Belkin networking presents its latest innovation, the 802.11g Wireless Desktop Network Card. The Card works as an ideal standalone to give you instant networking capabilities. It features breakthrough 802.11g technology that makes wireless file transfers and downloads faster than ever before. 802.11g technology provides you with networking speeds nearly five times faster than the current Wi-Fi (802.11b) standard. The Card sets up on any desktop PC, with the simplicity of Plug-and-Play technology. It slides easily into the PCI expansion slot to enable a wireless connection to your network. 54g technology is the easiest wireless network to implement. The Card uses the wireless 802.11g 2.4GHz standard to offer you the widest working range-up to 1800 feet-and greater interoperability in mixed networking environments. 802.11g is backward-compatible with the 802.11b Wi-Fi networking standard, so it allows you to implement faster wireless technologies in combination with existing 802.11b Wi-Fi networks. An added Turbo Mode feature isolates your network from 802.11b wireless clients and allows your network to transmit data at the highest 802.11g data rate.
Features- Adds 802.11g wireless capabilities to any desktop computer, for faster wireless networking available for home or office
- Works with all 802.11b wireless devices
- Fits any standard 32-bit PCI expansion slot
- Provides 3 times the wireless range of 802.11a clients
- Offers interoperability with all 802.11b2.4GHz wireless devices
- Features wireless 64- and 128-bit WEP encryption
- Allows you to use Turbo Mode and network at 54Mbps, the highest data rate for all 54g clients
- Works with Windows® 98 SE, 2000, Me, and XP
1 difficult to install
i bought this for my new dell 8400 desktop. however, the installation turned out to be very troublesome. i tried all three PCI slots on the motherboard, and the OS could only detect a new hardware once in the specific slot. i also used the universal driver from Ralink instead of the belkin driver, which couldn't find its own belkin wireless adapter in my computer. now the adapter works well with my westell wireless router/modem, no problems at all.
2 Doesn't Neccessarily Work with MacOS X
I bought this card a few weeks ago to use it with MacOS X. The card I received was version 3000. Turns out this latest version does not work with MacOS X. The Mac didn't recognize the card at all. I talked with Belkin technical support and was told that version 1000 (with the Broadcom chipset) did work with MacOS X. Same card, multiple versions. There is a very small sticker on the outside of the box that gives the version number. I suppose you might find a reseller who would be willing to look through boxes to see if they had the older version, but I thought it would be a long shot and sent the card back.
3 Great Product, Great Price
Plug and play with OS X 10.2.8 on my PowerMac G4 Desktop. It uses the built-in Airport software without a hitch. I believe it's only running at 11 mb/ second but that's Apple's fault for not updating thier Airport software for Jaguar. In any event, that speed is fine for me because I'm not running a file sharing network and only using it for internet surfing.
4 OS X Installation and usage
I have just finished the installation of this card into my PowerMac G4 running Mac OS X 10.3.5. I must say I was initially very cautious with the installation because of the poor reviews that it has recieved here on Amazon.com. I must say that the installation and setup was extremely easy. Running the latest version of Mac OS X the card works directly from the Airport drivers installed with the operating system, no additional setup is required. I plugged the card in and OS X recognized it immediately. I have had the chance to test the connection speed and it is running at the full 54Mbps, outstanding. Mac users should definately give this one a try, rather than forking out hundred-some dollars for Apple's Airport card.
5 If only I could give it no stars
I've purchased PCI wireless cards from Linksys and Netgear in the past and have installed them with no problems. However, this Belkin PCI card has lots of problems. I installed it on a friend's Dell to use with a SMC router. The connection was very, very slow, but worse than that it somehow disabled the built-in LAN port on the Dell (i.e., the network cable was never removed, but now Windows reports that the "network cable is unplugged."). In order to fix things, I've tried just about everything -- resetting the TCI/IP stack, uninstalling the Belkin card, reinstalling the Belkin card, etc. etc.. Now I am to the point where I'm going to have to reinstall Windows to get my friend's Dell to work again. Go get a Linksys, Netgear or D-link card... not this one.
6 Works Great Once It Works
I have a Belkin Wireless Router and 3 Belkin Desktop Cards. I have three different versions of windows, and the card installed without a problem on two of them. I could not get it installed on the third. I called Belkin Customer Service and the tech got to work fairly quickly. I also had to contact Belkin when I installed the router, and again, Customer Service was very efficient.......I got a tech quikly, and he got the router working in a short time. The third card just went in, and the other two have been in almost a year, and the system works great. The router is in my basement, and one computer is two floors above it, and there is never a signal issue. If this product was easier to set up, I would rate it at 5 stars. Nevertheless, the prize is worth the contest......
7 Very annoyed...
Do you know that feeling? You buy some new hardware and look forward to using it. The first few steps of the installation work but then something else happens that is not described in the manual. In my case the computer doesn't see any new hardware. Things go rapidly downhill from there; you try doing things in a different order - nothing. You try finding it with the Windows hardware wizard - doesn't appear. On the next iteration the whole computer shuts down and you think you've lost it. By then you know that you are going to waste a lot of time. This is what happened to me after buying the Belkin Wireless Desktop Network Card
Manual doesn't help; the Belkin website is next to useless. I am not going to make international phonecalls to the States. Several hours on, adrenalin coursing through your veins you just manage to not throw the stuff out of the window. I lost an afternoon, Belkin lost their reputation. This is the last Belkin product that I buy...
Just read some other reviews of this piece of "kit" and see that I'm not the only one with this problem. I'm going to try and return it to the shop.
8 Never got it to install.
Purchased the F5D7000 because of the price. First attempt, windows XP never found the card. Got replacement card from Belkin. Second attempt, computer would not power up. I would push the power button, the fans would come on, the second I released the power button, the computer would shutdown. Would not boot. Took first card back to Office Max. They would only issue me a replacement. Third attempt, computer would not boot. Took card back to Office Max and demanded a different card. Picked up a D-Link DWL G520 (Extreme G). I was up and running in 5 minutes. Very easy install and setup. I need to go to the D-link site to download the latest firmware but I am very pleased with the D-Link. Save yourself some pain and suffering, don't gamble on this card.
9 Decent card for the dosh
Having relied for ages on a wired link from my PC upstairs to my Router/Firewall downstairs, I decided to take the plunge and go wireless. I bought a Linksys router and the Belkin wireless card. Plugged the card in first, booted up, installed the software and was quickly able to communicate with my linksys router. The performance of the card can be a bit funny now an again, but it is generally very stable and I have no problems accessing the Internet at much the same speed as I did with a wired network. I paid ?30.00 for the card, so was impressed with the overall quality considering the low cost. For anyone looking to take the plunge into the wireless market, I can certainly recommend this card and for ?30.00 you can't go too far wrong!
10 Pure garbage!
Horrible card.
The drivers are very sloppy, and bulky. Also, on my Windows 98 system, after multiple installations, it would not recognize the card. I returned this card and got the D-Link DWL-G520 Airplus Xtreme G card, and had it installed and running in 5-10 minutes.
Quite disappointing, as the Belkin wireless gateway is fantastic. I just wish the cards were of the same quality.
11 Average connectivity, poor interoperability
Well, I generally assume that only the folks that really hate something will take the time to negatively review a product - that's not the case here.
Belkin had a product in stores that I could use with my Netgear 54G Cable/DSL Wireless Router so I thought I'd give it a go (a bit impatient). I bought two cards as I have two machines that I put this card into. The first machine responds fairly well, although not working at 54G, it does maintain a connection from the basement to the living room. The second machine however is in a less desirable location on the second floor (one up from the living room) and despite a reported "Excellent" signal strength/connection the connection was flakey at best - after random occasions of functionality I decided to go track down the Netgear equivalent card - I plugged in the new card (Netgear WG311NA) and had a substantially stable connection to the router.
Understand, when you buy 54G devices right now that they are all built on the intermediate specification for the 54G standard. This means that communication between one manufacturer's device and another is less than desirable. It may very well be that, had I a Belkin router this would not have been an issue. However, for my situation - this card prooved to be less satisfactory that the mentioned Netgear equivalent.
12 Garbage!
Picked this card up two days ago. As usual, I skip the manual and throw the card into a PCI slot on one of my older Pentium machines (Windows 2000 PRO). Computer won't boot. Remove all other cards, still no boot. Tried every available PCI slot - no boot.
Switched it over to my "main rig" an Athlon based system. No boot. Remove all other other cards, no boot. Try every available PCI slot - no boot.
So I decide to read the manual. States you must install the software first....hmmm...ok I'm an idiot.....but would that allow my systems to boot? (very skeptical at this point) But what the heck......
Run setup program on Pentium based system. Gets a little into it and then quite politely tells me the setup could not complete and to try again.....so I reboot and try again....no dice.
Run setup on Athlon based system....Same problem.....
Call technical support.....they tell me to make sure I have the card in BEFORE installing the software....I'm obviously a little miffed, manual says the exact opposite....Then I tell the guy I tried that, and my PC won't boot.....his answer: it's my motherboards fault.....then I tell him I tried it on two diffent PC's same issue, and on top of that the software setup fails....his answer? Go exchange it for another one......yeah right...another one.....another brand!
