All-In-One Wireless Internet Sharing Solution Let Linksys jump-start your wireless network! This Wireless-B Network Kit for Notebooks provides you with a Wireless Access Point Router (the heart of your network), and a Wireless Notebook Adapter to get your PC connected, quick and easy. The Wireless Router lets you securely share your DSL or Cable Modem Internet connection with all the computers in the house, both wireless and wired. You can connect four computers directly to the Router by Ethernet cables, and daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. Or, use the Router's built-in Wireless Access Point to connect your PC to the network without stringing any wires. That's where the Wireless Notebook Adapter comes in. Just plug it into your notebook through a PC Card slot, and you're ready to go. Wireless networking doesn't get any easier. Of course, you can connect more computers to the Router and your high-speed Internet link -- just provide a wired or wireless network adapter for each one. And once your computers are connected to the Router, they can communicate with each other too, sharing resources like printers and all kinds of files -- music, digital pictures, and documents. To protect your data and privacy, all wireless communications can be protected by 128-bit encryption, while the Router helps keep Internet intruders out of your computers. It's all easier than you think -- the included Setup Wizards walk you through con
1 Do not buy from Linksys!
I have had this kit for nearly 3 months and have yet to get it working reliably. I am on the phone right now trying to call them regarding my request for a refund (1h 33m and I have yet to speak to anyone). The only reason I've waited this long is because after three weeks of trying to set the network up, I got swamped with graduate school. I attempted to set it up numerous times over the phone with a tech, tried the network setup cds, setup tools and programs, and got the most help from my ISP's tech support. I first called to request a refund 11/20 and was told I'd be called back on 11/23. I never got a call, so I called them. The rep assured me I would hear from a supervisor no later than today. 1h 44m into me following up on my own call and I have yet to talk to anyone.
Don't make the same mistake.
2 Combines two mediocre products
Both the adapter and the router were not functioning in the package I was trying to install. The router died midway through installing the security features (and don't believe the other reviewer who said he/she installed it in 15 minutes -- to do it with halfway decent security takes much longer, especially if you upgrade the firmware as you probably ought to do).
The adapter was unable to connect to another Linksys router I had set up, using WEP encryption or without WEP, even.
Quality control is apparently pretty low at Linksys, if this experience is at all typical. One product broken -- but both?
The adapter only allows 128-bit WEP encryption, but the router (once you upgrade the firmware) allows WPA encryption and makes other additions/improvements to the configuration utility. So even if both items had been working, Linksys is selling you a mismatched pair. They ought to do 2 things:
1. Install the firmware upgrade themselves. It's like selling you a car and saying, "This car has a lock on it, but if you want a lock that might actually stop thieves, here is a unit you can put on your doors. If power goes out during installation, your car will be useless. Good luck."
2. Put two products that both allow for the somewhat stronger WPA encryption, rather than WEP/WPA and WEP-only.
3 Nice kit, can't work with PPTP
I have purchased the Wireless B Network kit.
The laptop cards works perfectly.
The access point and router is working but not all of its features work. Connecting few wireless PCs and wired PCs works perfectly, DHCP server works as well.
However, connecting to the internet using PPTP standard doesn't work for me. I'm having problems with setting the router to use PPTP connection type to my ISP.
For some reason, it gets disconnected from the internet after 1 or 2 minutes.
I had to upgrade the ADSL modem to support PPPoE.
Setting the router to connect the internet via PPPoE works fine!
I got no explanations from Linksys why PPTP didn't work for me.
4 Works good
Everything works well on this router. I was able to install it and get everything up and running in just a few minutes.
The only complaint that I have is that my old Linksys router had a DMZ port on the back that could be configured to be permanently outside the firewall. This made it great for hosting internet games like Ghost Recon. I could switch between DMZ and firewall by just moving the cat5 cable. This router doesn't have that port. Instead, you have to configure a static IP address to be outside the firewall. This one is not as easy to switch between Firewall and DMZ.
The wireless range is good. I put the router in my basement and I can connect with my laptop in every room in the house. Including the second floor (3 floors above the basement). The signal strength is excellent and the signal quality is excellent.
5 Horrible range in my home
Basically the router works fine, except it has a RANGE OF ABOUT 10 FEET IN MY HOUSE!
I kid you not, no matter where I place the router in my bedroom (the only place where cable is installed) my laptop gets "Low" reception in the hallway four feet away, "Very Low" reception in my living room 10 feet away, and practically NO RECEPTION in my office 50 feet away. You can actually stand at the router and see the laptop 10 feet outside the door and still the reception is horrible.
This router is useless for me. Maybe it's my house or something, but that's just sad.
6 EASY EASY EASY
Was online in 5mins with my wired network and 15 with my wireless network. Highly recommend
7 If I Could Hook This Sucker Up . . .
. . . anyone can. OK. So perhaps, if you are going to put one of my hands on a bible and make me swear to tell you the truth, I'll admit it. It took me 15 minutes (maximum) to set this up and have it running perfectly. Of course, if would have been up and running in something like five minutes if I had only taken seriously the CD ROM Disk package that was clearly labeled (in very big and very red letters) STOP! INSTALL ME FIRST.
Once I got past that small snafu (all my fault), it was simply a matter of swapping a few cords (and Linksys thoughtfully provided a second set instead of having me brave the elements to buy it separately), putting a CD Rom into the drive and having the Wizard find the router. Then I put the card in the slot for my lap top, ran the program (I do learn my lesson, sometimes) and BINGO. My Cable Modem was working fine and dandy on not one but two computers! My cable comapny wanted to charge me a one time fee of something like $60 (after a rebate from J&R this cost only $70)and $4 a month for the same darn thing!
If you set up your e-mail at any point in your computer experience, then it is the same thing here. The web? Click on the icon and there you are. It's amazing, and nothing short than. Yes, it doesn't have that wide a range but it covers enough space so that you pay for one cable modem and now have it doing double duty!
Have a Starbuck's, Borders Books or McDonalds around? Chances are they are (or soon will be) Wi Fi enabled. Get a Pay As You Go account from T Mobile and you can have your latte while you surf the web. Thought it was only possible on those television shows? No friends: you can do it and if I did it effortlessly (if you forget the ignorning the CD incident) anyone can.
I can personally avow that it doesn't have any hang-ups with McAfee firewalls or such. Once you've set it up, it's there and you can use it with little or no bother. It really is that easy!
So, double your pleasure, have a load of fun and save money all at the same time.
8 Easy setup and works great.
Good price nice performance. It was very easy to install, a very low price and it works great. Now i can move unwired through my home.
9 Rough beginning...then joy!
I had a very difficult time setting this product up. It required advanced settings that I couldn't have figured out on my own or via a manual, but thanks to the help of the support line I got everything working exactly how I want. I had to wait on hold for about 30 minutes just to get service though. Like someone else said, after setup this is a great product.
10 good all around - missing some features
Having worked with many wireless units I got this Linksys for home for its ease of setup and administration by the rest of my family. Good ease of setup, speed and range can all be found here. What can't is that it doesn't update local DNS with the names registered via DHCP so even though I can see machine names in the Linksys status display, I can't ping or connect by machine name from the machines on my network. Also missing is any way to add DHCP attributes like NTP server.
11 Easy took me 30 seconds to install.
I had a previous good experiences with Linksys. So I paid the premium for this wireless kit. It was up and running in 30 seconds so I say go for it!
12 Could Not Get It To Work
Same problem as May 5th, 2003 reviewer. Could get the router to work with the desktop (Dell Dimension on XP) plugged in w/ ethernet cable, but could not get the wireless adapter (WPC11) to perform. It would access the router but refused to connect to the internet.
Spent about ten hours trying to get it to function, e.g. downloading updated drivers, troubleshooting, searching message boards for answer. Called support 3x. First time waited about 10 minutes and gave up. Second time waited about 15 minutes and gave up. Third time waited about 15 minutes and got through to a very patient and helpful fellow named Jon w/ perfect English (impressive considering Jon was a Filipino in Manila). He worked with me for about an hour and then he gave up.
In desperation I upgraded the desktop's (Inspiron) OS from WinME to WinXP. This did not help. I returned this kit and will try Microsoft's wireless kit.
It appears from my trolling of message boards I am not the only one to experience difficulty with the WPC11.
P.S. There was one solution I did not try. If your notebook has ethernet capabilities (e.g. ethernet card) try to access the router through ethernet first and then try the adapter after an internet connection has been made. However, if you do not have ethernet capability you are out of luck.
13 Works well once set up
Setting up the access point was a little difficult, but once the right settings were tweaked, this thing hums along with little problems. The signal strength is high even to the backyard: makes working outside on the nice days easy. The security options are nice, since this can screen wireless cards unless you input their hardware address. Some fiddling with ports was necessary to get the virtual private networking (VPN) to go through correctly, but some help can be found on the internet. This access point also plays well with other vendor's PC cards.
However, there are some issues with the PC card. This setup comes with version 4 (v4) of the card. There are SEVERE issues if you need to use a VPN to log into work. This card simply will not do it--but oddly, version 3 (v3) WILL. This is known on Linksys' website, but no fix is available. The v4 also seems to get worse reception than v3.
Overall, it can work well, but be careful with the version of the PC card.
14 Support Problems
This router and wireless card was up and working in no time. If it would have stayed this way I'd give it 4-5 stars. However, a windows update occurred one week after installation of the wireless card. I wrote 2 emails to support@linksys.com, both of which went completely ignored (at least they have not responded to either in a week). Their online help wasn't very helpful as they only responded once every 10 minutes. I was NOT being rude in either the emails or the online help, I was simply describing my problem and asking for technical support. After a 40 minute wait on the phone I was able to talk to someone. After describing my problem they put me on hold for 5 minutes, when they returned they said their card doesn't work with Windows 2000 service pack 4 and that I should remove it. I indicated that I had unchecked the option to remove it to save disk space. After which they indicated they could not help me. I returned this product and bought NetGear instead which is working fine.
15 Excellent Choice
After installing 4 different systems; including: Belkin, D-link, Netgear, and Linksys, and being dissatisfied with all 4, i went back to the Linksys system which consistently showed the best signal but also seemed impossible to maintain a cable link. The tech i spoke with told me to download the firmware via a wired connection to flash the router. Once this was done i never had another problem. I have since connected the signal booster and can access the internet with outstanding signal from anywhere on my property.
16 Easy installation and solid performance
I bought this item because I heard good things about Linksys technical support and didn't trust myself installing networking gear. However, the instructions and software that came with the unit were a breeze, probably because I already had my desktop up and running connected to my DSL modem. It took less than 10 minutes from opening the box to having the desktop up running through the Linksys router (only because I stopped to read some instructions), and a little longer to configure the wireless network card on the notebook.
Probably another hour to figure out WEP security and configure ZoneAlarm on both desktop and notebook to allow file-and-print sharing without being open to the world.
What a breeze!
17 Nice combo, but technology not yet reliable
I really like this set, with easy to load software for the card and a nice web interface for the router. There are occasions where it has difficulty connecting to the internet, and further investigation has led me to believe it is some type of interference. Be aware that it uses the 2.4 Ghz frequency, which is also used by many cordless phones and bluetooth devices. While there should not be any trouble in theory, this is not the case in the real world. But, if you have to have a wireless set, this one is an excellent choice.
18 Outstanding product and technical support
I must tell you that my past experiences with
technical support have been as pleasant as my dreaded
visits to the dentist. The experience that I had
while installing my Linksys router goes beyond my expectation of a technical support team, but again I have never dealt with
Linksys before. Pierre and Carol have set a precedence
that will be very hard to meet. The product and service combination is tough match for the competition.
19 Do NOT buy version 3.2 of this router
Hopefully by now Linksys has ceased and desisted from shipping any more v3.2 routers like they did in my kit. I went through 5 of these (3 of them my own- I helped a couple other users w/theirs) and could ONLY get one to work wirelessly to the Internet. I put 40 hours or more into this project. Sadly, my only reason for getting involved was to help someone else. I don't own a laptop and I already have a BEFSR41 as well as Zone Alarm Pro. Version 4 of this router works flawlessly and even auto-configures itself. Caveat emptor
20 Works Perfect.
It works perfect. Did not had any problems with the configuration. And it also works with my msn messenger audio and file trasfers although i do need to open some ports in it. which is not a big deal. loose like one point outside the house. But still its amazing. I would say get it NOW Its Awesome.
21 Works Perfect.
It works perfect. Did not had any problems with the configuration. And it also works with my msn messenger audio and file trasfers although i do need to open some ports in it. which is not a big deal. loose like one point outside the house. But still its amazing. I would say get it NOW Its Awesome.
22 Wireless does not work with CISCO VPN
You would think that since Linksys is owned by CISCO, that the products would be compatible. This is not the case.
I bought this product so that I could hook into my company's VPN over DSL using the wireless card. It works fine without the VPN. As soon as I fire up my CISCO VPN Client, I loose connectivity. Apparently, according to some forum boards, there is a bug in the driver software that is preventing IPSEC tunneling. I will probably return it unless Linksys support can get me a fix quickly.
23 Caution: May Not Work With Windows NT
I want to caution all buyers that you may not be able to use this model with Windows NT. What is frustrating about this is that neither information, NOR the packaging for the product mention this. According to a note card in the packaging, "The Wireless-B Notebook Adapter, WPC11 ver. 4, is a high-performance CardBus product. Therefore it will not work with Windows NT. It will also not work in the following Linksys wireless-ready products..."(too many to list). The note card goes on to say that you can call technical support to exchange it for ver.3, which will work in Windows NT machines. Good luck. I called technical support and they first suggested I "take it back to the place you bought it from". Next he said that I would "probably" need to talk to the RMA department at Linksys. Dollars to donuts this guy was working in a call center in India because 1) it was clear he had no idea who Amazon was (how is that even possible for someone answering questions about pc related products?) and, 2) when I asked to be transferred to RMA, he responded "we can't transfer to another department" (do you see the irony in this, a networking company can't do interdepartmental transfers).
24 Does not work with Linux
This kit ships with Version 4 of the WPC11 PC Card, which will not work with Linux (need Version 3 WPC11). Also will not work with some versions of Windows.
25 There are better choices
Easy to install, and it does work, however, I had some serious problems:
1. Despite what they say in the detailed user manual on the CD-ROM, the SSID broadcast could not be turned off (my network was out there for all to see, if I did turn off the SSID broadcast the network failed immediately, and their tech support could not fix the problem).
2. A lot of people will not even realize the above problem: Linksys leaves out the whole SSID issue from the quick install manual, so I guess most people just leave the SSID broadcast on.
3. The range was small and the connection too unreliable for serious work, with major problems exactly where you would need wireless the most: a floor up from the modem and out on the deck.
4. Tech support is really poor (expect looong wait on the phone and rather limited expertise when you do get through), and a lot of vital information is missing from their website.
5. What you pay is what you get: I returned this product, but the Orinoco products I got instead cost me quite a bit extra...
6. My Orinoco Gold Wireless Card "sees" two of my neighbours' networks, while the Linksys had trouble finding my own.
7. Product seemed sensistive even to our electric lawnmower - the Orinoco is much more robust as far as interference is concerned.
8. My impression is that a lot of people like this product because they have not tried anything better and assume all wireless networks are as unreliable as Linksys - well, they are not, but quality does not come cheap.
A final comment: I suspect that the WPC11B card may have been responsible for most of my problems rather than the router. (The cards gets much lower rating than the router from people who did not buy the whole kit.) Since Orinoco products tend to be pricey, it may be a good idea to buy a cheap D-Link, Netgear or even Linksys router and then combine it with a robust Orinoco Gold wireless card.
26 Beware - does not work with Windows98
This kit ships with Version 4 of the Adapter Card which requires Windows98SE or later. After 4 calls to Linksys technical support they finally explained that Windows98SE is required. This inspite of the fact that I told Linksys technical support I was using Windows 98 in each call. Earlier versions of the Linksys Adapter cards will work with Windows 98.
27 Beware - does not work with Windows98
This kit ships with Version 4 of the Adapter Card which requires Windows98SE or later. After 4 calls to Linksys technical support they finally explained that Windows98SE is required. This inspite of the fact that I told Linksys technical support I was using Windows 98 in each call. Earlier versions of the Linksys Adapter cards will work with Windows 98.
28 Easy to Use and Quick to Get Working
I just picked this up and plugged it into my network at home. It didn't require any special attention. I just turned off the computers, turned off the cable modem (those things are always really touchy) and plugged it in. Turned on the cable modem and waited for green lights... turned on the router and waited for green lights... then booted the computers and viola, I was online.
It also worked well with my wife's iBook/AirPort card. Worked instantly with good signal all over the house. Tonight I'm going to try out the WEP stuff so that I don't have to worry about security issues, but the interface looks tremendously simple so I'm not scared!
29 great kit
I received the package yesterday. It took me less than one hour to read the instruction and complete the installation of the router and adaptor card. The version 4 adapter card came with the kit works great on my Windows 2000 laptop. Actually, it's signal strength is much better than the version 3 adapter card that I have. I got more than 80% of the signal strength even with the router and laptop separated by two floors in my house. I was worried reading an earlier review regarding the problem with the version 4 adaptor, but that turned out to be unfounded.
30 Home wireless
I purchased the Linksys router/hub about 5 months ago based on reviews and talking to IT co-workers. I was surprised at the ease of setup and installation. I have 5-6 PCs (using MS Win 98, MS Win 2000, XP Home and XP Prof) networked at home. One recommendation I took from written reviews was to put some money into Orinoco Gold Wireless PC-Card NICs. I'm also running a couple of wired connections via 3Com NICs. Everything has worked beyond my expectations. After 15 years of working in IT, I'm fairly hard to impress, but this is one thing that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
31 Change out the notebook adaptor card for a version 3
that's what the Linksys tech guy told me over the phone. He was really helpful running throught the product and troubleshooting everything- and this was 10PM Sunday night. A+ on tech support.
The install on my main- wired- XP box was an absolute snap. The install to the win2000 laptop went fine until I tried to connect to the internet- it found the router but no internet.
When the tech guy told me that I needed to swap out the cards I told him that this was a packaged system and I doubt the vendor would just "swap out" a packeaged card. I'll find out later on today.
But- to date- if your running the platforms I mentioned above, you will not get internet access on your laptop with the version 4 card.
32 Works well for me
Easy to hook up. I have had it for two months. No problems at all. My computers are on different floors in the house. Great connection and signal strength.
33 Router works, card only infrequently
I had no problem with the router set up and using the wired connections works fine. The card will only work infrequntly. Once it has acquired a connection it works great, but I haven't been able to predict when it will decide to connect. I too have messed about with all the parameters. It seems that you need to change something on the router (anything) and that might get the router and the card to talk. I have a Windows 2000 laptop.
34 Works Great
I previously bought the D-link wireless set and could not get it to work. I had nothing but problems. I returned both items. I just bought the linksys network kit with the wireless router and notebook card. I hooked everything up and was very pleased everything worked immediately and I didn't have a single problem. I am able to go throughout my entire house and outside in the yard and be connected to the internet. I occasionally get a dropped connection but that is not a problem as far as I'm concerned. I think the linksys wireless is the best.
35 WPC11 version 4 does not work with Linux yet
I have this package. I have been trying to get it working in Linux for the past 4 days. After installing 3 different distros, i still am not able to get the pcmcia working. From what it looks like, this new version has a new chipset from the previous versions, and it is not being recognized at the moment.
If you're running Linux and want a Linksys wireless product, then go for the seperate items, and get the WPC11 version 3 PCMCIA card. At least that works. Otherwise, you could wait for an update.
Just my $.02.
36 wireless access point connection drops packets- unreliable
I have 2 notebook adapters and a PC card. The PC installation was difficult in getting the drivers to work. For the first 2 months I had no problems. I am having constant problems having days they work and on other days it doesn't. I tried Pinging and I can see sometimes it sends the packets and receives none.
I believe from reading on the internet it has to do with the firmware. I am no expert in wireless devices but these were not my expectations of this product. Neither did Linksys send me my rebate having called them five times.
37 Have fun trying to get wireless connections to work...
I recommended to one of my friends that they buy this product. They wanted to share an internet connection and the Linksys products I use and have installed for other people in the past have been great. Installation was a snap but we could not get the wireless device to be able to access the internet. The desktop PC plugged into the router with a cable worked, but not the wireless device. After 4 hours of trying all different types of things, downloading updated drivers, and two calls to Linksys support, I returned this. I bought the separate router and separate PC card, installed it and had it working in 10 minutes. The PC card in this bundle is marked as version 4 and the one we purchased separate was a version 3 card. Not sure what the deal is but I couldn't get this product to work with a Windows 2000 laptop.
38 Excellent Product!
I'm giving this product an A+ in every category. Very easy
Set-up. Any one can do it! It's price is very competetive and it even looks great. Say good-bye to wires and start enjoying a wireless connection with this great Linksys Product.
