| 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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Not that good, September 24, 2001
By Tom O'Grady (Long Island, USA)
I know you get other people saying that this works great and even "works fine". That's why I purchased it. After I got it up and running I was thrilled. I went from my home office to my kitchen with my laptop and lost ALL connectivity. In my bedroom I was getting 13% signal strength and that was directly over my home office. The tech support numbers on the side of the box were all disconnected on 9/21 when I tried to call. After reading other reviews that there is an inherent problem with the card (read these after I got the product) so I returned it. I did research on the Cisco Aironet. They have the most miliwatts for transmission and reception. You get what you pay for. If you want this for a home office and you do not want any wires to be run,.. it's fine. If you have a PC in the next room and again no wires... fine. Try to go farther than that and you should get something more powerful (and more $$$).
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Poor Compatibility with IBM i1400 Thinkpad and Windows 98, September 24, 2001
By unknown
I installed the WPC11 on the above-mentioned laptop and OS. It initally ran for about 20 minutes. The operating system crashed during a test transfer. This crash required a complete reinstallation of the OS. The crash was repeated after the OS was reinstallated. All Linksys firmware and drivers were updated via the web site on the second and third attempts. Technical support from Linksys was not available excpet on a phone-back basis. The trouble-shooting suggestions on the Linksys web site were elementary. During the time the card was in operation, the operating range was limited to about 20 feet (line of sight). The wireless access point was the companion Linksys WAP11. I have returned both the WPC11 and the WAP11. I regard the performance of both devices as completely unacceptable.
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Decent Product, poor range and utilities, September 20, 2001
By malamute5 (St. Paul, MN United States)
It is a well built piece of equipment, but has some flaws. First, the wireless network i am on will only let me connect in a certian area, but I can walk around, and still get reception where I could not connect. Second, the reception seems poor (from manufacturer's specifications) and it doesn't go very fast. Third, the documentationa nd the utilities/drivers are poor and very lacking. Also, from what I hear, the tech support is terrible.
Bottom line- Dont go with this one...
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Range is Horrible!, September 17, 2001
By mgonzales (Raleigh, NC USA)
Ok, folks, I decided to buy a Linksys Router and PC card.I live in a 1 bedroom apt and the range was simply terrible. I would think that the two items from the same company would have been exceptional, but it was not. After about 75 feet the network was unreachable with this card and companion router (access point). I took the card to work and had the same problems. I would suggest you look at another card. I returned mine.
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Perfect Wireless Home Network Solution, September 16, 2001
By mthom (Irvine, CA USA)
After careful review of various options to wirelessly network 2 laptops and a PC in my home, I decided on the Linksys Wireless DSL/Cable Router w/ Print Server (BEFW11P1) and two Wireless PC Cards (WPC11). This network was SO easy to install and works like a charm with our Cable modem. All of us can quickly share files and work on-line at the same time. It's a great and affordable solution and I was surprised at how easy the setup was. I can definitely recommend this system to anyone.
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..., September 15, 2001
By MCSE from Austin, TX (Asutin, TX USA)
I bought both the Wireless card and the BEFW11S4 wireless 4-port cable/DSL router. The router was a snap to install and I had my 2 desktops and notbook docking station pinging back and forth in under 3 min. This card though was a nightmare. I started my install at 8pm and finshed after two calls to their tech support at 11am the next day. (Did I mention I waited over hour and half on the first call, 22 min on the second -Linksys needs to improve here big time) So the card. I was loading it on a 98 machine and the driver would never take, and if it did, it would ... out. Finally after the second call, and awesome tech, told me the drivers on the www and cd were bad, and shot me an e-mail with the correct driver. After I finally got it working, I pulled up the signal strength 24" away from the router. THe signal strength was 80-73%. Ouch! I would walk out of the room and it would drop totally at 20-25ft with one wall between me and the router. The tech told me the card has many issues and I should look at getting a Cisco or Nortel card. I called a buddy with one of those, no free add for them, and it worked like a champ. I was able to go two blocks down the road and still had a 73% strenth and 80% link. My advise, spend the money on another card.
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Range Poor, September 9, 2001
By M. Besser (Massachusetts, United States)
There's been a lot of groaning about the range of this card, I concur. A couple walls, and it's out of range around 30 ft. I like the Linksys Wireless Cable /DSL Router. Had it up and running in minutes. But then again I already had a home network setup - I'm just upgrading it. The Linksys doc and software does have a certain unfinished quality about it that I'd find unnerving if I didn't know what I was doing. Think I'll try the Orinoco card that others are raving about.
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Fair product, September 9, 2001
By unknown
Installation was easy within Windows 98, I had no difficulties in installing the driver. Documentation is weak on using the configuration utility and be prepared to wait over 20+ minutes on hold. Signal range is widely overstated on the box. I'm not getting the range I expected.
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Untethered Internet Connection! YESSSSSS!!!!!, September 8, 2001
By definitive (Folsom, CA United States)
Okay, this product doesn't get 5 stars because the manual is about as useful as ice cubes in Alaska. The setup files are not in the proper location and the really useful utility is not prominently mentioned. The utility is a lifesaver (on the cd-rom under X:\WPC11-WDT11\Utility) it allows configuration of the NIC card without constant re-booting. For me, the Mode setting is on infrastructure, SSID on linksys, TxRate on fully automatic, and PS mode is disabled. I am cruising around my home with solid internet connections everywhere. It just doesn't get any better. The setup can be a little confusing but the turnaround time with tech support was less than 20 minutes (although the recording quoted 77 minutes). Wireless broadband is non-trivial but it is by no means impossible and when working, thoroughly enjoyable.
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Windows Me Installation Problems, September 7, 2001
By delc (Seattle, WA United States)
I had the worst installation problem with this PC card. First off, LinkSys is fully aware that the installation CD that shipped with this product has major issues. Nowhere in their web page do they even care to mention this. I spent several hours uninstalling and installing various ways but couldn't get it to load. Technical support took over an hour onhold waiting on the queue. A tech support finally resolved this problem. It turns out this is a common problem with Windows Me.
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Easy Install, September 4, 2001
By Beth (New England, USA)
We have 2 of these cards and are ordering our 3rd. We're also using the Linksys wireless access point and router, the $... one. Before this we were using Powerbooks with Airport cards. The install on a new Toshibal laptop running Windows 2000 Professional was incredibly easy. The install on a new HP running Windows ME was a little more complicated, we had to manually install the drivers. We get around the same coverage as with the Airport cards, maybe a bit less but nothing drastic. We don't have any complaints about speed. We bought our first 2 at CompuUsa within 2 weeks of each other. One is a newer model than the other, the older one isn't quite as square shaped as the newer one plus the older one has a hard plastic carrying case. Since the Airport cards are completely internal, having this stick out of the side takes a bit of getting used to. Overall this product works well and setup is easy enough on Windows 2000 Professional and ME. We haven't had any problems so can't vouch for Tech Support or Customer Service.
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Great product, August 31, 2001
By unknown
I purchased the WPC11 Wireless Network PC Card along with the BEFW11S4 Wireless AP and Router. First, I received my shipment in less than 36 hours. Second, both products were installed and working in less than an hour. I am on Windows 2000 with a cable modem connection to the internet. After installing the drivers using the Quick Installation sheet for the appropriate OS, go straight to the User Guide and follow the configuration instructions. Two changes that I made from the default settings are to set "Network Type" to "Infrastructure" and "Preamble Mode" to "Auto". I found these recommendations in reviews I read prior to purchasing and installing. Next, go to the Configuration Utility section and install the utilities. These are necessary to monitor and troubleshoot your wireless connection. One other problem on the Quick Installation sheet is the "Specify a location". For Windows 2000 the path is "D:\WPC11-WDT11\win2000" not "D:\win2000". I was able to go anywhere in my house and maintain an uninterupted connection. I also maintained the connection while sitting on my gazebo at the edge of my property. This is 110 feet from my access point and must travel through 3 walls and several moveable obstacles. I did notice that my Link Quality and Signal Strength would register "Not Applicable" at this distance, but I maintained the connection with no noticeable performance problems.
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Good solid product, August 31, 2001
By Bob Mistele (Bloomfield Hills, MI USA)
This card works good. The software is kinda buggy. It monitors the conection and if i go out side it says i have no signal but i am still connected to the internet at full speed. Other then the software problem this is a good card.
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dependable, August 31, 2001
By shengs75 (Omaha, NE United States)
I now have 2 cards one for each of my laptop. one is running 2000 one is running 98. It works fine on both. It picks up the signal right away after I installed my wireless router. Be careful not to name both machines the same name, otherwise you'll need to change one. :) Great value for the performance.
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Forget this product if you are running Windows ME, August 28, 2001
By DVD junkie (Lake Forest, CA)
I purchased the Linksys Wireless PC card and returned it the next day This card has serious issues with Windows ME. I could not even get the drivers to installed. I purchased a D-Link card which works like a charm. I can't stress enough. Do not buy this card if you are running Windows ME!!
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Poor Range and installation, August 27, 2001
By BL (Houston, TX United States)
I ordered DWL-650 with DI-713P based on the features. The first DWL650 had very poor range, would not work more than 30 feet away with two walls in between in my home. And the second card would not even install on my W2K machine. It keeps saying unknown pcmcia device ( I did not have problem with my first card though) and would not load dwl-650 driver for it. To me, the range is useless, and the tech support is helpless. Avoid this product if you can.
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Incorrect documentation, Poor fit, High price == Bad., August 24, 2001
By Alex Avriette (Arlington, Virginia USA)
I have had lots of problems with this card, and I have still not gotten it to work. I have an IBM Thinkpad, a Sony Vaio, and a Powerbook G4. This card doesnt work in *any* of them. I have followed the instructions very carefully.An important note here: The Windows 95 instructions are downright *wrong* and make no allowances for differences in system configuration (for example insisting that the CD-ROM be D:, as opposed to E:). There is _no_ installer on the CD, and Windows wasn't able to find any drivers on the disk. Linux is another story. The card does not seem to power up correctly, so the Linux kernel module cant seem to talk to it. This is probably due to the poor fit of the card in all three of my laptops. I'll get into that in a moment. In MacOS, the card powered up (the Powerbook has a very slick PCMCIA dock, so that doesnt surprise me at all). However, there are a) no drivers and b) it doesnt even attempt to identify itself as 99% of the other PCMCIA cards out there do. In general, this card has been bad news, and I'm not sure what to make of it, other than chalking it up to $100 down the drain. A further issue, which really prevents me from ever wanting to buy Linksys hardware in the future, is that the card just doesnt "fit" right into the VAIO or the Thinkpad (both very mainstream, expensive laptops). It is necessary to push the card in so hard it feels like the antenna may break off. This is a horrible way to manufacture a product. Lastly, and mostly least, is the fact that the card comes with no case whatsoever. Because it has this huge antenna sticking out the side, it could be easily broken by leaving it in the laptop when moving the laptop around (which you do with every other card, right?). Your only choice is to continue to use the static baggie that comes with it or improvise something. Overall, the implementation and conception of this product is poor at best, and I will never buy another Linksys product again. Its a miss in three different operating systems on three different laptops.
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The range!!!, August 19, 2001
By Peter Jankowski (Atlanta, GA United States)
Easy setup, good manual. Very dissapointing range when combined with LinkSys wireless access point. At the distance of about 21 feet the signal strength was down to 60%(through one wall). I returned it promptly and got neatgear pc wireless card and access point.
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Range is very poor, August 16, 2001
By Keith Bergendorff (Brightwaters, NY USA)
Using this card with the Linksys wireless cable/DSL router and access point, the best I could manage in my house was 40-50 ft. from the access point, practically useless. I returned the card and got an Orinoco Silver card for $90. It has about twice the range communicating with the same access point, and I can now use my laptop anywhere in the house. No compatibility problems either (I have Win2000 on both machines).Buy the Orinoco!
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Wireless range overstated, installation difficult, August 15, 2001
By keithken (Fallbrook, CA United States)
I bought a Linksys wireless system largely based on PC Magazine's rating, which stated that installation was simple even for a novice. And, Linksys claims an indoor range of 300 feet. I bought the WPC11 wireless card along with the BEFW11S4 wireless router. I'm neither novice nor pro, but my experience was an extremely difficult installation, requiring three calls to tech support over a two day period. Then, when it was finally up and running, the effective range turned out to be approximately 22 feet.
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