| Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter |
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Model: WGA11B
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 174
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PlayStation
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
Lag-free head-to-head or Internet gaming at up to 11 Mbps, without stringing wires
Converts wired-Ethernet-ready game consoles to Wireless-B network connectivity
Works without drivers on PlayStation2, Xbox, and GameCube
Exclusive Channel Selector Button makes network setup a snap
One year limited warranty |
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| Description: |
| The LINKSYS WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter gives any wired Ethernet equipped game console wireless connection capability. If you have an existing home wireless network with a cable or DSL Internet connection, the Game Adapter lets your PlayStation, XBOX, or GameCube attach to the network so you can get into online games without running wires to the game room. Or, you can use a pair of Game Adapters to form a "cable-less cable" between two game consoles for head-to-head gaming -- in the same room, or all the way across the house! |
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| User Reviews (174 total): |
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Using the WGA11B with a TIVO, October 11, 2006
By J. Younger (Tucson, AZ United States)
This device also has (possibly) unintended uses. I wanted to use it with a TIVO. It took a little doing but it works fine.
My first hurdle was accessing the menu on the device so that I could enter my WEP settings. Initially, I hooked it directly into my Dell D600 PC. I set my PC IP Address to 192.168.1.5. I could ping the WGA11B (which is initially assigned an IP of 192.168.1.225) but couldn't access the setup menu. I was using a "straight through" cable and maybe what I needed was a "cross over" cable? The device has a physical switch on the side of it that appeared to be used for selecting the type of cable that was connected, but that had no effect.
I got the idea to hook the device into my Linksys WRT54G router to see if I could get the PC to access it. The router IP Address is set to 192.168.1.1. After doing this, I was able to run the setup software and access the menus.
I set the device up for a fixed IP address (192.168.1.22) and hooked it into my TIVO. I setup the TIVO to provide it's own (internal) IP address and I was in business. It seems to work faster that a TIVO wireless USB connection.
I have two TIVOs. One has the RJ45 jack needed to hook this device up, and the other doesn't (it only has USB connections). If you intend to use it as I did to connect your TIVO into your wireless network, I would insure that you do indeed have the RJ45 jack.
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Bargain, September 28, 2006
By Gordon Tepper (Long Island)
Worked right away with my XBOX 360-- saved a bundle... don't bother with the official microsoft adapter-- this works just fine!
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ehh, September 25, 2006
By Richard R. Mottern (Raymond, MS)
can't get this to work with my 360.. turned off all security on my home network.. this adapter will not even talk to my network.. i can't figure it out.
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Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter, September 22, 2006
By Van L. Holsomback (Marietta, Georgia United States)
I used this as a wireless bridge for my replay TV. It worked great after I threw away the cd that came with it and downloaded the lastest software from the website.
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Works..., September 12, 2006
By T. Badgley (Missouri USA)
The Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter works as a simple game adapter, but I would not recommend it to anyone using newer wireless security protocols (WPA/WPA2). The adapter lacks support for WPA and WPA2, and from what I have heard Linksys does not plan on updating the firmware to support either.
While this product does work, it is a featureless adapter.
I returned it a few hours after buying it, and instead purchased the Zyxel P330W. I would not understand why anyone would pay for an outdated adapter when routers that support bridging, like the Zyxel P330W (similar pricing), exists. With the way computers and consoles are starting to interact, it would be a shame to only transfer files at B speeds, especially when it comes to file transfers or video streaming.
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Great for the Xbox 360, September 9, 2006
By GeorgeV (NY)
I bought this for my 360. My friend wanted to sell me his "g" adaptor for 70 bucks...yeah right....this baby is awesome its small and its plug and play for the 360 all you gotta do is..
1-Plug ethernet to adaptor then to 360
2-Plug into Power surge and to the adaptor
3-hit blue button till it gets to "In"
4-Start PWNIN NOOBS!!! wireless of course*
This little product is awesome and i saved a bunch of money its well worth it. I rated it 4/5 stars because obviosly its not the best out there but out of Price/preformance its deff 5 stars
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Capable & Sufficient...WEP can be a pain., September 7, 2006
By anoxicgamer (Irmo, SC United States)
This is a great little wireless adaptor from Cisco/Linksys. Marketed at gaming consoles, it can be used with any hardware that connects by cat5e. At 802.11b (10MBps), it's more than fast enough, since you're not going to be getting anything close to 10MBps from your broadband providers any time soon. 802.11g, when it comes to online gaming, is more or less hyped and needless, and considering that this works with the XBOX 360, there's really no reason to pay 5 times as much for Microsoft's Official wireless adaptor, when you can get this for less than $20.
Very likely the only difficulty you'll have with this is during configuration. The setup software on the included CD is defective/buggy, and as such you'll need to download it from linksys.com first thing. Linksys likes to market this as being ready to go out of the box, but that's only true over unsecured wireless networks. If your network is set-up for WEP encryption, you'll need to know the SSID of your network, as well as the WEP keys and whether or not your network is set for 64-bit or 128-bit WEP encryption (here's a hint, if your key is 10 characters long, it's 64-bit; 128-bit setups will have a key that's generally 26 characters long).
All in all, this is a great product that will do you great service with a variety of platforms. It's easy enough to setup once you download the software and know your settings, and you can set it up with individual profiles in case you access several different wireless networks. For $20, you can't do better than this.
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Works great, but not as shipped., August 31, 2006
By A. Coelho (Roswell, GA)
The product works as indicated. However, The version of software that is shipped with the product is flawed. I am not using this attached to any game console, It is attached to a work system that does not let me attach wireless adapters or USB devices due to not have admin access. You will need another computer set aside to configure the profiles for the device. Dont waste your time with the shipped software, go straight to linksys's support website. It will save you time and some hair on your head.
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BEST WIFI ADAPTER EVER, August 29, 2006
By j muth (NY)
this is the best wifi adapter i have ever used on any of my products. and since there are no drivers i can plug the ethernet into my computer and get easy and simple wifi on my desktop. without a doubt the cheapest and best online adapter i have ever used.
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You can get this to work!, August 21, 2006
By endure301 (Denver, CO)
This is a great inexpensive way to connect whatever you want to a wireless network whether it is a game console, a computer or in my case, a wired network camera... as long as what you are connecting has an ethernet port.
I connected a couple of D-Link DCS-900 network cameras to their own Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapters and now I have wireless access to them. There are no messy ethernet cables running from my router.
My setup has SSID broadcast turned off, no WEP and manual IP addresses for each thing connected to my network. It looks like setting WEP encryption wouldn't be a problem though.
First thing you need to do is go to the linksys website and download the setup application. The one on the CD will not let you use the default password, "admin" to access the adapter.
Connect the WGA11B to your PC (yes, you need a PC not a Mac to run the setup... although, I use Macs mainly). Fire up the setup program and it will search for the WGA11B. When it finds it, highlight it in the list to the left and enter the default password, "admin". From there you can set up to 3 profiles to set the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, WEP encryption and a new admin password.
In my case, I set the SSID to my network SSID (which is hidden from the public view) and I tried setting the IP but, it turns out that I could just leave it to obtain the IP address automatically. Instead, I set my DCS-900 network cameras to have the specific IP addresses. And, somehow it just worked. The adapter just assumed the IP address of the camera.
Note: For some reason, some of the IP addresses I initially tried to apply, wouldn't work. Also, even after I set the IP addresses on the cameras, the 192.168.1.255 default IP of the adapters were still showing up on my network.
All in all, this thing works like you would think it should. It's actually easier than most to set up. This price is so low right now, you can't afford NOT to get this.
T.Badgley above says, "why anyone would pay for an outdated adapter when routers that support bridging, like the Zyxel P330W (similar pricing), exists." Check pricing on here for the Zyxel router... it's inexpensive for a G router but, not as inexpensive for this simple B adapter. If you want G speed, get a G adapter. If you want WPA/WPA2, go get a real adapter. I still say this is good bang for the buck.
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Download the software, August 15, 2006
By WTLD (Lincoln, NE United States)
If you're running a wireless network, you should use both "MAC filtering" and maximum WEP security to keep hackers (or just your neighbors) from sucking the bandwidth right out of your system. If you know enough to set up your network to do these, you shouldn't have a problem setting up the adapter.
As one of the earlier reviewers noted, you MUST download the "driver" software from Linksys. Even though it has the same version number as the CD with the adapter, the CD did not work for me.
I used the my network software to enter the MAC address of the adapter (printed right on the back of the adapter), confirmed the channel I was using and made a note of my WEP password.
Then I connected the adapter to my router via an ethernet cable.
Then I ran the set up software downloaded from Linksys.
The set-up program detected the adapter, I input my WEP key, saved it as "Profile 1".
And it works.
It's almost impossible to buy a wireless b adapter in stores. They want to charge you $100 for a wireless g/b model. So that made the cost of this unit a substantial bargin.
I'll order a second unit for the Playstation.
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Setup was not as bad as expected... and the adapter works GREAT!!, August 10, 2006
By Gamer (Coral Springs, FL / U.S.A.)
I had heard and read all kinds of horror stories about this game adapter. Well, after going through the setup process, I can say that I have seen much worse installations. In a nutshell, if you read the manual, you will be able to successfully configure the adapter.
VERY IMPORTANT - You MUST download the latest software from Linksys. Do NOT use the software from the CD!! If you use the CD software, you will get the infamous "Connect Fail, Please try again" error message after you enter the password.
The WGA11B adapter could work right off the box, but only if your network address is in the range 192.168.1.xxx and if your router has SSID broadcast enabled and WEP encryption disabled. Of course, that is not the case of my home network, so I decided to follow the instructions on the User's Guide, step by step. Linksys' documentation is not even close to be considered stellar, but if you stick to the process described in the manual you will be able to set up the game adapter with little or no trouble. I did exactly that and the setup process was not painful at all. Yet, here are a few recommendations that might be useful to some users:
- Connect the game adapter to a laptop or PC. You will then run the setup software on this computer to perform the configuration process. Using the little cable provided with the game adapter, plug one end into the Ethernet port on the game adapter, and then plug the other end into the Ethernet port on the computer.
- Page 6, Ch. 4, Step 3 - In most cases, the crossover switch should be set to X. If the Ethernet LED does not come on when you plug the cable, try the other setting (||).
- Page 9, Ch. 5, Step 3 - If you don't have a Linksys router, leave the Keyphrase field blank.
- Page 9, Ch. 5, Step 4 - The default password is admin. If you type admin and you cannot get through, either you are using the setup software from the CD, or you may have a broken game adapter.
- Page 10, Ch. 5, Step 5 - My game adapter is configured to use DHCP to obtain its IP address. If you plan to use a static IP address, make sure you assign a valid address in your network, the appropriate subnet mask and the corresponding default gateway.
- Page 10, Ch. 5, Step 6 - If you enter your network's SSID, you can disable SSID broadcast in your router if you want. Also, if you want to use WEP encryption, enter your network's WEP key (either 64- or 128-bit) and keep WEP encryption enabled in your router. I disabled SSID broadcast and enabled WEP encryption in my router (a D-Link DI-634M), and still the Linksys game adapter works beautifully.
- Page 11 - When you click No at the end of the setup process, the configuration is saved as Profile #1 (P1) in the game adapter's memory. For normal operation, you need to make sure the LED display shows P1 -- if it doesn't, press the blue button repeatedly.
As I'm writing this, my son is playing Call of Duty: Big Red One online on his PS2, and from what I've heard from him there is no lagging and signal is strong and steady. Zero drops so far. Definitely a great buy for only $20.
I hope this helps.
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Works Great, Once You Get It working, July 30, 2006
By Matthew Legresley (Kansas, USA)
The WGA11B works fantastic once you get it setup properly. However getting the adapter setup is a BIG pain. Linksys products are quality, however their support and documentation are very poor. If I didn't know so much about linksys products I never would have got this adapter working.
Background info: I have a Linksys WRT54G router. I don't run encryption, however I do run MAC address filtering. I am using this adapter on an Xbox
Here are the Problems I encountered and solutions:
Problem One, "Connect Fail, Please try again" I got the standard connect fail message while attempting to configure the adapter using the cd software.
Solution One: I downloaded the software direct from Linksys site. Although the software indicates its the same as the cd, it connected to the adapter without a problem.
Problem Two: With the adapter correctly configured to my network, the Xbox still will not connect to the network.
Solution Two: To my surprise the Xbox MAC address must be entered into the filter list in order for the Xbox to connect using the adapter.
Setup Tips:
No Encryption and No Mac Filtering
Set the adapter to ln using the blue button.
Set the adapter to X using the switch if your using the included cable
No Encryption and Using MAC Filtering
Same tips as using No Encryption and No Mac Filtering
Add the wireless adapter MAC address to the Filter List
Add the console MAC address to the filter list
Only Encryption and No MAC Filtering
Connect the adapter directly to your PC
Set the switch to whichever setting makes the LAN led light up
Run the configure software downloaded from Linksys site
Set WEP to appropriate setting either 64bit or 128bit
Either input the key phrase if you know it, or input the key manually. The key can be found by logging into your wireless router.
After configuring the adapter set it to p1, for profile one, using the blue button
Encryption and MAC Filter
Use all the tips from above.
Overall its a good adapter. Hopefully These tips will help you get your unit setup quickly with little frustration.
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Works with XBOX 360, July 30, 2006
By J. S. Wisdom (USA)
Got this adapter so I could connect my XBOX 360 online. Was pretty easy to set up & works well. I did not want to spend the $ on a MS product so I purchased the Linksys WGA11B. Looking at the other reviews here first helped me make my decision. The other reviews also helped me connect the Linksys WGA11B. Although it is pretty simple to hook up there may be some adjustments to be made to your network (see other reviews). The Linksys WGA11B is about 50' from our wireless router. We have had no dropped connections or lost signal. Most people will not have a problem hooking the adapter up. Although as mentioned before some adjustments may need to be made. All in All it was $20 well spent & the Linksys WGA11B is used daily with no problems.
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Getting this thing to work on the Xbox 360, July 29, 2006
By S. Lee (Brooklyn, NY)
Okay, I got the same issue with this adapter, the dreaded
"Connect Fail, please try again". It works out of the box if I turn off my WEP but since I live in a pretty crowded area, I don't want my bandwith drained by some mooch. However, because I'm trying to connect this to my XBOX 360, there is another way to get around the setup. You can use Windows connect technology. You need to have WINDOWS XP with Service Pack 2 and a USB flash drive.
First, make sure your WEP is enabled and your Xbox360 is powered on with the system area selected. Next, select network settings on your 360, then select windows connect now.
Second, On your desktop, click on your start button, select control panel. Click on network and internet connections. Click on Wireless network setup wizard. Follow the instructions and plug in your flash drive. After that, the instructions will tell you to plug in the flash drive to your router and then plug it into any device that you want on your network. If you're like me, you don't have a USB port on your router, If so, just plug the flash drive right into your XBOX 360 USB port.
Lastly, the XBOX360 should be setup and you can run a quick test. Remove the flash drive and plug it back to your pc to remove your network info. That's it!! Networking on your Xbox360 should be up and running.
I would have given the Linksys WGA11B a perfect score if I didn't have to go crazy looking for a setup solution. It is working great now and I couldn't ask for more.
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Only one issue otherwise great buy, July 24, 2006
By Brandont T. Bomeline (Upstate NY)
I had the same problem as stated in a few other reviews, I couldnt get into the setup wizard after the device was found on the network. I tried Linksys help online and got no where. They tried everything but the actual problem, the password "admin" is not the password, the device wont accept it and wont let me configure it. The good news and this is why I give it a high rating, it does just work out of the box, if your router doesnt have security enbaled. Plug in your ps2 or xbox (for me its ps2) turn on the device and set it to "In" should connect right up no issues, at least for me that's how it worked. I play Socom3 religously, and have yet to have any lag issues or disconnects due to the adapter. Its a good buy with a small flaw, if you use security then dont get this, its not worth the chance, if you dont use it or dont care, get this sucker now youw ont find it any cheaper.
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Perfect and cheap!, July 21, 2006
By Sheela Manaparambil
Ok the first thing i gotta say is that this thing has no flaws except the fact that it needs and AC adapter. If if didnt need one then it would be perfect. Any not only does this thing work for Xbox, PS2 , it also works for the computer. (which they dont mention in the description!) This thing is cheaper than anything you can find in stores and its made with good materail that wont fall apart. I use it for my both my PS2 and Xbox and sometimes i use it for my computer. Another good thing is that you dont have to install any software to use it! But it does come with some software to help you use just in case you are computer illiterate but its not required to use the Adapter. Overall I would say that this is one of the best Wireless adapters out there and i am suprised to see that more people dont own one since its cheaper and has the same features of simmiliar products costing 70$
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One Star not deserved, July 19, 2006
By Bert R. Estlow (Jupiter, FL)
Same problem as previously posted. I returned mine and ate shipping cost.
received a bad device and had the same problem as the other reviewer below: "Connect Fail, Please try again." This error happens after the unit is connected to a computer and asks for the default password "admin". The device fails to recognize this password and will only display the error. Resetting the device (hard reset) has no effect; you simply cannot modify the default settings of the device.
It seems that there a quite a few people having this problem. If you google this error you can see that it appears to be a hardware problem and the unit has to be replaced. Just a little search shows that there are "way too many people" having this problem.
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It Works! (But it took some tinkering.), July 12, 2006
By "voices originating in the intellect" (Bay Area, CA USA)
It took a while to set this thing up but once I did it worked great. I had to tinker with my router settings and found that this helped: you need to forward ports UDP 88,TCP 3074 and UDP 3074 then disable UPnP on the router's setup page. I forgot where I found the hint but it did the job. My 360 could connect.
Head to head was easy. I just set both to X and chose a frequency and voila. Halo 2 on an Xbox vs an 360.
All in all, I'm please with this and I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for the Micro$oft one.
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OMG This adapter sucks, July 9, 2006
By dksf415
I ordered this adapter thinking it would be a simple set up. The first adapter I received I couldnt configure and I called in my IT friends and they worked on it. They couldnt get it to work. So I had a new one sent to me and I could get it to configure but couldnt connect. As my IT put it, this adapter is a piece of S@#t. I spent a couple of nights working on this and I have to say, How can you make a junk product like this and tell people its easy to use. I had guys who used testing equipment to figure out what the problem is. Dont waste your time and buy something else.
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