D-Link AirPlus DWL-650+ Wireless 22 Mbps PC Card

The DWL-650+ is an enhanced 802.11b CardBus that is fully compatible with the IEEE 802.11b standard, making it interoperable with all existing 802.11b-compliant devices. Now you can transfer files or communicate up to 20 percent faster than with earlier 802.11b solutions, even when connected to a standard 802.11b network. When you're connected to other D-Link AirPlus products, the performance is even greater--up to 22 Mbps. The DWL-650+ also features 256-bit WEP encryption, giving you a higher level of security for your data and communications.

The D-Link AirPlus DWL-650+ also includes a configuration utility to discover available wireless networks and create and save detailed connectivity profiles for those networks accessed most often. The DWL-650+ is a powerful 32-bit CardBus adapter that installs quickly and easily on laptop PCs, and, when used with other D-Link AirPlus products, automatically connects to the network. And all D-Link wireless adapters can be used in ad hoc mode to connect directly with other cards, or in infrastructure mode to connect with a wireless access point for access to the Internet in an office or home network.

The D-Link AirPlus DWL-650+ CardBus Adapter is an enhanced 802.11b CardBus featuring advanced silicon chip design from Texas Instruments that utilizes their patented Digital Signal Processing technology. The DWL-650+ is fully compatible with the IEEE 802.11b standard making it interoperable with all existing 802.11b compliant devices. When connected to standard 802.11b devices, transfer rates can be up to 20%. When connected to other D-Link AirPlus products, the performance is even greater - up to 22Mbps! The DWL-650+ also features 256-bit WEP encryption providing you a higher level of security for your data and communications. The D-Link AirPlus DWL-650+ also includes a configuration utility to discover available wireless networks and create and save detailed connectivity profiles for those networks most often accessed. The DWL-650+ is a powerful 32-bit CardBus Adapter that installs quickly and easily into laptop PCs and when used with other D-Link AirPlus products automatically connects to the network. And all D-Link wireless adapters can be used in ad-hoc mode to connect directly with other cards or in infrastructure mode to connect with a wireless access point for access to the Internet in your office or home network.

1 Worth the money!
I have had this card for about 6 months now and it works very well even after when there have been physical damages to it. Only problem I noticed is that it consumes more power.

2 Terrible wireless card - screw D-Link
I used this card for one year in the library of my university - and I always had problems obtaining a stable connection. I thought it was because of the signal. Then I used other friend's laptop there - one with a Netgear card, one IBM T41 with built-in wireless, geez, they all worked so well. So, the conclusion is: this D-Link just sucks! I am dumping mine and getting a new one.

Don't buy D-Link. Never.

3 works better than the linksys card
I 1st bought the linksys wireless network card. I was able to connect to the access point, but not the Internet. Their technical support was clueless. I returned it for the D-Link card. I was able to get it to work on our corporate network but found that for WEP encrpytion it would not autoconvert the catch code phrase into 128 bit hex. However, I was able to find a free Internet converter at http://www.mikezilla.com/exp0012.html which allow me to enter in the code word. It would be nice if DLINK updated their software to do this automatically.

4 DROPS CONNECTION TO ROUTER CONSTANTLY!
Tech support could not help, switching laptops did nothing. A replacement DWL-650+ showed the same symptoms. I then decided to buy a cheap wireless VCNET 22mbps card (9.95$) and it has never ever lost the connection to the router, the signal is consistently stronger (now I can use it in the back yard where as the D-Link) would drop to a red connection and within seconds lose the connect entirely.
Just a waste of money, go with a no name brand, they work fine. The D-Link router (DI-641+ or better) does perform brilliantly though.

5 the new version of driver doesn't work with XP?
Anybody has 2.02 or sth. version of the driver? I got the 3.05 with my replacement card and it wouldn't work. Even though I downloaded the latest one (3.07), it still doesn't help at all. With 2.02 I had before, it was just fine...so, I suspect it's because of these newer version. Btw, I have Windows XP.

6 Disappointed
Have returned this card and purchased a Netgear MA51 that I set up in less than 30 minutes. The D-Link didn't fit in the card slot of my Dell 1100 properly (too tight) but how was I to know? Never showed getting power.
The software was also a problem - an error ocurred during installation, and I couldn't get uninstall to work, either the D-Link or the XP Add/Remove programs.
Talked to D-Link support for 30+ minutes - ultimately they thought the computer might be a fault and the card could be defective.

7 Second one works fine.....
We received this item around Nov. 2003. The initial setup was problematic, and afterwords it worked some of the time, but mostly it would lock up the laptop. After several calls and emails to tech support, they finally acknowledged that the problem might be with the card and not with the laptop. They sent us a replacement card, and issued an RMA for the original card, which we had to pay to ship to them. The replacement card that they sent works fine, no crashes at all in the last two weeks. Very disappointed with their tech support.

8 Works with Linux - no problem
I saw several reviews say it doesn't work which is right! since no official support but there is this great site that provides a way to make it work -> acx100.sf.net

And I have been using the dwl-650+ for the past 6 months on Linux (Debian) without any problem at all. As a matter of fact, the acx100.sf.net's method (there's a script that loads and starts everything) makes it works painlessly.

There's nothing I can complain about the card hence I give it a perfect rating.

9 WARNING: Not Linux compatible
This uses a TI chipset which TI refuses to release any information about to the Linux driver writers. Thus it is unlikely to ever be Linux compatible. It seems to work okay under Windows XP, but I try not to support jerks and you can get a much faster Wireless-G card for not much more nowdays, so it's definitely *not* recommended.

10 It doesn't really work for Windows-XP
I bought the DWL-650+ a few months ago for my old laptop computer. Recently I bought a new HP notebook with Windows XP and Athlon XP-M 2500+. The wireless card works fine when I use AC power for the new notebook. However, once I switch to battery power, it freezes the computer. I downloaded the latest driver from D-Link web site, spent many hours installing/uninstalling the driverand, and tried to figure out what was wrong. But it simply didn't work. Finally I gave up, and purchased a Netgear WG511 card. The WG511 works fine, only it loses connection to my D-Link DI-614+ quite frequently, which I don't know why yet. But at least it's working and doesn't feeeze my notebook.

11 Not as bad as some of these guys claim
I have had little problem setting up a number of these cards to work with the DI-614+ router. One person in here said that it does not work with VPN passthrough, but I think they did not try hard to find the solution. I too could not get remote desktop to work running with VPN, until I disabled 4X mode, then it works fine.
I got good tech support, and maybe you might get better support at Linksys, but they don't have 22 bps rate, and they are not any better wireless devices in my book.

12 Total junk. Never buy this product.
I got one of this D-Link wireless card and it is totally a junk! It makes my laptop to freeze and I have to reboot 10 times till once it works! I never recommend this product to anyone.

13 Terrific range and signal strength
I've been using the DWL-650+ card with the matching DWL-900AP for a year now and have been completely excited and happy with its performance.

Its range through two rooms, up stairs and down a hall is very good. I've never once had a problem with dropped signals. I turn my laptop on and the signal stays solid until I turn it off. I'm using 128-bit WEP encryption, as well.

The speed is terrific. I applaud D-Link. I picked this combo because of the 22Mbps data rate. I can tell you that it really does double your throughput. On top of that, D-Link has a new firmware for the 900AP and driver for the 650+ that provided 4x/44Mbps mode. Note: it never actually negotiates at 44Mbps, but it does boost the speed. For example, at 2x/22Mbps, I get an average of 6.5Mbps (tested with QCheck from www.netiq.com), and at 4x/44Mbps, I get an average of 9.2Mbps... almost a 50% boost. Advertisement aside, getting 9Mbps from 802.11b is absolutely terrific.

Although I'm so high on this combo, if you're thinking of ordering any combo, I suggest going with D-Link's Extreme G 802.11g combo of DI-614 and DWL-G650, like I've done (should arrive in a few days).

14 Don't upgrade the drivers with Windows XP and a Dell laptop!
After many long hours on the phone with tech support, who was at times helpful, and at other times not helpful, I've come to the conclusion from countless testing and reboots that any drivers except the ones that came with my card do not work.

I believe the driver that came on my install disk was 2.02 or something, that works fine. If you have XP, and/or a Dell laptop (mine is Inspiron 5100), DO NOT UPDATE THE DRIVERS, EVER. You get a blue screen system error about the driver not being equal or something and saying it was dumping the data, etc...

Other that that, the card seems to work fine, however, the distance isn't what I expected and certain walls in my office block it for some reason. I must admit that I've put way too many hours into making this work at home and in the office. It really shouldn't be this hard. Perhaps I'm one of those people that it just didn't work out for. I would honestly buy a different brand before buying D-link again simply because of my poor experience.

15 excellent performance, excellent price
this 802.11B unit is available with rebate for as little as $30. using proprietary compression techniques it can transmit between computers on a LAN (using the same d-link "plus" components) at up to 44 Mbs. this is so close to 802.11G performance that the price difference is a no-brainer. be advised that top performance is obtained using non-TCP/IP protocols (e.g., NetBEUI) over your LAN. excellent install process and web-based administration. worked on the very first try.

16 Great price/performance
I read about some people having trouble with Windows hanging after installing this card. I had the same problem with an older Dell laptop but got immediate help from D-Link tech support. The card worked great after disabling the built-in network adapter.

17 Bottom Line: A Perfect Wireless Adapter
This card is real nice. I get great signal strength from anywhere in my home, but I think half of that is due to the access point I have. I have a DI-614+ as my wireless router. They work great together because I can have 256-bit WEP and 22Mbps 11b.

18 Trouble-Free Install and Everyday Operation
Everyday I use this I am reminded how easy it was to install, how easy it is to update and how effortless it is to use on a daily basis.

With the informative software utility that comes with this card it is simple to find a strong hotspot signal and connect to it with a click of the button.

Overall this card might as well be built into my laptop, because I really enjoy the ease of use with it.

19 worked perfectly the first time but that's it
I have a Dell Inspiron 4150, 1.6Ghz, 640MB, with XP home. I purchased this DWL-650+ PC card along with the DI-614+ router because they were cheap and popular. I'm not a hardcore computer geek but I can solve most computer problems I come across. Hey, I was pre-med : )

After reading the reviews, I carefully read the instructions and installed the PC card software first, turned the laptop off, inserted the card, than turned the laptop back on. It worked like a champ within five minutes. I than disabled the connection and it never worked again.

Each time I rebooted with the PC card in, my laptop would freeze right when the first Windows XP logo popped up. I loaded the most current D-Link drivers online. I updated my Dell BIOS for the first time. I accepted the latest XP updates I was reminded of. After this failed, I used my GoBack software to start all over again. I called D-link support threee times but actually got through immediately each time (two reps were good, one was clown). I than got a replacement PC card and tried all this all over again. I than had a CompUSA tech check it out. All this failed to stop XP from freezing with the PC card in. CompUSA took the PC card back.

Now I'm going to try the Netgear WG511 from Amazon at the current bargain price. I know my router is only good for 11Mbps with this set up, but the price is good and it may come in handy in other hotspots. After reading a bunch of network card reviews from customers, it seems like picking the right one really is a crap shoot. Make sure you can return anything that doesn't work for you at least. Wish me luck!

20 Great Card with Great Software
The software that comes with this card is better than expected. I've seen other brands of software and they all seemed ok at the time, but this D-link one blows them away. I can see the signal strength, if WEP is enabled on a local AP, the percentage of signal strength, menus are organized nicely and it fits nicely in the system tray.

I love the card and the non intrusive software.

21 Bothered by Bright Flashing Lights
This card really worked just fine for me. Good throughput, trivial install, etc. Overall, I'm a big fan of D-Link wireless routers.

However, this card has two rather large bright green LEDs on top of the card that FLASH back and forth all the time you are connected. It drove me up a wall and I returned it because of those annoying lights. A very subtle (see it when you look for it) light showing the connection status would have been a preferred design. My SMC (although 802.11b) card has a subtle orange light that is solid when connected, flashes when not connected. Its a much better design. I'm sure other cards are far less intrusive than this D-Link card.

22 Bothered by Bright Lights
This card really worked just fine for me. Good throughput, trivial install, etc. Overall, I'm a big fan of D-Link wireless routers.

23 An Excellent Adapter Card - 22Mbps!
I use this mainly with my DWL-800AP+ and everything has been working smoothly since the day I got these. I use 256-bit WEP when I am at home for extra protection. I've also used this at many a hotspot in my days and this has to be one of the best cards for range, because I can be pretty far from the hotspot (where it isn't crowded) and still get a solid signal.

The D-Link software that comes with this is pretty useful as well. It tells you the signal strength, WEP or not, and more about the local APs in the area.

24 Excellent for Home Network and Works Everywhere Else Too!
This card works great in my laptop. I've never had any problems with normal operations since the install. My home network is backboned by a D-Link DI-614+ and the wireless coverage in the house is excellent. There are zero downspots in my home.

This card has excellent security with the 256-bit WEP, and it works very well in all the hotspots I've visited.

I recommend this to home users and people who want to connect to all hotspots with zero problems.

25 horrible product
worked for about 1 month and began having defects. the service was horrible, and was not able to help at all. It shuts down the computer after using it for a few minutes. we returned it and got a new one which after a week started doign the same thing. The laptop, is new so i doubt it is the laptop's problem. if you buy the product, keep in mind that if a problem like this occurs, you're left in the dark.

26 Works well.
After loading the software, my laptop found the wireless network instantly. It's so nice when things work how you hope they will. I've tried it with both Windows ME and XP Home with equally good results.

27 The Perfect Wireless Card
This can do regular 802.11b @ 11Mbps AND 802.11b+ @ 22Mbps and trust me the 22Mbps DOES make a difference! Transfering a file between computers connected at 11Mbps is all right, but slow. But transfering when connected @ 22Mbps transfering that same file goes even faster and is a lot more bareable. I was amazed that no other company has this 22Mbps.

Plus this D-Link stuff has 256-bit WEP security. I like the added security and appreciate someone trying to get better security instead of everyone else who sticks with 128-bit.

Overall this card is easy to use, super fast (compared to others in its class), and it is fairly priced. Get one and see for yourself.

28 Everything I Do, This can Do It.
I have connected to quite a bit of different wireless hot spots that past month or two being that my business has got me traveling more and this card's greatness has shine through each time. Connections are easy to get, they stick good, and I don't have to fumble around with settings much. I have a Dell laptop with XP Pro on it, and this card works great with it.

I use D-Link's software because it is more informative than the windows utility. The installation was very straight forward, plus the FAQ sheet that came with it, helped when I had a question. Everything is great thanks to this adapter and I like having the wireless option for a connection.

29 I wish this card was built into my laptop.
I wish this card was built into my laptop. It never actually leaves my laptop since I use it at work, home, and school. I get reliable connections every place I've tried. I like the D-Link software that came with this because it gives me a little meter in my icon try that shows how strong my connection currently is. This is very useful when roaming around a hot spot and looking for the best spot to sit. :)

Bottom Line: Great inexpensive adapter card with good reliability and compatibility. hope I spelled those right. :)

30 and now it works!
i wrote an earlier review of this product, chatizing it for it's lack of working. i took it back, got a new one (updated version), and the thing works like a dream! not a bit of problem, took an hour to set it up (including phone help), and here i am doing this all wi-fi!

good stuff, pick it up.

31 4x Mode Adds 4-5Mbps when enabled!
I use this in my laptop and it communicates with my wireless access point from D-Link (DWL-900AP+) that's plugged into my router's Ethernet port. I have 4x mode enabled on both the DWL-900AP+ and the DWL-650+ and it just plain adds more speed. In fact it adds 4-5Mbps more of speed. Then considering other brands of networking products with 802.11b only go 4-5Mbps total real speeds, this D-Link 4x mode is a great boost in speed. I get a total of 10-11Mbps actual data transfer speed with this card and the 900AP+ in 4x mode. Without 4x mode it is still a little faster than others with a speed of about 6-7Mbps data transfer.

Installation of this card was very painless and I enjoy being able to just plug in this card, the software starts up and looks for available APs automatically and if I am at home it connects automatically as well. I like it and I suggest this card with the 900AP+ since they are very compatible and work well together.

32 A Good Card with a Low Price
Just as I said before this is a good card with a low price. I didn't have to break the bank to setup my wireless network, plus D-Link made it easier than I thought with its helpful setup wizards.

This card was simple enough and the range with this and my DWL-900AP+ is very impressive. I was reading how some people couldn't get their wireless range to go beyond the room they put the AP in. I guess with the right equipment you can get better. I am able to get signal from 3 rooms down from where my AP is located.
The D-Link wireless software also provides some useful information like others have said in other reviews.

33 Very disappointing card
I tried out this card because I thought all wireless pc cards would be about the same. Was I wrong! The signal was so weak that I couldn't even get past my hallway before I lost my connection. The card works great if you plan to stay within 10 feet of your wireless router, other than that, this thing is worthless. I returned the card as soon as I could and picked up a Cisco card that had MUCH better range. STAY AWAY from this card it's not worth it.

34 Pretty nice.
I'm using my DWL-650+ with my windows XP laptop and have experienced no problems with it. Works like a charm, really. Strong reception, and easy to use. My only complaint is that once connected it's sometimes difficult to disconnect from a network, which means if you get on the wrong one it can be a little annoying to get back on the right one..

35 Great for Portability
I carry this where ever I go with my laptop. It fits in a pocket and gets good range with D-link and other brand APs. I've used it at hotspots with no hang-ups what-so-ever. At home I get my full 22Mbps connection speeds, but out on the road I still get a fast 11Mbps. Software is better than XP's Wireless Configuration thingy and I recommend this over other adapters because of all this.

36 Solid Construction and Good Wireless Abilities
With this card in my laptop I can roam all around my home. I can also easily connect to my work's wireless network. So far all the networks I've been giving access to connect to have been easy to connect to. Just change the WEP, and SSID and you are set. Usually it is just a matter of selecting an AP that is nearby and you are connected.

Installation was painless and done in one reboot.
Now I don't leave anywhere with out this card and I enjoy using it.

37 Yeah, if it actually worked
After spending three hours with the technical support, I decided to salvage my remaining sanity and take this card back. Sure, the set-up is quick, but the install disk was screwed, didn't have the proper driver, not to mention that it's not all that compatible with Windows (I have some computer knowledge, but not enough apparently).

All in all, I'm tired, hungry, and sick of adding/removing hardware for a product that doesn't seem to work.

The customer support was OK, nothing great. Obviously they're on a time clock and didn't want to spend anymore time with me. Which is fine since I don't want their product.

38 Absolutely Love this Card
I like this card so much I've suggested it to everyone I see with a laptop. It works with any of those hotspots out there since they are mostly 802.11b or 802.11g.

But the best part about this card is the range I can get. When I am at a hotspot I can usually be sitting furthur away from the AP than most other people. This gives me some privacy and I enjoy that. Also the software that comes with it works great at showing you what APs are available and if they WEP turned on, and how strong the signal is for you.

I think D-Link has quite a product here and others just need to know about it. So pick one up for yourself.

39 Mostly works; fine for basic level users
Installation of the DWL-650+ is a breeze. D-Link's install process and software is better than some I've seen. And certainly it's high-speed performance (when matched with a compatible WAP) is a benefit, and a cheaper option than other, faster wireless standards.

I have used the card for a couple of months, and find two primary annoyances:

1. The configuration software for the DWL-650+ doesn't support passphrase entry of the WEP encryption strings as some other wireless cards do, forcing you to type-in the strings. And type you do... Since the software doesn't allow you to paste from the clipboard (perhaps you keep your WEP strings in a text file -- if you do, it'll do you no good with the DWL-650+). (I should note that if you allow Windows XP to manage your wireless connections, this is a non-issue, since you can paste into the Windows configuration dialogs.)

2. For some reason, PPTP VPNs do not work through this card, at least with Windows XP. I've tested it in two different laptops, and the results are the same... Attempts to use the remote network over a PPTP connection with the DWL-650+ simply fail for no particular reason. Switch to a different brand of card, same WAP, same VPN configuration, same laptop -- and things are fine. (I've read other reports of this type online as well, so I don't think it's just me.)

All that said, I do like the native configuration software's ability to sniff out available networks (though once again, Windows XP can do this itself as well, but the native software does it better). And the card does seem to capture and hold signal to the WAP quite nicely, and better than other brands I've tried.

So for basic use, the card is fine, and would probably satisfy most users.

40 driver problem, so-so support, but decent product
I have a netgear router and read some not-so-good reviews about this product, so I had some reservations buying this card.

Supprisingly, it worked quite well out of the box. The problem began after I upgraded the driver. I could no longer access the internet using either the wireless or the wired connection.

Having read the bad reviews on D-Link's support, I picked up the phone reluctantly after some unfruitful online research. Once again, D-Link support supprised me by answering the phone quite quickly. But their first question to me after hearing my case was "why did you upgrade the driver?" Duh... What kind of question was this? Anyway, several different support guys/gals suggested me going back to older drivers etc. But nothing worked. The impression I got from their responses was that some of them wanted to get rid of me asap and some simply didn't have a clue. After several phone calls, finally there was a guy who seemed to know what he was talking about, and he helped me to solve the problem. The July 2003 version of the win2k driver (3.03) messed up the TCP/IP. I had to remove the TCP/IP from ALL my connections and reinstall it.

The card has been working properly since. No drop of connection or anything. Since the 22Mbps speed needs a matching router, I don't have any input there. The signal strength and link quality seem to be even better than my netgear card on a different machine working on the same netgear router. So it's a decent product when it works.

41 Works well if it's not defective
The first one worked fine for about a day, then my HP Compaq nx9005 running Win XP failed to initialize it. Every time I plugged the card in the slot, Windows reported that "The device has a problem". The second one didn't work from the beginning: Windows would not even recognize it. Well, being a patient person and trusting numerous 5 star ratings of this card, I got another replacement which has been working flawlessly for about 2 weeks.

If you have a problem, don't bother calling the tech support. They are useless. Get a replacement, and if you are lucky, you might get a non-defective one.

Update: My replacement card also failed to perform properly. I gave up trying and returned the card. Extremely disappointed with D-Link.

42 WORKS
The LinkSys one didn't. This one does. The application software could be greatly improved. Orinoco/Lucent makes a much better product with more range and better software - but for much more $$.

43 Easy as pie
I really like this product! It was so easy to set up with the DI-614+ router and now I can go all over the house with my laptop. I didn't think it would be as easy as this. Also, it seems to be quite fast, even when I'm at the other end of the house from my computer.

44 Excellent Speeds for the price.
The price is about forty bucks as of today (before rebate). I can get a throughput of about 8 Mbps when transfering so that's about 5 bucks per 1 Mbps transfer.

With other 802.11b products and their cooresponding access points you get 5Mbps. Other companies' cards cost about fifty bucks and that makes the ratio 10 bucks per 1 Mbps transfer.

As long as that isn't fuzzy math then I don't see the reason to go with other brands of 802.11b products. They cost more or about the same, but get slower speeds.

It is all about the price and speed ratio.
Compatibility is also no issue with D-Link's 802.11b+ products. They can all slow them selves down to 5Mbps to work just as normal with regular slower 802.11b access points.
The range of this card and my AP (dwl-900ap+) together let me roam everywhere in my home and outside in my yard and even a little in the street.

I am very pleased and I hope this review helps you decide which products to get.

45 Super Range and Speed!
I can get a strong enough signal with this Adapter and a DI-614+ as my AP from 3 rooms down the hall and in the living room. This is about 75 feet away and through a couple walls. I wasn't always able to do this though. I had to change my channel from 6, the default, to 1 which had less interference I guess. All I know for sure is that when I changed the channel I was able to travel further away from my 614+ and still get tolerable speeds.

I wish I would have found this combo earlier so I could enjoy wireless freedom sooner. Well then again I am glad I waited because now it is a lot more inexpensive than it used to be. Plus the product is more mature now and the bugs have been worked out. That reminds me, make sure to get the latest firmware because you probably aren't getting the newest firmware or drivers when you buy it in the box. check dlink.com for updates.

46 Top Notch WEP, and useful Software.
With 256bit WEP I feel very safe from those code crackers who might try and get into my network sitting outside in their car with their laptops. HA, who am I kidding, nobody would devote that much time to sit outside my home just so they could get into my network and look at my non-important files. I wouldn't find anything too interesting on someone elses files, but whatever. I am secure enough to keep the network nerds out of my network as they drive by, and my neigbors, which is all I am worried about.

The software that comes with this card is pretty useful considering that it tells you all the access points it could connect to when you do a site survey. I can see that one of my neighbors has a wireless netowrk also and they don't even have WEP on. I could probably log on to their networks but I wont. The software just lets you double click the AP you want and you can connect almost instantly. Of course if you have WEP enabled you need to know the passcode to get through.

All in all this is a great card, and when it is combined with the DI-614+ it is even better. Speeds are very quick and it feels just like I am on the wired network with my desktop.

47 650+ is a good card.
I bought a dlink 650+ card and a 614+ router recently. Unfortunately the router was defective which I found out after being online with DLINK techsupport for 1 hour. I must admit that techsupport(although they are forthcoming and try to help as much as possible) are not very bright.

Anyway, the router was just defective, so I got it replaced for free. The new router worked right away without problems. (btw, I am on Win XP PRO with a Sony VAIO 2.6 Ghz lappy)

The final verdict :
Good ---------
1. 650+ card is cool. Works without any problems. Good range.
2. 614+ router also works without a problem. If it takes u more than 10 minutes to setup ur wireless, then u r too slow.

Bad ----------
1. Techsupport ....! Not because of their attitude but bcoz of lack of tech know how.
2. Dont know if all cards do this but I find it irritating whenever I access a web page, my 650+ causes a radio interference which leads to my sound card emitting a gibberish radio sound which is quite irritating. (I mute my sound card when I am on wireless)
3. Although I can connect to my office thru VPN (some reviewers said they cant) but I cant use Terminal Client to connect to my office machine. I can use VNC just fine though. WHen I am wired Terminal client works without problems.

Overall a good deal. I am happy with my purchase :):):)

48 quality network adapter
I can use this on my Win2K laptop with netstumbler and get good range and results with netstumbler. check the forums to find out how to make this card work with the program. as far as i can tell, from using mine and hearing from friends, it works as good if not better than other brands of wireless cards. plus if there is a network out there that uses the 256-bit WEP this is ready for it. Not every brand has the capability to use 256-bit WEP. Plus it can go 22Mbps when used with other D-Link products. Which is the reason I bought a D-Link AP/router (614+).
I like everything this card has to offer and even heard there is a group working on linux drivers. though not suported by d-link themselves.

49 Works Great
What else do you want it to do?
It works in my Win2K Pro dell laptop and does what I want, when I want.
I connect to a 900AP+ connected to my 604, the 604 handles the DHCP server thingy. Very easy to setup and use, all of the equipment from D-Link is this way. D-Link is my only venture into networking so far, so I can't say anything about anyone else. I have no need to.

50 Great product with outstanding features
the card is nice and solid so it doesn't feel like it will break or easily be broken. the utility that comes with it is a great tool. the range with this and a DWL-900AP+ is great as well. I can surf the 'net anywhere in my home. i can't say anything bad about this product.

51 Not Too Bright
I hate to slam some of the other reviewers, but you are wasting everyone's time, including your own, by not being specific about configuration and environment re your system/use of this or any PC product. Every PC product has issues regarding compatibility, range, interference, etc.

Having said that, I get great results throughout a suburban two story house and large yard with the D-Link 22 mbps line using Windows XP home and pro operating systems in a variety of Gateway and Sony desktops and notebooks (none less than 512 mb RAM). Installation was a piece of cake. However, I tested various locations for my router and was aware that accessories like repeaters and directional attenae are sometimes needed.

On the other hand, D-Link documentation is crummy both in the box and on their website. They are sloppy about updates (two recently purchased adapters arrived with different driver disks, one new, one very old.) and their support is the worst of any computer equipment manufacturer that I have ever experienced.

52 Fast speeds make it more fun
With the 22Mbps speeds I feel like the kid on the block with the fastest bike. I can race anyone and win, hehe. With this wireless card and the DI-614+ AP/Router I get the 22Mbps speeds and a secure 256-bit WEP. After doing research on the best wireless adapter card and AP I came up with this card because of several reasons. The main resaons being that it has the 256-bit WEP ability, not many other brands have that, and 22Mbps speeds (real world about 11Mbps).

Now I got it and it works. It was easy to setup and even easier to use. Just use it.

53 Quality Wireless Link 99% of the Time
I can get a link to my AP from the other side of my 2000 sq. ft. home with this card. I must admit that there is a wireless repeater (900AP+) in between my bedroom and my office. I still get a strong signal stength and a good 5-6Mbps speeds from the furthest spot away from my AP thanks to the repeater.

If I am close enough to the AP (614+) and not connected to it via the repeater I can get about 10Mbps transfer speeds.

I like this card.

54 jhawk
I just received this card, and found it to be acceptable. However is very sensitive, must have the notebook turned a certain way in order to get a good signal. It does work thoughout my house, driveway,deck,downstairs family room, haven't tryed the yard yet, maybe tomorrow. A good buy for the money.

55 average card, poor support
I had this card with the DLINK 614+ and had lots of problems, mostly with the 614 loosing connection with the antenni. (is that the plural?) In any case, 45 minutes on the phone with tech support who were obviously not too bright, 30 of which was just getting through. I also called their pre-sales dept for some config recommendations and they were decidedly unhelpfull and it also took 30+ minutes to get through. I am now on a Netgear based config and while not specifically better in the basic config (I am using this to share broadband so I can't see any speed difference but others might) Netgrear does pick up the phone quickly and trys to help.

56 Horrible Range
I have been blown away how bad the range is on this card. I experience drops every 5 minutes with this card. Ended up switching to an Orinoco Gold. Results, no more drops. Don't waste your money!

57 A solid wireless card, just don't use it with Linux
This is a good wireless card, with a couple of plusses and minuses:
Minuses:
A) It's 802.11b w/ a proprietary 22mbps mode, not 802.11g -- don't be fooled by the higher speed.
B) It uses a proprietary Texas Instruments chipset that is incompatible with Linux
C) To get the 22mbps, you have to use all D-Link Airplus equipment (or equipment by the very small number of other manufacturers who use the same TI chipset)

Pluses:
A) At least when I got it, it was quite inexpensive.
B) The drivers are stable and the management applet was easy to use
C) If you do get all TI-based equipment, you get noticeably better performance than a standard 11mbps 802.11b system

Final verdict: If you can, buy 802.11g equipment, not 802.11b.

58 Disappointed
I installed the card into a Compaq Amada M700 with Win2000 and it didn't detect my Dlink wireless router DI713P. After a call into tech support, they mentioned a updated driver might be needed. I tried it and it still cannot detect it. Went back to the store and got a replacement. The replacement also didn't detect it. I also disabled the 4X feature. Gave up and trying something else.

59 Good range and easy setup
I was able to connect to my DI-614+ (wireless router/AP) from across the street. This is some good range. I am just glad I have 128-bit WEP and MAC address filtering to keep others out.

The configuration utility for this is also a great thing. I can scan the area and see what wireless networks are in my area. (I can see my neighbors wireless network) From there you can connect to any of them that are open or if you have the right encryption key in case of WEP protected networks. I like this card, and don't plan on switching to another brand when this one is out of date.

60 Loses connection sometimes... and weak signal outside
When the signal is there this card performs great (through 4 interior walls), but when I am in the yard I lose the signal... To make a long story short: not as good as I hoped for, but the DI-614+ ROCKS!!!!, just buy another PCCard with a better antenna!

61 Inexpensive WiFi
I got this card for [item price] from [local store] and for the price it was great. It is quick to set up and lets my laptop connect at home anyware on up to 1/2 block away and I found that a lot people and businesses leave their WiFi connections open and unencrypted so I can surf in a lot of places around town. There is even a database I found of places that have connections. For the price it is great. But I'm not as happy about their router product.

62 Works Great!!!
No problems at all installing and configuring. The enclosed documentation and software are straightforward and easy to use. The signal with my D-Link router was strong and good quality throughout my entire house and yard. Signal strength dropped off a bit at the extreme edges but this did not translate into any detectable slowdowns.

63 so easy to install and use that it is hard to believe
The title says it all. Also could download an upgraded driver from the dlink support site for 4x connections with 614+ .

64 I wouldn't do this again if someone gave it to me...
I have made 2 separate attempts of trying D-Link's wireless cards and both times they failed miserably. This setup isn't worth the hassle. The connection is terrible, setup is a nightmare, and there are better products on the market ...

Good luck to you with this piece o' mess.

65 Gives Ubiquitous Internet Access within the Home
I now have an old laptop at home with a D-Link card that serves as nothing more than a portable browser and connected the hub to my cable modem. I am amazed at how often we use this thing in front of the TV to look up listings, do some shopping (from Amazon.com of course!), check e-mail, settle a trivia dispute, pay bills, etc. No dial-up delays and being able to use it throughout the house without wires is wonderful. I consider wireless Internet access on par with indoor plumbing in terms of convenience.

The D-link was easy to set-up and has worked flawlessly for about months now.

66 Reasons why this card is better than others.
First off someone was saying that you couldn't just set the SSID of this card to "default" and connect to any AP without changing the SSID of the card. Well actually there is a way to do it. Just type in "any" in the SSID field and it will connect to any AP that doesn't have WEP running, unless you know the WEP key.

There are many reasons why I like this card better than others, but here are the main ones.

First off it works in the 22Mbps (PBCC encoding) at 4x speeds which enables actual throughput to operate at about 10-11Mbps average when connected to a D-Link AP with 4x enabled. Even with normal 11Mbps APs you get a slight bump in speed, around 1Mbps or so more.

Second it has great range.
You can roam with your laptop pretty far away without losing your signal. I have about a 1700 sq. ft. home and everywhere in my home is accessable and lots of space outside is accessable. I can stand in the street, even in my neighbors yard and get a solid 1Mbps link. Which is still good enough to browse the web at good speeds.

Third thing is that when coupled with a D-Link Air Plus AP you can have up to 256-bit WEP encryption which is more secure than 128-bit WEP. You can still downgrade to 128-bit WEP when needed, but the added security is a great thing.

Fourth is the configuration utility that has a "site survey" feature that allows you to "scan" the area you are in for any Access Points that are transmitting signals. Thus allowing you to pick the one you want to connect to and try to conenct to it. The site survey lets you see the SSID, if it has WEP enabled, and the signal strength of each AP in the area.

These are just some of my favorite things.
They are also the things that make my friends jealous that opted for the built in wireless in their newer laptops or bought other brands.

The only thing I wish this card had was an external antenna connector so I can get even more range. Although I heard that if you open the casing on some of these there is a tiny connector, but I don't want to void my warranty. :)

67 Trouble from the start.
I bought this 650+ with a D Link AirPlus 614+, also supports 22 Mbps. Upon installing the software and rebooting the card came up ok for the first few time. Then it was not recognized by the computer and wanted to reinstall the drivers. Plus, the card did not let me connect to other computers on the network to transfer files. The card has been intermittent and pain. Very bad product or just this set of router and pc card. Do not recomend this line of products. The hub DHCP server died in less than six months. Several techs tried to install and setup and on several Dell laptops. Tried a Linksys USB card and it work great. So think again about purchasing this product.

68 You Get What You Pay For
Not a bad wireless nic. Worked fine with my XP box. The range is not all that great. Whatever seperates you between the router and the laptop will be the biggest factor. Two or three walls really makes reception rough. If you are planning on roaming more than a couple of rooms away from the router then don't buy this card. Works well with other routers.

I would recommend loading the device drivers from CD. That was the only way XP would handle it right. At least you don't have to reboot.

69 Fantastic for Beginners and Experts
This is a fantastic little card. I use it daily at home with a D-Link 614+ router and achieve the 22Mbps. It has fantastic range. There is no where in my 1600 square foot home that I can't get a signal, I can even surf the web in the front yard! The beauty of this card is the ease of setup, especially with a D-Link router. However, I have also used this card flawlessly and seamlessly with a Linksys router.

There are only two minor problems I can see. One is that it doesn't automatically jump to a default SSID. You have to manually connect to it. Therefore, if you're at home and connect to an SSID of "home" and then you bring it to work, you have to tell it to connect to the SSID "work", or else it will always try to find "home". If you could enter a default SSID of "default" and have it jump to any available open SSID, that would make this card flawless. However, it takes about 5 seconds to open the config utility and tell it to connect to the available network, so not a big deal. It's just annoying for those of us that have to deal with very technologically challenged users calling us all of the time asking why it doesn't work.

The second issue I have with this card is the rare occassion that you are in a situation where you have an office with several routers. It will hang on for dear life to a router that it's connected to, even if you're closer to another router. So, if you connect to a router, move downstairs and have a signal strength of 11%, even if you're standing right next to another router with 100% signal strength, it won't disconnect from the original router until it totally loses the connection. Of course, once again, you can manually tell it to switch to the other router. This is such a rare problem that you really only have in a office setting, so it doesn't affect my 5 star rating whatsoever.

I've used it at home with a workgroup, at work with a domain, and at the mall for free Internet browsing. All flawless. Windows XP Pro treats it like a champ. I highly recommend it to all of my clients and have purchased 4 of these myself! As a bonus, it's cheaper than many of the 11mbps cards! A+

70 this card [is not good]
It worked fine at first. Then two weeks later, my laptop can not read it any more. It can not even load windows XP with this card in the PCMCIA slot. I did nothing to this card. I was very careful to use and keep it. By the way, you will not be able to connect your laptop to your home PC once you install the driver coming with the card.

71 A great card at a great price
I purchased this card with a 614+ router to replace my old Linksys router. I am getting great speeds and am very satisfied with the 650+ as well as the 614. Overall a great setup.

72 DWL-650+ = AWESOME.
It rocks. I can get 22mbps with the DI-614+ Wireless router, and the card receives signals even through walls. (Basement AND upper floor). It even has two Antennas(internal) but the only problem is that it takes up one PC slot. (Small price to pay, really.) It even supports advanced power management features, which is a plus on laptops.

73 Awesome!
This card rocks. I used to have the DWL-650L1, the precursor to the 650+, but it's range was too short. The 650+ is a lot faster though, and it has greater range. (It goes into my basement and upstairs through walls). A++

BTW, I am using it with the DI-614+ Router, so I can get the 22Mbps data rate.

74 FAST FAST FAST!!!!! With new 4X drivers!!
I have the d-link 650+ card for my laptop and the 614+ wireless router. When you upgrade the drivers for the card and firmware for the router this is no doubt the FASTEST 802.11b card out there. When I have the new 4X mode enabled and no encryption, I transfered a 57meg file from my desktop to laptop in exactly 54 seconds! Yes 54 sec! With 128 encryption it was only a little bit slower. That BLOWS away linksys, belkin, netgear 802.11b cards. Its over twice as fast as them. D-link isnt lying when they put that 2X on the box. Of course to have these speeds you need a d-link access point or wireless router. I have also used this card with 4 different linksys access points and had no problems with connecting to them. Still even with the lynksys access point the card was still faster than my friends linksys card. Anyone who has problems with this card must have the old drivers or brain dead since they cant set it up right. Setup was easy, just read the instructions. The range of the card is also good. I drove around in my car with SSID as "default" and found 4 access points! I found 2 more when I set it as "linksys" You want my opinion if your buying a 802.11b card? get this one now that d-link has these great drivers out. Remember you need to have a d-link access point or wireless router to take advantage of the superfast speed mode.

75 High-Quality Wireless Adapter with Superior Range
I own this wireless adapter and a D-Link DWL-900AP+ and with this combination I get excellent range. The access point is in my home and the range covers all throughout my home and all, that's right I said all, of my backyard. I have what I'd call an average backyard (big enough to fit a pool, but not too much bigger). I can get access everywhere in my backyard and I love it. I'd much rather be outside on my laptop then confined to a room with a loud desktop PC.

Moving on, I've become more and more impressed with this adapter and access point as time goes on. Partly because new firmwares have been released that allow for a higher throughput and more features. The features range from added security options, to convenience items like turning down the transmit power on the access point so your signal isn't broadcasted to the whole block.

This wireless card comes with some wonderful configuration software that allows you to change settings to fit your needs quite well. WEP is easy to setup with this card, connecting to an available access point is almost effortless, and finding the right access point is a breeze. The only thing they could do to make this easier is if they came to your home and did it for you.

I am in awe at how simple yet potentially powerful D-Link has made their wireless products. On a side note writing this on my laptop in a hammock in the backyard is almost the ultimate in mobility. Oh and even out here in the backyard I can get fast enough speeds to where I notice no difference with surfing the web and downloading MP3s as compared to a wired PC in my home.

Thank You D-Link.

76 YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
I bought the Dlink 650 because it was inexpensive. First of all, the dlink wireless utility does not work with my WinXP system. Tech support was not very helpful. The reception was also very weak. It worked okay with my wireless router at home but at school I was kicked off every few minutes while people with other brands of cards had no problem.
I have since tried out two other different brands, Network Everywhere and Dell TrueMobile 1150. Either one of them works much much better than the Dlink 650. I highly recommend everyone to STAY AWAY from this card.

77 New Drivers Work Wonders
The newest drivers are out of Beta and are working great. When I say working great I mean they are providing me with speeds that I previously thought impossible for 802.11b products. The actual throughput my laptop can achieve wirelessly is average 10Mbps. I have seen it jump around in the 11 to 12Mbps range before, but I can never keep a constant rate that high. To be fair though I am usually only about 25 feet (max) away from my wireless access point when I get these speeds since my couch is only about 20 feet from the access point. I do wonder around the house occasionally, and I still get real fast speeds, but I haven't done it enough to notice a big difference.

This little card also gets good range since I can roam pretty much anywhere in my 1800 square foot home and get a strong signal. The software that comes with this card is a handy thing to have as well. The D-Link software lets you do a "site survey" (what they call it) and you can see what access points are up and running that are in your range to connect to. With this I can tell that one of my neighbors have one, and when I use my laptop at work I can see which access point has the best signal and connect to that one.

The installation was a breeze and I have owned this same card for about 6 months and with almost each new driver D-Link releases they seem to make my throughput even faster. I wouldn't trade this card for any other out there right now.

78 Awesome Config Utility
I am quite impressed with the configuration utility that comes with this wireless adapter. The config utility has a site survey that lets you sort of scan the air waves for local access points then connect to the one you want. Without it I would have never known my neighbors had one. They also don't have WEP enabled on their wireless network. This enticed me to activate WEP so as not to be letting in unwanted web/network surfers. The config utility also has all the normal settings so that you can set ad-hoc, infrastructure, WEP (64-bit to 256-bit), and the other usual stuff.

The card itself performs great and I get good range, fast speeds, and a solid reliable connection. I am very pleased.

79 Avoid this product
The DWL 650+ is a shoddy piece of work. The casing popped open after only a few uses. Customer support was not helpful. When a replacement was finally sent, it was sent to the wrong state. I am unimpressed with D-Link.

80 Good Product - Exceptionally Poor Documentation
The speed and range of this 22 Mbps PC card is very good once you get it up and running. Surprisingly, the WEP encryption does not slow it down noticably. Unfortunately, it does not install cleanly in Windows XP home edition. It's no wonder this product is not XP certified by Microsoft. A good deal of the information in the exceptionally skimpy installation booklet was written for earlier Windows versions and many of the known quirks of the XP installation are simply ignored in the instructions. D-Link is well aware of these problems, but has chosen not to update the installation software, prefering instead to have the customer search their website to download patches for the XP install. There is also an incompatability issue with an older BIOS in Toshiba and some Dell laptops. A link to a patch for that is also available on the support site. There are a lot of FAQ's on the website that are helpful, but the customer should not have to work this hard to address XP issues in a product that advertises that it is XP compatable.

81 better with a rebate
This product works ok most of the time. I would be happier if DLink would send my rebate but after speaking with them several times and sending most of the box, they still refused to send my rebate. I'd sell it if I could get a $1 for it and go with LinkSys.

82 The Perfect Wireless Card.
Literally this card is perfect. I haven't exactly tried other cards, but I have had no problems what so ever with this card the whole time I've had it. Site survey is a great feature, actually the whole configuration software is just what is needed, nothing that isn't and it takes up very little memory/CPU power to have on.

I've connected to multiple different vendors' access points and I always get good speeds and a reliable connection, unless of course I am out of range.

I have no complaints and am happy to give it 5 stars.

83 Works great with D-link APs
When I'm at home with my D-Link 614 AP, I love this card. When I am other places, with other APs I'm not always as lucky. I've had several occasions where I can't maintain a signal with a linksys or cisco AP. What's funny about it, is that with two linksys AP's-configured identically-I was able to maintain a connection with one and not the other. A similar situation occurred with Cisco.

All in all for the money, the card works well enough. If you have a D-link AP that you'll primarily be connecting to, this would be the card to get. However, if you plan on connecting to many different APs, I would recommend a Cisco Aironet card.

84 Ok for home network, lousy support, PPTP VPN won't work
I've been running the D-Link AirPlus DI-614+ with a D-Link DWL-650+ wirless card for about 6 months.
The good:
Easy install (READ the instructions FIRST!)
Good connection quality and decent speed.
Worked great for sharing my cable modem for Internet access, file sharing across computers, printer sharing.
The utility that comes with the DWL-650+ card allows you to setup separate profiles for different wireless networks, a great convenience if you want to switch easily between home, work and Starbucks!

The bad:
The DWL 650+ PCMCIA failed after a few weeks.
Tech support was really bad, blamed everything but the card. After about a dozen e-mails & phone calls I finally got a tech to admit the card wasn't working since the indicator wouldn't even light up.
Replacement card required securing with my credit card and signing / faxing a 'cross shipment agreement' so they could ship immediately while my old card was being returned. Well they got my old card in a couple days but didn't ship the replacement for several weeks!
After finally getting the defective card resolved (2 months!!) everything worked again fun until ..
It wouldn't support my company's VPN connection through the wireless. (Wired connection does work though!) They're documentation says it supports PPTP VPN Pass through but after several more calls to their tech support, a bunch of configuration changes, the last tech finally said I 'had to understand that VPN requires too many packets for a wireless connection'. So why do my coworker's Linksys systems work fine then?!

Bottom Line:
It's fine for setting up a home network and sharing a broadband internet connection. But be wary if you need to do anything more sophisticated, especially if you ususally need support. Me? I'm buying a Linksys and selling the DLink stuff!

85 Works fine, if you can get past the initial frustrations.
I installed the software first (as directed), which appeared to be successful. However, no icons were installed on my desktop, and I couldn't find the config utility even when I searched my hard drive. The installation guide was useless - no mention of anything like this. Support on the website was only slightly better, but did manage to figure it out eventually:

First I had to upgrade my BIOS (I've only had my Dell laptop for a month!), then I had to download updated drivers for the card (geez! they just shipped it last week!), then I downloaded the updated firmware for my DI-614+ router (this wasn't required, but I wanted to match the latest drivers for the PC card).

Finally - voila! But what a pain!

86 Good speed, bad range
The speed of the card is very fast, at 22Mbps, which means that on my 10Mbps wireless LAN, it is always at top speed. The card has very good 256bit encryption and it is very easy to install especially under Windows XP (you just put the card in.) It is fully windows XP compatable (Home and Pro editions.)

The only problem with this card is the range is very bad. I have a Dell TrueMoble wireless card and when I use my other card and my friend uses his D-Link in his laptop (exact same brand, model, and OS as mine) I will have excellent range, and his will be poor or sometimes it will lose the connection.

D-Link is on the cheap end of wireless cards, in terms of price, and it shows in the product. I would recomend spending a bit extra to get a mid or high end product, such as a Netgear or Cisco systems wireless card.

87 Succeeds
I got a wireless card because I wanted to have more productive time in Starbucks. I chose this one because I wanted to eventually have wireless at home, too, so I wanted at least a possibility of a faster connection. I installed it in a Starbucks and it worked great right off. I feel as though it really tries to make a connection and make it a good connection. WHen I got the router for my home (614+) it connected to it as soon as it could. It tries, and it succeeds.

88 excellent speed, easy to setup
This card is great, I set it up on both windows 2000 and windows xp OS without any problem.

89 Good when it works.
This card is great when it works (once you get the drivers and firmware up to date, anyway), but seems to be prone to problems. I bought two of these cards originally, for two different laptops (one a Gateway, the other an IBM, both running Windows XP). All of a sudden, one laptop started rebooting spontaneously sometimes, then sometimes locking as Windows XP restarted, and sometimes it wouldn't turn back on at all. I was baffled by it until in desperation I tried popping the card out, and all of a sudden no more problems. I swapped the card with the other one and the exact same problems migrated to the other laptop. I called D-Link and they cross-shipped a replacement card (though it took most of a month to get it), which worked fine for a month and now seems to be causing the same problems again. I won't be buying another one of these.

90 Works great and is very easy to use
I am more than happy with the DWL-650+ and feel that it is as easy to use as it is to setup and install. It is basically a plug and play procedure and warrents a recommendation for just being so easy.

Also when coupled with a DI-614+ or other "Enhanced" 802.11b+ wireless product from D-Link I get better speeds than just regular 802.11b.

91 D-Link AirPlus DWL-650+ Wireless 22 Mbps PC Card
Easy setup.Quick access speeds. Strong signal in 3-story home. Used in notebook running Win98SE. On Comcast broadband cable modem for high-speed access.

92 Very good quality
Installed is very simple and quality is very good. I enjoyed the wireless connection and I can use my laptop anyway in my house.

93 It's OK
I noticed no difference with this card as oppose to Linksys or Netgear 11Mbps wireless card.

94 Last Straw
My complaints about the D-Link 650+/614+ products mirror most of the negative reviews:
- Blue screens
- System freezes
- unstable performance
- card goes dead and laptop needs reset
- less than advertised speed
- causes progressively slow laptop response
- tech support was useless

So I don't understand how others have had such great experiences.
I even recognize the same shining reviews on other sites. Looks suspicious, does D-Link have a positive campaign to offset the negative reviews?

I've had similar experiences with other PC/Laptops and third-party products so I give up. I am going back to the Mac. Good bye and good luck PC world!

95 this product does not work on XP
all that I've gained from this product is corrupt files that I can't remove from my computer. It didn't even get so far as to recognize the wireless card, let alone make any sort of connection. Customer support wasted about 3 hours of my time, then told me it was a problem that was known when the product was shipped, and they knew how to fix it but weren't going to help me

96 Wireless Networking made Relatively Easy
I'd tried earlier generation wireless networking, and ended up with little success and many sleepless nights.

The DWL-650+ worked well. Within 20 minutes of opening its box and the D-Link wireless router, I was up and running, communicating with machines on my wired network.

97 Shoddy construction
Unit worked well but began to fall apart a month after I bought it. I'm quite disappointed.

98 Good Balance of Price & Performance
One of the niceties of attending a technologically savvy university is wireless surfing of the Internet; you bring the laptop and the wireless adapter, they'll supply the Access Point and on-ramp to the Net. Wireless technology has been moving at a rather rapid pace of late. What once was the doldrums of 11 Megabytes per second (Mps) has now catapulted up to 22.5Mps, then 55Mps, and coming soon, 100Mps and beyond with the introduction of the 802.11g standard coming electronics store near you later this year.

So, when it came time for me to purchase a new wireless adapter for my Toshiba Satellite 1905 Notebook, I had an urge to jettison the past and move headlong into the future. In other words I wanted a wireless adapter capable of transmitting and receiving at 22.5 Mps or more.

Cisco Systems was one the first companies to break into the wireless networking arena in the mid-1990's, and has been selling wireless solutions to Corporate America for quite some time now. The companies Aironet line of wireless products are a staple in the industry because they are reliable, durable, and work as advertised. But, they have been traditionally expensive cards to get into, and that still holds true, so I shopped around for an inexpensive alternative. I chose the DWL 650+ Wireless Adapters by D-Link. I bought this card for two reasons; 1. conformity with the current 802.11b standard and; 2. the ability of the card to communicate at 22.5Mbs with other D-Link access points and or network cards (NIC). Of course it helped that the card was on sell at the local Best Buy.

Like the Linksys Instant Wireless WPC11, (see my review on this card at: http://www.epinions.com/content_38866816644), and the Aironet Wireless Ethernet Adapter PC4800B (see my review on this card at http://www.epinions.com/content_39004966532), the DWL 650+Wireless Adapter is a fully functional Ethernet NIC that conforms to the 802.11b standards for performance and in interoperability with other 802.11b wireless equipment. The card operates at a frequency of 2.4Ghz, and utilizes the same protocols as wired Ethernet adapters; i.e. TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, Microsofts' NetBEUI, etc.

The D-Link DWL 650+Wireless Adapter is a standard Type II PC Card form factor. The box includes the card and a CD-ROM which is used to installed drivers for Windows 95/98/SE/Me/2000. The included drivers for Windows XP are not signed by Microsoft and that might pose a problem depending on the make and model of your motherboard. I had no problem installing the software on my Windows XP Home laptop. As soon as I configured the card with the parameters of my wireless network I was able to communicate with the rest of the computers on my Windows 2000 Domain. Note: Windows XP Home Ed. does not include native support for wireless adapters; i.e. automatic detection of different wireless networks and access points, however Window XP Professional does include such support.

I was able to connect to my home network at 11 Mbs, on some occasions, and 5.5 to 2 Mbs on others. The card is capable of automatically downgrading its data transfer rate as the signal from the access point becomes weaker, thus maintaining connection. A handy signal strength bar in the system tray relays to me how strong, or weak my signal is. When at the extreme range of the access point the card downgrade as far as 2Mps, which is still with acceptable limits for surfing the web and working on Word documents, but little else. The D-Link DWL 650+Wireless Adapter is capable of transmitting and receiving at the following transfer rates: 1, 2, 5.5, 11, and 22 Mbps Transfer Rate.

Under real-world conditions, the D-Link DWL 650+Wireless Adapter's performance meets or exceeds my expectations. I have taken my notebook around the house and out to the back porch (my access point is in an upstairs bedroom closet), and never once lost a signal. The signal faded somewhat on the back porch, but that is to be expected; surfing the web was never compromised.

At school I have experience mixed results. Connection to the schools wireless network has been spotty, but I attribute this more to the placement of the access points, then to the card performance. Other students have experienced the same results as I have.

Conclusion:

The D-Link DWL 650+Wireless Adapter is a reliable middle of the pact wireless NIC. I am not disappointed by its performance, nor am I overwhelmed, by it, just pleased. If you need a wireless NIC that will meet your needs for current 802.11b standards, but still has the flexibility to expand beyond to 22.5Mbs, then the D-Link DWL 650 Wireless Adapter might be the cup of tea you're looking for.

99 A keeper
One of the coolest toys. Installed flawlessly (yes on XP) and I was connected to my D-Link 614+ router in minutes - you may not notice a speed improvement unless your access point is also capable of 22Mbps. You should also check that your registry TCP/IP value are sufficient to make use of the increased bandwidth e.g. TCPWindowSize under XP.

Really fast and reliable. Use the driver on install CD or d/l the latest from their site. I've hit on a few glitches with intermediate releases. D-Link support is nothing to write home about.

But then again the card works great.

100 I love my wireless freedom!
This truely makes my laptop mobile. The installation was easy, install drivers and software, shutdown, plug in the card, and boot back up. Having my wireless router already setup before installing this card allowed the card to connect right away. D-Link made this all pretty easy, even for a somewhat of a newbie like me.

I get great signal all around my home except certain spots in my kitchen (next to my microwave and refrigerator). Every where else is great and I notice no slow down in speed when playing counter strike over the internet and just web browsing.

I must have been good all year for Santa to bring me such a great present. (I also received a D-Link DI-614+)