Cisco-Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter

The new Wireless-G Notebook Adapter from Linksys has both standards built in, so you can connect your notebook to existing 802.11b infrastructure, and also the new screaming fast Wireless-G networks. The included Setup Wizard will walk you through configuring the adapter to your network's settings, step by step. Then just slide it into your notebook's PC Card slot and enjoy network access with your notebook computer, while retaining true mobility.

Once you're connected, you can keep in touch with your e-mail, access the Internet, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network, wherever you wander. At home, you can surf the web or use instant messaging to chat with friends while sitting out on the patio. Your wireless connection is protected by the new, industrial-strength security of Wireless Protected Access (WPA).

You'll also be able to connect with any of the growing number of public wireless hotspots springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels and convention centers. And as those hotspots upgrade to the new high-speed Wireless-G standard, you'll be ready to take advantage of the increased speeds.

Get connected to current-standard 802.11b networks today, and be prepared for the future with the Wireless-G Notebook Adapter from Linksys.

Note: This product is incompatible with Windows 95 and NT

I could not have been more surprised. Following the advice of the quick start instructions and set-up CD included in the Router package, I had the network up and running in less than five minutes. Not even a glitch.

The notebook adapter was installed and recognized the signal. In what seemed to be no time, I was wirelessly surfing the web with no apparent loss of speed compared to my wired connection.

To sum it up, this is a great product.


Excellent range. New security features. Easy set up   July 28, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I bought this along with the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. I have a Sony Vaio laptop with Windows XP. The setup was easy using the included instructions and Windows Zero Wireless Configuration. New drivers (ver3.20.21.0) are available from Linksys. The range is excellent in my house, at about 100feet through 1 wall the signal strength is good at 48Kbps. Using it outside I can connect at 11Kbps at about 200 ft from the house. The provided instructions are horrible for configuring security other than WEP 128 for WIndows XP.

Linksys supports the newer more secure WPA protocol and I highly recommend using it since WEP 128 is almost useless to prevent specific attacks against your network. You should use WPA-PSK (Pre-Shared Key) with TKIP encryption on the router and on the properties of the wireless card. Though Linksys has supported WPA since May you won't find anything about how to configure it on the card and router in their knowledge base. The Key can be any letter, number and a few symbols from 8-63 characters long. You can also set the Group Key renewal 0-99,999 sec. I set it to 0. Under the IEEE 802.1x authentication set the EAP type to PEAP and uncheck boxes for "Authenticate as computer when information is available" and "Authenticate as guest..." unless you use these features. Also, change the SSID and don't broadcast it and use MAC filtering to lockdown your network.


Works nicely!   February 12, 2003
Michael Price (Minneapolis, MN)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

I installed this card into an old Sony Vaio PCG-F160 laptop - i.e, a 300mhz laptop running at it's max memory of 192mb! I just upgraded to Windows XP SP 1 on it. (And believe it or not, XP runs at a decent speed even!)
I also use a WRT546 wireless-G broadband router/WAP, and 2 WMP54G cards for my two desktops.
I have had very little trouble with the card's functionality - it communicates very well with the WRT54G router. It is nice to be able to take the laptop anywhere in my home and have my broadband internet connection ready at a moment's notice.
Pros of the card and software:
*The setup was REALLY easy!
*Network connection appears to be stable and quite reliable
most of the time
*Speeds are MUCH FASTER than my wired LAN when I use Ad-Hoc
mode on my router to transfer files between my other pcs.
*Linksys actually knows how to buld their products
with a sense of aesthetic STYLE. Have you seen the other
brands out there? Some are downright "FUGLY"! Not
everyone cares about appearance for their wireless
components. But *I* do.

Cons:
*The edge of the WPC54G that sticks out of my laptop is raised and prevents me from using my RJ45 wired lan card without removing the wireless card first. Not that I need the wired connection any longer. Still, HIGHLY annoying!
*If you currently have a 2.4 ghz cordless phone, you may need to buy a 900mhz, or the new 5.8ghz cordless phones. When I or my significant other use the 2.4ghz phone , the wireless network is SOMETIMES, not always, disrupted momentarily, although reconnection is quickly reestablished - about 5 seconds or so - it seems to be a problem only when initially taking the phone "off the hook". Once a conversation is in progress, the network seems to be stable once again. Also, there are 11 channels you can select from when setting up your network on the WRT54G router(and on the notebok card too of course), ranging from 2.412Gghz to 2.462Ghz. I curently use channel 6, which is 2.437Ghz. Maybe using a different channel would alleviate, or at least minimize, this annoyance..?
---
The software takes a little getting used to at first. The "WLAN Monitor" software is very simplistic to use, but the WEP encryption/passphrase aspects had me confused for a little bit. I still have a lot of experimenting to do with my new wirelsss-G network, but so far: AWESOME!


Excellent wireless notebook adapter   March 22, 2004
Outer Marker (United States)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

The Linksys WPC54G notebook adapter is a treat. Mated to the Linksys WRT54G wireless router, G-speeds of 54MB/sec are possible. I found signal strength to be excellent throughout my house which spans 2 floors and 2,000 square feet.

The adapter itself is quite small and unobtrusive. It requires a PCMCIA port on your laptop, and very little else. Using the zero network configuration feature of Windows XP, I was able to connect and surf in a matter of 10 minutes. If you have a different Windows Operating System, I suspect that you will have to spend a bit more time installing drivers and adjusting configuration settings, but there is no reason for the whole setup to be complex. As always with Linksys products, I recommend throwing away the installation CD that comes with the product. The automated installation does nothing that can't be accomplished even by the novice. Furthermore, you don't get all the networking software installed by default which will, in many cases, cause your perfectly working network to cease functioning.

My Gateway notebook gets quite hot near the processor area, but this heat is NOT transmitted to the Wireless adapter. The card itself cannot heat up becuase there is nothing inside it that causes heat dissipation. Rather the heat referred to in other reviews here may be because the card is conducting heat from the processor core.

The adapter is physically pleasing with a neutral grey antenna patch and the blue Linksys logo clearly visible. Two LEDs show power and link status, but are largely unnecessary.

In Wireless-G mode, this card has greatly enhanced my wireless surfing experience. Pages load with a snap, and games exhibit no lag whatsoever. Furthermore, my wireless-b hardware seems to be positively affected as well. Connections are more stable and signal strength has improved.

I fully recommend this product, especially if your infrastructure already uses Linksys components. Smooth installation, powerful feature set, and perfect pricing, makes this a piece of hardware not to miss!