Rating: Summary: Try, try, try again Review: It took me three Wireless PC Cards before I finally found one that worked. The worst part was that neither I nor Linksys tech support realized that the first card didn't work at all until after several months of trying to install it. I worked with several very nice tech support people who helped me uninstall and reinstall the card multiple times, suggested I download fresh drivers (for Windows XP), and finally gave up and advised me to return the card to the place of purchase.I exchanged card 1 for card 2, and on installation it tried to update the card ROM. Unfortunately, it also hung my computer in the middle of the process. Friendly tech support advised that this was an unrecoverable error, and advised me to return the card to the place of purchase. I exchanged card 2 for card 3 which installed in a heartbeat. The only problem I had was that the signal strength was low at the location of my computer. It is excellent three feet to the left, but unfortunately, that's not where my desk is located. I purchased the USB version of the adapter, and the signal strength is excellent in the same location (I suppose because it has an external antenna). But it dangles rather than fitting securely into the PC card slot, so it has its drawbacks too. I've ordered a signal booster to see if that will help with the signal strength issue. Bottom line is that I'm reasonably happy with the results, but it sure took a long time to get there.
Rating: Summary: great product for the price Review: I own a few different types of wireless cards and the linksys in my opinion is a really good product for the money. Yes, you can buy 802.11b cards with longer range.. for example the Lucent Orinoco silver card I have gets about 10-20 feet further than my linksys but it also costs more . When my friends are setting up wireless networks I always reccomend this card.
Rating: Summary: Works wonderfully Review: I bought this card at the same time as my new laptop, a Gateway P4. Installation with XP Pro was a snap, it immediately recognized my wireless network (I'm using a Linksys wireless router/hub in my basement connected to a cable modem.) Signal quality in the rooms where it will be used is excellent, and I haven't had a single problem. The indicator lights could be brighter... on a bright day it's hard to see if you're connected or not... but other than that, it's excellent!
Rating: Summary: Five star start, one star finish Review: I installed a v.3 card in my Sony Vaio about 9 months ago. The installation and operation on XP home was flawless and if I reviewed the product then, I would have given it a 5 star review. However, the signal pick-up on the card has been diminishing over time - areas that had started out with a strong signal, now register as low. Finally the card stopped working completely. Right now the card only picks up a signal if it is placed right next to the WAP11 and then dies within 10 minutes. This would get one star right now if it weren't for the Linksys techie that tried to talk me through the problem, then suggested a replacement card.
Rating: Summary: Fast & easy to setup. Review: Nearly a true plug-and-play device. Within a couple hours, I had this PC Card (and the Linksys Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router) running -- and was finally able to have true freedom with my Laptop. For internet access, no noticable degradation in speed is discernable when compared to a hard-wired connection to the cable modem. Intranet communication speed is limited, though.
Rating: Summary: Won't work well with XP, good with 2000 Review: This card hardly works at all with my Sony Vaio laptop running windows xp, but it does work well with my compaq evo running windows 2000. I don't know if it is the operating system, with all the bad reviews about this card not working well... I think I will have to suck it up and buy a Orinoco or a Netgear card for my Sony.
Rating: Summary: Easy to set up. Review: Took my room-mate about 30 mins to get this up and running. No problems with it at all. The new-to-market Microsoft wireless LAN products look nicer, but this one works fine. I have a 2-story house of about 2500 sq ft and don't have signal problems anywhere. Check the prices at Best Buy as they are often cheaper than buying online at Amazon.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Choice Review: I just got this along with the wireless router and it was so easy to set up. I literally just installed the software and rebooted with the card in and everything was ready to go!
Rating: Summary: Linksys PC card weak reception Review: I have the Linksys 4-Port Wi-Fi router coming off a cable modem. My desktop uses a Linksys Wi-Fi USB device, two floors away. Signal strength is always at "excellent". My other pc is a laptop with Linksys PC card and the signal strength is never above "good" -- dispite it being on the same floor and only 20 feet away through an interior wall. This mediocre signal strength causes drop-outs and very slow web loads. Swapping in the Wi-Fi USB is like waking up the dead -- booming signal. So I have concluded that it's the Linksys PC card. It only sticks out an inch from the laptop, there can't be much room for a decent antenna. Playing around with position of the router affects the signal greatly. Rotating it 90 degrees absolutely kills the link. Placing the router several feet above or below the laptop improves the signal. After messing around I've gotten the signal to "very good". All in all, I can live with the Linksys PC card. But given another chance, I'd use the USB Wi-Fi device -- it hangs off a cord, not sleek like the integrated PC card -- but it works much better. Can't comment on other brands, haven't tried them.
Rating: Summary: Fast and easy to install Review: I have Windows XP and followed the advice of others to skip the utility and let XP find the driver on the CD provided. Worked perfectly the first time. Very fast throughput. Don't really notice a difference.
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