shows to different rooms! Amazon should sell these sleek Belkin adapters in bulk... :)
18 Macintosh Compatibility
According to Macintouch, Belkin provides Mac OS X and 9 drivers. Can anyone tell me how well this works with a Mac? I'd buy one immediately for my old tangerine iMac (it's the only computer left out of my wireless network at home.).
I did see a comment that it didn't play well with an Airport Base Station... how about Linksys? Thanks, and if I decide to buy, I'll update this to reflect my experience.
19 Even worked well on a junky old computer....
This thing was truly a snap. Even on an old bargain-basement cheapie 366-PII that I bought for a toy, with a flakey DVD-ROM drive, it installed with PNP and was talking to my Belkin wireless router and had me surfing into my usual websites in a couple of minutes!
20 Disappointing
The device randomly disconnects itself from the WAP. It may randomly come back again, but no guarantee. The new drivers from Belkin's web site have not solved the problem. Unreliable. Go for another product.
21 Outperformer in our house
After having had both the Belkin Router and the Linksys Router in the house (had to switch due to DSL provider) and having had both Belkin and Linksys PCMCIA and USB adapters I can summarize very quickly:
Maximum distance from the transmitter in our setup is about 90 feet, across two floors.
The PCMCIA adapters are really flaky at this distance. Rather than the 11Mbs, we often see it drop down to 5.5, 2, even 1. They are sensitive to angle and obstacles. The USB adapters can be placed up to 5 feet away such that they have a good "path" to the transmitter.
This Belkin USB outperformed all other three units as it always gave the strongest signal. Noticeable better performance doing anything on the network or over the DSL modem.
But - here's the caveat: DO NOT USE THE INCLUDED CD.
Using the included CD we had POOR performance, and didn't understand why we couldn't even achieve 100% signal strength in the same room as the transmitter!
Upgrading over the web fixed the problem, and we have had a very reliable connection since.
22 Doesn't work with Win2000
It simply doesn't work with my Win2000 & Apple base station.
Not with the original driver, nor with the updates that can be downloaded from the Belkin site. Sad story. The frustrating thing is that sometimes it's ok, but then after a while it just dies. With the whole OS. Since I got the unit, I keep restarting my frozen computer...
23 Lousy 802.11 reception & transmission.
I'm using this on a Win98SE PC to connect to an Apple AirPort Base Station. It sees the base station fine, but when the Belkin is touching the base station it transmits at 70% signal strength. My PowerBook can see the base station at 100% one floor up, 80% on the second floor up.
Belkin software was easy to use and configure. Maybe my HP Pavilion causes a lot of RF interference? Unknown, but I'd try a Linksys or Hawking over the Blekin. Don't be swayed by the price.
24 It Works
I paired this with a LynkSys Wi-Fi router, and got my wife's computer on my broadband connection in record time -- and the price was right, too.
Simple to install, no complicated software to set up, and it works. What else do you need to know?
25 Unreliable
This piece of equipment has worked very poorly for us. It works seamlessly for days and even weeks and then suddenly will not work at all. There is no change in the environment that we are aware of, yet a good signal one day is just an impossible signal the next. It begins working again sometimes when we unplug and replug it, sometimes when we relocate the receiver, etc. It is the computer equivalent of hanging aluminum foil off your TV antennae. My husband is a computer professional but this does not have any user accessible parts so when it doesn't want to work, we are just at it's mercy. I wish we hadn't bought it.
26 works through my condo floors
Wireless depends so much on environment, but here in the burbs, in a nice old brick co-op, I have this device sharing my upstairs neighbor's broadband connection, via her Linksys wireless router. Signal strength is showing pretty low, but even fixing the TxRate at 11Mbps works beautifully, with no lost frames. There's an auto setting to optimize the TxRate in the event of an unreliable signal, and 11Mbps is way more than broadband needs, AFAIK.
The installation under Win98 was accomplished seamlessly, truly PNP; it hopped right on the network and got all the info it needed from DHCP. Which reminds me, always restrict access to (and encrypt) your wireless network, unless you want to give free bandwidth to any chucklehead in a 200 ft radius. This chucklehead helps his neighbor with her computer pretty often and I plan on proposing that I continue to do so free of charge and/or share the costs. Power to the people!
27 works through my condo ceiling
Wireless depends so much on environment, but here in the burbs, in a nice old brick co-op, I have this device sharing my upstairs neighbor's broadband connection, via her Linksys wireless router. Signal strength is showing pretty low, but even fixing the TxRate at 11Mbps works beautifully, with no lost frames. There's an auto setting to optimize the TxRate in the event of an unreliable signal, and 11Mbps is way more than broadband needs, AFAIK.
The installation under Win98 was accomplished seamlessly, truly PNP; it hopped right on the network and got all the info it needed from DHCP. Which reminds me, always restrict access to (and encrypt) your wireless network, unless you want to give free bandwidth to any chucklehead in a 200 ft radius. This chucklehead helps his neighbor with her computer pretty often and I plan on proposing that I continue to do so free of charge and/or share the costs. Power to the people!
Update: During the first week of use, the indicated signal strength climbed from 15 to usually over 40%. For transparent access to broadband via a Linksys wireless router, this device has been flawless!
28 only works within 10 feet of the access point
my AM radio has more sensitivity then this unit. at 25 feet away from the wap it noticed that there was one, but the signal strength was 0%. at 10 feet from the wap i was able to get a working signal strength of 50%. compared to my smc wireless pc card this usb device is useless. so back it goes
29 Great Company - so-so product.. :-(
It and it's companion FSD6130 WAP just never were able to talk to each other, even after a one-hour session with their techies.
returned both units..
