| Linksys Wireless-N PCI Adapter WMP300N |
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Model: WMP300N
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 42
Form factor: Plug-in card
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11n (draft), IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
High-speed Wireless-N (draft 802.11n) networking for your desktop computer
MIMO technology uses multiple radios to create a robust signal that travels up to 4 times farther and reduces dead spots
Up to 12 times faster than Wireless-G, but can also connect to Wireless-G and -B networks
Advanced wireless security: Wi-Fi Protected Access™ (WPA2) with up to 256-bit encryption |
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| Description: |
| The Linksys Wireless N PCI Adapter installs in most desktop and tower PCs and lets you put your computer almost anywhere in a building without the cost and hassle of running network cables. The Wireless N PCI Adapter uses the very latest wireless networking technology, Wireless N. By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless N's Multiple In, Multiple Out (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce dead spots in the wireless coverage area. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 4 times farther than standard Wireless-G. With Wireless-N, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. It works great with standard Wireless G and B equipment, but when both ends of the wireless link are Wireless-N, the throughput can be increased even more by using twice as much radio band, yielding speeds up to 12 times as fast as standard Wireless-G. Once you're connected, you can surf the web, keep in touch with your e-mail, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network. To protect your data and privacy, your wireless connection is secured by up to 256-bit WPA2 encryption. The included Setup Wizard will walk you through configuring the adapter to your network's settings, step by step. |
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| User Reviews (42 total): |
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Stay far away, August 15, 2008
By user (Newbury Park, CA)
I bought this adapter after my my older Linksys USB adapter died on me after years of faithful service. I figured since my landlord had a Draft N router, I'd pick up an adapter to match and figured the extra cost was worth it. If I knew then what I knew now, I could have saved myself a lot of money and a lot of time.
It was a pain to get installed, but once it was up and running it worked great. For about a month. Then I started having issues with Linksys connection manager being unable to connect to the router. So I uninstalled the adapter, reinstalled it and it started working fine again. But, it acted up once again a couple of weeks later and I found using Windows connection manager fixed, for the most part, my problems but I still found myself reinstalling the adapter at least once a month.
Now, about 2-3 months after buying the thing, I cannot leave my computer idle for more than a few minutes without the computer freezing up. At first, I thought it was a Windows XP issue so I reinstalled Windows. The freezing continued. So I then uninstalled this wireless adapter and my computer went back to working like it was brand new. So, I reinstalled the adapter and figured that's all it needed. Well, a day or so later, the computer went back to freezing up again.
I haven't had more than 2 weeks where this adapter hasn't caused me problems. I've been reading reviews of this item on various sites and I'm wishing I had done that before I actually bought it. From the sounds of it, this adapter has had problems since it was first put on store shelves and Linksys has yet to address the issue with any sort of software or firmware update and that's extremely disappointing. I haven't bothered calling for support since Linksys has either A)deemed any problems an issue with the computer or B)has said the company is working on the issues.
I'm thinking I'll just bite the bullet and buy a cheaper Wireless-G adapter from another company and chalk up my purchase to being a bit of a costly mistake to learn from: do your research before buying.
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Works, but no great., August 7, 2008
By user
This card is a major pain to get to work.
I installed first with the software on the cd and could not get rid of the 1 mbps problem. I then uninstalled everything, including removing the reg keys according to Linksys's forums. I also uninstalled my ethernet card and all its drivers.
Finally I let windows install it and just installed the drivers from the Linksys website. It finally works but still does not get great speeds. It gets 4 bars and sits around 80 meg. Every so often it drops down to 30 or so and then bounces back. I can at least surf the network and was able to play some diablo 2 with little problem.
This was a wrt160n -> wmp300n setup on windows XP pro and the wrt160n is wonderful, so I am blaming the card. I also have to keep the router set on 20mhz and not 40mhz or the card defaults to 1 mbps.
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No more whining . . ., July 3, 2008
By user (Tennessee)
I almost didn't buy this WNA because of all of the whining and complaining I saw in the reviews. Seems a lot of people had difficulties installing it and even more difficulty with technical support. I saw folks advising not to use the provided software - not to follow the manufacturer's instructions etc . . . I had my own challenges with the installation and founf tech support to be very helpful. Turns out, tech support did not end up getting me up and running, but they DID get me far enough down the road that I was able to figure it out myself - They could not have known what my "real" issue was because it was the fact that there was some old software from another WNA that had been previously installed . . . When I cleansed my system of that old software, the Linksys stuff installed immediately and has worked flawlessly since.
My advice? Be sure your system is clean of old software before attempting to install new (competing) software.
Oh, and I followed the linksys instructions without any issues once my system was clean.
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Incompatibility with Dell Optiplex GX110, June 30, 2008
By user (New York, NY USA)
I bought this adapter for the kids' computer (an old Dell Optiplex GX110,) after I got the WRT330N Wireless-N Gigabit Gaming Router. The adapter would not work at all, even when NOT installing the Linksys drivers as suggested by other reviewers.
I called Dell for suggestions, but they didn't know of any incompatibility. I called Linksys, and one of the technicians I spoke with suggested something rather smart: to try the card in a different computer to discard if the card was bad or not. So I installed it in a Dell Dimension 9100. The card worked seamlessly (no installation of Linksys drivers). So the card worked fine; I'd say more than fine, just not with the old Dell computer.
I returned the card and instead installed the USB version (Linksys WUSB300N Wireless-N USB Network Adapter). I've had no problems with the new adapter since I plugged it in. My kids want a newer computer, but that's another issue :-).
I am loyal to Linksys. I think they sell good products, and I was happy to be able to get a solution within the same brand.
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Beware of the bad driver software, June 28, 2008
By user (Dallas)
I purchased this card as a long-time customer of Linksys. I have a WAP 4400N from Linksys with the latest firmware, as the access point. I installed this into a Dell E510 Media Center SP2, with only a video card in the PCI slots. I have a boot drive and ***had*** a brand new 500GB Seagate drive for data.
The installation went smoothly, and the card seemed to work fine using it for Internet access (270 MB!). However, when I started to copy 30-40 4MB image files from another file server on my LAN, it would get about 5-7 of them and then hang. After that, the network showed connected, but there was nobody home. I would have to reboot to get a network connection back. I tried this again, and the second time it hung and completely blew out the hard drive that it was writing to! If I try to use the drive in another PC to recover the data, it just hangs. I have tried recovery software and it is no use.
I replaced the drive (thinking it was an infant mortality - 2 months old) and tried the WMP300N again, same crashing results. I have removed this and have taken it back to the dealer. It truly is a dangerous piece of junk! THe new drive and the PC work great without the card.
The Dell doesn't allow me to set IRQs for the PCI slots, as this is probably a driver conflict. However, this is really bad driver software from Linksys, as I have since placed another vendor's card in the machine and it is rock solid.
Buyer, definitely beware! I had tried to get the drivers from elsewhere as much of the lore indicates, but they fared no better. Avoid this card at ALL COST!
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Don't buy, non-standard installer and has hardware conflicts in Vista, June 12, 2008
By user (Austin, Texas)
Product says that it is Vista compatible but it was not in my case. I ended up having to return this product. First of all it has a non-standard installer. When finally getting it installed in an unusual way, there are hardware conflicts. Try to fix this then it does not even partially recognize the device. If you check the linksys website the only have the old driver which ships with the product. A complete waste of my time.
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Devil in the details..., June 3, 2008
By user (NJ)
I was initially pleased with the ease of setup and the range and speed improvement over my old wireless G network. Then I noticed that the audio/video on my receiving computer (Using the WMP300N PCI DESKTOP CARD) had become choppy and static. After days of rollbacks and uninstalls I traced it to the linksys driver for the WMP300N. To make matters worse, the uninstall for this does not work properly and leaves keys in the registry which prevent the new driver from installing without some geek activities that might be daunting to the average user. Then the new driver after I finally got it installed, was much better but not completely fixed. As a former driver developer I noticed that the new driver solution for the problem was simply to saturate the PCI bus with data! The computer equivalent of talking faster and louder so no one else can get a word in edgewise! If you attempt to run other intensive data applications such as gaming, or video rendering applications, this "solution" will cause your computer to hang. Microsoft would NEVER certify a driver written like this.
Since the value of this router in terms of range and speed, depends on the use of Linksys' own desktop receiver solution, the overall system you set up is severely flawed and I cannot and would not recommend it.
I do not know if the laptop receiver card exhibits the same behavior.
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Linksys WMP300N, May 27, 2008
By user (Chicago)
I've had this product installed for about 2 weeks now, but had problems most of those 2 weeks. It seems pretty stable now though and it is working pretty good for why I bought it.
Good: The computer it's on is the family PC that is basically used for internet surfing, music downloads, and streaming music. My wireless router and main PC are in the basement, but with the WRT600N, I get a good connection (85% with the door to the basement closed) and from 150-200 Mbps.
Bad (on install): I was forced to use the Linksys software. I tried connecting it without it, but I could not get the drivers correctly installed. Even after some google searches and downloads, the adapter just wouldn't work. I punted and used their software.
Bad (after install): Once installed, I had problems with it locking up. I had to stop the WMP300N service and restart quite a few times. I also had problems with it dropping the connection. These were both solved by enabling/disabling some properties (power save mode, vlan administration, etc.). Those seem to have done the trick and I've been good for the last 3 days.
Overall, I know this is a fairly new product and there some kinks that need to be worked out. But once you get it going, it seems to do it's job. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody who just wants a plug/play adapter because this was far from it.
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Works perfectly on Windows Vista 64bit Edition, May 8, 2008
By user (Springfield, PA United States)
Linksys Wireless N WMP300N is perfect for your desktop when you don't want wire running all over your house.
It took me less than 3 minutes to get this installed and connected to my network. I don't understand why some people are having a hard time installing on Vista. I installed on a 64 bit edition without any problems.
NOTE - VISTA OWNERS: DO NOT INSTALL LINKSYS CD.
-Don't follow the directions on the paper, it's for XP
-Make sure computer is off, and plug the card into your MOBO.
-Connect the Antenna
-Turn on the computer, Vista will automatically install the driver.
-When you do a MS Vista update, you will have the option to update the driver.
-Connect to your wireless router.
Yes, it's that easy.
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Pretty close to perfect..., May 7, 2008
By user (Manchester, CT)
I've had 2 of these cards over six months and just installed my 3rd hooking my plasma TV to it's own PC now. I run Windows XP sp2 on all my PCs currently. I've never had a single problem with any of these. I upgraded my router from G to N.. then over time have replaced ever of my remote PC cards with these N cards. I take the PC down, install the this card, boot Windows asks for the drivers, I point Windows to the CD. I start the Windows connection wizard, enter my security code.. and I'm up.. fast and stay connected. I have never lost connection on any PC ever. Through put is excellent, play many online games without issue, where it was very 'iffy' at best using a G card.
When reading these other reviews... keep in mind many of these people really have no idea what they are doing. The reason i said this product was near perfect (and not perfect) is that you probably get into trouble following the directions (things people that don't know what they are doing do).. Don't fall into that trap. Install the card, bring up the system. When Windows ask for drivers, insert CD and tell Windows to use the CD. You are done. You have to configure your wireless network of course, but that part you need to know or learn when you setup your router.
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BEST COMPATIBILITY FOR WIRELESS-N CARDS/DEVICES, April 5, 2008
By user
THIS LINKSYS WMP300N WIRELESS-N PCI ADAPTER IS BEST COMPATIBLE WITH FULL-BARS REGISTRATION SIGNAL RECEPTION WHEN AROUND WIRELESS-N DEVICES. IT CAN ALSO COMMUNICATE WITH WIRELESS-G DEVICES BUT IT CAN'T FULLY GET A FULL-SIGNAL RECEPTION. THE WMP300N IS AN EXCELLENT WIRELESS-N DEVICE FOR HOME & OFFICE WIRELESS NETWORKING! YOU'LL EXPERIENCE SPEEDY WIRELESS CONNECTION-SENSITIVITY THAN THOSE PREVIOUS WIRELESS-G DEVICES. LINKSYS WMP300N IS A GREAT PRODUCT & I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
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WMP300N Freezes on Windows XP, March 29, 2008
By user (California)
I am running Windows XP, sp2 and had nothing but problems with this card (Linksys WMP300N). In short, the wireless would connect to my router (also Linksys N) for a short period it did provide internet access, but within 5, sometimes 10 minutes, the computer would freeze up. No movement, mouse, keyboard and applications all froze. I spent a couple weeks working off of a number of forums, tried a number of fixes, including bypassing the Linksys management tool, using the Windows wireless manager, but to no avail. I broke down and went back to Frys and picked up a Belkin N today - works like a charm, no lockup, no freezing and the wireless access is up and running again. My best advice, save yourself the headache and pick up a different card - perhaps the problem is related to Windows XP and if your running Vista you may have better luck than I did. No offense to Linksys, love the router. But the WMP300N leaves much to be desired. Thanks for reading and good luck.
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Broadband N surfing, March 22, 2008
By user (Durham, NC)
The Linksys Wireless-N PCI Adapter WMP300N together with the type N router is an unbeatable combination. It never fails to connect, and the WPA encryption is what everyone should have.
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Works fine, no miracles, some gotchas, March 20, 2008
By user (Ontario, Canada)
The good news is that this 802.11n card works reliably, and delivers better throughput than the G card it replaced. It also gets a stronger signal, and it experiences fewer drops in a low-signal zone. There are, however, no miracles. In my implementation, the unit connects between 70 Mbps (megabits per second) and 120 Mbps. The *throughput* is about 25% of that connection. So yes, it is better than wireless G, but it is not amazing, and it is definitely not "(up to) 12 times faster" than 802.11g. I use an Apple Airport Extreme N/G/B wireless router.
Here are the gotchas (Windows XP):
(1) Do NOT install the software from the CD. Download the driver only from the Linksys web site, and install only the driver. Even though you specify only the driver, the installer will install other stuff too. More on that later.
(2) Install the card, and start your PC. Let Windows find the driver (you have to tell it which directory to look in) and install it.
(3) Go to your Start menu, in the new Wireless card item, and run the Uninstaller to uninstall the Linksys configuration utility. This thing runs all the time, and consumes about 100% of the CPU.
(4) Reboot. You should now have clean, stable 802.11n wireless access, and your CPU should be down around 0% used.
It's an imperfect solution for an imperfect world, but it likely delivers better stability and performance than your current wireless G card.
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Rating based on once it's up and running, March 5, 2008
By user (Beaverton, OR USA)
I had a horrible time getting it up and running, but once it was, it was solid as a rock and amazingly fast compared to what it replaced. We were running an old G router and PCI adapter that dropped the connection every five minutes and you had to wait a minute or two for it to reconnect, and while it was connected it was slow as mollasses. Very frustrating. We finally decided to upgrade to N. I got the Linksys WRT300N (which installed without a hitch) and this PCI adapter. It was a nightmare getting this adapter to talk to the router. We couldn't get the accompanying wizard to recognize the router at all. We talked to three tech support women over a period of 7 hours before the third got it up and running (after struggling with it for an hour) at the highest security level. I never thought they'd get it up, but the third was pretty sharp even though she was constantly surprised that this and that try of hers failed. Finally, she went back go ground zero in both the router and the adapter and then magically it started working!
It is solid as a rock and has yet to drop the signal a single time. It has been constantly connected for about a week now. It is so fast compared to the G we had, it's like everything happens instantly! It even seems like it's faster than the computer that's connected directly to the router, but that computer has gobs more stuff installed on it and is used for C++ software development.
Anyhow, good luck getting it running. Once that happens, you're fat city.
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Works well once installed ..., February 24, 2008
By user
I purchased this adapter to replace my wireless G USB adapter. My old adapter always had a weak signal and would frequently drop the connection. I decided on the PCI adapter figuring it would provide a stronger signal, little did I know what a pain it would be to install. I'm running Windows XP w/ SP2. I followed the directions and installed the CD first, then shutdown and installed the adapter. The computer recognized a new device, but it continually failed to load the drivers. I spent the better part of three or four days messing with this and used the online support chat through Linksys, but nothing seemed to work. Not sure what finally did the trick, maybe the fact I was ready to pack it up and send it back, but it is now finally working. Have not had any problems since and the speed is much better than with my old USB adapter. The only downside now is that the cable for the antenna is only about 3ft, so I'm not able to place the antenna up high where I would like. So if you have the patience and know-how to mess with your computer settings, this is a good buy. Not as user-friendly as I had hoped though.
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Bad Defaults, January 26, 2008
By user (San Diego, CA)
I have been having issues with wireless networking in my house. I'm not sure if it's the wiring or what, but I've gone through a series of wireless routers and wireless adapters trying to get a combination that will work.
This one does work... provided that you tinker with the advanced settings and turn off WMM and Xpress Technology. With them on, I was getting some ridiculous amount of packet loss in Quake. With them off, it played reasonably well. More tinkering with the advanced settings, and I have it running relatively smoothly now.
So... it's fine, as long as you're willing to tinker away at it. I never installed the drivers off the CD so I never saw the bluescreens of death, just downloaded the drivers off the Linksys website and everything went fine.
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Run away, January 23, 2008
By user (Grand Rapids, MI United States)
I have had the wmp300n for almost a year. Built a new computer and everything worked like a dream until I threw in the 300N adapter. Lockups, dropped connections, hours and hours of reading support forums and trying diff. things. I even asked the Geek Squad at Best Buy if they knew anything about it and they were very tight lipped until I told them that I wasn't going to pay to have them come out because I already knew wmp300N had problems. No support. No patches till now. After installing the new patch, my up and down connection has leveled off at an amazing 1 meg/sec. Thats right, for a product that advertises extended range and 270mb/sec connection, its giving me 1mb/sec. What a bargain. Worst product ever. Do yourself a favor and visit the forum at linksys to see just how bad it is before buying this.
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This card crashes windows, January 16, 2008
By user (Toledo, OH)
Don't buy this card until they fix the thing. It crashes my pc whenever I install it. When I disable the card my pc runs fine but when I enable it then 20mins later my pc crashes. Please use another more stable card because this card was not ready to be sold to consumers.
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Awful, January 14, 2008
By user
I installed this wireless adapter to work with a Linksys Wireless-N router. Recently, I've been losing the connection for 5-10 minutes at a time for no logical reason. I thought it may have been my operating system (Vista), but I just recently reformatted my hard drive and installed XP and this wireless adapter is still dropping the connection. I have spent hours trying to tweak the settings in order to get this adapter to work with no success. I have bought Linksys products in the past and have been very happy with the quality, but this experience has been horrible. I will probably never buy another Linksys product again.
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