Rating: 
Summary: Works great with XP but drivers could be better
Review: I was disappointed to see the XP drivers required you install Netgear's own wireless configuration manager instead of XP's much smarter built in tool. The adapter functions flawlessly and range is very good. Hopefully in the future the XP driver will be updated to use XP's own wireless configuration utility. The biggest difference between the two is that XP's utility can sniff out available networks while netgear's can not. Call me picky but I adore drivers that work 100% with the OS.
Rating: 
Summary: very happy with it
Review: ...this card does better than the Linksys one (WP11). Better signal and Link Quality. I strongly recommend this card plus Linksys AP (4 port switch). You will be able enjoy them within 30 minutes. I wish I haven't spent 8+ hours to try that D-Link 713P (even the tech support is nice) before I bought the Linksys AP. I got these 2 items from Amazon at an amazing price...Really a good deal!
Rating:
Summary: Happy with Setup and Performance
Review: I've got a Linksys Wireless Access Point (WAP11) and a Linksys Router/Switch (BEFSR81). I've been very happy with the performance of these two products within my network.After reading several reviews, I made up my mind that while the Linksys family of home networking products has served me well, the addition of the Linksys PCMCIA card for my laptop would yield disappointing connection speeds and wasn't really a viable option. Many people had nice things to say about the Netgear MA401 Wireless PC card, but there were a few individuals who reported frustration and problems with the setup on Windows XP. My experience was stellar. I suppose that the individuals who had problems tried installing the card before XP drivers were available. My HP notebook (Windows XP Home Edition) recognized the hot swappable card right away. When prompted, I inserted the manufacturer's CD-ROM and walked through the setup wizard in a matter of seconds. The last part was the configuration of my ESSID, and 128 bit WEP encryption...make sure you have this stuff written down ahead of time and hopefully it will be a smooth install for you, as well. Range and speed...couldn't be happier. The download speeds that I'm running are equivalent to the speeds I'm getting right off of my router with CAT5e cable. I've yet to wander outside of my two-story house with the notebook, but have not lost a signal yet. WAP is upstairs and I get 11Mbps upstairs and downstairs. I can't relay any information regarding the technical support staff at either NetGear or Linksys, because I fortunately did not have to contact them... Highly recommended combination: Linksys Wireless Access Point and NetGear 401 802.11b Wireless PC Card.
Rating: 
Summary: Very poor support and documentation
Review: I bought this product and the Netgear USB adapter to link my desktop with my laptop computer. I called there pre-sales department first to see exactly what I needed before ordering. After I got the Netgear products home I set it up and nothing was working right. I called there support which is based in India. The support techs were almost imposable to understand because of poor English and loud foreign voices in the background. I called them a couple different times and each time it was the same. The tech support person didn't even know the product would work for home networking a desktop with a laptop. He told me I needed to buy a router also. After arguing with him he finally asked a senior support tech and said that he was wrong and that the PC card and USB adapted was all I needed for a home network and to share a dialup internet connection. Since I could hardly understand them I didn't get the all the questions answered that I needed I still didn't get the network working. I'm running Windows XP which this is suppost to be compatible with. Even after downloading the Win. XP drivers I still couldn't get it to work on my system. The documentation that comes with this is very poor. It shows you how to install the hardware and the software on a Win. 98 system only and says very little about how to setup the network after it is installed. There is even no documentation on there website for setting this up on Windows XP. This product is definatly not as easy as plug & play like it states it is. Maybe if someone is more knowligable with networking on Win. XP you could get it working.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended Wireless Card
Review: I purchased this card to use with the Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless Router. I have a Toshiba laptop running Windows XP and had this card working with the Linksys router in under 5 mins. The install CD includes XP drivers so there were no compatibility issues. The only change that was needed was changing the ESSID of the card from "wireless" to "linksys." "linksys" is the default for the BEFW11S4. Changing this setting is not explained in the printed manual, but the manual refers you to additional configuration documentation that is on the setup CD. Those who skim the install instructions (like me) will need to watch for this. The range on this card is exceptional, IMO. In a 2200 square foot house, I am getting 11 Mbs no matter where I go. I am really impressed. The only downside of this card is that the configuration utility leaves a lot to be desired, but that is a minor complaint. It shows you if you have a signal or not and you can check your current signal strength and speed. It does enough for me - but others may want a more robust utility. From doing some research, this seems to be a generic utility that is used with several brands of cards. All in all, I am very impressed with this card. I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about setting up a wireless network.
Rating:
Summary: Not plug and play
Review: I've been using a Cabletron wireless card for about a year now, and it has worked from the second I popped it in my Win2K laptop. No drivers, no configuration, nada. That's the way things should work, especially when you're *not* an IT savvy person (I'm certainly not!). However, when I tried the Netgear card, I had to install the driver, futz with the configuration utility, but still no connectivity. Finally, looked at customer comments on Amazon, and realized that someone else had had the same problem (it was that the SID on the card didn't match the SID on the router). Bingo! I also contacted Netgear customer support, and they responded quickly with an email, but the info was very generic, not sure I would have figured out what the problem was. It would seem that the SID problem would be a fairly common one. Once installed and configured properly, the card works just fine. But the out-of-box experience is certainly lacking.
Rating:
Summary: Set-up was a breeze, performance is excellent
Review: I purchased the Netgear MA401 Wireless PC card based on the strength of the reviews on Amazon. I am using this card with the Linksys Wireless Cable/DSL Router (BEFW11S4) and was looking for a card that would offer strong performance with ease of installation/configuration. I am pleased to say that this product lived up to its previous reviews. I literally had to change one of the default settings on the card in order for it to work with the Linksys router (the SSID). The range is very good and I have been able to establish connectivity anywhere inside the house. Complete installation of the router and PC card took less than 30 minutes. Wireless bandwidth has been testing at or above 1500Kb/s. I strongly recommend this product. I would add that I shopped all of the local electronic stores for similar products and the Amazon price was the lowest I found. Thanks Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: Netgear Rocks !!
Review: My experience with Netgear has been a complete success, and the Netgear MA 401 is no exception. The range, and performance is outstanding, and among all the major competitors only Cisco is better, (well if you want to pay that much) I would rather put an additional access point if needed.
Rating:
Summary: Easy setup on my first try.
Review: For anyone who is nevous or hesitant in buying this card, let me tell you my experince. I bought this card with the SMC Barricade AWBR7000 wireless router. I first set up my router with my Macintosh hard wired in. I then followed the instructions that came with the card, and I had the link up and running in about 5 minutes (which I thought was pretty good for the first time I had even looked at a router or wireless card!). The only part of the set up that was a little bit tricky was setting up the router online, you have to match the channel with the channel for your card, and you also have to match the WEP. Once you do that, it is easy! I originally set this up on Windows 2000 professional with no problem, and I have upgraded to Windows XP and still have no problems. Good Luck
Rating:
Summary: It deserves five stars. My IT professional does not.
Review: In all fairness, the card works beautifully and is worthy of 5 stars. However, installing was horrible, despite the IT professional who maintains the wireless router. The card, itself, installed perfectly, as did the software. However, I did not get a signal. Read on to find out why. IT Pro: I checked the configuration for both the router and the card. It should work. I think there is something wrong with the card. This he assured me for a week and a half. Finally: Me: Let me look at the router configuration.
IT: Fine.
Me: Ummm, you did not tell me the SSID was THIS!!!
IT: Well, you did not need to know that.
Me: Really, then why does the card work now? Moral of the story, be sure that the SSID on the router matches the SSID on the card, or it won't work (and avoid IT professionals whenever possible!). :P Dedicated to my good friend IT Pro.
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