Cisco-Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G USB Adapter
by Linksys
List Price:
Our Price: $34.95
You Save: $32.04 (48%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $8.98 (click here)
Category: CE
See more product details
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: LinksysAudio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows XP
Model: WUSB54G
Product features:
- Connects your desktop or notebook to a wireless network at up to 54 Mbps when used with a USB 2.0 port
- Easy, no-tools setup on any desktop or notebook
- Also compatible with Wireless-B networks (at 11 Mbps)
- Wireless communications are protected by up to 128-bit data encryption
- Compatible with Windows 2000 or XP
- Targus PAUH217U 4 Port Ultra Mini USB 2.0 Hub
- IOGEAR GIC250U 5-Port USB 2.0 PCI Card (USB 2.0)
- Belkin Certified Wireless USB 4-Port Hub with Adapter (F5U302)
- D-Link DWL-520 Wireless PCI Adapter, 802.11b, 11Mbps
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G USB Adapter
Customer Review: Surprising Lack Luster Performance
Summary: 2 Stars
Bottom Line: The Linksys "Wireless-G WUSB54G" is a good compromise if one needs a USB connected wireless network adapter that conforms to the Wireless-G standard. If you can, go with a PCI adapter for much better performance.
When I recently rebuilt my primary workstation I found to my chagrin that my existing Linksys Wireless-G WMP54G PCI NIC would not work in my new AOpen A4C Max motherboard. Try as I might (a few BIOS upgrades and disabling the card) I could not get it to work, due to the integration of the Broadcom Gigabit PCI LAN Chip into the board. Enter the "Linksys Wireless-G WUSB54G."
The Linksys "Wireless-G WUSB54G" operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, and supports the following wireless protocols: 802.11b and 802.11g. The Linksys Wireless-G WUSB54G can transmit and receive networking traffic in a range of 1 - 54Mbps. I choose the Linksys "Wireless-G WUSB54G" for three reasons; 1. The card operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz the same frequency band I currently use for my wireless communications; 2. The Linksys name is one I have come to trust for reliability and cutting edge technology; 3. The Linksys "Wireless-G WUSB54G" is USB version. 2.0 compliant.
Installation:
The installation of the Linksys "Wireless-G WUSB54G" is a very straight forward process: just plug it in--with the computer on--and it starts working! My Microsoft Windows XP Professional Operating System (OS) found it and installed the necessary drivers, and made it ready for use. There is no software to install; thought Linksys does provide a utility to configure the card to work with your wireless setup, which I admit a non Windows XP user might need. However, Windows XP Professional is designed--once a wireless device is installed--to seek out available wireless networks and configure the card accordingly; i.e. assign it an IP address, if DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is used on the network. I use DHCP on my combined wired and wireless network, but I assigned the Linksys "Wireless-G WUSB54G" an IP address because my computer serves as my Internet gateway.
If you do decide to install the software, good luck. Like a lot of Linksys software utilities of late--even those downloaded directly from the Linksys website--the software refuses to load; e.g. the autostart start, and then stops abruptly. So I opened Windows Explorer, browsed to the CD and double-clicked on the setup.exe under the Utility directory; no dice. Only a token portion of the software loaded, enough of a token to keep render the card useless. So I uninstalled the software and left it uninstall; as I pointed out above if you are using the Windows XP OS there will be no need for the software that ships with the card. Will it install under Windows 98/Me/Se/2000?, Perhaps, but no longer owing a computer with any of those OS's installed, I cannot credibility speak to it.
First Impressions
I have mixed feelings about the "Wireless-G WUSB54G" Linksys surprisingly dropped the ball in the design of this card. While the "Wireless-G WUSB54G" occasionally transmits and receives at 54Mbps, the speed of the card fluctuates on a continual basis reaching as low as 1MBps, several times a minute! I have placed the card is various locations around my loft not more than 75 feet from the Wireless Access Point (WAP), but still the fluctuating carrier speed continues to my frustration. And while the antenna is small, it is larger than the one on the Linksys "Wireless-G WPC54G CardBus Adapter" installed in my notebook, which manages to maintains a consistent carrier speed of 54Mbps.
This annoying pervasive fluctuating carrier speed has affected at times the speed at which I access the Internet and move file to and from my workstation and the rest of the network. Linksys offers no advice on how to fix this problem other then the usual "move the adapter around and adjust the antenna" pronouncements, which do little to fix the problem. My advice: don't but this card unless your computer will not support a PCI NIC.
Conclusion
The "Linksys Wireless-G WUSB54G" receives a C+ from me. While I give the card high marks for ease of installation and configuration--thanks in part to Windows XP Professional--but I give it low marks for overall performance. If you are looking to make the leap to the Wireless-G protocol, and leave far behind the vestiges of the now obsolete (in my mind anyway) 11Mps standard, shy away from the "Linksys Wireless-G WUSB54G" unless no other option is open to you.
Description of Cisco-Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G USB Adapter
Linksys Wireless-G 802.11g 54Mbp USB 2.0 Network Adapter.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
Similar Digital Cameras & Photo Products
Belkin 3-Foot RJ45 CAT 5e Snagless Molded Patch Cable (Blue)Belkin Inc.; Windows; CE
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
TRENDnet 54Mbps Wireless G USB Adapter TEW-424UBTRENDnet; Windows; CE
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops:
Belkin A3L791B10 CAT5E Patch Cable (10 feet)Belkin Inc.; Windows; CE
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
+9dBi 15" Booster Antenna for Linksys WET11, WET54G, WMP11 PCI Card, WPS11, WMP54G, WMP54GS, WRT54GCWiFi World; CE
Best price: $1.69
Price in other shops:
Linksys by Cisco EtherFast 10/ 100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - Linksys Certified Refurbished ProductCISCO SYSTEMS - ENTERPRISE; CE
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
TiVo AG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRsTiVo; TiVo; TiVo; Electronics; Home Theater
Best price: $23.95
Price in other shops:
Cisco-Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54GLinksys; Windows; CE
Best price: $80.00
Price in other shops:
Linksys WUSB11 Wireless-B USB Network Adapter v4Linksys; Windows NT; CE
Best price: $39.99
Price in other shops:
Cisco-Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband RouterLinksys; Linux; CE
Price in other shops:
Cisco-Linksys WUSB54GC Compact Wireless-G USB AdapterLinksys; Windows; CE
Best price: $21.98
Price in other shops: