Experience the speed and convenience of wireless networking on your PDA. The Linksys wireless CompactFlash card installs directly into your Pocket PC using a CompactFlash Type I or Type II slot. The user-friendly software makes it a snap to set up, and then you're ready to share data, printers, or high-speed Internet access over your existing wireless network at speeds up to 11 Mbps.
Use the wireless CompactFlash card to connect your PDA to the wireless network at the office, at home, or in any of the growing number of public wireless hot spots springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels, and convention centers.
With the Linksys wireless CompactFlash card you'll get more of what you own a PD A for--information at your fingertips with total mobility.
The Linksys wireless CompactFlash card is compatible with Pocket PCs with a Type I or Type II CompactFlash slot; any ARM-, SH3-, or MIPS-based PDA running Windows CE 3.0 or later and Microsoft ActiveSync Utility 3.5 or later; and PCs or notebooks with at least a 200 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM, a CD-ROM drive, and running Microsoft Windows 98 SE, 2000, Me, NT 4.0 SP6, or XP.
| 
See a comparison diagram of the different wireless technologies. | Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Since they don't require cables, you can use the devices anywhere in an office or home, even out on the patio. There's no need to roll out an Ethernet network cable to each room of a house; you can network anywhere -- without wires. Outside of the home, wireless networking is available in hotspots at coffee shops, businesses, airports -- great when you're on the road and need to get some work done. For convenience, wireless networking is the answer.
What Wireless Standard is Right for Me?
Now that you've decided to create a wireless network, the next step is to figure out which wireless standard to use. Basically, a standard is a set of specifications for a device. All devices that follow a specific standard share operating characteristics, such as the radio frequency used and maximum data transfer speed.
For wireless networking, there are three standards to choose from at this time: To learn about the differences between the standards and select the right one for your network, click here for an easy-to-understand chart. |
Connect Your Pocket PC to a Wireless NetworkExperience the speed and convenience of wireless networking on your PDA. The Wireless CompactFlash Card installs directly into your Pocket PC using a CompactFlash Type I or Type II slot. The user-friendly software makes it a snap to set up, and you're ready to share data, printers, or high-speed Internet access over your existing wireless network at speeds up to 11Mbps.
Use the Wireless CompactFlash Card to connect your PDA to the wireless network at the office, at home, or in any of the growing number of public wireless "hotspot" venues springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels and convention centers.
With the Wireless CompactFlash Card you'll get more of what you own a PDA for - information at your fingertips with total mobility.
- Compatible with Windows CE 3.0 or Higher
- Up to 11Mbps High-Speed Data Transfer Rate with Automatic Fallback
- User-Friendly Software
- Provides Simple Installation and Configuration
- Compliant with 802.11b, DSSS, 2.4GHz Standard
- Supports up to 128-bit WEP Encryption Security
1 Getting WEP to work
This is to share my experiences getting this card to work on iPAQ 2210 under Windows Mobile 2003 with 128bit WEB encryption.
As was mentioned a number of times the default drivers that come with the card do not work. Get the new ones from Linksys. All these new ones do is enable the default Windows driver.
Now comes the fun part. How do you get it to run 128 bit encryption. The configuration window looks like the Windows drivers were designed only for 64bit, this confused me for a while. Ignore the look though, just enter your 128bit key even though it looks like the "Network key" text box is too small to accept it and it should work. Seems obvious but took me a while to get to it. Linksys tech support did not know how to deal with this.
2 Linkys WCF12
This is the biggest POS i have EVER came into contact with. It doesnt' work with pocket PC 2003 period dot com. I have never had a problem with Linksys products up until now, i am very glad i haven't as their tech/customer service sucks complete A$$. I spent 15 hours on the phone with them (i would say over 12 hours on hold), more than 10 hours trying to get this thing to work right and still nothing. Add to that they want to try to charge me to
3 Works perfectly right out of the box.
I followed the setup instructions and it worked right away. I get great signal strength anywhere in the house. It has a built-in feature for storing multiple config profiles so you don't have to reconfig for different WLANs. Nice touch. Highly recommended.
BTW, I have an IPAQ 3765 with the CF expansion sleeve running PPC 2002.
4 Rubbish!
Just got my HP2215 and WCF12 today, and it's been almost 12 hours, I have tried almost every GOD-DAMN thing and still this bloody thing does'nt work! and i just ordered an AmbiComm card, hope that works! so that's $50 which im never gonna see again - my advice, don't bother buying this product!!!
5 WCF12 and the ipaq h2215
I'm going on 4 months now and still this card does not work with my ipaq. I'm running WIN CE4.20 on the ipaq, I've tried installing the drivers every-which-way I can think of to no avail. Linksys support did not help, they are just as baffled as to why. I'm running a 3-system wireless network using Linksys everything works great, just can't get this card to work. I've been reading all kinds of reviews from all kinds of web-sites for this card, and have come to the conclusion that it does not work. I'm going to use bluetooth instead, hope that works.
6 Doesn't work with Windows Mobile 2003
Card worked with PPC2002, but when I upgraded my Dell Axim X5 to Windows Mobile 2003, the card stopped working. Have followed all the advice on Linksys' website to no avail. Tech Support does not respond by email or telephone. Try another card with Windows Mobile 2003.
7 Works well, but range not as good as other cards
I used the card with my Zaurus PDA.
The card works well, and comes with a useful case.
The range of the card was shorter than that of an
Ambicom card I later bought.
8 Works great unless you are running pocket pc 2003
I had this card for over a year and it ran flawless with pocket pc 2002. If you are going to use this card for that software I recommend it 100% But...after uprading to pocket pc 2003 It has not worked since. I have installed the latest drivers for this card from the linksys site along with their beta drivers I found in a forum on pocket pc passion, none of them work. I have e-mailed linksys tech support several times without a response. I am getting a new card from someone else and you should too if you are buying it for a pocket pc 2003 version pda!
9 Works with a little effort
When first installing the card into a WindowsCE 3.0-based Casio E-125, it complained it could not find "PRISMSTA.exe or one of its components". The on-line chat system with Linksys technical support was helpful, but their only response was to send Beta drivers which didn't help. It turns out, at least on my system, PRISMSTA.exe was looking for a needed library file called 'mfcce211.dll', a Microsoft foundation classes dll for Windows CE 2.11. Once I located the file on the web and placed it in the same folder as the PRISMSTA.exe file(I expect it would also work when placed in the Windows subdirectory), the configuration utility worked and I was able to configure the card for my home network. I purchased the card through Amazon and hopefully this will help anyone else with the same problem. All my other 802.11 devices are Linksys, work great, and this card is no exception. It appears the only weakness was in the installation program that one would expect to verify the presence of other files the driver/utility depends upon.
10 worked for me
i have a iPAQ 2215 pocket pc with 2003 and i went to the linksys home page and downloaded the driver they have and it works perfectly. but drains the battery pretty fast.
11 Absolute piece of Junk
Don't listen to people that will tell you this will work with PPC 2003 it may or may not. I have a tell Axim with the 2003 upgrade and have spent the last 5 hours trying to get this to install, it won't. The Linksys support is a joke and not worth the effort. I have given up. Do your self a favor and find another card. I was going to sell it on ebay, but don't want the bad Karma of passing of this piece of junk to another unsuspecting soul.
12 NOW SUPPORTS PC2003!!
Linksys now provides drivers for Pocket PC2003 at their website. Since installing I can connect without any problems.
13 Good Choice for both PPC2002 and laptop...!!
I bought this card more than 1 year ago
for my new(back than) Jornada 568.
I've enjoyed wireless internet access on my pocket pc since then...
Then this year, I bought a notebook computer... but this doesn't
have wireless network integrated so I needed a PCMCIA wireless
network card and I was to pay at least $30 to get one.
However,fortunately, I could get a CF-to-PCMCIA converter
only for $12 at Fry's Electronics. (I'm sure one can get one
for much cheaper, but I wanted to return it easily if it doesn't work). I also found a web site (http://www.ruwebit.net/article/84) where one can download a WinXP driver for this WCF12. Linksys doesn't support WinXP drivers, but someone modified D-link's driver to work with this WCF12.
The result was great!!
I was able to connect to the internet using this WCF12 on my
new laptop computer. The connection was always "Excellent" within my house.
I'm so happy!!!
One would have to pay well above $100 to get a CF wireless card
with PCMCIA converter. But, I only spent $72 ($60 for CF card and $12 for converter)
14 Not bad at all, if you have Pocket PC 2002...
I received this as a gift of my choice a day or two ago, and it is a good product, so long as you are running Pocket PC 2002. It does connect fast, but the battery drainage offsets this pretty harshly. Still, it is a good product to use, and was not difficult to set up at all...
15 Still NO PPC 2003 Drivers
No drivers. Took the puppy back.
16 Mr
This card is not to be used with Pocket PC 2003. Any advertising to the contrary is misleading (if not outright lie). I learned (as many others) that "Windows CE 3.0 or later" does not mean compatible with Pocket PC 2003. Linksys does not have a driver for Pocket PC 2003 and does not have a schedule for releasing one. The beta driver (available) is a far cry from what a driver should be. If you are running Pocket PC 2003 get another card if you want to use it right away.
Mirek Buzga.
17 Don't buy it for PocketPC 2003 Devices
Just to echo the concerns about a serious problem with WCF12: It doesn't really work with PocketPC 2003. Yes, there is a beta driver, but it's been in the beta stage for months, with no update in sight.
So, look for a CF card that you know to be supported by PocketPC 2003.
18 It Would Be Great If It Worked
I basically got the whole wireless setup so I could use my Dell Axim with the wireless internet. Well I got my PDA not knowing that it came with Pocket PC 2003, I'm new to the PDA scene so I figured its all the same. Well I picked up this card, followed the instructions and to my surprise it did not work. Now I swear by linksys products and I've never had a faulty linksys product, so I did a little research on this card and it turns out that it is not officially supported by Pocket PC 2003 yet.
I Emailed their tech support and they told me that I could try using the beta drivers until they release the fully updated drivers. Well I installed the beta drivers and the card works on occasion. Sometimes I get a good strong signal and can connect until I have to recharge my battery and sometimes it will connect for a few seconds and disconnect or won't connect at all.
I'm hoping that Linksys gets on the ball and gets the fully drivers released because I'm getting tired of having to keep on resetting the Wireless and playing around until it starts working properly. I gave this product a 3 because when it works it's great.
19 If you have an iPAQ, read this and hold off
I have an iPAQ 2215, and was told by their support that they are having problems with the driver for it running on that model pocketpc. If you do go ahead and buy it, there are some drivers around to be had to make it work.
Linksys will not admit the problem, but just search on both products, and you will see.
20 Works well with Dell Axim
This is a great little device for synching your Axim with your desktop. It runs much faster than using the cradle.
Here's a couple of helpful hints:
1. Install the software first!!! Do not plug the card into your Axim as soon as you get it!
2. You may need to configure your wi-fi router to accept the connection using the MAC IP address (this is located on the lable on the CF card) - I have a very simple setup with a Netgear wifi router, I had to go into the router settings and allow the connection.
3. If you are having trouble trying to wireless activesync disable your firewall for a minute and try it again.
21 Works Fine with Zaurus 5600
Given the track record of Linux and wireless devices, I thought that it would probably be a major feat to even get it to recognize this card. However I literally: took it out of the box, plugged it in the CF Slot, turned 5600 on, and blamo...worked right out of the box. Haven't had a single solitary problem with the card thus far, reception range is pretty good, power consumption is reasonable (not great, but not bad either). I've bought a couple of linksys products so far and I've been very happy with all of them and the WCF-12 didn't disappoint.
22 Wireless for a Zaurus 5500, at Minimal Cost
After reading tons of reviews from this site, I went with this card as it fit my budget. AFTER I upgraded the Zaurus ROM to v3.10, I was ready to go. No problems installing. Does suck the battery power though. The next card is on my Xmas Wish List.
Does not block the stylus, as I read numerous articles about several cards doing that. The user feedback has been great in helping me make several choices about my hardware purchases here. Thanks!
23 Good or Bad?
I picked up this Compact Flash Wifi Adapter for my Dell Axim. From day 1 I could never get it to work with my PDA. I recently discovered that it does not support Pocket PC 2003 and there are no update drivers available from linksys. I swear by linksys products because they've always satisfied me in every way and I will continue to buy Linksys products just do my research before buying them. I'm giving this a 1 star because it does not work with my PDA, but may change my mind if and when Linksys releases updated drivers for Pocket PC 2003.
24 Card's neck breaks too easy
After only a few weeks of owning this card, the plastic connecting the thicker black radio portion of the card cracked where it meets with the metal Type I portion of the card. This resulted in the card being useless and only receiving a singnal after wiggling the head of the card. Even before the head started to crack, the card had very poor connectivity. Keep in mind this card is also a lot longer than most of the other compact flash WiFi cards out there, and that the issue of it breaking is very common.
25 WCF12 doesn't work with the Dell Axim
I purchased the WCF12 Wireless Compact Flash Card and it DOES NOT WORK with the DELL. I returned two cards to Linksys who offered great technical support and they tested and return several new cards and the cards seemed to work for a while and then they would stop working.
I spent countless hours trying to get the cards to work and I realized that I shouldn't have to spent this much time everytime I want to go wireless.
Linksys really needs to realize that If the card doesn't work with the DELL then they need to stop offering it until they are 100% sure it will work.
Now I'm searching for a card that will work with the DELL. My feeling is this, when I want to go wireless I should be able to plug in the card and it should work and that's all there is to it!
26 PNP with Zaurus
Although others reported the need to manually configure their Zaurus 5500's to get this card to work, I did not have any problems. I upgraded my ROM to 3.10 from the Sharp site and apparently the new ROM has all the appropriate settings for this card already. As it claims it was 'Instant Wireless' for me, and at a really good price.
27 Keeps Dying
I have had to return it twice for replacement and need to a third time. It also burns power like an inferno. The radio's pretty weak too. I'm comparing it to Symbol's Wireless Networker that I had, lost, and couldn't afford to replace.
28 Pocket PC 2003, try this driver!
Just to echo the other reviewer, it does not work with PC 2003. I emailed Linksys, and they replied and make it clear that all their wireless CF products do NOT support PC2003, yet (as of Aug 3, 2003). They are working on it, but no time frame available.
Linksys is really good though: I emailed them saturday night, and they replied sunday!! I have some of their other products and they work flawlessly, and their customer service has always been one of the best I've seen among tech companies.
(Update Aug 18) Today, I read from newsgroup that it works with a generic driver WLAN_ForWinCENET400.zip. Amazon won't let me put urls on review, so just search the web for this driver. Too bad I had already returned the CF card and missed out the rebate period, or I'll try it out myself.
29 Doesn't work with Pocket PC 2003
Linksys does not yet have drivers for Pocket PC 2003 OS.
30 Does not currently work with Windows Mobile 2003
No driver support for Windows Mobile 2003, Linksys supports told me "They are working on a driver, please check the website for updates."
31 Does not function with Pocket PC 2003!
I purchased this card after reading several glowing reviews of how well it work with the Dell Axim pocket pc. They all left out one detail though... the OS version.
This card does not work on the Dell Axim with Windows Pocket PC 2003! I was able to test in on another Dell that happened to be running ppc2002 and it installed flawlessly.
I can't say whether it works with other pocket pc's running 2003...
32 great with Zaurus 5600
This product is great with My Zaurus 5600.
33 Works with Dell Axim w/new drivers
Bought this from eBay. Works great with Dell Axim handheld PDA. I had a Netgear Compactflash Wireless card before, but it didn't work with my PDA. I called Netgear customer support, and they said the Netgear card was incompatible with Dell Axim's StrongARM processor. So I got the Linksys WCF12.
I read the reviews here and other websites, but it only got mediocre ratings. I also read in some cases that it didn't work with the Dell Axim. Well, it does after you download the latest driver software from Linksys' website (my driver version that I'm using is 1.0.7). Just follow the quick guide and setup shouldn't take more than 5 - 10 minutes. I think the problems some people may have with setting the CF up was that they didn't follow the instructions step by step: i.e., if you plug in the CF card into your PDA BEFORE setting up the driver, your PDA automatically configures the CF's settings (incorrectly I might add), which prevents it from working.
Very simple to set up. However, like some others mentioned before, the card does get pretty warm when its on. Sucks up battery life too pretty quickly, but that's to be expected from any CF wireless card.
I've been searching quite a few CF wireless cards before I got the Linksys WCF12, including Netgear's version and Linksys' older WCF11 card, but the WCF12 seems to work great with the Dell Axim.
34 Was good at first
Worked well for the first four months with my maestro. Now the card seems to get hot and the screen goes blank. Have to soft reset my PDA to get the card working again.
35 Works fine.
This product seamlessly installed into my iPAQ 3850 and linked to my Linksys BEFW11S4 router in about 10 minutes.
It does suck quite a bit of power. I would recommend having a good battery in your unit (in my case I have an extra one in the PDA compact flash sleeve).
Range is fine. I can use it anywhere in or around my 2700 sqft two story house.
36 0 Star - Bad Card for Dell Axim
I had all kinds of problem with this card. The first time I installed it, it will not associate with my WAP. So I used LinkSys online support, which recommended to reinstall it. After re-installation I was able to associate with my WAP. It used to take 10 mins to scan for my WAP. I reinstalled it, another recommendation from Linksys support. I was able to scan pretty quickly, but was very inconsitent when I would open IE or MSN.
The Linksys support was not really helpful. I bought NetGear card, and it worked like a charm and no problems so far
37 Not the first choice for Zaurus wireless (close second?)
Now that I've got it working it is solid. It is connecting to my SMC base station at full speed and staying connected. Browsing wireless from Opera works great! Given that the you must edit files in the Zaurus to get this working, I would not recommend this product for all. Find a wireless card that is on the supported list if you want to just plug it in and have it work. Do yourself a favor and download the open-source Wireless Monitor application before attempting to diagnose a problem. It will tell you if the Zaurus didn't recognize the card, about signal strenth, show network detection activity and the SSID of the network Zaurus connected to. If you poke around in the configuration files for the Zaurus there is an entire list of cards it will just recognize (/etc/pcmcia/wlan-ng.conf). If I did this again I would do more research on if a comparable card that will just plug-and-play. Multiple Linksys cards including WCF11 are already in the wlan-ng.conf file. More advice: place your base station well away from the rest of your equipment just to eliminate any possibility of the other electronics messing with your signal.
This is what I added to /etc/pcmcia/wlan-ng.conf to get it working:
card" My nifty WCF12 wireless card"
manfid 0x028a, 0x0673
bind "prism2_cs"
It is signifigantly easier to type in using that itty-bitty keyboard! I didn't come up with it, just found it.
38 Doesn't work
I wish I could give it less than one star. I bought this card for my IPAQ and it will not work. Have spent countless hours with what Linksys calls tech support and now they tell me I have to pay to return it. Keep shopping.
39 waste of time...
Despite the claims on the box, the linksys drivers don't work with my PDA (HP Jornada with SH3 processor running WinCE3.01).
big thumbs down, it's getting sent straight back where it came from.
40 Oh, the miserable products can sell...
One cold, lonely star for this one. The linux drivers, while free and virtually unsupported work flawlessly on virtually any platform i've tried this card in. While this is a great thing for a few geeks out there, most people aren't buying gear for Linux and Linksys is touting this as a Windows product.
The windows drivers simply do not work. They have never worked -- regardless of upgrade. I've tried the WCF12 in two Compaq/HP Ipaq's (36xx, 38xx) and a few Dell laptops, all with no success. Linksys's technical phone support was less than useful, repeatedly offering me the same drivers I could download on the website. Their email support didn't fare much better, responding each time with a different and incorrect canned response.
I'd highly recommend ditching and not buying linksys gear for the end-unit. Their Wireless Access Points and Cable/DSL Routers are solid and fairly functional -- But virtually all of their PC-side gear (PC Cards, PCI Cards, CF Cards) borders on un-useable. Between the lack of (Competent?) Technical support and twitchy drivers, I'm ebaying off all of my Linksys gear. ;)
41 Fine until dies!
It works fine, eaven with a compact flash adapter and a pcmica notebook, so you only need one wireless card for both pocketpc and laptop, but one weak after I boughtit it dies, it dosent work any more! Im angry because I live in mexico and I cant use the waranty. bad choice
42 Good product but no good support...
I always had faith in Linksys products and so I bought this item. Contrary to what they say, I couldn't get the Config Utility to work on my Casio Cassiopeia E-125. At first, the driver supplied with the product did not work, so I downloaded the one from their site, which again didn't work. Finally, I contacted them and was promised a latest driver within an hour. Three hours later, I had nothing, so I had to call again. After being on hold for 10 minutes, I was once again promised a latest driver. This time I got one. It got the card to work. I was able to surf the internet, but the Config Utility didn't work. I called back. Again I was on hold. Then I explained my problem, but I guess they didn't understand and once again I get the same 'latest' driver.
I gave up. I searched high and low on the internet but couldn't get any solution. Finally I downloaded the Compaq WL-100 driver from Compaq, which I found out was a generic driver. I installed that and 'zap' everything worked.
It is sad that the product being so good, the drivers and support ... Anyway, I am happy using this item with the Compaq driver although, frankly, I feel cheated.
43 Good with Sharp Zaurus SL5500...
I bought the Linksys WCF12 WiFi card for my Sharp Zaurus SL5500. It's worked flawlessly so far in my wireless network (with SMC Barricade 7004VWBR Access Point/Router).
Keeping the Sharp Zaurus with LinkSys WiFi card by my bedside, I am able to browse Roger Ebert's movie reviews from bed!
There are two reasons I am rating it a 4 and not a 5:
1. My first Linksys WCF12 card was defective and did not connect to the internet. I exchanged it for a new one and have been a happy camper since.
2. This card is a bit power-hungry in my Sharp Zaurus.
A note about getting the Linksys WCF12 card to work with the Zaurus. Another reviewer (see firecrafter695's review , Jan 15, 2003) gave details about getting it to work by editing the "wlancfg.conf" file found in the "/etc/pcmcia" directory, and adding the necessary lines. This should get the card working in most cases.
However, apparently, there are chipset differences between batches of WCF12 cards (or so we are told, reading the postings in the Zaurus community website forums). So, you may also need to do the following in addition to editing the "wlancfg.conf" file:
1. Create a new file called "wireless.conf" in the "/etc/pcmcia" directory and add the following exact lines:
device "prism2_cs"
class "wlan-ng" module "prism2_cs"
card "Linksys WCF12 11Mbps 802.11b WLAN Card"
version "Linksys", "Wireless CompactFlash Card"
bind "prism2_cs"
2. Copy the file "sq_wlancfg.conf" from the "/etc" directory to a new file called "wireless.opt" in the "/etc/pcmcia" directory.
(NOTE: Do not overwrite "wireless.opts". It is an existing file and not to be confused with "wireless.opt").
This should get the Linksys WCF12 WiFi card working with the Zaurus after rebooting.
44 Good price, but not 100% compatible with E-125
I purchased this card because it was priced right and because it claims to support CE 3.0 and above devices.
However, the Linksys installer supplied on the CD complained that my Cassiopeia E-125 was not supported (even though the E-125 is CE (PPC) 3.0 device) and it refused to install the driver.
The Linksys website was not helpful because there was no updated driver available for it at the time I purchased the card.
Linksys support was even less helpful, responding with scripted texts like, "Please consult the support manual and make sure you are using the driver supplied on the CD that came with the card".
I successfully tricked my E-125 into using the WCF11 drivers and
I've been using it to this day without any problems.
A few months after my initial inquiry to Linksys support, they released an updated driver for the WCF12, but the installer still lodged the same complaint against my E-125, so I'm still using the WCF11 drivers.
If you have an E-125, you can use this card, but you'll have to manually install the WCF11 drivers for it.
Also, the device will never turn off (for power-saving) if the WCF12 card is plugged in to the E-125, so beware that you'll need to manually turn the device off, or simply remove the card when you are finished.
I use the card primarily for faster synch speeds and faster backup speeds. Over USB, the synch and backup speeds are much slower than when I use the wireless card to connect and synch or backup.
45 Great Fast Network Card
Clicked it right into my Dell Axim, running a LinkSys wireless router. Installed software on my Pocket PC, recognized the wireless network and I was surfing the internet!
Works great, it eats the battery pretty fast, but not too bad if you check "Auto Power Save" in the options. Besides most of the time, I use it to sync my device with my office computer upstairs without going upstairs, then disable it. By the way, I used to have a wcf-11, this new model wcf-12 is A LOT smaller!! Perfect, I hate huge CF devices sticking out of my Pocket PC
46 Works under windows XP also, not Windows 2000
I have a windows XP laptop with CF slot. After looking around for a wireless CF card with a working driver, I finally decided to give this one a try.Linksys sure have the worst website but their product is pretty good. There is actually a windows 95 driver for this card hiding in the ZIP file of the WPC11 driver. And this driver, after my testing, works pretty nicely under windows XP but not windows 2000. Moreover, this card shows a 20% decrease in range compare to my PCMCIA card. This card is one of the smallest CF (The main reason I want this card) and it works.
47 Linkless Lynksys
The Linksys WCF12 has issues.
PDA: COMPAQ IPAQ 3765 and 3835 PDAs
Platform: Windows CE 3.0
Issue: The encryption setting in the Linksys link configuration software for the PDA changes itself to hexidecimal when the user saves the settings as alphanumeric. I thought this was just a user error until I spent an hour with Linksys technical support trying to resolve the issue. They told me to return the card and gave up after an hour of troubleshooting...if you can call "Please reinstall and try again, but this time try..." troubleshooting.
The software installs with no problems. The configuration utilty supplied for your PDA detects wireless networks like it should. However, it was unable to save the encryption settings on the encryption tab. The wireless network I needed to attach to was using 128 bit encryption with a key. Non encrypted networks were accessable with minimal effort. After receiving mediocre support from Linksys ( they didn't even pretend to read a troubleshooting script ), I found several reviews indicating similiar problems with this CF card and Compaq IPAQ PDAs. This is funny as the packaging has an IPAQ as an example on the back of the box. Don't buy if you have an IPAQ.
48 Requirements not clear.
This item worked neither on my Cassiopeia E-115 (running WINCE 3.0) NOR my IBM x20 laptop with Win 98SE. After 5 frustrating calls to their customer service, (to Linksys offices in CAL as well as the Philippines) I FINALLY reached a senior tech who told me that earlier builds of WINCE3.0 do not support this card and that the card is not designed for 98SE. (Win 2000 and above). Their packaging does not reflect this. To make matters worse, when I tried to uninstall the software from the PDA, it will not allow me to uninstall and the senior tech told me that they know this and the only way to uninstall the software is a hard reset of the PDA! The card went back for a refund and Linksys is out of my book for future purchases.
49 2 tries, finally works
Picked this card up and the first one would not work in infrastructure mode. Exchanged it and it worked perfectly. I use it with a Linksys befw11s4 access point. the wcf12's reception is decent, not great, and its power consumption seems pretty high. It works great with my 300Mhz Dell Axim X5. Once I got the working card setup was a breeze, even with 128bit WEP.
50 Works with new Dell Axim-After following this procedure
I picked one of these cards for my new Dell Axim handheld. It took a little doing, but I got it installed. Everytime I used the install program, the Axim would freeze on the screen, "Installing Software", and would not recognize the new card.
I would give it 5 stars, but the install program did not work correctly, so I had to figure it out on my own.
After attempting to install the program on my handheld, it had installed some files on my laptop. I went into the directory on my computer (Not the handheld, the computer it connects to) and found the 3 CAB needed files for installation in C:\Program Files\WCF12 Wireless Network. I then transferred them over to the handheld the old fashioned way (Not using my new network card). After the files are on the handheld, I used File Explorer to find the files and clicked on each of the three Cab files. One of the three will work and install the drivers, the other two will give error messages (I forgot to note which of the three worked...I was just happy to get it working...Shoot me for not noting the file).
Now I have my wireless access to my Axim. It is great. I used Instant Messenger from my couch to talk with my daughter, I surfed the 'Net without a computer or laptop, etc.
I even used the Diagnostics program that came with the handheld to go around my house and see the signal strength of my Wireless Router upstairs.
Overall, I would give the card itself 5 stars, but the amount of time it took me to install drops it down to 4 stars. The issue may be because my Dell Axim handheld is brand new to the marketplace. I can understand the driver that came on CD not working, but Linksys has no mention of this on their website. Linksys needs to get on the ball and post work-arounds if people have issues (I saw a few people with the same issues with this specific card on Dell's website).
Ron
51 How to get this to work with the Zaurus SL-5500
I purchased this card to work with my Zaurus SL-5500 and had a difficult time setting it up. There was a user that gave some advice in a review of the product and made it sound so easy. Well, his method did not work for me. Here is the method that did work.
Hard reboot the system. When the reboot is finished, install the terminal ipk file. Once that is installed, use vi to edit the /etc/pcmcia/wlan-ng.conf file. Add an entry that says:
device "prism2_cs"
class "wlan-ng" module "prism2_cs"
at the top of the file. At the end of the file, ad an entry that says this:
card "Linksys WCF12 11Mbps 802.11b WLAN Card"
version "Linksys", "Wireless CompactFlash Card"
bind "prism2_cs"
Once you have done this, reboot the Zaurus and once it has restarted, insert the WCF12 card. The link light should flash and the ifconfig eth0 should return useful information.
Other than the difficulty that I had setting up the card and getting it to work the first time, I've not had any problems with the WCF12. It's a great card but it's hard to get it setup on the Zaurus if you don't know much about Linux.
52 Great Value!
Got this card for my Axim and it works great when it works. Installation on my Axim didn't go too smoothly because of something (maybe because of the WCF12's software or because of PPC 2K2) that caused IE not to use the WCF12 for networking.
Using an old WAP11 and a few WPC11's with this card and connection would drop from time to time thus requiring a reset and reseating the card. However, I can't be sure if that's because of my v1 WAP11 and WPC11's or because of the WCF12.
The software could be better at managing different profiles by not requiring me to re-enter the WEP paraphrase everytime I switch profiles.
53 It works mostly
Got this card for my Casio E-125 PocketPC. Fits quite snuggly in the CF slot, but it goes in with a little patience. The drivers out of the box said that it did not work with the "connected device". So I downloaded the slightly newer driver from the website. The new driver installed and I was able to set the SSID during installation. But the Linksys Wireless CF Control panel doesn't work keeps saying that I'm missing a progam or library. (I've reinstalled numerous times to no avail)
I can however connect, so the only access control I can turn on is MAC level from the access point (USR8011). I suspect WEP is setup in the control panel that I can't start on the E-125.
Drains the battery significantly as well. Equivalent to running some media playback, and having the screen on all the time (cause that's pretty much what you'll be doing).
Connects fast! Maybe a second or two and the card is connected.
So it works adequately, I just don't know if I'm missing anything with the lack of WEP.
54 Pretty swift
I'm using this card with my iPaq 3650 and SMC7004VWBR. Setup was pretty straightforward. The only problem is that the connection seems slow, but I think it's the iPaq not being able to render the web pages fast enough (need more CPU power). I'll have to try it on my laptop to see how fast it really is. I only wish the card didn't protrude this much out of the top of the iPaq and power consumption needs to come down (hence 4 start rating).
55 Couldn't be easier!
The WCF12 was so easy to install and works so well on my "old" Jornada 548 that I just had to write this review on it! For the 54X Jornada, don't forget to download the updated driver.
56 Works great with Dell Axim
Network consists of a Netgear WAB102 802.11a and 802.11b dual band access point, Linksys WET11, Netgear WAB501 Cardbus for Compaq laptop, and a Dell Axim PDA using the WCF12. Had no problems installing it and immediately was surfing the net from the PDA. Network should be configured for DHCP for easy installation. Have had one problem that I don't think is with Linksys, Netgear access point stopped working on the 802.11a channel while 802.11b still worked. Cycled power and all was fine again. WCF12 was scanning away as it should be trying to make a connection. Have since upgraded the firmware in the access point so will see what happens... Also no problem inserting the CF card in the Dell Axim as a previous reviewer did. May be a manufacturing tolerance problem which I lucked out on.
57 Fantastic!
Got hooked up to my D-Link Wireless Router in under 30 minutes. The card is awfully tight in my Dell Axim (like the previous reader indicates) but it works like a champ. The range is good and the transfer rates are outstanding.
If you have a PDA and want to go wireless, this is the card for you!
58 Nice, nice, very nice...
Courtesy of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., this qoute aptly describes my experience with this PDA expansion card. While it will not work with Digital Cameras or MP3 players[:)] it works great with my Casio E-200. I can access remote computers with my PDA, transfer files, and access the internet. (all with proper configuration) The product is easy to install via ActiveSync and the configuration utility has a very small footprint of <200kb. All in all, nice, nice, very nice!
59 Wow! Could it be any easier?
Bought this to use in my Dell Axim X5 device, and it works perfectly! The install was very smooth. The configuration utility was simple to master and handled both my 128 bit WEP and my non-standard SSID like a champ.
I routinely use it between two different wireless networks and can switch between their configurations with a couple of taps on the Axim's screen. Link and signal quality have been excellent even sitting in my car a couple of hundred feet away from the SMC2655W AP located in my home.
The only trouble I've had is with physically inserting the card in the Dell Axim device -- it takes quite a bit of alternating force and finesse to get it started into the CF slot. This thing is just a smidge wider than other CF cards which insert into the device with no resistance.
60 My Jornada loves this thing!!!
I`m always amazed at how well windows xp works with new hardware. I ran the setup utility on the CD and typed in the network name, plugged in the card and it connected. It doesn't get easier than that. I`m writing this review on my Jornada, this is great. If you have a Jornada you want one of these. I setup my wireless hub and my Jornada in less than 10 minutes.
Great, great, great!
61 Nothing but problems
Updated firmware on the PDA (iPaq 3765). Updated firmware on access point. Updated driver for WCF12. Plenty of quality time with tech support. But in the end WCF12 is unreliable. WEP flat does not work. Never worked. Not even once. (MAC filtering is alternative) Cool when it works, but sooner or later it will [have an error] and require a hard reset (=> re-install apps, data, drivers) before it will work again. I am returning for PC card + new iPaq PC card sleeve. Hoping for better results.
62 Works great with the Zaurus!
Here's how I got my wcf12 working with the prism2 driver that comes with the Zaurus:
From the terminal type: cardctl ident
if the card says
card "Linksys WCF12 11Mbps 802.11b WLAN Card"
manfid 0x028a, 0x0673
then use vi to add the following entry to /etc/pcmcia/wlan-ng.conf:
card "Linksys WCF12 11Mbps 802.11b WLAN Card"
manfid 0x028a, 0x0673
bind "prism2_cs"
Save and reboot using settings, shutdown. The boot script should say the card is accepted.... Then go to the Network and Wireless Lan configurations to continue. Install and run http://www.kismetwireless.net to test the card and look for wireless networks.
63 IM from the couch is cool!
This card works great - always download the latest drivers for ANY new product you buy (duh!)
Only 4 stars because the card is difficult to get into my Exp Pack Plus - and I'm not sure if its the pack or the card. I'm assuming after an in and out a few times It'll get easier.
Um... and a Handera? You must be kidding. How about doing just a little research before you bash a product...
64 Need to download updated driver
This card DOES support the HP Jornada, if you download the updated driver from the Linksys website (dated 9/16/02). I had the same problem as the reviewers below, but fixed the problem after doing this. And now it works great! The only problem I have now is that the network activity seems to prevent my PDA from auto-shutting off.
65 Web Mobile
This card works great with my Sharp Zaurus and Linksys
Access Point.
It's too bad the entire world doesn't have 802.11b yet.
66 Windows firmware-in-software strikes again
I bought this card for a HandEra 330 PDA, which has a CompactFlash slot and theoretically is supposed to take any wireless CF card (when used in conjunction with drivers available from HandEra's Web site). No dice. But I have to fault Linksys for that instead of HandEra, for technical reasons which I will elaborate.
Ever heard the term "Winmodem"? It refers to a nefarious tactic used to sell modems for Windows-based PCs, although it has also been done with other hardware such as printers. Critical software that is required for the modem to operate is normally embedded in the modem as "firmware." But with Winmodems, this firmware is instead provided as part of the Windows software drivers. Net result: attractive cost cuts for the hardware, with the bad side effect that the hardware will ONLY ever work on a Windows-based PC.
Apparently this sad trend has carried over to the WinCE/PocketPC world. The Linksys WCF12 comes with drivers that are intended to be installed on a WinCE 3.0-based PDA; without those drivers, it just won't work.
Perhaps this was a classic case of let-the-buyer-beware, meaning I should have known to check HandEra's Web site more carefully for the kinds of wireless CF cards to look for; then I would have known that I should have bought the WCF11 instead of the WCF12. Still, I think this is a deceptive sales tactic that serves no purpose other than to boost volume while helping Microsoft to shore up its artificial dominance in the computing world. So I have to call Linksys on it.
I must give kudos, however, to Amazon.com and Tech Depot for quickly moving to refund my money after I requested a return and shipped this product (opened!) back to them.
67 1 star for Linksys and 3 for the product
I was awful excited about a wifi card for slot 1 pda's. But lo-and-behold, the wcf12 doesn't currently support HP Jornada 54X series PDA's. Linksys support and engineering acknowledge this and state they are working on a release of an updated driver. You can find that out IF the tech support rep knows what he's talking about (most don't know what a jornada is). I did some hunting and pecking and finally found the beta out in a newsgroup. It works, but Linksys won't support it "yet". It's been over a month since they told me it'd be out in the next week....Think twice..or search the net...Hint - Yahoo groups - HP Jornada clubs...good luck.
68 Doesn't work with my HP Jornada 548
In spite of what the box says (Windows CE 3.0), it just doesn't work with my HP Jornada 548 PocketPC and Linksys doesn't even answer my emails!!! The install utility came back with a message saying that the device connected (Jornada 545) was not supported with the WCF12.
I bought it and can't use it! :-(
69 nice thing, but not really usable
I have to agree that this is a nice card from outside to inside compare to its competiters.
But, at the same time, current day's technology really [is not good], not linksys's fault. Three things killed all wireless CF card:
1. They are battery killer, they are not just hungry for power, they are real killer! Every wireless cf card take at least 250mA, those power saving card REQUIRES advanced feature to support it on the AP side, which most home AP does not.
2. They are still big and ugly. True that this linksys card is much better than the dlink 650, but it is still such an ugly thing extruding from my PDA ...
3. Last, pocket IE [is not good] ...... you can not seriouly use it, although it IS fun to try it.
70 Your PDA needs this.
Well I just got this card in the mail today and it is performing flawlessly. I have an iPaq 3640 which has the PCMCIA jacket. I am actually writting this review and listening to streaming music on my iPaq right now. For those of you wondering, I am using a PCMCIA to CF adaptor.
When I turn my iPaq on it it takes about 2 seconds to link up to my wireless router. The drivers are very good. A small icon shows up in the bottom right corner of the iPaq on the "today" screen. From there you can change the speed of your conection, encryption, and a bunch of other network settings. You can also keep an eye on how good of a conection you have. At 11mb I only get down to a 60% conection quality at the bottom, inside of my house. That is going through brick walls and all.
My advice is to buy a wireless network and get this card for your PDA to greatly increase its usefulness, functionality, and gadgetyness.
