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Linksys WET11 Wireless-B Ethernet Bridge

Linksys WET11 Wireless-B Ethernet Bridge

List Price: $119.00
Your Price: $69.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Easy to setup and reliable...
Review: The only thing I can say bad is that the manufacturer only provides Windows based setup software. I use this device on a SuSE Linux 8 box and would like to be able to maintain it (I change wireless passwords periodically) without having to disconnect it from the Linux server and hook it up to my Windows XP PC. Instead, I have dual-booted the Linux server with XP Pro so I can use both as needed now and reconfigure the bridge with the software under XP Pro. It would be nice, also, if they included a means of monitoring the connection speed and integrity from a Windows-based PC, much like the USB wireless adapter I use on my laptop has.

I use all Linksys 802.11b wireless adapters to connect all my PCs and my XBOX and compatibility has yet to be an issue. Thank you, Linksys, for making such great products. You can be sure I'll return once the 802.11g standard has been formalized and a certification system is in place.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent wireless bridge between 802.11b WiFi and Ethernet
Review: I am very impressed by the WET11. It is essentially an ethernet to wireless adapter that Just Works. It is unlike bridges, including the Linksys WAP11 v2.2, in that it looks like a regular wireless client to your existing wireless network. So you can use it with *any* 802.11b (WiFi) base station without having to configure that base station in a special mode to do bridging. The Linksys WAP11, by contrast, can only bridge with other WAP11s.

In my network, the WAP11 is a client on my Apple Airport (Graphite) wireless network. I configured the WAP11, hooked it up to my remote ethernet device, and it all worked flawlessly.

The WAP11 is surprisingly small - a bit larger than a pack of cards. The power cord transformer (wall wart) is also small. It doesn't cover up multiple outlets on a power strip like most electronic devices.

At its current one hundred and five amount I recommend it highly.

The WAP11 comes with an ethernet port (of course) with a crossover switch. The crossover switch means you can plug directly into another ethernet device (a PC, XBox, or whatever) without using a hub. Very nice touch.

--Pat / zippy at cs.brandeis.edu

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: HELP ME !!!!!!
Review: Hey i just want to know if i can buy this and hook it uto my ps2 and take it with me to houston because i have dial up and i just wanna know if i can play online without a phone jack if i buy this item......please helpME>>>>>....!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Works with XBOX but not as good as a wire
Review: I bought the WET11 [along with a Linksys WAP11 (2.2) wireless access point] primarily to replace the 50ft CAT5 cable connecting my XBOX. Installation was fairly easy. I had both pieces connected, configured, and running in about 10 minutes.
I should also note that the WAP was upstairs and the WET11/XBOX was downstairs at the opposite end of the house. I am connected with a cable modem via a BEFSR41 Linksys router. The XBOX was the only device connected to the cable modem during my testing.

Yes it works with XBOX but your connection will experience "lag" from time to time. Mileage seems to vary depending on the game.
Mech Assault exhibited lag from time to time. NFL Fever was interrupted to the point where it was almost unplayable. I definitely wouldnt recommend hosting with the wireless connection.

Another caveat- 802.11b is susceptible to interference from other 2.4Ghz devices - namely cordless phones. My XBOX connection would almost always drop when our cordless phone rang!

In the end, I reconnected the old CAT5 cable. The WET11 will work but I would only recommend it if running wire is not possible.

Am I out[money]? No. I used the WET11 to connect another computer in the house for the kids. So far, it's working great.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Works like it should -- watch the mixing of brands, though!
Review: I had been using a Cisco PCMCIA card to connect my laptop to the home wireless network (Linksys wireless router). When I added a few new machines, it made sense use a hub, and then connect across a bridge. Despite the "standard", it seems like vendor X 802.11b hardware doesn't want to talk to vendor Y. I had a D-Link wireless access point--that should have done bridging--and no about of grief could get it to work right. Yes, I checked the ESSID, channel, MAC addr, etc....

The WET11 plugged in, turned on, and worked without any effort. I've got two Linux boxes hooked into a cheapo-hub, the hub connects to the WET11, and that gets me to the nearby wireless router.

So -- general recommendation -- don't mix 802.11b vendors if you can avoid it. The Linksys stuff has worked for me (using both
Linux and Windoze) without too much hassle. I'm happy with the performance, and the price is OK. I'm only giving 4 out of 5 because Linksys is probably at least partially behind the inter-vendor problems.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: If you can get it to configure
Review: It would be worth the price. I have an Imac with Debian linux the linksys provides the connection to the internet via an AEBS. It works great after reset as is no configuration. But then it stops after some time (an hour or maybe just 10 minutes). I followed the instructions in the leaflet it comes with and used IP address 192.168.1.225 and Mozilla. Sometimes after reset it will let me have access but it never writes the configuration. It always times out then I have to reset and start over if it will allow me access. The part of the advertisement that says it works without drivers or without regard to any specific platform or OS. This is true. I've hooked it up with great success to PC (XP and 2000), PPC linux, and Mac OS X (10.2.8). Always the same behaviour. It works for a little and then a whole lotta headaches. Also if you want to update the firmware you must have a PC with windows XP or some recent windows version because the firmware update is the form of a windows exe file. I tried to update the firmware with a PC and it refused me access.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This device works, and is 100% reliable!
Review: I purchased this device to replace a Linksys WUSB11. The WUSB11 was flakey and kept disconnecting, fluctuating in signal strengths, etc...

The WET11 has a much more powerful antenna than the WUSB11, and so far, has been 100% reliable. I have not gotten dropped a single time. I can use it in Linux or Windows, with no need for any drivers, since as far as my PC is concerned, it is connected to a regular LAN. This device was a true godsend.

There is one caveat. You have to configure the device once and only once, and that configuration can be daunting to the layperson, which would explain to me some of the few misgivings by some customers claiming the device does not work. I believe they did not configure it properly.

You connect it to your computer via a regular LAN (twisted pair) cable, then access the device through the default IP address of 192.168.1.225. Then you configure it by telling it how to find your wireless network (if Infrastructure is used).

Once it's configured, you can plug it into *any* device that has an ethernet card, and it works!! Linux PC, TiVo, WindowsXP PC, refrigerator, whatever you want!

I love this device.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Does the job
Review: I bought a WET11v2 with 2.08 firmware. I cannot speak for the WET11v1, but v2 has been good to me. Configured it in 15 minutes and it has worked great since. The WET11 is usually sold for slightly more than Netgear's competing ME101, but that extra $10 buys you a huge advantage: a fully functional working product. With the ME101, you save a few dollars and get a neutered Yugo. If you need a 802.11b bridge, the WET11 is the best choice.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Linksys - Born to break
Review: My first experience with Linksys was a router. It allowed me to hook up my non-ethernet stuff by USB, and share my cable modem around my home office. It was simple to set up and worked great for 4 weeks until it gradually began to fail. First the USB port went dead, then if I had more than two PCs connected, it would slow on ethernet file transfers from 10mbps to dialup speeds. Then it died for good.

I swore to myself never again, but then along comes this bridge... easy to configure, good price... I was a fool.

Currently my bridge can be relied upon to drop them every 5-15 minutes when I'm trying to do something important (like FTP my new web site to the remote server). Used to be that the dropouts were few and far between, and only under heavy use. But just as my other Linksys product gradually went bad, this one's dropouts are growing more and more frequent.

I researched it on the net, read how flashing new firmware stopped the dropouts. I upgraded the firmware, did everything I could, and for a week it seemed to be doing great. And now it's worse than ever. I'm constantly having to reboot the unit. It's driving me bonkers.

I specifically warn people away from this product. If you get one that performs fine in the beginning, big deal. They all do. If you have decent performance six months later, you're an anomaly. In my experience, Linksys is born to break and you'd be better off saving yourself the aggravation by buying a more reliable brand.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good for Wireless to remote locations
Review: I bought two WET11 to provide a connection to a PC that is 1000ft away. I first tested it in the house by setting up one unit to a PC in the furthest end of my house. The other WET11, I connected to my DSL router LAN port (not wireless). The WET11 performed well even through several (5) bedroom walls with quality and signal level of >80%. The units are small and do not run HOT.

Here is how is configured them:
1. Configure each unit by connecting it directly to a PC.
2. Set a unique but fixed IP address to each unit (eg. 192.168.1.220 and .221) & assign a new SSID (but same for both units).
3. Update F/W to latest v2.08 (very important bug fixes were made). You can get the latest F/W from Linksys website.
4. For me I used "ad-hoc" mode, channel 6, MAC=Auto,
5. For security I used 128-bit WEP and set "shared key" on!!!
6. Apply the changes and after it is done connect it to the Router and other to PC.

I was able to see all the PC's on the network and access the internet.

My final setup, I use two 14db directional Panel antenna (30 degree beam). The signal strength, via "site survey tool, reads 46%. That is good enough for 11Mbit connection. Although, I believe the throughput is more like 7Mbit with all the encryption overhead. I'll test the throughput later.

Since it is wireless, you should also set your router to not allow any other MAC address other than those you specify. You want to make it as difficult as possible for WarChalkers to get onto your network!

Cons:
1. One item it lacks is the new WPA encryption. The box says it's Wi-Fi Certified which may mean that some future F/W may include WPA ability. I checked with Linksys but they did not have good answer -- they did not say yes or no just that it is not yet available??? I suspect that if we keep requesting WPA, they will have to implement it.
2. The WET11 can not operate as an Access Point. This would have been handy for my configuration.

Good Product Linksys. I would have had given it a 5 if it had WPA an AP ability.


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