Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SRX
Whether you're upgrading to a higher-end adapter or setting up your first home network, the Linksys WPC54GX Wireless-G notebook adapter is your ticket to wireless convenience and optimal performance. The SRX-enhanced cardbus adapter gives you the mobility to use your laptop PC anywhere in the house--and, when used in concert with other SRX-enabled networking components, you'll enjoy unparalleled range and speed.
The WPC54GX uses Linksys's advanced SRX (Speed and Range eXpansion) technology, which enhances the speed and reach of a Wireless-G (802.11g) network. Relative to standard 802.11g technology, a network using all SRX products can extend network reach up to 3 times as far and boost wireless network speed by up to 8 times. (Actual throughput, speed, and range depend on a host of factors, from building materials to network traffic and distance from your network router.)
The device is WiFi-certified and backward compatible with 802.11b (Wireless-B), 802.11g (Wireless-G), and, of course, other Linksys SRX products. Mixed wireless environments such as networks containing SRX, Wireless-B, and Wireless-G products can operate each client at its own maximum data rate. SRX products maintain their higher speed and range, providing the throughput and quality of service to deliver applications such as VoIP (Internet telephony) and video streaming.
SRX is based on MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out) technology, a key component in the upcoming Wireless-N (802.11n) standard. To improve range and speed, MIMO uses 2 radios and 3 antennas on a wireless cardbus adapter or client adapter.
What's in the Box
A Wireless-G cardbus adapter, a quick-installation guide, a resource CD, and a user's manual.
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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 Forget about Linksys SRX, go with Belkin Pre-N!
I had originally purchased a Linksys WRT54GX router along with the companion SRX wireless PC card because: 1) I wanted to replace an 802.11b wireless network in my 2-story home for better coverage (I was having to use a Linksys wireless access point in repeater mode to get "complete coverage" with the old setup); and 2) I wanted a faster wireless network.
I quickly became frustrated with the new Linksys SRX wireless setup, primarily because my laptop (a 2004 HP model) wouldn't always detect the wireless card after powering up from sleep mode, and often there would be dropouts in my wireless internet connection, even when my laptop remained stationary. In addition, even though the wireless icon in the task bar would constantly indicate a connection speed of 108.0 Mbps, it was obvious that my new wireless internet connection was often far slower than even my old 11.0 Mbps wireless network connection! This problem was especially obvious with websites rich in photo-quality graphic images, like ESPN.com.
So, I contacted Linksys tech support and, with the help of a friendly tech support agent, reprogrammed several parameters on the router. The problem improved, but only temporarily. Frustrated, I returned both the wireless router and the PC card and immediately ordered the Belkin Pre-N router and PC card (based on Cnet reviews, which rated the Belkin system higher anyway).
Both the Belkin wireless router and PC card installed quite easily with the accompanying installation CD's and my system has been up and running without a hitch--so far. One other thing I have liked about the Belkin system is that (using the included Belkin Wireless Client) it displays realtime send and receive speeds of the wireless card, which are often slower than the 108.0 Mbps the wireless icon in the taskbar is constantly pegged at; but at least I know the "true" speed of my wireless network at any given point in time (the measured speeds that are displayed are constantly changing and fluctuate mainly according to distance from the router).
Needless to say, I have been impressed with my early experience with this Belkin system and won't hesitate to highly recommend it to others considering a future home wireless network upgrade. Oh, and did I mention that the Belkin system was cheaper than Linksys'?!!
2 dipleased with item
when i purchased this item i thought it would be easy to set up and run but when i got it running the only page it would run was linksys's tech support page and would not load internet explorer pages.the software would tell me it could not get a connection to the internet. my other wireless card works well with the router . I was trying to get it to run with a dlink di624 router rev c with the most up to date firmware. my other current card is a dlinklink extreame card with 108mbs constant.
3 No Linux happiness here
If you're running Linux on your machines, I would recommend staying away from Linksys cards. The company only supports Windows operating systemsfor thier hardware. The WRT54GX router is still nice for the range and signal strength boost, but without a matching SRX enabled adapter with Linux drivers, you may as well go with a vendor that supports Linux and avoid the hassle.
4 good extended range notebook adapter
I bought this to help get a better signal into my laptop, which has built in wi-fi. The signal strength seems to be quite a bit higher, usually boosted by a bar or two, and I'm picking up other people's routers that weren't detectable before. The only problem I do have is with the linksys utility. It doesn't always launch correctly at startup (it stays grey, and you have to exit and relaunch), and even when it does, it jumps signals even when I have something listed by priority-whether I use the linksys utility or windows to configure. I ended up ditching the linksys utility and everything seems to be fine just running through windows alone. None of the other equipment has SRX, but I've noticed a boost in both signal strength and speed after using this. It might take a little while to work out the kinks, but if you need something to increase signal strength, this works a lot better than the range extenders on the market.
5 Fast and really good range
I bought this card along with the WRT54GX router. My house has two stories and plenty of walls. Before I had 3 11a Access Points. Now I only have the WRT54GX. This card works as advertised. I can get 108mbps with almost 100% signal anywhere in my house.
With this card, I can also get a strong signal from my neighbor's wireless network :-)
My only gripe is that if you want to use WPA, you can use the Linksys wireless utility. You must use the windows one. I find the Linksys one better. Minor complaint though.
6 Amazing Speed and Distance
I upgraded from a wpc54g and wap54g and i was completely amazed with the card, however anyone not using a mimo enabled device with the srx router will see a serious slowdown so i stuck wih the srx card and dropped the router using the old wap54 to benefit other users on the network, but even use of just the card gives you a 25-50% range increase and about 50% more speed i did have trouble configuring the card to work with wep however after changing the code it worked fine. The card also takes 3 Different IPs from the DHCP.
