Product Description

The Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter installs in most desktops and lets you put your computer almost anywhere in the building, without the cost and hassle of running network cables. Now you dont have to drill holes in your walls and climb through the attic or cellar to get connected to the network. Once youre connected, you can keep in touch with your e-mail, access the Internet, use instant messaging to chat with friends, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network. The Wireless-G PCI Adapter connects you with Wireless-G networks at an incredible 54Mbps And for added versatility, it can also interoperate with all the 11Mbps Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country.

Product Details

• Brand: Linksys
• Model: WMP54G
• Platform: Windows
• Format: CD
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 3.00" h x 1.00" w x 5.00" l, .5 pounds
• Networking: PCI

Features

• Product Type - Adapter
• Complies with IEEE 802.11g draft standards, and backwards compatible with IEEE 802.11b products
• Supports up to 128-bit WEP encryption and WPA security
• Up to 128-bit WEP encryption
• 32-bit PCI Interface

Amazon.com Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description The Linksys Wireless-G PCI card installs in most desktops and lets you use your computer almost anywhere in the building, without the cost and hassle of running network cables. Now you don't have to drill holes in the walls and climb through the attic or cellar to get connected to the network. Once you're connected, you can keep in touch with your e-mail, access the Internet, use instant messaging to chat with friends, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network.

The Linksys Wireless-G PCI card connects you with Wireless-G networks at an incredible 54 Mbps. And for added versatility, it can interoperate with all the 11 Mbps Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hot spots around the country. And in either mode, your wireless communications are protected by up to 128-bit encryption, so your data stays secure.

Don't hassle with running cables through your house--get your desktop connected the easy way with the Linksys Wireless-G PCI card.

See a comparison diagram of the different wireless technologies.

Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Since they don't require cables, you can use the devices anywhere in an office or home, even out on the patio. There's no need to roll out an Ethernet network cable to each room of a house; you can network anywhere--without wires. Outside the home, wireless networking is available in hotspots at coffee shops, businesses, airports--great when you're on the road and need to get some work done. For convenience, wireless networking is the answer. Which Wireless Standard Is Right for Me? Now that you've decided to create a wireless network, the next step is to figure out which wireless standard to use. Basically, a standard is a set of specifications for a device. All devices that follow a specific standard share operating characteristics, such as the radio frequency used and maximum data transfer speed. For wireless networking, there are three standards to choose from at this time: 802.11b 802.11a 802.11g To learn about the differences between the standards and select the right one for your network, click here for an easy-to-understand chart.

Customer Reviews

Works great with Win XP
Installation was a snap - a few minutes of one's time. Find an available PCI slot and load the included driver with the supplied CD. Once installation is complete, the card will detect all available networks in the area. All you have to do is enter the necessary WEP key (if enabled) in ASCI or HEX format, depending on the type of wireless router.

In my case, I am using an Apple Airport Base Station for my two Apple computers. I recently added a Windows PC using XP. I initially had hesitations in wireless network compatibility for the "G" standard properly commuicating with my "B" standard Base Station. I finally decided on buying the Linksys and found that there was no compatibility issue at all.

The signal strength is excellent. I never had any problems with my network status and online surfing experience.

My only complaint is the unattractive long, generic-looking antenna. Compare this with other products like D-Link, Netgear and SMC Networks that have a short (flat/square design) antenna.

Why did I settle on the Linksys brand despite the ugly antenna design? For one, I have great experience with their wireless router (BEFW11S4) which I purchased years ago during it's initial release and have not had any problem with it. Second, Linksys is the current leader in wireless technology. I am hoping that they will be able to provide excellent drivers should compatibility problems arise with the latest operating systems. Third, Linksys is owned by another leader in the networking industry, Cisco Systems. These factors should be enough to assure a sturdier product.

But before you purchase on any product, do your own research for your specific system compatibility.

Great Unit, couple of quick tips in setting up
This PCI card, installed in a 300Mghz Gateway tower, running Windows ME was a relatively easy install. A couple of glitches did occur though. When I first installed it, I followed the directions, and installed the software first, shut the computer down, installed the card, and rebooted. It auto recognized, and configured, and automatically found the signal, and it was done. Almost done. The signal was there, according to the icon at the bottom of the screen, but I was unable to log onto the internet. Additionally the computer was running super slow, way slower than usual, so I uninstalled the software, then removed the card, and it was back to running normally. Here is the fix, do not choose AD HOC as your system choice when setting up. Use the selection that allows, hard wired, and wireless devices, or any combination. Once I installed it that way, it worked perfect right away. Additionally, I removed the 56K modem via Control Panel, System, then Device Manager, then highlighting the modem and click on Remove. Then when I shut down the machine, I permanently removed the modem. It was useless anyhow, with a broadband wireless connection in the machine. Wah lah, great connections, and the computer was back to flying at full speed. Now I am super happy with the performance, and the ease of setup.
One thing that should also be mentioned is that security with a wireless system is something to address. Anyone with a wireless laptop, can drive down the road, and get a connection. Changing the name from the default network name of "Linksys" is the first step. I would set your entire network up first, get it all running, then concentrate on keeping others out. Eliminates the confusion. Additionally, some firewall software, is also a good idea.
When installing the card in the laptop running Windows XP it almost installed itself. XP has wireless network capacity built right into it.
Wireless is the wave of the future, and it is here now. At the Comdex show this year, it was all the rave. The hardware manufacturers are working at a feverish pitch, in order to jump on the bandwagon with all kind of add on wireless devices. Definitely a cool tool, a must have add on.

Installation difficulties in Windows XP
I had a few problems getting the WMP54G to work using encryption with my router (WRT54G) under Windows XP.

The quick installation guide implies Windows XP will detect the card and set it up automatically. It did no such thing for me; it wanted me to provide the driver manually. I highly recommend getting the latest driver from the Linksys website rather than using the one on the CD.

I don't recommend using the Windows network wizard, or whatever the thing is called. It added a Network Bridge device with an odd IP address. I could not communicate with my router until I deleted this device. This was not intuitive at all, but again this is a Windows problem.

On to the next problem: when I used WEP encryption (either 64 or 128-bit), the wireless connection would drop out at precisely three minutes. Everything worked fine with encryption turned off.

I then decided to try WPA encryption, which is supposedly more secure than WEP anyway. There is a Windows XP update to add this capability to the operating system, which you'll need to install. Unfortunately I found that this didn't immediately solve my problem: WPA was not available as a selection in the wirless network setup. I then updated the driver for the WMP54G and I was able to use WPA with no problem! Again, a word of advice: do NOT use the driver on the included CD! Get the latest driver off the Linksys website. I would imagine this was the source of my WEP problems as well, but I never went back to try it. I'm happy with WPA.

Also make sure your router's firmware is up to date. Some manufacturers have only recently added WPA capability.

Other than these difficulties, this seems to be a great card. It works just as fast as my wired LAN connection.