| Linksys W11S4PC11 Wireless-B Network Kit |
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Model: W11S4PC11
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 50
Operating system: Windows
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
Wireless Router and a Wireless PC Card Adapter for your laptop
Router shares a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection and other resources with both wired and wireless PCs
Wireless communications at up to 11 Mbps data rate
Features 128-bit WEP encryption
Included Setup Wizards take you through configuration, step by step |
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| Description: |
| Linksys W11S4PC11 Wireless 802.11b Network Kit - This networking kit features an 802.11b router that has a built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch, allowing both wired & wireless computers to access the network, & securely share a high-speed DSL or Cable Modem Internet connection. The kit also includes an 802.11b PC Card for your notebook computer, allowing you to relax in the living room or bedroom while you check e-mail or transfer files! |
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| User Reviews (50 total): |
Page 1 2 3 of Total 3 Pages
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good all around - missing some features, December 28, 2003
By Chad K. Bisk (Reston, Va United States)
Having worked with many wireless units I got this Linksys for home for its ease of setup and administration by the rest of my family. Good ease of setup, speed and range can all be found here. What can't is that it doesn't update local DNS with the names registered via DHCP so even though I can see machine names in the Linksys status display, I can't ping or connect by machine name from the machines on my network. Also missing is any way to add DHCP attributes like NTP server.
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Easy took me 30 seconds to install., December 5, 2003
By unknown
I had a previous good experiences with Linksys. So I paid the premium for this wireless kit. It was up and running in 30 seconds so I say go for it!
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Could Not Get It To Work, December 3, 2003
By oldpigeon
Same problem as May 5th, 2003 reviewer. Could get the router to work with the desktop (Dell Dimension on XP) plugged in w/ ethernet cable, but could not get the wireless adapter (WPC11) to perform. It would access the router but refused to connect to the internet.Spent about ten hours trying to get it to function, e.g. downloading updated drivers, troubleshooting, searching message boards for answer. Called support 3x. First time waited about 10 minutes and gave up. Second time waited about 15 minutes and gave up. Third time waited about 15 minutes and got through to a very patient and helpful fellow named Jon w/ perfect English (impressive considering Jon was a Filipino in Manila). He worked with me for about an hour and then he gave up. In desperation I upgraded the desktop's (Inspiron) OS from WinME to WinXP. This did not help. I returned this kit and will try Microsoft's wireless kit. It appears from my trolling of message boards I am not the only one to experience difficulty with the WPC11. P.S. There was one solution I did not try. If your notebook has ethernet capabilities (e.g. ethernet card) try to access the router through ethernet first and then try the adapter after an internet connection has been made. However, if you do not have ethernet capability you are out of luck.
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Works well once set up, November 15, 2003
By cperrey (Chanhassen, MN USA)
Setting up the access point was a little difficult, but once the right settings were tweaked, this thing hums along with little problems. The signal strength is high even to the backyard: makes working outside on the nice days easy. The security options are nice, since this can screen wireless cards unless you input their hardware address. Some fiddling with ports was necessary to get the virtual private networking (VPN) to go through correctly, but some help can be found on the internet. This access point also plays well with other vendor's PC cards.However, there are some issues with the PC card. This setup comes with version 4 (v4) of the card. There are SEVERE issues if you need to use a VPN to log into work. This card simply will not do it--but oddly, version 3 (v3) WILL. This is known on Linksys' website, but no fix is available. The v4 also seems to get worse reception than v3. Overall, it can work well, but be careful with the version of the PC card.
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Support Problems, September 14, 2003
By Dan Holmdahl (Minneapolis, MN United States)
This router and wireless card was up and working in no time. If it would have stayed this way I'd give it 4-5 stars. However, a windows update occurred one week after installation of the wireless card. I wrote 2 emails to support@linksys.com, both of which went completely ignored (at least they have not responded to either in a week). Their online help wasn't very helpful as they only responded once every 10 minutes. I was NOT being rude in either the emails or the online help, I was simply describing my problem and asking for technical support. After a 40 minute wait on the phone I was able to talk to someone. After describing my problem they put me on hold for 5 minutes, when they returned they said their card doesn't work with Windows 2000 service pack 4 and that I should remove it. I indicated that I had unchecked the option to remove it to save disk space. After which they indicated they could not help me. I returned this product and bought NetGear instead which is working fine.
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Excellent Choice, September 1, 2003
By unknown
After installing 4 different systems; including: Belkin, D-link, Netgear, and Linksys, and being dissatisfied with all 4, i went back to the Linksys system which consistently showed the best signal but also seemed impossible to maintain a cable link. The tech i spoke with told me to download the firmware via a wired connection to flash the router. Once this was done i never had another problem. I have since connected the signal booster and can access the internet with outstanding signal from anywhere on my property.
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Easy installation and solid performance, August 26, 2003
By unknown
I bought this item because I heard good things about Linksys technical support and didn't trust myself installing networking gear. However, the instructions and software that came with the unit were a breeze, probably because I already had my desktop up and running connected to my DSL modem. It took less than 10 minutes from opening the box to having the desktop up running through the Linksys router (only because I stopped to read some instructions), and a little longer to configure the wireless network card on the notebook. Probably another hour to figure out WEP security and configure ZoneAlarm on both desktop and notebook to allow file-and-print sharing without being open to the world. What a breeze!
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Nice combo, but technology not yet reliable, August 9, 2003
By madjohnw (United States)
I really like this set, with easy to load software for the card and a nice web interface for the router. There are occasions where it has difficulty connecting to the internet, and further investigation has led me to believe it is some type of interference. Be aware that it uses the 2.4 Ghz frequency, which is also used by many cordless phones and bluetooth devices. While there should not be any trouble in theory, this is not the case in the real world. But, if you have to have a wireless set, this one is an excellent choice.
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Outstanding product and technical support, August 3, 2003
By Emerson B Almeida (Somerset, NJ)
I must tell you that my past experiences with
technical support have been as pleasant as my dreaded
visits to the dentist. The experience that I had
while installing my Linksys router goes beyond my expectation of a technical support team, but again I have never dealt with
Linksys before. Pierre and Carol have set a precedence
that will be very hard to meet. The product and service combination is tough match for the competition.
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Do NOT buy version 3.2 of this router, July 26, 2003
By Walker Boh (Annapolis, MD United States)
Hopefully by now Linksys has ceased and desisted from shipping any more v3.2 routers like they did in my kit. I went through 5 of these (3 of them my own- I helped a couple other users w/theirs) and could ONLY get one to work wirelessly to the Internet. I put 40 hours or more into this project. Sadly, my only reason for getting involved was to help someone else. I don't own a laptop and I already have a BEFSR41 as well as Zone Alarm Pro. Version 4 of this router works flawlessly and even auto-configures itself. Caveat emptor
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Works Perfect., July 25, 2003
By unknown
It works perfect. Did not had any problems with the configuration. And it also works with my msn messenger audio and file trasfers although i do need to open some ports in it. which is not a big deal. loose like one point outside the house. But still its amazing. I would say get it NOW Its Awesome.
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Wireless does not work with CISCO VPN, July 9, 2003
By Brian Dupree (Atlanta)
You would think that since Linksys is owned by CISCO, that the products would be compatible. This is not the case.
I bought this product so that I could hook into my company's VPN over DSL using the wireless card. It works fine without the VPN. As soon as I fire up my CISCO VPN Client, I loose connectivity. Apparently, according to some forum boards, there is a bug in the driver software that is preventing IPSEC tunneling. I will probably return it unless Linksys support can get me a fix quickly.
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Does not work with Linux, July 3, 2003
By mmoneta (Manalapan, NJ)
This kit ships with Version 4 of the WPC11 PC Card, which will not work with Linux (need Version 3 WPC11). Also will not work with some versions of Windows.
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There are better choices, June 30, 2003
By amarosi (Edmonton Canada)
Easy to install, and it does work, however, I had some serious problems:
1. Despite what they say in the detailed user manual on the CD-ROM, the SSID broadcast could not be turned off (my network was out there for all to see, if I did turn off the SSID broadcast the network failed immediately, and their tech support could not fix the problem).
2. A lot of people will not even realize the above problem: Linksys leaves out the whole SSID issue from the quick install manual, so I guess most people just leave the SSID broadcast on.
3. The range was small and the connection too unreliable for serious work, with major problems exactly where you would need wireless the most: a floor up from the modem and out on the deck.
4. Tech support is really poor (expect looong wait on the phone and rather limited expertise when you do get through), and a lot of vital information is missing from their website.
5. What you pay is what you get: I returned this product, but the Orinoco products I got instead cost me quite a bit extra...
6. My Orinoco Gold Wireless Card "sees" two of my neighbours' networks, while the Linksys had trouble finding my own.
7. Product seemed sensistive even to our electric lawnmower - the Orinoco is much more robust as far as interference is concerned.
8. My impression is that a lot of people like this product because they have not tried anything better and assume all wireless networks are as unreliable as Linksys - well, they are not, but quality does not come cheap.
A final comment: I suspect that the WPC11B card may have been responsible for most of my problems rather than the router. (The cards gets much lower rating than the router from people who did not buy the whole kit.) Since Orinoco products tend to be pricey, it may be a good idea to buy a cheap D-Link, Netgear or even Linksys router and then combine it with a robust Orinoco Gold wireless card.
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Beware - does not work with Windows98, June 8, 2003
By unknown
This kit ships with Version 4 of the Adapter Card which requires Windows98SE or later. After 4 calls to Linksys technical support they finally explained that Windows98SE is required. This inspite of the fact that I told Linksys technical support I was using Windows 98 in each call. Earlier versions of the Linksys Adapter cards will work with Windows 98.
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Easy to Use and Quick to Get Working, May 28, 2003
By certified geek (Santa Monica, CA United States)
I just picked this up and plugged it into my network at home. It didn't require any special attention. I just turned off the computers, turned off the cable modem (those things are always really touchy) and plugged it in. Turned on the cable modem and waited for green lights... turned on the router and waited for green lights... then booted the computers and viola, I was online.It also worked well with my wife's iBook/AirPort card. Worked instantly with good signal all over the house. Tonight I'm going to try out the WEP stuff so that I don't have to worry about security issues, but the interface looks tremendously simple so I'm not scared!
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great kit, May 23, 2003
By W. Chen (San Jose, CA USA)
I received the package yesterday. It took me less than one hour to read the instruction and complete the installation of the router and adaptor card. The version 4 adapter card came with the kit works great on my Windows 2000 laptop. Actually, it's signal strength is much better than the version 3 adapter card that I have. I got more than 80% of the signal strength even with the router and laptop separated by two floors in my house. I was worried reading an earlier review regarding the problem with the version 4 adaptor, but that turned out to be unfounded.
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Home wireless, May 21, 2003
By unknown
I purchased the Linksys router/hub about 5 months ago based on reviews and talking to IT co-workers. I was surprised at the ease of setup and installation. I have 5-6 PCs (using MS Win 98, MS Win 2000, XP Home and XP Prof) networked at home. One recommendation I took from written reviews was to put some money into Orinoco Gold Wireless PC-Card NICs. I'm also running a couple of wired connections via 3Com NICs. Everything has worked beyond my expectations. After 15 years of working in IT, I'm fairly hard to impress, but this is one thing that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
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Change out the notebook adaptor card for a version 3, May 19, 2003
By pete in atlanta (Marietta, GA United States)
that's what the Linksys tech guy told me over the phone. He was really helpful running throught the product and troubleshooting everything- and this was 10PM Sunday night. A+ on tech support.
The install on my main- wired- XP box was an absolute snap. The install to the win2000 laptop went fine until I tried to connect to the internet- it found the router but no internet.
When the tech guy told me that I needed to swap out the cards I told him that this was a packaged system and I doubt the vendor would just "swap out" a packeaged card. I'll find out later on today.
But- to date- if your running the platforms I mentioned above, you will not get internet access on your laptop with the version 4 card.
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Works well for me, May 17, 2003
By Chris (PA)
Easy to hook up. I have had it for two months. No problems at all. My computers are on different floors in the house. Great connection and signal strength.
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