| Linksys WPC11 Wireless-B Notebook Adapter |
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Model: WPC11
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 417
Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4, Windows NT 5, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000 Server, Windows
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
Form factor: Plug-in module
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
11 Mbps high-speed transfer rate
Advanced Power Management features conserve valuable notebook PC battery life
Compatible with Windows Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP
Rugged metal design with integrated antenna
Works with all standard Internet applications |
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| Description: |
| A IEEE 802.11b wireless Type II PCMCIA-type network card giving you wireless Ethernet access up to 1,640 feet away / For Windows Rugged metal design with integrated antenna Advanced power management features Compatible with Windows 95, 98, Millennium, NT, & 2000 To use with your desktop PC, add the Linksys WDT11 Instant Wireless PC Adapter |
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| User Reviews (417 total): |
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Effortless, March 23, 2002
By Joel Ipe (East Windsor, NJ United States)
I was expecting a hiccup in the installation, but installing this in an IBM Thinkpad in conjunction with a Linksys Wireless Router, it installed with no problems or errors. Immediately after installation, I had an IP address in Windows 98. Signal strength is pretty good in a pre-WWII style apartment.
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Ver. 3. worked well with me. Noise coupled to speaker., March 22, 2002
By unknown
It works fine for the first time... Only minor problem is that there is a few noise heard from the laptop speaker. 4 stars.
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Might as well use wires, March 21, 2002
By mizzymania (Scotch Plains, NJ United States)
Not too long ago I purchased a Linksys wireless access point + cable/dsl router, and a wireless pc card. The advertised range on the pc card states "over 300 ft. indoors" - which is an outright lie. To be more realistic the linksys people should have said "over 15 ft. indoors" - as not to mis-lead their customers.If I sit in front of the access point I get a great signal (around 96%). However, if I put my hand in front of the pc card - It diminishes signal quality almost 50%. Therefore, if there is a wall between you and the access point - don't expect to get a great signal. If there are two walls, don't expect to get a signal at all. I'm on a second floor, less than 30' away from the AP - and I get nothing. If you plan on using this product for what it is advertised to do, don't bother - it's a waste of money and you might as well just use wires. If only plan on roaming 30' or less from the access point, and you're in the same room - with no walls in between; this product is for you. And from now on as a general rule of thumb - divide the advertised range on any linksys wireless product by 10.
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a so-so wireless card, March 19, 2002
By C. Lou (Anaheim, CA USA)
I bought a Linksys Wireless AP+4 port switch and it works well. This Linksys card works with it also. But after reviewing the reivews for Linksys PC ard and Netgear PC card I decided to try Netgear also. Yes Netgear does better than Linksys. I used to get fair, sometimes no singal at upstaires. But with Netgear (WA401) it's always good connection! I strongly recommend Netgear plus Linksys AP! (As for AP, I also tried D-link 713P. I even tried 2 of them and none of them worked. It had cost me 8+ hours before I tried the Linksys, which plug and play!)
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easy to set up and use but it stopped working after 6 months, March 19, 2002
By Wei Z. Liang (Oakland, CA United States)
i bought this and was happy w/ it for six months. then it totally stopped working.. the laptop cannot recognize it anymore.. linksys has pretty good support. just tell them and the cross ship one to you in a few days.
conclusion-- decent card.. but w/ the short range and other problems.. i will much prefer getting the orinoco ones, which is only a little bit more expensive. but if you don't mind the short range stuff.. then sticking w/ this is fine since they have pretty responsive tech support. i did not called.. email seems to be a pretty quick communication tool for me:)
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Great Card, Easy Setup, March 16, 2002
By unknown
Don't be fooled by any "naysay" reviews. This is one easy wireless card to configure with a Linksys WAP11 wireless access point. I just setup my wireless network using a WPC11 PC Card with the WAP11 and the Linksys WDT11 wireless PCI card adapter (which allows you to use your WPC11 card interchangeably with a desktop PC), and everything configured itself pretty much automatically under Window 98. The setup manuals are very easy to read and understand. If you had any qualms about setting up a home wireless network, trust me: thanks to Linksys, this is not rocket science at all.And now that I've setup my wireless network ... I am truly amazed at how FAST this wireless technology works. Hooked up to our cable modem, I can't tell the difference in internet access speed between my wireless PC and my PC that's connected directly to the modem. Bottom line: Linksys is quality and worth the extra money over any cheaper competitive products, such as from D-Link. Neither this product nor the other Linksys wireless network products I mentioned will disappoint.
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So manybetter options, March 13, 2002
By Dennis Brown (Warwick, RI USA)
Avoid the Linksys wireless cards, and any other brands retail chains carry in colorful shrink-wrapped boxes at low prices. If you want to make your wireless experience worthwile, get a real card like Lucent or Cisco. The range is better, the option for antennas is nice, and they just work better. Avoid this product!
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Best Quality For Price, March 13, 2002
By Bey
I have setup many different wireless networks for different jobs that I have done. I have noticed that generally speaking as long as you stick with the top 10 big names in networking you will be safe. There will always be a few horror stories from a few different people but this is true of any product that involves computers...especially networking. I have to admit though that LinkSys did a great job. This network reached further then any other brand in its price range. The setup was a bit tricky but nothing someone can't figure out with time a patience.
I would recommend that this product be considered if you are going to be setting up a network for cost efficiency. This is a definite best buy and stability and speed were great, even under heavy gaming it turned surprising numbers on my LAN. I was able to setup the LAN using XP, 2000, and 98 with ease.
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Great pc card! make sure the WAP is in good location., March 13, 2002
By eos_paul (Long Island, NY)
When I first receved the card I went ahead and installed it into my laptop, after about 3 hours, 2.5 of them dealing and waiting for tech support!! the card was working! at first I was getting very poor reception! 20-30% and the laptop was 5 feet away from the WAP! with a clear line of sight! the tech support guy said there may be somthing wrong with the card! and to get a new one!
there were no firmware updates for the Version 3 card yet! the next day I decided to give it another try, but this time I moved the antenas to point toward the closet doors, " the WAP is in my closet in my bedroom" well I guess that was the problem because now I am getting 100% connection in my room, wich still goes throug 1 wall. In the kitchen the signal goes through cabenets, 3 walls, and apliances, and I still get a 60% signal strength, now in the living room were I was not getting any signal at all the day before, I was now getting 25-45% signal strength! this also adds another wall and a total of 60 feet between the wpc-11 and the wap-11. This is a greate pc card, you just have to tweek the WAP antenas. PS. if you turn the laptop so that the antena points it the direction of the WAP your signal strenthens even more.
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Wireless Network PC Card - Very short range, March 12, 2002
By tessememucho (Wayland, MA United States)
I set up a wireless network with the Cable/DSL Router, a USB Network Adapter for my desktop, and the subject PC card for my notebook. The installs were easy, but required a call to tech help. Primary disappointment was the range of the PC card for notebook. Not good at all. Would recommend going with the USB Adapter for the notebook. It's a pain because of the connection wires to USB port, but the range is much more than the card. I'm returning the card.
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OK Folks ... here's the real scoop, March 10, 2002
By aggie71 (Houston, TX USA)
As you read these reviews you quickly see some love this product and others hate it ... not much in between. Just like many others it took me FOREVER to get this working on my PC, but it is not this product that was my problem! My 1997 Microcenter Clone special had a 1997 vintage BIOS which could not handle the PCI adaptor for the WPC11. When I finally realized what the issue was, I was able to update my BIOS and the Linksys system worked perfectly ... just as advertised. It is the coolest setup ... with both wired and wireless capability. Also the way everyone in the family can get access to the DSL line is really great. We are also sharing printers and files.I have a hunch that many of the negative reviews you read here are folks that don't realize they have a BIOS issue on an older computer, and think the Linksys products are defective. Hope this helps others that get stuck. P.S. Linksys Tech support was very helpful in helping me work through the install.
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Make Sure You Get Version 2.5, March 9, 2002
By walt3313 (Dublin, Ohio United States)
Make sure you get version 2.5 of this card if you need it for a PDA or Windows XP. I had much trouble with older version of the card presented on this site. The new version of the card has the Linksys logo on the exposed end."black end"
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Works great on my wireless campus, March 1, 2002
By unknown
Was a little worried when I bought this for my Dell laptop because I've read that lots of wireless cards don't work well with Windows XP. This card was a snap to install and had me on the web within 2 minutes from the box. My campus has Lucent access points and this card gets me very good range. Don't spend more than this for a wireless card if you just want one for use on a wireless campus (meaning you are not trying to set up an access point) because it will work fine for what you need.
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Linksys Card compatible with MAC, March 1, 2002
By FUTURO GROUP Inc./ Michael Unger (Pensacola, USA)
I purchased the Linksys Card in November last year to find out how we get a useful configuration between the Macintosh OS-10 and WIN 98 + What can I say the results are excellent. Goo product
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Tough to setup and bad support, February 25, 2002
By Ravi (Raritan, NJ)
I bought a Wireless router and Wireless card WPC11 from Linksys. Router is working fine. But the PC card is a piece of junk. I have Windows 2000 on Toshiba laptop. Initially it didn't installed drivers. I tried for 10times without luck.Try to install drivers first and if it is not successful again double click the Newtork card in device manager and slect update driver. Don't select automatically select suitable driver. Select the other option "Display a list of the known drivers for this device so that I can choose a specific driver" and in the next screen don't bother anything, just choose have disk and put the CD and select "D:\wpc11\win2000". It worked for me this way. And the speed is also good. Support for the product is bad. Min 30min waiting time.
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Superb, I love wireless., February 25, 2002
By James F. Anderson III (Hudson, WI USA)
This card works seamlessly in my notebook when connecting through the Linksys router. I achieve high speeds through my broadband connection that are comparable to those that I receive through my wired PCs'. If you want to go wireless, get this card for your notebook. Many of the other reviewers here have complained about the card, but if you read the manual that accompanies the card, you should have no trouble setting it up.
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Not as bad as everyone says...., February 22, 2002
By Steve R. Jensen (Guthrie, OK United States)
I ordered the WAP11 and WPC11 on Monday 2/18/02 and they just arrived this evening. "After" ordering the products I decided to read some of the customer reviews. Man, was I frightened! I almost cancelled my order but decided to give them a try anyway. I develop Windows software for a living but don't know a lot about networking. I had everything up and running in about an hour. The speed and range is very acceptable. I live in a 2,300 square foot house. The WAP is in my office, I can sit on my bed and surf at lightening speed. The signal drops to about 50% but the download speed is still very good. The reason this is impressive is because I'm going through 1 closeted wall and a regular wall for a total distance of at least 30'. I mean hey, for [the price] what else could you ask for? I also tested taking the notebook outside on the patio with the sliding glass door closed. I can get a good distance out in the yard as long as the card is facing the house. Turn the notebook so the card faces the yard and I'm toast. Anyway, I'm glad I decided to give it a try. The product was a little difficult to setup but I think that would be true with any wireless LAN devices. For those considering a purchase of a wireless device, don't let the horror stories here frighten you. The majority of all problems are user error!!!
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Get the new v2.5, February 21, 2002
By jazzycpuguy (Coos Bay, OR United States)
I just ordered this recently and received the original version and not v2.5 which I thought I was getting. While it worked and installed fairly easily, reception was terrible. I went out to a local (nationwide office supplier) store and was able to purchase v2.5 version and it's GREAT! A few problems using under WinXP but got them fixed with tech support. Much much better reception so don't get the old one.
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It works - but not the best card out there for the money, February 17, 2002
By ashtonpitts (Los Angeles, California)
I first purchased the WPC11 Linksys card to run with my Linksys Wireless Router. It worked, but the range was not what I had hoped for. The wireless router was upstairs and when I was working downstairs in my family room, (for reference, my house is 2800 sqf), the connection many times slowed to a crawl, (throughput definitely was less than 1mbs). So I began researching and learned of the Linksys WPC11v2.5. The kicker is that this is the same but upgraded version of this card. Linksys obviously realized their card did not perform as well as competitors, thus they came out with WPC11v2.5. (...it is sold for the same price as the older WPC11, so you really should look for the WPC11v2.5 card which does have an extended range. There is a lot of confusion about this card...). Well, I brought the WPC11v2.5 card home and the range was improved. I would guestimate that the WPC11v2.5 card had about 25 feet of extended range "indoors" over the older WPC11 card. Unfortunately, after installing the driver for v2.5, my computer at times began to freeze. So off to the store I went again. After much research I decided on the NetGear MA401 Wireless PC Card. I got home and installed the card. It works great. Even better than the Linksys WPC11v2.5 card. I was really happy with the range of the WPC11v2.5 card and would have kept it had it not caused problems with my computer, (Windows 2000 OS). Still, I am glad I returned it and got the NetGear MA401. The Netgear card has a better range than even the WPC11v2.5 card, (I would guess about 10feet more of inside range) and absolutely no problems with my Windows 2000 OS. I now can get access in every single corner of my home. Many times you have to find out these things on your own, but my advice would be to save yourself the hassle and just buy the Nergear MA401. And, yes, the Netgear MA401 works GREAT with my Linksys Wireless Router upstairs.
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This is the Best Wireless Solution at this price point, February 16, 2002
By frebooter (Valencia, CA USA)
I got 2 of these to go along with the Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router which I bought primarily for it's support of IPSEC pass-through so I can connect to the corporate VPN through my private LAN, wireless was secondary. I replaced my old Dlink 701 (no IPSEC support, otherwise a great device) with the Linksys unit. Then I was able to get my Windows 2000 work laptop up and runing with no hassles. It only took me 2 hours to get my other laptop running on wireless (Toshiba Tecra 8100 with Redhat 7.2). I can see where others have trouble because there are several configuration parameters that must be set. If you are not familiar with how a wirless LAN works, do some research on the Internet, it will pay off during install. I am going to experiment with external antennas to see how far around my neighborhood I can go and stay connected. My neighbors have already seen me walking around outside with my LINUX laptop (testing max range), when I show them that I am on the Internet they are amazed. I have again proved that I am the biggest geek on my street. --Spencer Suderman, CCIE #5761
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