Cisco-Linksys WMP54GS Wireless-G PCI Card with SpeedBooster
by Linksys
|
List Price: Our Price: $72.94 You Save: $0.05 (0%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $8.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WMP54GS Wireless-G PCI Card with SpeedBooster
Customer Review: Great Product, Easy to Install
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a little leary in buying this card with many of the negative reviews I read, however I had a Linksys Wireless-G router with speedbooster so that's what tipped me to buy it. I'm glad that I did.
I had no issues whatsoever in installing this card in my Dell Dimension E510. The instructions included with the card are fool-proof and very simple for those of you that aren't nerds. If you're a nerd, you won't even need the instructions.
Install the drivers first, using the included CD. During the process of doing that, the wizard will instruct you to shut off your computer (the wizard will actually turn your comp off for you). Once shut down, disconnect all the wires from the tower, open the tower, ground yourself by touching something metal so as to not let static electricity fry one of your chips, pop the card in the white PCI slot, put cover back on, reattach wires, power back up and give the PC a minute or two to restart the wizard. Be patient here and don't jump the gun, it will come. It will then autodetect the available networks and voila, you're in business.
Once I gave the wizard my password for my network (always password protect your network) I was connected. I tried turning the PC off and on several times, and every time, it detected and connected directly to my network. Again, times may vary, but be patient while it finds and connects to your network...this can take a minute or two.
I'm happy with the product. I'm using it in a computer that is about 40 to 50 feet away from the router, and through several walls, and the connection is very good. I'm guessing that unless your computer is archaic, you won't have any issues with this quality card.
Customer Review: Good Product but follow the directions to the letter.
Summary: 3 Stars
I bnought 2 of these products to use with a Linksys wireless router with speedbooster. To install it on the first computer I READ the directions before beginning, and also on the cd and booklets itself there are large stickers directing you to put the cd in first.
Upon inserting the CD into the computer a setup wizard appeared, and procedded thorugh the directions, and WHEN PROMPTED to shut down the computer and put the card in. Turned on the computer and all was good.
The Second computer was not so good, the installation stopped on 25%, this part on the first computer went quickly, I waited for a few minutes to check if there were changes, then after nothing happened I turn off the computer. After putting the cd back in, I got a message that the drivers cannot be installed because of old drivers. I went to add remove hardware in XP and the selection does not disappear. After calling linksys, a file called Registry Cleaner was email to be. The product was not on a drop down menu, I tried all of the drop down options and all failed.
A linksys tech said I would get a call from some high up person, who ended up calling before I got home from work, and left a message for me to email him at Cisco Systems. I'm not going to wait for another email or phone call for something that they should be able to fix easily.
Live chat was no help either, and the associate I talked to said I would get a call soon after the chat ended. No call.
The second unit is going back today.
In short, read the directions, INSTALL the cd first, and pray your computer does not lock up during the install.
I'm please with the product but not the help to fix my problem.
Customer Review: Trouble-Free Installation
Summary: 5 Stars
I installed this card on a Dell Dimension 8200 desktop PC. I am running a network using equipment from various manufacturers. The router is made by Netgear, that is compatible with both 802.11b and 802.11g standards. In all, I have four dekstop PCs and one laptop sharing a DSL connection. My intention is to eventually upgrade to a router with higher speed. Most likely the Linksys with Speedbooster.
The installation itself was quite easy. My only complaint is that the long antenna of this adapter gets tangled with all of the other wires/cables that are connected on the back of my computer. Perhaps the best installation technique is to put this adapter on the top-most PCI slot. That way, all of the other wires and cables will be underneath the unit and will not tangle with the antenna above the adapter.
This PC is the farthest one from the router. Therefore, it receives the weakest signal. This adapter is no better than my older D-Link 520 adapters at receiving the signal. With a weak signal, the adapter is running at 5.5 Mbps. However, when it is getting good signal, it does run at the highest speed that "standard" 802.11g is capable of. With a router upgrade, that speed should increase.
For your information, my computer system has a Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of RDRAM, and Windows XP Pro. The device driver that came with the adapter is working fine with this system. Users with Windows XP and Windows 2000 will get the most benefit from this adapter. The Speedbooster capability is only available to those using these operating systems. Soon, I will upgrade my router to a Linksys unit with the Speedbooster ability.
Customer Review: Buyer beware!
Summary: 1 Stars
Bought this card to use in a desktop computer that used to be connected via ethernet. I could not get the card to work on Windows XP. I was told by the Linksys rep that the card was defective and to send it back (at my expense) for a warranty replacement, which I did. By the way, their policy is that if they don't receive the original card back within 20 days, they will bill you full retail price for the card. If they receive the card after they have billed you, they will NOT refund your money; only ship the defective card back to you at your expense. I received my replacement card yesterday, and it too fails to connect to the internet. I called Linksys tech support AGAIN (fourth call) and was told that there is no point in troubleshooting the card since it is having "the same problem" as the other card, and that I need to pay $30 (more than I paid for the card) to troubleshoot my Linksys router -- which is working just fine, thank you, with any card but Linksys. When I insisted that she at least make an effort to troubleshoot this card, she instructed me to unseat and reseat the card. At that point, I gave up. I have done multiple internet searches on this problem, and learned that the people who have solved this problem to their satisfaction did so by returning this card and buying one from a competent manufacturer, which is what I plan to do. GRRR!!!Customer Review: Owned two for two years, going strong.
Summary: 4 Stars
First of all, a lot of people seem to be confused as to what "SpeedBooster" means. It has nothing to do with accessing the internet any faster. It is strictly a speed booster for transferring files between your networked PCs. So if you never transfer large files between PCs, you are essentially throwing your money away on SpeedBooster anything from Linksys.
That said, I have only had one problem with one of these cards: the screw in antenna broke off at the plastic thread connection and I have it taped up. In two years I've gone through three different internet access providers and networks and never once have the two PCs ever had a problem. My other PC uses the Linksys USB wireless network adapter and my laptop uses a built in Dell card. None of these four PCs have ever had a problem communicating with each other in my home network.
One surprising thing is that the price hasn't dropped much in two years even as newer wireless formats have come out like N. Performance wise with distance, the USB wireless adapter picks up from a much longer range that these PCI cards. If you have a PC on a different floor or on the opposite end of the house from the router and your house is rather large with lots of obstructions, you will probably need an access point or a signal booster on your network to use these.