Netgear's EA101 USB Ethernet adapter uses a router to enable you to connect Windows 98 PCs to Ethernet networks without opening your computer. Using an open USB port on either your computer or a USB hub, the EA101 allows you to connect to any standard Ethernet network without installing any internal cards.
The Netgear EA101 is a standard Ethernet adapter that will allow your computer to connect to any Ethernet network. It is also Windows 98 Plug and Play compatible so there is no special software to install. The Netgear EA101's compact design gives you the flexibility of taking the unit on the road for connection with your laptop.
1 has worked flawlessly so far WinXP home !
It has been working without any problems so far on my laptop with Win XP Home. The drivers included on floppy were obsolete, but luckily Win XP had a better version in its database. So no installation was needed for it ! Just plug and play. Although in my opinion this peice shouldn't cost more than [$$$]! The companies making these products are ripping off laptop owners thinking all of these are bought by corporate America, which doesn't care for the price !!
Update: I returned this back to Staples. Found another seller on ebay giving me a Belkin one brand new [$$$]with priority shipping. (This confirms my suspicion that this product should cost only around 10 bucks). So guys don't pay 40 bucks for this simple piece of hardware.
2 Easy to use solution to network add-ons.
After initially thinking this to be a God send I soon found it to be straight from HELL. This items works only sparadically at best. I called tech support took 1 hour on hold. Finally technical help said, "we have had lots of reports of sparadic data flow". In laymens term, it doesn't work all the time. Software is the issue as data seems to get compacted and lost. Unless they come out with a software upgrade steer away from this.
3 Don't Use this with Linksys Router
I bought this ethernet adaptor for my laptop to connect to a Linksys cable/dsl router (BEFSR41). The main reason was that this adaptor is a bit cheaper and comes with a CAT-5 cable.
I installed it per instructions, even went on the net to get the latest driver (which turned out to be same as one that came with it in the box) but it just sat there, no network, no connection to the internet. After many hours messing around with it, I did get it to connect to the internet once (loaded one page) then nothing.
I called tech support but after waiting an hour without being able to talk to a real person, I decided to give up. I returned the unit the next day, picked up a Linksys adaptor. With the Linksys adaptor, it took exactly 5 minutes to get my laptop connected and working perfectly. The moral of the story is to stick to one brand of networking devices.
4 It kept dissapearing from device manager.
I couldnt get this to work, unless I uninstalled it and reinstalled it, then it would work until i rebooted my computer. After that, it would no longer be in device manager. I just bought a D-link brand one, and it works great.
5 Know the hidden requirements before you buy!
I recommend you call Netgear and ask them if you system is compatible with this adapter before you buy. I doesn't work with certain certain chipsets (I think the VIA chipsets -- which are pretty common).
My frustration was that I found this information out only after I'd bought the thing.
If you're looking for an ethernet adapter for a laptop, I recommend a PCMCIA card; that was my eventual solution. They are more reliable (and faster).
6 Worthless
I've experienced the same problems mentioned in the other reviews. In a nutshell, the hardware functions intermittently at best. If you think it's easier to just plug in a USB adapter than install an Ethernet card, do yourself a favor - save the money and buy a quicker and more reliable in-machine card - don't make the same mistake I did.
7 One strictly for the birds (well, turkeys at least)
I have generally had nothing but good things to say about Netgear products: good value, good specs and good performance.
The EA101 flies in the face of all my past good experiences.
I was upgrading 2 ageing Dell Optiplexes (which only had 3 slots) to USB. Out with the old network card, in with a Xircom USB card and an EA101 on both machines. Machine number 1 up and running fine. Machine number 2 up and running fine... but what's this? Machine 1 has fallen off the network. Unplug EA101. Plug it back in. Machine 1 back online! ...but where's machine 2? Yep, you've guessed it - gone again. As I've (tried) to use them, other flakinesses have become evident. Why does an EA101-equipped machine fall off the network when I'm trying to pull a file onto it when I can push the same file successfully from the remote machine?
Who knows? - certainly not tech support.
Give this one a miss, IMHO.
8 IT works but is flaky
I found the product easy to install, and the portability of it is nice. However, the network connection it allows is, at best, flaky. The connection often drops out, even though all indicator lights show everything is fine. Often hotswaping the device works, but sometimes it causes the laptop to lockup. I tried calling NetGear tech support but they were clueless. This could all be related to bad drivers though I have downloaded the latest, or perhaps my problem is just the unreliability of USB. I don't know, but if you ask me I say don't buy this product.
9 I love Netgeat products BUT...
Skip this one Don't bother buying this until late December '00 or until you check with the support folks. They admitted a bad crystal was "discovered" after the product shipped and they will not have replacements for weeks (as of 11/10/00)
10 Is it Netgear or is it USB...
Anyone buying any brand of any USB attachment should realize that USB w/win98 is still flaky. I have a Peracom USB internet adapter (supplied by cable ISP)and guess what? Sometimes all the LED's look normal but there is no connectivity...usually can just unplug USB side and replug (hot swap)to get linked.
Sounds like most of the problems reported here are not Netgear issues per se, just the travails of USB.
11 Never sees the network
I updated drivers from the netgear website and it still didnt work. The computer connected to this adaptor could not see the network and the network could not see this computer. It only worked once or twice. By this review i am not saying netgear products are bad because i think they are great it is just this one product that is not up to netgear standards.
12 Drivers need work
I wish I had seen the previous review before I did go and spend 2 hours with this adapter. I installed it on my laptop (after a few calls to netgear tech support) and got it working. When it works, it's great, but half the time my computer boots up and doesn't recognize it's there, and there seems to be no predictor or way of controlling when it will and won't work. Have had a couple of IT people at the office try to figure out what's wrong, they say the driver that came with the product is less than optimal. I have just downloaded the driver off netgear's web site, but it seems to be the same one. Will update my review if the "new" driver makes any difference, but for now I can't recommend this product.
13 Make sure you have the updated driver before you install.
Before you spend 2 hours with this product, check to see where it was manufactured. Look on the back of the product. If it reads "made in China". GO GET THE NEWER DRIVER! ...
Overall, I love Netgear products. My 2 star rating on this is not final. I am hoping that the new unit installs and operates as it should.
I hope that this helps someone.
Bob L.
14 Great Product! Nice for home networks.
Thanks to USB, the set-up of this bad-boy is nice and easy: Just plug it in! Your machine will figure out that there's a new USB device and hunt for the drivers. I'm happy to say that the latest drivers for Windows 98 are included with the product. It also comes with the blue ethernet cable picutred.
Tips for Win 98 users:
1. Make sure you have all the necessary protocols set on each machine in your network
2. Choose a simple, one word name for your workgroup
3. Assign static IP addresses to your machines for ethernet networking
(These tips are NOT product specific. Anyone trying to network home machines may run into troubles because of these factors.)
Plug in and enjoy!
15 Nothing but praise
I don't understand the previous reviewer's angst regarding this product. It works fantastically! I set up a mini-lan for my family and have two of the netgear USB network adapters. I had to get them to overcome IRQ limitations with an internal card (ie. with the internal card, my USB ports stopped working because I ran out of IRQs). I plan on getting a third for our file server. I have nothing but praise for netgear products. Anything I've ever bought from them has worked beyond my expectations with little or no fuss.
If you want a USB network adapter, this is the product for you. The price is right and it won't fail you.
16 anything BUT Netgear
Did not like it. tried to install it on my laptop and it just stopped working after a minute of operating. Tried to install it on my desktop too, but couldn't do it because windows crushed every time I tried.
17 fast and easy
to install. website even has windows2000 drivers, which i eagerly installed upon getting win2k as soon as its release. a little bulkier than i had hoped... one of these days they should make it as thin as the cable itself
