Wireless-G is the upcoming 54Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country but since they share the same 2.4GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices can also work with existing 11Mbps Wireless-B equipment.
The new Wireless-G Notebook Adapter from Linksys has both standards built in, so you can connect your notebook to existing 802.11b infrastructure, and also the new screaming fast Wireless-G networks. The included Setup Wizard will walk you through configuring the adapter to your network's settings, step by step. Then just slide it into your notebook's PC Card slot and enjoy network access with your notebook computer, while retaining true mobility.
Once you're connected, you can keep in touch with your e-mail, access the Internet, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network, wherever you wander. At home, you can surf the web or use instant messaging to chat with friends while sitting out on the patio.
You'll also be able to connect with any of the growing number of public wireless hotspots springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels and convention centers. And as those hotspots upgrade to the new high-speed Wireless-G standard, you'll be ready to take advantage of the increased speeds.
Get connected to current-standard 802.11b networks today, and be prepared for the future with the Wireless-G Notebook Adapter from Linksys.
- High-speed Wireless-G (draft 802.11g) networking for your notebook computer
- Data rates up to 54Mbps -- 5 times faster than Wireless-B (802.11b)
- Also interoperates with Wireless-B networks (at 11Mbps)
- Wireless security -- up to 128-bit WEP encryption
Early Adopters PickJanuary 2003. The first high-speed wireless networking PC card for laptops to use the 802.11g standard, which is four times faster than the current standard (802.11b) and backwards compatible.
The new Wireless-G notebook adapter (PC Card adapter) from Linksys has both the 802.11b and newer 801.11g standards built in, so you can connect your notebook to existing 802.11b infrastructure and also the new, fast Wireless-G networks. The included setup wizard will walk you through configuring the adapter to your network's settings, step-by-step. Then just slide the adapter into your notebook's PC Card slot and enjoy network access with your notebook computer, while retaining true mobility.
Wireless-G is the 54 Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country. But since they share the same 2.4 GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices also work with existing 11 Mbps Wireless-B equipment.
Once you're connected, you can keep in touch with your e-mail, access the Internet, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network, wherever you wander. At home, you can surf the Web or use instant messaging to chat with friends while sitting out on the patio.
You'll also be able to connect to any of the growing number of public wireless hotspots springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels, and convention centers. And as those hotspots upgrade to the new high-speed Wireless-G standard, you'll be ready to take advantage of the increased speeds.
Get connected to current standard 802.11b networks today, and be prepared for the future with the Wireless-G notebook adapter from Linksys.
| 
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. |
1 Disappointed
I have always purchased Linksys in the past, routers, switches & hubs with absolutly no trouble. I read all the reviews here, some good, some bad. I took the advice of some who said not to use the setup CD and to download straight from the web. Another said to setup the router and not let your "know it all" 19 year old set up the laptop adapter first, among many others. Well, I set up the wireless router WRT54GS but could not get a clean install of the software drivers not even from the web. Finally I got it to install and work. It worked fine as a router with a Ethernet (wired) connection to my laptop. Then the fun started when I tried to install the Laptop Adapter WPC54G. I can't begin to explain the hours and pain that was spent. No matter what I did or how I did it, the adapter was active and appeared to be ok BUT it would not communicate withe Router. I tried every configuration I could. And, Yes, I called Linksys. Even at 3AM they are there to help you .... RIGHT! I called them 3 times, was on the phone for almost an hour each time and GOT NO WHERE. It might have been faster if the people spoke english as a first language!. Bottom line, Linksys said there must be something wrong with either the adapter or router, or both and left me hanging. THANKS. I bought both pieces back to the store and returned them. Would have liked to exchanged them for another Linksys set but, the experience was very very BAD. I purchased the D-Link DI-624 108Mbps G Wireless router and the D-Link DWL-G650 108G Laptop adapter. In 20 minutes I was up and Running. Lesson Learned? ... If you buy Linksys or anyone else, and it does work out of the box (if you followed instructions), consider it dead and don't waste anymore of your time trying and trying to make it work!
2 Strong Connection and good range.
This wireless network adapter is durable and provides a great connection with relatively little configuration. I have installed this card in IBM T30 and A20 models as well as HP notebooks. I had a dlink card on my last computer that had less than half the range it claimed. The instalation was simple and intuitive enough for the technologicaly challenged could get wifi connection easily. I have yet to find an incompatible network.
This card isnt the cheapest (but its not the most expensive) but the price is worth the durability and knowledge that you are connected with a quality product.
Go wireless with the WPC54G today.
3 WPC54G v2 & AES
After purchasing the WPC54G v2, I was disappointed to notice that it evidently doesn't support AES. I'm using the Linksys Network Monitor v2.1 (also tried Funk Odyssey), and driver v6.0.0.18.
Linksys' website has the product data sheet for this card, which lists security as: WEP, AES, TKIP, 802.1x. The user guide, that came with the card, as well as the user guide posted to the website, speaks about AES as a selection. And the Network Monitor application, prompts you to choose, "from either TKIP or AES," only that AES is not listed in the drop down list.
From my reading posts, it appears that v2 doesn't support AES, while some other WPC54G versions do. The problem is that Linksys makes it very unlikely that you'll realize this before purchasing the card. Between their website, userguide, software, as well as all their retail channel partners listing AES as a supported protocol, you're destined to purchase the card and be disappointed once you attempt to configure AES.
After contacting Linksys, this is the clarification I received, "...AES is supported with the previous version which is WPC54G Version 1. There is no driver yet for the version 2 wireless-g adapter that supports AES as on the moment. Keep posted from the website for any updates with regards to the device. You can go to www.linksys.com..."
This doesn't really manage expectations, though, and leaves it likely that others may potentially experience the same confusion.
4 Bad Install with Dell Inspiron 8000
I echo a former review about problems this card with a Dell Inspiron computer. Had problems with the install~Couldn't open the card's utility feature after several attempts. Incidentally, I am using a Netgear MA521 card with a Linksys WRT54G router on another Dell Inspiron (5000)computer, and that seems to be working fine.
5 bad experience
The card works very poorly with my Dell Inspiron 8100. It seems it has a compatibility problem with the Texas Instruments bus that is used on all Dell laptops. It keeps dropping the connection with my Netgear wireless router. Also the driver does not integrate well with Windows XP - I had to install it several times. I would advise against buying it.
6 Working fine
I've installed this card in an old IBM A30, connecting to an 802.11B Linksys router. Set up was easy and despite a mystery around Linksys vs. Windows Zero Config managing the connection -- its working fine, no drops.
7 Beware of versions if want WPA-PSK + AES (vs TKIP)
Good product, but note that there are 3 versions out there: no version (the original - "v0"), v2, and v4 (bundled w/ a wireless router). Don't know about the card in v4, but if you want WPA-PSK and AES (vs TKIP), then don't get v2. The WLAN Monitor program in v2 does NOT offer AES (tested and confirmed today by Linky Tech Support) for either W2000 or WXP. This is NOT (as Linksys wants to say) an MS problem - Linky's v2 driver is not ready to "offer" AES, just TKIP, as of 1/20/05. The v0 (original) card works in both OS's, providing you dl the latest drvr from Linky's website. I'm writng this 'cuz I just paid a LOT of dues trying to get the v2 to work in either of my laptops. Only v0 works >> AES. Made several calls to Linky cust support, and finally a Level 2 tech fessed up and admitted it -- not a consumer-friendly attitude. The v2 spec sheet flaunts WPA, AES, TKIP capability, but it's BS. Am now trying to locate another v0 card to complete my layout. Last note: no one seems to indicate on their website which version they're selling, so good luck!!
8 Big story.....finally got it to work!!!!
Spanish is my main language, so forgive my english typing mistakes.
I received my WPC54G and tried to install on my Toshiba Satellite with Windows XP Professional with no success. The software installed correctly but the card wouldn't be recognized by the computer. The computer stills searching for the drivers and never found them. I tried with the software CD, downloading from the internet and nothing. I called Linksys and finally they told me that maybe the card was defective and I got to return it.
I have to say that Amazon send another card right away and I received it a few days after.
This time, the software wouldn't install, don't know why so I just put the card into my computer and let Windows install it. Finally it worked but I'm not using the original software from Linksys.
Had a little problem tought. I had intermitent connection. Every five minutes or so, the card disconnected and connected again. Linksys support told me to try a different channel on the router (1, 6 or 11) but that didn't help. Because I didn't have anything to lose, I search at Netgear's support and I found that Windows XP SP 1 had a problem and I have to disable the IEEE 802.1X authentication option in the Wireless Network properties. It really helped!!!!
After all that, the card is working fine. I rate the card with 4 stars for all that previus effort to get it to work.
9 Works fine
I just installed this card in my Dell Inspiron 1100 notebook, after installing a Linksys Wireless-B router on the DSL modem to my desktop. Had no problem in installing the router or the wireless card, once I got the connection set up on the notebook. The setup disk did all the configuration for the notebook, all I had to do was enter the SSID name and select the channel. I'm getting very good to excellent reception from the upstairs bedroom and my basement. Right now I couldn't be happier.
10 Worked great, for a while!
This review should have 1 (or less) stars, my mistake. Using a Compac laptop, & WinXP I let the installer do it's thing from the CD, rebooted, inserted the adapter and it just worked. I have only gone about 60 feet from the router in my house, but that's all I need. No drops, lost connections, timeouts, etc. for the first week or so, then things went downhill fast. I have no idea what may be the culprit, but after reading other comments it seems this card just sux in general. I've reloaded the drivers and software too many times to count. Linksys tech support was a real piece of work too (don't count on them speaking intelligible English!!). There are other cards out there that will actually work and probably cost less too.
11 I agree Junk !!
IT rarely connects to the Linksys G Router. Called tech support 3 times with same case, could not help although they tried. When it connects it works well. But most of the time it is waiting for the network. I have two computers hardwired to the router that work fine, and another wireless using the USB adapter that works fine. My old Netgear B PCMCIA card works fine with the linksys router. Firmware all up to date. Would avoid
12 I Rate this in one word - JUNK
This is the second time tht I am wriing this review. The first time the %&^% adapter lost the connection. I normally do not take the time to write a review but after the junk device dropped session 4 tie in the pace of an hour I felt compelled to vent. Then after writing the first review the junk device dropped connection again. One would think that in todays business climit a company would ensure that their products worked with each other. but between this and the linksys AP it's like living in the 90's.
Bottom line, buy another vendors product, stay away from this one.
13 complete junk
i get disconnected at least 3 or 4 times a day using these linksys wireless cards and routers. They are junk. Do your research and buy something like netgear or dlink.
Stay away from these linksys routers. At best, each time i get disconnected i have to restart my pc and the router and wait 10 minutes to get back online again. if you're doing something important, forget it!
14 Worst Adapter Ever
I had a Linksys Wireless B access point that just quit working. Upgraded to Wireless G. Using Linksys WRT54G router and WPC54G card. I run a Dell Inspiron 8100. To date, I have been unable to get the WPC54G card to work. I tried downloading drivers, reinstall and uninstall nothing works. The support is not very good. Now, I am getting interference from a neighbor on the access point. Linksys says change channel which I have done. Still having problems. A huge disappointment
15 Does not work in PowerBook G4
I bought this card because I'd read it worked with Apple's Airport 3.1 (and later) software in machines like my 15" PowerBook G4. Unfortunately it appears that something changed for the ver 2 variant of the WPC54G card, and it isn't recognized by Apple's software. I should note that Linksys does not claim that the card is Mac-compatible, so I don't fault them; I just want to alert other Mac owners who might be considering this card.
16 Junk, best avoided
The Linksys Wireless-G network looks like a good deal. It isn't. The only value of the thing is to connect you to a wireless network. It doens't do a good job of that. So as far as I'm concerned its a useless piece of junk that's cost me countless wasted hours of irritation.
The drivers do not install cleanly, the included linksys management software conflicts with XP. It loses connections constantly, inexplicably. I've tried this with TWO different cards and had the same experience.
Junk, best avoided.
17 Poor Connectivity
This is the second wireless card I've tried and is even worse than the first. The Linksys card takes a long time to recognize a local network (5-8 minutes) then has trouble connecting. Often it says it is connected to the internet but does not allow access. It seems "twitchy" and will frequently lose contact despite having a very strong signal.
I paid the extra money for the better card but if this is as good as wireless cards get, make sure you buy your laptop with an internal wi-fi.
18 If it works, then you're fortunate, and if not, you're sunk
I had some good experience with Linksys routers, and I thought I would give them a try in upgrading my home office to a broadband router that also had Wireless G technology. I have an IBM Thinkpad running Windows 2000 Professional (NT based) that I wanted to use in other parts of the house.
Routers are usually easy to install since I stick with the basics and there is really no software to install.
The notebook card software installer 'glitched' during the initial installation, and then refused to recognize its drivers, preferring instead to be referred to as "other device network controller."
The goal was to completely uninstall the notebook adapter card, and then reinstall it so that Windows would recognize it and link it to its drivers. Sounds easy? No way.
I went into a hell of inadequate documentation and tech support (Phillipines) that is friendly, available, and knows how to read the basic installation manuals like informed users. After an hour or so of having me repeat all the same things I had tried in the previous two hours by myself, they basically said to take it back where I bought it and have them install it. There does not appear to be any second tier support available and the linksys web site is an electronic brochure.
I ALMOST got it to work, after spending a couple additional hours or so (Sunday from noon to 10 PM in all) trying to edit out all appearances of the adapter's software from the registry and Hdwcomp and a DAT file (which I never like to do but at this point I was becoming mildly obsessed) to try and remove the card's software completely so I could do a full reinstall, but even that still would not free my laptop from the bondage of the first installation.
This thing is like herpes; you think you have gotten rid of it, but it leaves traces all over Windows and keeps coming back. There was NO WAY I was going to wipe the hard drive and reinstall windows. So I decided to just return it and thank God I bought it from Amazon.
If it works on the initial installation you're ok and I'm sure it does a credible job (unless some future update from Microsoft clobbers it). If it does not, then you're doomed because it cannot unintall itself completely from the complexity of its many appearances in the NT based versions of Windows.
I ran into this once with Norton SystemWorks which also had a klugey way of 'integrating' its many separate programs under Windows, instead of as a standalone program. Speeding your time to market by patching separate programs together under Windows is a real temptation for a software developer, but it create back end problems that are hellish, and subject to the vagaries of the latest Microsoft 'critical system update.' Plug and Pray is the name of this game.
Is this a Microsoft problem or a Linksys problem? I think its both. Microsoft creates the appearance of an integration platform through operating system, and some companies go for it since they are buying pieces of code and separate programs from multiple sources and real software integration is a chore. But its the same old tune with a different name; you make a clean integration and sweat the details in development and the software is solid. If not, you create the monster that devoured Moore's Law (and every last support resource you can hire).
The card has an odd design which I did not like. It sticks out about an inch or so. Great routers, but this software isn't completely baked.
19 Very good product and easy to install
It look me less than an hour to install the network and notebook card adapters to set up my wireless at home. I had some questions about security and the 24 hour phone support was very helpful.
I highly recommend this product.
20 So So
I figured would spend the money for this card. There are a lot of other cards out there for less that does essentially the same thing. The profile of this card isn't the best. It sticks out an inch. I figured this would translate to better reception. Not so. Signal quality is very twitchy and I often need to relocate. For the price I would expect better. For example, I have used NetGear for less $$ but better reception. This is not a bad product but not worth the extra $$. Try something else.
21 Perfect card for my network!!
Netgear products dominates my network and I decided to give this pc card a trial because of the good reviews. I must confess that it's surely the perfect adapter out there. Downloaded the driver from linksys website and ignored the cd as per other reviews. Installation was a breeze. I have a netgear router and it detects my network immediately without hassels. I tried the windows zero configuration and the wlan monitor and they both work fine. Wep works too but I had to modify my router wep as linksys couldn't accept the one I had there before. Signal strenght is always execellent. I am glad I bought this product. My first Linksys network product really convinced me. I love it and hope to buy more of linksys products.
22 Good Product, bad reception
This is an overall good product. I reccommend not using the cd, instead, just pop in the thing, head to linksys.com/check, and follow the rest. It does the stuff for you which was real neat for me. The only problem i have with this is that with my usb adapter i got an excellent reception from the same distance, now with this adapter in the same distance, i get a Low-Very Low reception. Im using a 802.11b not a 802.11g only because if im in a hot spot and they have G available, imma want to use that one since its up to 5 times faster. Im still not sure why i have a bad reception, if anyone knows, please reply. Their customer service asks ALOT of useless information that lasts 5-10 minutes, but they helped me alot with configuring this. It took me around 15-20 minutes to hook up. I reccommend this product, its really great!
23 Works Pretty Well; Beware Linksys Website Links
Depending on where you click from, Linksys' website may NOT have the latest driver and install application -- you may get either Version 1 or Version 2. Unfortunately, I followed previous reviewers' suggestions and tried the Web version without even bothering with the CD, but then noticed that there was no option for enabling WPA, which was the main reason I got this adapter. Best bet seems to go via http://www.linksys.com/download/ and select from the drop down menu.
With the version 2 from the CD, the first time didn't work either - got a "inactive" after reboot. Couldn't get a live tech support person from Linksys, but managed to Search their knowledge base successfully -- go to Device Manager and uninstall the driver (had a yellow ! by it) then power down and reboot. Came up fine at that point. Works fine across my house. I have it in an HP Omnibook 6000 (Pentium III) running XP. Apparently the portable has the troublesome TI 1420 Cardbus controller chip, but looks like Linksys fixed their driver issue by this time.
24 Works as Advertised
I already have a Linksys Wireless-G router with several wired computers. I bought the WPC54G for my Toshiba Satellite laptop. I installed the software from the CDROM, installed the adapter, then configured in less than 10 minutes. I did have to open my router configuration via browser (and via my existing LAN connection) to determine my encryption settings, but then it was done. My signal strength is 87% (excellent) with my laptop sitting in my living room and the router downstairs on the other side of my house; approx. 15' and through the floor. What more can I say? It worked perfect right out of the box for me.
25 Wireless-G Adapter
I purchased this adapter a few months ago. It was easy to install and work great with linksys WRT54G router. The only problem I had is when I completely upgrade all the computers on my wireless network to the G-mode. When I change the router and adapter to G-mode only from mixed mode, I lost connection with the access point. I'm not sure whether this is a problem with the adapter or the router. I changed everything back to the old setting and it work great again.
26 AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE!
If I could give this product negative stars I would! Not only did this adapter fail to work on the one XP computer on which I was able to install, their installer completely took out the hard drive on my Win 98 machine. Not a just a system crash... not just a reinstall of Windows... this nasty piece of software required that I format my hard drive and reinstall EVERYTHING from scratch. TWICE! Of course, their tech support people are as clueless as their installer writers. DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT!
27 Much faster!
Well this is a definite improvement in speed over the old 802.11 cards. It was a cinch to set up and seems to hold a better and stronger connection. Definitely a good deal!
28 Nearly Indestructible, too bad it has to be
The ONLY bad thing about this is that the card sticks out of the notebook about 3/4 of an inch, and after dropping my PC a couple times, the card's cover came off and it's bent - but it STILL works, and it may have cushioned the notebook from damage (which is much more expensive to replace). On the other hand, the fact that it sticks out means that it gets caught on things, the notebook doesn't quite fit in it's case anymore, etc...
So I'm about to replace it, just because I hate having the electronics dangling out of the side, not because it's not working.
It's generally always worked fine, was easy to set up, and if you use Linksys cards and routers, then it lets you use a pass phrase for WEP encryption instead of the usual HEX gibberish (much easier).
29 I vote yes.
I installed it on my Sony Vaio Laptop and got it working right away. It linked to my Orinoco (802.11b) basestation with a very good signal strength and I was surfing away in no time. The following day, I cranked up my older Sony Vaio 802.11a basestation and wifi card and it worked without a hitch. The only time I had a problem with a Linksys product, they exchanged it right away. Mostly, their products have been trouble free.
I have nothing but good things to say about them. Of course, I don't have a "g" basestation yet, but I'm fully confident it will work just fine.
30 Great Adapter
This adapter works great wether I am at home or on the road. I even dented it so badly that I thought I would have to get a new one, but it still works great. Very satisfied.
31 travellin man most hotels are switching to WIFI
I travel a great deal for work and need to sync with the database at the home office at least daily. Many of the hotels I stay at have gone with WIFI because they don't need to wire every room. LAN is not offered as an alternative. Using the modem/phone is not an option because my synchronization would take several hours. Many of my emails contain large attachments such as PDFs.
I have a Dell Latitude running Window NT. I bought the WPC54G two months ago and have been on the road a lot with it. It has worked very well at every hotel I have stayed at that uses WIFI. Installation of the software and set up was a breeze. I spent 10 minutes max getting up and running. I was at my sisters house the other day and she is a Mac user running Airport and I had no problems linking in. I have noticed no difference in speed between using the Adapter and the speeds I get using the LAN at other hotels.
This set up is working well enough that I plan I getting a wireless router at home.
32 FLAWLESS INSTALL
I prepped my DELL latitude P3-500 prior to install. I have an XP PRO with all the windows service packs and updates. My laptop has a Texas Instrument PCI-1225 CardBus Controller.
I downloaded the new drivers from Linksys and installed it. Don't forget to use the correct version for your card (V1 or V2). DO NOT USE THE CD!!!!
Aftel the driver install, turned-off the laptop. Plugged in my card, boot up, and it got configured with no hitches at all. 10 mins TOPS!!
I'm using WRT54G wireless router, SSID with broadcast off, MAC filtering enabled.
33 Depends on Operating System
Linksys is a very good company, however they are having a lot of problems with the software for this card, from what I hear the WPC54G works fine with XP, however with older operating systems such as Win 98 or Win Me you have a large chance of receiving installation errors. Like other users I have found support to be very unhelpful, they either don't know about the problems or refuse to acknowledge them. They will blame your operating system even thought they are having reports of problems from many users. Check out www.dslreports.com/forum for updates on problems. I'll be returning this one for another brand, its a shame what could be a great product is unuseable.
34 Probably would not buy again
I was able to install this product and use it fine for about a week or two. Then I started getting error messages at boot-up saying files were missing. The software cannot be reinstalled because it must be uninstalled first, the files to uninstall are missing and it cannot be done. Basically I am caught in a catch-22. Called Linksys and the tech support was substandard (almost like they were reading from a script). I was told they have never had a single complaint on this product, and there was nothing I could do but go back to Amazon to resolve the issue (isn't that Cisco's job?). I am running Windows xp home. You may have better luck than I did, but buyer beware...
35 This is the guy
This is the guy you want for your notebook connecting to a wireless network. Windows, Apple, Linux, even DR DOS, this thing just works.
It is unobtrusive, doesn't seem to drain the laptop batteries like some others I have used and gets good fast connections regardless of whether it is pointed towards the access point or router or not.
This unit is so good that it mad eit clear to me the importance of network security. I had no trouble attaching to my home network with this (Linksys router) from across the street and 2 houses down. Which means of course anyone can use your wireless network.
Use the WEP and just to be sure use the routers DHCP table to see who is logging on. You may be surprised.
36 Excellent option
This product is excellent. Performance is superb.
In downtown Orlando, around Lake Eola, they've set up a free public hot-spot that reaches the bordering streets of the lake. I took my laptop there one day and my WPC54G card worked great for me.
The performance at my house is great, too. The only catch with this card is that the software isn't very good - in fact, I'm not even using it anymore, but it's not necessary for the card to work.
I hear D-Link and NetGears are pretty good choices as well. If you're looking at purchasing Wi-Fi products, then look at these 3 companies. And if you want a solid card for your laptop, then this is a very solid choice. You won't be disappointed.
37 Major disappointment from a once-sterling vendor
LinkSys has been my NIC vendor-of-choice for years now. I could always depend on being able to drop a LinkSys card into my Linux machines and have them "just work". No brains required.
This one doesn't. There's absolutely no Linux support at all, and compared to Motorola's corresponding product, the software is very poorly packaged. Both units are Broadcomm-based, which appears to be much of the problem. To get them to work (I'm ASSUMING I'll be able to get the LinkSys card to work, since I did gt the Motorola one running) you have to use ndiswrapper - a shom that allows the Windows drivers to run under Linux. Both my Motorola card and the LinkSys card come with Broadcom software for use under Windows. It's pretty pathetic stuff. However LinkSys wraps the Broadcomm software with stuff that's even more confusing to work with.
Plus, I'm not happy that the last LinkSys NIC I bought died after about 3 weeks. I'm wondering if the Cisco takeover hasn't ruined them.
At any rate, next network interface I buy has a penguin on the box or I don't buy it at all.
38 NO Support from Linksys
I purchase this product (WPC54G) today and have had the worst support in my 10 year computer career. I received an error while running the install program. I spoke with 3 support personnel and all were totally inept. One support person told me to return the card because it was broken even though, in accordance with the quick installation guide, it had not even been inserted into the machine.
Strangely, the last support person told me the card was fine so I should install it on another machine or call MSFT for further assistance. What good would installing it on another machine do, prove a brand new card is not defective? If I needed a wireless card in another machine I would have installed it there in the first place. Call MSFT??#$!!? Why not just shoot myself in the head?
To be fair I've used Linksys equipment in the past and it's worked great, but this has been my first support "experience". I'm sure it will provide entertainment on an ongoing basis as I share it with other IT professionals and websites. In the meantime, this product is going back and I'll be switching manufacturers.
At some point you always need support and Linksys falls WAY short.
39 Good card
Gave as gift with the router/switch for wife, wireless-G, good stuff, easy to install, and setup, she is very happy, and that makes me happy.....
40 Good wireless card -- OK software
The card works great and I haven't had a problem with it. The only problem is with the software. The software functions, but the interface and instructions are horrible if you're trying to connect to a well secured network. If you just use the default and un-secure network configurations on your access point, you never interact with the software. However, if you customize the security it's a little trickier.
Having said all that, DO NOT buy a Microsoft wireless adapter as their software and hardware is even worse.
41 Excellent wireless notebook adapter
The Linksys WPC54G notebook adapter is a treat. Mated to the Linksys WRT54G wireless router, G-speeds of 54MB/sec are possible. I found signal strength to be excellent throughout my house which spans 2 floors and 2,000 square feet.
The adapter itself is quite small and unobtrusive. It requires a PCMCIA port on your laptop, and very little else. Using the zero network configuration feature of Windows XP, I was able to connect and surf in a matter of 10 minutes. If you have a different Windows Operating System, I suspect that you will have to spend a bit more time installing drivers and adjusting configuration settings, but there is no reason for the whole setup to be complex. As always with Linksys products, I recommend throwing away the installation CD that comes with the product. The automated installation does nothing that can't be accomplished even by the novice. Furthermore, you don't get all the networking software installed by default which will, in many cases, cause your perfectly working network to cease functioning.
My Gateway notebook gets quite hot near the processor area, but this heat is NOT transmitted to the Wireless adapter. The card itself cannot heat up becuase there is nothing inside it that causes heat dissipation. Rather the heat referred to in other reviews here may be because the card is conducting heat from the processor core.
The adapter is physically pleasing with a neutral grey antenna patch and the blue Linksys logo clearly visible. Two LEDs show power and link status, but are largely unnecessary.
In Wireless-G mode, this card has greatly enhanced my wireless surfing experience. Pages load with a snap, and games exhibit no lag whatsoever. Furthermore, my wireless-b hardware seems to be positively affected as well. Connections are more stable and signal strength has improved.
I fully recommend this product, especially if your infrastructure already uses Linksys components. Smooth installation, powerful feature set, and perfect pricing, makes this a piece of hardware not to miss!
42 Works great, even with Mac Airport network
Works great with my Dell laptop and Windows 2000. It even connected with an Apple Airport network for cable internet sharing.
43 Beautiful
I'm running Windows 2k on my laptop and the installation and setup of this adapter was flawless. No problems during installation and it works beautifully with my wireless network. It also picks up 3 other networks that other families in other homes are running. Each are more than 300 feet away and I get 80% or better on each of them.
I read below about an adapter that gets very hot. Mine doesn't get hot at all. It might be your laptop. If the card slot is close to your processor, the slot and card might be picking up the heat from that.
44 Works great
I bought it along with the WAP54G wireless acces point and it works great. Nice range, good speed. I'm very pleased. Also a snap to install.
45 Fast
I use this card along with a Linksys WRT54G router, and it is very fast. However; like an earlier reviewer I also had a problem with intermittent disconnections. I finally figured out that the problem was 802.11x authentication was enabled on my laptop. Since disabling this "feature" I have had no disconnects even when I'm far enough from the router for the signal to drop to poor.
The card does get hot, but it doesn't seem to affect it's performance. Overall I am very pleasd with the card, and all the Linksys products that I have used.
46 Flawless operation, good performance, easy installation
I bought the WPC54G and the WRT54G. Card installation on my Windows 2000 laptop (Thinkpad T-23) was seamless (follow the instructions and you can't go wrong ...) WRT54G router setup was amazingly simple, will save that for another review.
The card has performed flawlessly for me. Good connection to my router (about 60 feet away right now through several walls, 48mbps speed). I've been using for several days and had no connection drops. (The CD included did have the latest drivers, I didn't need to upgrade from the website.) I use it for secure VPN, and again, no issues or problems.
The card also does very well with "Suspend" and comes right back and restores my connection without any intervention. The card gets a little warm, but its most likely sucking up heat from my laptop's CPU. No real issues there.
As another reviewer mentioned -- the card has two LED's which are basically useless. I don't care (still has 5 stars), I wouldn't care if it didn't have lights. Just kinda odd for a card that seems to do so well to have useless lights. :)
All in all -- been very happy with my purchase of the card & router. I have had no (read ZERO) problems. Would highly recommend.
47 Attention windows XP users!!!!
If your in mixed decisions about purchasing this product please be sure to read this. I had purchased this card originally to work in my old IBM Think pad running Windows 98 card worked great and had no problems. Bought a new laptop which is running windows XP home here is where the fun ends. and here is my summary. 1. There are a lot of known issues with this card and Windows XP. Microsoft has various "Hot Fixes" which are absolutly necesary! 2. If you are using a combination of Linksys Router and PCI card Make sure that all drivers and firmares are the absolute newest versions. 3. When installing the PCI card ****DO NOT****Install the software on the CD XP has software already installed called WIRELESS ZERO CONFIGURATION. When you put the pci card in it will ask you for the driver (your best bet would be to make sure you have the latest driver already downloaded! or on CD ready for install. 4. There are also issues with random connection drops. For more info on this card Please Go to GOOGLE and do a search on (TEK TIPS WPC54G) There is a large knowlege base of how to go about resolving any or all of these issues! I have also come to find out that there are various different problems with this card and other operating systems (Ie: ME,& 98 and 2k) However I am running both 98 & 2K computers and have no problems with either (I am using the latest drivers) I hope this helps! If you need more help feel free to e-mail me at nsfast @ optonline.net
48 Terrible Tech Support on Linksys WPC54G
I recently has to upgrade WAP and card when my original Linksys that worked fine quit. Upgrade the WAP without problem. The Network Adapter is a completely different story. The LINKSYS WPC54G is a piece of JUNK. Technical support is useless. Seems they moved to some country where folks have only a limited understanding of the ENGLISH Language. The card worked once or twice after leaving it on for several hours. Don't know why it decided to work. Next day start up resulting in the card not working. Unload, reload the software to no avail. DO NOT BUY this if you are using a Dell Inspiron. Forget tech support they are just mimimum wage lackies from some unknown foreign country. Linksys seriously needs to consider bringing support jobs back to the U.S. or even UK.
49 As Simple as It Should Be
All I can say is:
"True" plug n' play installation in less than 5 minutes
+ No issues since install =
A great solution for getting your wireless network up and running.
I have not had a single issue with the product during installation or since, found the product documentation to be excellent, and am very happy I went wireless.
50 Poor documentation/support
I purchased the WAP54G wireless access point along with the
WPC54G notebook adapter card. I found that the access point
was very easy to configure. There is a handy reset button
on the access point that returns you to the factory settings
should you make an error in configuration that you can't
recover from.
The WPC54G notebook adapter card is another matter.
The installation documentation did not match the installation
software. After I completed the installation, I was no longer
able to establish a VPN connection to my corporate office.
I kept receiving "Warning 201: Necessary VPN sub-substem is
not available". I called the 24/7 number and was told that I
needed to forward ports on my router, etc....... which did
nothing to resolve my problem.
I decided to uninstall all of Linksys software and wireless
card. My VPN problem was now a problem on my hardwired nic.
I actually had to perform a RESTORE from a RESTORE POINT just
prior to my installation of Linksys card and software.
Finally I was back to where I started from. I could once again
reach my corporate office via VPN. FYI, Laptop is running
Windows ME and VPN is CISCO Version 4.0.3 (A).
After MANY hours of research, I solved all of of VPN problems.
I downloaded the latest drivers from Linksys.
I unzipped the file into a C:\linksys directory on my laptop.
I inserted my wireless card and installed the drivers from
C:\linksys. I then installed the software from CD except for
the Odyssey client. Now everything is working, the wireless
or the hard wired nic can be used to establish a VPN connection
to the corporate office.
I am very happy with the results I am getting from the product
but I sure wish Linksys would put their documentation house in
order.
In short, the product works great but may not work the first
time. Be sure to check out all of the applications after
your install as you may need to do a RESTORE, not just and
uninstall. Also be aware that WPA (a step above WEP) may not
work unless you are using Windows XP.
51 Go wireless in RedHat Linux!
I was a little disappointed when I found that Linksys didn't develop drivers for RedHat Linux, until I found the free ndiswrapper (http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net). Install v0.3 in your RedHat 9 and it will allow you to use the WPC54G Windows drivers in Linux! It works great!
52 Worked Perfectly
I purchased an all-Linksys G set - a router, PCI card, and card for my laptop.
Here is my hardware setup:
Machine 1: WIN 98 First Edition; 400 MHz PII, plenty of RAM; Desktop
Machine 2: WIN 98 First Edition; 233 MHz, moderate RAM; Desktop
Machine 3: WIN 2000; plenty of speed and RAM; Laptop
Router:
It is a great product. I hooked it up to Machine 1 and had it running in under 5 minutes and that includes the hardware. I did NOT use the software included - instead I configured the router through the web interface. This is key. The router doesn't even support WIN 98 First Edition according to the min. req. Linksys states. Nevertheless, my setup works flawlessly. In fact, somehow it seems to have increased my Internet speed - something I can't understand, but am more than willing to go with.
PCI Adapter:
I am giving this an average 3 star rating because frankly I didn't get it to work but then again it really wasn't supposed to work with WIN 98 First Edition as is running on Machine 2. Now, here's why I feel I should rate this item at all - even if unsupported, loading software and giving it a try should not crash your system and cause errors. In fact, I had high hopes considering the software seemed to load, but in fact it just gummed up the system. So, after quite a while of trying, my poor old system is worse off than before. I just don't understand why Linksys didn't include a way to work on WIN 98 First Edition. At heart this thing is just a bit of hardware and I would think ultimately not much different to the computer than an Ethernet card. I may be wrong, but why can't they design an interface for the older operating system? Anyway, don't bother if you aren't running a newer system.
Card for laptop:
Worked like a charm. I popped in the software on Machine 3 running WIN 2000 and in a couple of minutes had a great signal. The laptop was at least 50 feet away from the router and in the basement (router on 1st level). So, through walls and over distance I still had very sufficient signal strength and quality. No dropping was noticed, and the settings were all set for a high level of security. There was absolutely no extra heat as someone noted. Also, no problems working between a hardwired network at work and the wireless at home. Just pop in and out the card is all (I have to because of the tight fit of a a docking station at work).
So, overall I'm happy with Linksys.
53 Great Product and Stable!
Ok with the software I will say this, This program seemed to have a issue with my setup of my PC, (I Use a Dual Boot System, C: is 98 e: is w2k(main) )
The issue was the software AUTO installed to drive C for some odd reason. In turn after the reboot it came up saying drivers were missing. Long story short, you will have to move the Files from C: to the operating system that you use (Drive wise) and edit the registy to match should it not already, Then WHOOM, all worked fine! Shows signal bars, easy to work with and more. Very well suggested to buy! I gave 5 stars as not many PCs are as complex in issues as mine. ;)
54 Very good card
I installed it for a friend in a Dell laptop and it installed in about 2 minutes and had a strong signal from across the house. As far as I know, she hasn't had any problems since. I have not tried to use any of the WEP security features, but it is very easy to initially get online and it seems very reliable.
55 Good Card Bad Tech Support
I bought this card because I own the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. The card was easy to install and easy to setup the WEP 128bit. The range on this card is so-so, I've taken my Notebook around the house and it can hold a signal pretty far away from the AP but the signal quality is weak. My only problem with the card is if the notebook goes into sleep mode it turns off, when you bring the PC out of sleep mode the card does not activate and will not reconnect. Linksys has not responded to any of my email's I have sent to them about this problem, the only solution is to reboot.
56 Ideal solution, completely unproblematic
With the internal wirelss card that came in my laptop, I had all of the problems cited in other reviews here - heat, dropouts, weak signal, incompatabilities with Norton, etc. Worse, my laptop would routinely connect to my neighbor's wireless LAN (which was secure and so unuseable) but not mind. Then I got the WPC54G, and all of those problems are gone.
I now have *two* of these cards running, one in my laptop and one in my wife's. Each took less than ten minutes from opening the box to complete service. Neither of us has ever had a dropout, the signal remains very good to excellent at all times, and we have no laptop heat problems.
In fact, this external card runs *cooler* than the internal card, which would keep the laptop fan going to loudly and so strongly that we couldn't hear the TV. Now I can actually operate wirelessly in the den without annoying my wife. :)
In reading other reviews here, recognize that many of the problems are *not* due to this laptop adapter. Yes, you may experience some problems under Windows 98. But if you're using a laptop running a six-year-old operating system, you have bigger problems than wireless trouble, and will save yourself plenty of hassles (and time and insecurities) by upgrading to Win2K or XP. Yes, you may have trouble connecting to Netgear's router, but that's because Linksys' router is far superior; get the right router, rather than dissing on this adapter. And yes, if you're unable to distinguish WEP from DNS, you may not be capable of receiving good technical support.
I, for one, have nothing but glowing praise for this card, the linksys "g" router, and linksys tech support. Anyone with a contrary experience may well be misattributing to the WPC54G problems that have nothing to do with it.
57 An Installation Odyssey
I ordered the Linksys router WRT54G through Amazon, along with its sister PCMCIA card WPC54G for my Gateway Solo laptop. My goal was merely to broadcast the Comcast Digital Cable access throughout my 2,000 square feet home at the faster 802.11g speed. I wanted to surf the Web from the comfy couch in the TV room or a cozy chair in the living room...my choice -- no wires involved. I have never installed a network, so a lot of the literature, reviews on Amazon, and other sources of information were lost on me: I simply went with the big name brand at a reasonable price.
I installed the router in about 20 minutes using the accompanying CD. Lights were flashing, and the hard connection to my laptop recognized the router. Flipped up the 5 inch rabbit ears and seemed to be in business. All-in-all pretty seamless. I had high hopes that I'd be wirelessly surfing soon. This was pretty exciting to me, as I am still running on Windows 98SE, and worried that I might encounter difficulties.
The installation of the sister WPC54G PCMCIA card didn't go so well. Again, I ran it instruction-by-instruction from the installation CD, and while the Linksys software seemed to install OK, the procedure tripped up when attempting to install a program called 'Odyssey' from a firm called Funk Software, Inc. The program kept looking for drivers, requesting that I insert the Microsoft Windows 98SE disk in my drive. I don't have a Microsoft disk, but a Gateway OEM version that apparently has Microsoft Windows 98SE, but not the specific drivers that Odyssey needs. To sum up, I spent several hours, all told, surfing Microsoft, Linksys, and Funk Software knowledgebase pages, downloading stuff, booting and rebooting my laptop, before giving up and going to bed frustrated. Tried again in the morning, and somehow, I still don't know how, hit the right combination of set up protocols that suddenly energized the PCMCIA card. I went from zero to eighty in no time, and my profanities turned to whoops of joy.
The best online help came from Funk Software, where I found a customer service technician at the help desk who answered my emails. His solution: as I was running a simple home office network (not a corporate enterprise solution) and I didn't employ a RADIUS server (whatever that is?) I shouldn't need Odyssey, so gave me good instructions on how to eradicate it from my PC. Still not entirely sure what Odyssey purports to do, so perhaps I'm missing some benefit?
Nonetheless, the router and card in my laptop are communicating nicely throughout the house...no connections further than 3 walls and 150 feet. Speed is excellent. I stepped through the setup of what I suppose is a rudimentary firewall (clicked a box marked 'Firewall enabled') and turned on WEP 128. I hope to figure out WPA next, and I hope that Odyssey is not part of this set up, but in the final analysis I am pleased with the product, happy I didn't have to pay a consultant, and sending this report to Amazon wirelessly from my comfy chair!
Experience of user: None.
Total install time: 5 hours
Biggest problem: Firmware for WPC54G card missing drivers for Win98SE.
Observation: If TVs had come with this infernal alphabet soup of protocols (WEP, DHCP, DNS, IP, etc.) we'd all still be listening to family radio hours!
58 Excellent product
I second mike_spike's opinion. This is a great product. Two of us colleagues have bought this, and it works without problems...On an average, I get 48.0 mbps connection with my wireless WRT54G linksys routter...I have used this for nearly a month now, without any incidents of dropouts...
Also, I tried connecting to another of my colleagues' Netgear wireless network, and I was able to connect in no time. the card just recognized that a "Netgear" wireless connection was available(though his WEP may not have been set).....
Great product, though Linksys really sucks at Technical Support...
59 NO LINUX SUPPORT
This card works great with Windows 2000 and a D-Link 802.11g Wireless Access Point.
My major complaint is that Linksys has stopped providing the specs for their chipsets as of the 802.11g series. The 802.11b series cards work great with Linux/*NIX, but the 802.11g does not and will not work at all. Apparently the company Linksys chose for the chipset, Broadcom [www.broadcom.com] refuses to release the specs so no one can write drivers without months of experimentation and reverse-engineering.
I have always found that devices that do not provide linux support are inferior in quality and reliability to other devices that do.
60 This is a joke
If you are using Windows 98, dont even think of buying this product. It updates an existing dll file to an incompatible version, and applications such as Norton Internet Security become unusable. Their support web page is inaccesible, and their 800 support number disconnects you once you press the numbers that lead to that product's support area. Bizarre, to say the least.
61 simple wireless networking
as a newbie to wireless networking, i purchased this wireless notebook adapter to go along with a wireless g router (linksys also). works fine. no complaints. i have tried to use another wireless card (d-link) and it was not as easy as the linksys setup and software add-on. keeps it short and simple. i would definitely recommend this. also after messing around some more with the features, i stumbled upon the nice security features that this device offers.
62 Welcome to lazer-maze!
I got this and it works with my HP Athlon/ XP Pro and my old linksys Wireless B.
It is working, not a big deal. I did not see any talent yet.
The thing is with the leds. I cannot belive there are people who do latest technology wireless card with such weird leds. There are to leds, one for power and one for link. They do not look good and the thing is that they did not isolate them from each other inside, when LINK lightens, power also gets brighter. This is so stupid. Welcome to lazer-maze! Try it in dark to enjoy it. It makes you feel that this is one of the cheapest cards. Actually why do you need to show POWER on this? If it is into the PCMCIA and laptop is running, then there is power you know it.
I had a d-link card which had clearly sharp and better leds and there were also to as LINK and ACTIVITY which are more informative.
Another thing is that, it is better you have your slot on right hand side(as the picture shown) since genious engineers of Linksys/Cisco put their logo and led labels horizontally. If you have your slot at left, you will see logo and labels backwards.
I would recommend another product since this has such annoying problems.
I do not have info about Dlink's 54G but their 11B was also workin' at the same environment and was having great look.
63 Good Reception, Funky Connection
I've had little to no problem with signal strength with this product. My router is in the front of the house, and I can still get a "very good" signal in the back, through 3 walls. The next test will be when I take it back to school on Monday, but I don't expect any problems.
My only complaint is that sometimes the control panel will show me that the connection is working but I can't pull up the web. I've been going into Network Connections, disabling and then re-enabling the connection. This usually works, as I believe someone mentioned in a previous review. Not a big problem though, and I'd recommend this card.
64 Really Fast and Easy to Install
I just bought this card along with my Sony VAIO FRV37 notebook computer and I was really pleased to see this card works as they claim. It works beautifully with my Linksys WRT54G wireless router. I inserted the card into a PCMCIA(?) slot and turned the notebook on. When it recognized the card, I slided the install CD and there you go. All done in less than 3 minutes, I was surfing the net. I know a few of the reviewer complained the card gets hot and drops connection, but these problems never occured to me. The speed (I have Adelphia cable modem) is so fast that I don't see any difference compared to my main PC that has direct ethernet connection to the router. The card is not hot at all, either. In short, I highly recommend this product from my experience.
65 Still fighting with it!!!!!
Bought the adapter one week ago but still can not make it work on a HP Pavilion laptop running XP Pro. Windows keeps reporting "One or more wireless networks are available" but never connects to the WRT54G router. I'm not using MAC filters or WEP encryption to simplify the setup. Linksys suggested changing the beacon interval (to 50) and fragmentation size (to 2304) under the advanced wireless settings on the WRT54G. It didn't make any difference.
Anyone ran into the same issue in the past and got it fixed somehow?
The adapter works fine on a Toshiba Tecra 8000 laptop running Windows 2000
Help please!!!!!!!!
66 WPA Security Fun
I've had this card for almost a year. The op system is xp pro and I connect to a linksys wrt54g router.
I changed from wep to wpa security. This required getting an update from microsoft.
While this is suppose to be more secure, what they didn't say was that it caused the card
to take 3 minutes to connect to the router. Microsoft recognized the problem and addressed the issue with update 826942.
So I install the update and then what happens is that while it reduces the connect time to only a few seconds,
after a few minutes I lose the connection and to top it off the wireless client reports
that everything is working wonderful. The work around, I discovered, is to disable the connection and then enable it
again and the problem goes away. I've installed the latest updates for the card and the router from the linksys site
and these did not help. By the way installing the update for the card is a pain.There is no utility, you have
to go through the device manager. The tech support is less than useless.
67 Very Nice Product
I just received this card along with a new wireless router for Christmas and have been exceptionally pleased with both. The card installs extremely quick and easy and I was up and running in about 10 minutes tops running Windows XP on a Dell Inspiron 4150. The adapter also continues to get exceptional signal and runs smoothly without problems or interruptions. The only thing I don't like about this adapter so far is that it appears on first Googling that the manufacturer does not provide Linux adapters which means that I can only use it when I boot into XP. None the less though this was an excellent purchase which has already paid for itself through hours of WiFi enjoyment ;) I can't wait to try my new toy out while traveling around the country.
68 this thing is the bomb
my parents gave me a sony vaio laptop with windows xp and the wpc54g card we plugged it in and we were picking up a wireless signal immediately out in our country subdivision its great high speed internet at no cost yeeha!!!!!
69 Easy... works great
Bought it a few months back and have had no problems. Took me all of about 20 minutes to be up and surfing. Great product, I recommend it.
70 Simple and easy to use
This is a great product. Got it up and running within an hour on Windows XP Pro. The biggest problem was getting the new wireless router to access Comcast broadband. After some trial and error, finally got it going.
71 Wireless and Frustrated
I purchased the WPC54G wireless adapter, WRT54G Router and the BEFCMU10 cabel modem (all Linksys products) through Amazon. The units were installed by the Cable Company tech the day we moved into our new residence. I had been using the wireless equipment of a friend and using AOL 9.0 without a problem. When the new installation was complete, I got an immediate error message (A required .DLL file, MPRAPI.DLL was not found) this prevents me from accessing my AOL account. I now get this error message every startup. AOL says its a Windows problem, my computer mfg. said he did a search and found that there was a problem between AOL 9.0 and Linksys and I should be able to get a patch from thier site. I had no luck on the site and no luck with their live chat option (disconnected). I called linksys technical line for help. I spent hours on the phone with a very patient and pleasent rep. The end of the story is she could not get my problem resolved and said that it was an AOL problem. I explained that this same computer with the same software was used on another wireless system without a problem. I am now after 12 days and many hours of effort in a catch 22 situation with everone pointing fingers at someone else. Someone sent in a review about this unit not working with a TI card bus controller. That is what my computer has.
72 Not the greatest signal reciever
I bought this card with the wireless-g broadband router.
About 30 feet away from the router and NO CONNECTION. I have to be about 15 to 20 feet to be able to get a decent "low" signal. And the signal only has to travel through 3 walls, not even cement walls.
I bought a laptop recently with a built in wireless g card and that card can pick up the signal from where this linksys can. the laptop is a Toshiba P25-S509.
...other than that, the card is easy to install specially with windows XP Pro and its nice to have a wireless network at home.
73 I like it
I own this as well as several other Linksys products and find that this card works well. Linksys may have pushed this technology out the door a little too soon and as a result the card can be quirky. However, I have found that Router/Access Point firmware upgrades to the router and driver updates for the PC Card have helped to reduce most of my problems - the majority being drop-offs. You can find firmware upgrades and patches on the Linksys site under "support." If you are new to firmware upgrades, you may want to contact Linksys to walk you through your first upgrade.
If you are using Windows XP and somewhat familiar with computers try using Windows XP to configure the card (under properties of My Network Places then properties of the card) rather than using the software that comes with this card. This has cleared up some of the issues I was having.
Additionally, I would recommend using WEP and disabling SSID broadcasting on your router (at a minimum) to increase security. It isn't very difficult for your neighbor, or others, to access your access point/router when you use your router with the default settings.
Also the 54G card and router are really only beneficial if you are in a network environment where you are sharing information between 2 or more computers. For one computer cruising the internet, the 54G product line does not add any more value. Your typical high speed connection (cable modem or dsl) travels at approximately 1.5 Mbs/sec, whereas the 54G product line travels at up to 54 Mbs/sec. You really don't need to know what Mbs mean to understand that if you have a card that can use up to 54 of something, but your internet speed can only run as high as 1.5 of something, what is left over is not utilized and can be over kill. If you are using only one computer to connect to the internet and do not plan on networking computers together then the "B" series of wireless devices may be all you need - saving you money. Where the 54G product line shines is when you are passing information between two or more computers, within a local network.
74 Easy and Reliable
I found this card very easy to install and configure. I connect to the Linksys Wireless-G router. I literally had my newtork working in 5 minutes.
I have not found there to be a problem with the card heating up.
Sometimes when my laptop has been idle for a long time I will lose my ip address, subnet mask, and default gateway. To get it back I open the wireless card properties and and click Repair on the Support tab. This always seems to fix the problem. Other than that I have had no issues and I get great connectivity throughout my apartment.
I rely on this wireless network heavily to work from home and I have to say that it works great.
75 Stay away from Linksys WPC54g,not for novice
I bought the Linksys wpc54g, this is a piece of garbage. If your laptop uses TI cardbus controllers, forget it, not compatable. If you have Win XP, you must not use the zero configuration utility, it can not use 128 bit wep encryption, and can only use AD-hoc mode. I returned this and bought a NetGear wireless card and BAM right out of the box it works great. Make sure your system is not incompatable before you buy, read what techies have to say about this linksys product.
76 Works great
Having a new Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router installed made me want to increase my wireless capabilities. It made sense to get the G card to link my old laptop that my teenage daughter uses to the router. It was a good choice. It installed easily and worked immediately. The connection is very fast as well.
It only costs a few bucks more than the B band card. It is clearly worth it!
77 This Thing Rocks
What could be better than wireless internet. I get the internet fast and free with this connection. This thing rocks.
78 Sweet Cable internet
I have not lost my connection once and always have an excellent connection. Definitly worth the investment if you dont want to run wires through your entire house.
79 Stay Away from Linksys!!!!
This review is not only for their Wireless-G Notebook Adaptor Model WPC54G, but also for their USB wireless PC adaptor. Linksys Technical Service is terrible, needed help today to hook up both of these new items. Their reps were rude, unknowledgeable, and one even hung up on me when he couldn't answer the questions. Both of these items are being returned tomorrow....I'd rather stay wireless than deal with this rude customer service.
80 0 star and 5 stars so it got 3 stars
The CD-rom that comes with the 54G wireless card is outdated. You need to download the latest drivers, or have Linksys e-mail them to you. Otherwise, you'd get a prompt asking for the mprapi.dll file, which does not exist on 98SE. And it screws up the already screwy AOL.
Even with the newest drivers, if you have 98SE and AOL 9.0, or 98SE and AOL 8.0, you may as well forget it. Keep yourself wired instead. So, it gets 0 stars.
The 54G wireless card and the 54G router work well with AOL 9.0 if you are running XP Pro. With XP Pro, it gets 5 stars.
Installation is not as easy as you'd think. Maybe I'm just dumb. Try asking for a tech on the escalation team if you keep running into problems.
81 BE AWARE of RTS threshold!!!
XP + HP Pavilion + WPC54G + BEFW1154
Folks, that's not a joke, Lynksys documentation omits an essential point on RTS.
if you have poor pings after you've got the IP or even if you cannot get an IP from the router, you must change the RTS threshold in the configuration of your card at least to decrease it from 2347 to 2304. The connection's performances improve dramatically.
You can change them on the router, too, and on all the clients, but in my case it seemed unnecessary. If the WPC54G get a 2304 and the router keeps 2432 it works charme. With the default settings I've got 1 packet back from 20.... Now I am almost as wired. :)
82 Great wireless card. Upgrade drivers didn't work though.
The card works great with WinXP. When I tried to upgrade it using the drivers from linksys website, it bombed. use the original driver disks that come with the card, they work great.
Overall, decent performance for a PCMCIA wireless card, good range and strong signal pickup.
83 Intermittent disconnection
I will echo some of the positive things people have written about this product. I bought both the Wireless-G adapter and the Wireless-G router (v 1.1) from Linksys. I have used Linksys in the past and been quite happy with their stuff. In this situation I was pleased as i could be with the setup. I read the instructions mostly so that I would know what order to proceed in and i would say I was surfing wirelessly with no noticable loss of speed in about 10 minutes.
I can walk around my small NYC apartment with an "excellent" signal. Of course I'd expect that because there is no more than one wall between the AP and the laptop in any given poin in the apt.
That is where the good news ends. The bad news has two flavors,
1) the card gets extremely hot. I'm talking about too hot to touch and I'd guess it is up around 130-140 degrees F sometimes. It will heat up the entire left side of my laptop.
2) it disconnects sometimes. I wish i could find SOME pattern but it just seems to disconnect completely at random. it will disconnect when I am right on top of the router. Sometimes it will just come back on its own and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't I'll reboot, sometimes that works, sometimes not. I have checked some of the more obvious things one can find online regarding this issue and have found no real help. The driver and firmware are both up to date.
Aside from those two things i was a little bit troubled that the default configuration, even if you're all Linksys, is VERY vulnerable to attack. In fact, the default configuration has security that reminds me of what Microsoft thought security was when they were turning out Win 3.11. Suffice to say you'll be spending some time configuring your network if you don't want to be sharing it with everyone in the building.
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Update
I did eventually figure out that 2.4Ghz phones will interfere with the signal that this wireless router uses. If you have a 2.4Ghz phone or anyone in an apt near you does then that could be your problem.
84 What's the fuss? Easy as pie!
I have a cable modem hooked to a Linksys BEFSR41 (4 port non-wireless) router which is in turn connected to a Linksys WRT54G (Wirelees Access Point) router which is located more in the core of my house for optimum reception and signal strength where I am most apt to want it. I also have the Linksys WPC54G card plugged into an old Compaq Presario (Model: 12XL125) running Windows XP Home Edition.
No problems at all getting all this to run, take your time and read the manual just a little and understand what needs to be set and why! You'll not only know what your doing but you will garner and understanding of how vulnerable ANY wireless network can be, and how you can safely plug those vulnerabilities.
The 402.11g (aka 54G) wireless standard wasn't even finalized and formerly adopted until mid June 2003! - Before this it was a "proposed" standard and undoubtedly had it's issues. It may still have issues yet to be discovered as more of the public utilizes this new standard. Linksys seems to be staying on top of the issues with their software/firmware upgrades.
Because the 802.11g standard just became official these routers and cards using this standard will need to have their firmware (for routers) and drivers (for cards) updated for optimal performance and continued trouble free operation.
I bought my Linksys WRT54G (Wirelees Access Point) router and Linksys WPC54G card here at Amazon.com in early Sept. 2003. The router arrived and it was about 2 firmware upgrades behind, and the card one or two driver upgrades behind.
The Linksys website has these upgrades available and easy to find, and are keeping up with the inevitable changes that need to be made. Downloading and installing these upgrades is pretty darn easy. Linksys has also made the installation of these updates quite easy.
The Linksys WPC54G card has performed flawlessly when hooked in infastructure mode (connecting to an access point), and in ad-hoc mode (peer to peer). The accompanying Linksys software provides easy access to settings, and the constantly displaying of detailed information on signal strength in the system tray.
Lastly, Linksys is a division of Cisco Systems. They are a leader in computer networking. I think you can rest assured they will be around tomorrow, that they know what they are doing, and will continue to support their products.
85 Wonder Card
An excellent product, gives amazing speed for net browsing. Also very easy to install. Great service from Amazon, the product was delivered to me much before the expected delivery date.
86 Avoid this product at all costs - it's not too late for you
Don't waste your money, it will has issues that you can't imagine. I have a Dell laptop with XP that is otherwise perfect. The card slows it down to a crawl when opening certain pages and entering msn services. It also freezes programs that don't use an internet connection. Avoid this product at all costs.
87 Happy w/ Wireless Router -- Unhappy w/ Support & Manual
Setup of Wireless Router & Wireless Adapter Card took 4 long evenings. Installed on Dell laptop running W2K Pro. Technical support was generally poor. Experienced very long wait time on hold only to have call dropped. Same result on second call. Irate tech support staff member disconnected me! Got better support from Verizon DSL supplier vs. Linksys tech support line. Over 6 or so calls to Linksys support, often could not understand their instructions (they're evidently located somewhere far outside US and have3 trouble with the language). Initial install resulted in "Continuous Blue Screen Rebooting of laptop" (not a fun thing. Took about 30 hours and 20 or so calls to tech support, to resolve. Once installed, wireless Linksys system is running very well. Once first laptop was set up, second install and setup on laptop with Win XP was a breeze. Net, net: very happy with hardware but unhappy with poor tech support and hard to follow manual.
p.s. Feel "blue screen continuous reboot" issue on W2K Pro likely a software issue that may not exist on XP. Be sure to follow instructions for W2K very, very carefully.
88 Wireless in your house?
Why would I want wireless in my house? I have a desktop! I just can't get it to work in marinas (as advertised) throughout the Pacific Northwest. It's good for about 50 feet (sometimes) from the antenna. I don't know what the range is supposed to be but it definitely is low-end. I made a mistake-I admit it! Now I have to buy one that will work the way it should.
89 Installation problems and constant disconnection.
I installed the BEFCMU10 with the WRT54G Router on my XP desktop, which went without a hitch. The problems started when I tried to use the WPC54G notebook adapter on my laptop, which was also running Windows XP. According to the installation instructions, I was told that everything should work without the installation disk if I was using XP. That was not the case. As soon as I placed the card into my computer (HP ze4101), it froze. Restarting the computer did nothing. My first call to customer support revealed that I needed to update the drivers.
Once that was done, my laptop did not freeze, but now it would not communicate with the router. A call to customer support showed that my adapter was assigned "a bad IP address" and they gave me a number to manually enter. Apparently, this is a common problem...so maybe it would have been a good idea to put something in the installation instructions.
After correcting the IP address problem, the card would connect for about 2 minutes then drop the connection, despite being about 3 feet from the router. Another call to customer support, and about 30minutes later, I was told to return it.
Once you get the replacement card working, it is not so great either. My router is in one room, and when I am in an adjacent room, I can surf the net for about 10-20 minutes before I lose the connection. I have not been able to surf for longer than half an hour. I remove the card and stick it back in and it usually picks up the connection again. Annoying.
This is the only notebook card I have ever used, so I don't know if the others are better. But installation should not have been this problematic.
90 Limited range
I'm disappointed with the range of this device. It works fine in the same room as the router and in an adjoining space. It does not work throughout my house as I expected.
91 Cheap and durable but limited range
The linksys Wireless PCMCIA Card is one of the cheapest you will find, but as with other things, you get what you pay for. I forgot this simple truth when I purchased this item, and I desrved what I got. The card fitted to my laptop works great in the same room with the wireless AP I use, but leave the room with the lap top and signal strength quickly downgrades.
If all you want is a wireless system that lets you update files on your lap top without re-connecting cables all the time, then buy this card. It works. But if you want to use the Internet and access a home network seemlessly and wirelessly anywhere in your house, buy the Orinoco Silver or Gold PCMCIA card instead. It costs a bit more, but the range is easily double that of the linksys.
By the way, the only differance between silver and gold is its encryption ability. If you don't care about encryption, save some money and go for the Orinoco silver card.
Reviewed by Mark E. Cooper
Author of The Warrior Within (0954512200)
92 NOT compatible with older hardware!
Before buying this card, think about the laptop you're going to put it in. If it is a P3/800MHz or older machine, this card will probably NOT work. The reason is older laptops built to the PC97-99 laptop specs often used TI Cardbus PCMCIA controllers. Despite half-hearted attempts by Linksys to write a good TI driver, this card is INCOMPATIBLE with TI cardbus controllers! If you get it to work, it's a fluke. If you call tech support, they will tell you to return it and buy a different brand. Believe them. ;)
93 Jiggle the card people. The problem is in the housing.
I have lost a day of my life trying to get this thing to work and in the end the problem was...
THE CARD HOUSING. Eternal thanks to whoever wrote the review pointing out this problem.If I pushed it up while the card was in the upper slot, I could get intermitent signal, when I moved it down to the lower slot it started working reliably.
Shoddy, very shoddy Linksys. I had two Linksys hubs die on me before, so I should have known better than to buy this thing, but I figured what the hell. Well, once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is enemy action. I won't buy another Linksys product again.
I also find it ironic that even if they know about this problem, they'll never put it on the support website, since that would be admitting to a design defect. Oh well.
94 Easy setup, no problems
Great card! I'm using it with the Linksys wireless G router and have had no problems. Setup was a breeze: didn't even use the included install disk. Windows XP did it all for me. Also picks up wirelss B networks without a problem. I highly recommend it.
95 Excellent PCMCIA Card Wireless Adapter
This is the best PCMCIA card Wireless Adapter you'll find. As you know, Linksys makes the best Networking products around, and the WPC54G is no exception. This Wireless-G Adapter is very fast, especially when combined with the Linksys Wireless-G Router, the WRT54G. Also, because Wireless-G is backward compatible with Wireless-B, which is what is used for Internet "Hot Spots" you can access the Internet at Wireless Hot Spots around the world. These can be in anywhere from a coffee shop to an airport. Wireless-B and -G are also called 802.11B and 802.11G respectively. If you are deciding between -B and -G, I would recommend -G. It is about 5 times faster than Wireless-B. Wireless-B runs at 11 Megabits, while Wireless-G runs at 54 Megabits. This is especially great when you are doing file sharing over your network, and as I said before, -G is backward compatible with -B.
96 Works great right out of the box!
This card is great! It worked right out of the box with no problems. All you need is about 2 minutes of easy step-by-step configuration with Windows XP Home and you're all set to go. The CD-ROM sets everything up for you, if you're not too sure about setting it up yourself.I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. It works perfectly all the time no matter where I go in the house with my laptop.
97 Great
Sometimes when windows xp is booting and the card is inserted, windows freezes. So i have to take the card out and restart the machine. the signal reception range is not so great, i dont know if its beacuse of the WRT54G Wireless-G Access Point + Cable/DSL Router or this card, but 4 walls away from my room in my house, i start to lose the signal.
98 Works great!
I have purchased three of these and they work great! I've been able to walk down the street 300 feet and stay connected at 1 Mbps. I've connected at multiple Starbucks and airport lounges. Seemlessly switches between B and G.
99 Bad experience!
I've had to put forth herculean efforts to get any resutls out of this card. Aside from the fact that it initally locked up my HP laptop (until the beta drivers arrived), I still can't get it to reliably connect to the WAP. What is most frustrating is that the adapter often "sees" the network, but won't connect. When it *does* connect, I only get a range of about 10 feet before the signal drops off.
Overall, this has been a nightmare. Avoid!
100 Died!
I bought the whole package, router, wireless NIC card for a PC and a wireless PCMCIA card for my notebook. Installation is pretty easy on all and the 1st 2 are still up. However. the WPC54G died and I'm playing hell trying to get it replaced.
