| Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter |
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Model: WPC54G
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 240
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: Windows
Form factor: Plug-in module
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Operates in the 2.4 Ghz frequency spectrum with speeds up to 54 Mbps
Complies with IEEE 802.11g draft standards, and is backwards compatible with IEEE 802.11b products
32-bit CardBus Interface
Up to 128-bit WEP encryption
Compatible with Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, and XP |
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| Description: |
| LINKSYS WPC54G - Wireless-G is the emerging 54 Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B ( 802.11b ) products found in homes, businesses and public wireless hotspots around the country. The best part is, since they share the same 2.4GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices talk to existing 11 Mbps Wireless-B equipment. |
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| User Reviews (240 total): |
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Linksys Wireless-G Notebook card, January 16, 2006
By Dudearino (Los Angeles, USA)
Excellent reception and easy to install.
I would recommend.
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Excellent value for the buck, January 9, 2006
By bella_lugosi (United States)
I went for this card because I wanted something unexpensive for one of my older laptops (Dell Inspiron 8000). I picked Linksys because they are a subsidiary of Cisco (which I hold to a good reputation).
I am very pleased so far, the card works great with both Windows 2000 and Fedora Core 4 (the 2 OS-es loaded on my said laptop). The hub in our house is a Apple AirPort and I have never lost the signal (as some of the other reviewers have complained).
Getting it to work with Linux was a bit of a hassle but now that I figured it out (see http://the-free-meme.blogspot.com/2006/01/holidays-are-over-happy-new-year-and.html)
it actually boots up and connects faster than with Win2k.
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This isn't a good card..., January 6, 2006
By stu2j (Va USA)
This card was purchased because I had a coupon making this what I thought was a very good deal. I was wrong.
I've installed a lot of wireless cards and this one was just terrible. I followed their directions to the letter and it just kept telling me that it had associated with the AP but couldn't find the network or the Internet. OK, I finally used the profile page to enter all the settings manually (IP, DNS, Gateway, you get the idea) and it connected immediately. However, I shouldn't have had to do that.
It turns out that the IP address the card was trying to use didn't come from my router. I have no idea where it was getting it (nearby unsecured linksys router?)
Once configured, the card has a tough time holding a solid network connection at what I deem a reasonable distance.
IMO there are better cards out there.
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Not for Windows 98se, December 23, 2005
By D. Dill (Rochester, NY)
Even though the box says this adapter will work with windows 98se, don't count on it. After 15+ hours of trying various fixes and having Linksys support tell me that it does not work with windows 98, I exchanged it for a Belkin adapter (Part # F5D7010). Inserted the Belkin setup CD, it did it's thing for about 10 minutes then said to install the card. It worked right off, and was able to detect wireless networks from nearly a block away. Definitely the choice for older windows laptops!
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Not very good, November 27, 2005
By An Electronics Fan!!!!! (LW, FL, US)
Couldn't get it to work with my lynksys router. If you have internal wireless in your laptop-use it-it wouks great.
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crashes windows me, November 5, 2005
By R. Lee (nyc)
bought this for my dad's dell inspiron notebook using the windows me platform and it just kept crashing the computer everytime we tried to install it. even when we exchanged it, the same thing happened. then we got the Netgear WG511T Super G 108 Mbps Wireless PC Card and it works perfectly!
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Very Nice card, October 14, 2005
By Peter Allendorfer (Maineville, OH USA)
I ordered this card for my sis-n-law's IBM T23 Thinkpad laptop. It connected very nicely out of the box. I connected it to my WRT54GS Linksys Router. Sometimes the laptop itself can block the signal, but that is to be expected as the Thinkpad has a Magnesium shell. I wish that the antenna was smaller as it is a pain to have to remove the card to put it in the laptop bag, but nearly all WiFi cards have the same antenna on them.
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It worked grreat intill it broke, October 8, 2005
By toytec (Calif.usa)
It was easy to set up and worked great for a month and then it broke.I am not sure how to get a refund so it is gathering dust at this time.
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notebook adapter, September 30, 2005
By rookie (tucumcari nm)
this notebooker adapter Gwas used to replace my B and is working good really impoved the speed over the B with the G router
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Problems with Windows 2000, September 30, 2005
By Desert Rat (Tucson, AZ USA)
Although Linksys claims compatibility with Windows 2000 for the WPC54G, I could not get the card to do DHCP IP addressing using a Sony laptop connected to a Linksys wireless WRT54G router/DHCP server/WAP. This was with a Windows XP Home tower PC already connected to the wireless router via a WUSB54G and working fine.
I just could not believe Linksys would make incompatible products. There must be a problem with my laptop, right? So after spending 3 long nights looking for old uninstalled remnants of past wireless programs and clients inside the Registry and chatting with Linksys tech service to no avail (I mean, the card would connect after all if you forced a temporary restart on the Linksys WLAN service using admin services, so it did seem like an internal conflict), I finally gave up on the Linksys WLAN monitor program.
I installed LucidLink Client 2.3 (freeware) and the card works fine. Bah on Linksys tech support for either not knowing or being unwilling to say they have a WLAN monitor 1.3 incompatibility problem with Windows 2000 and their own WRT54G router.
I would still buy Linksys wireless-G products - their range is great, the router is inside an aluminum Airstream trailer transmitting 100+ feet to inside a house with good reception. This is in Arizona with unoccupied trailer temperatures approaching 130 degrees (the trailer is over by the DirecPC dish, another story). Since most people have XP they will have no problems.
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Linksys Wireless-G Notebook Adapter, September 13, 2005
By Ken Schmidt (Eagan, MN)
I must have not understood install directions etc. or the CD Rom was not compatabale with my Notebook a Dell D600 as the card did not work. So I opted to return it and had my Grandson Lucas install a Wireless Card he had and everything worked fine.
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great product by linksys, September 10, 2005
By Never argue with an idiot. they drop you to their level and beat you with experience! (texas, usa)
This is an EXCELLENT product. I recently decided to share my wireless iwth my neighbor and we looked at getting a wireless extender (or repeater as most IT people know it as). I decided to replace all of my netowrk with linksys wireless - G products. I could not be happier. I have used netgear wireless, Belkin, Dell (when they were in the wireless business), and Proxim. By far this was the easiest wireless network to setup. The only reason I do not give it 5 stars is that i do NOT like the one-touch programming option. it's just confusing. Give me a web interface and let's do it the old fashioned way... that way I know what I have. This isn't a knock on this product,but more a knock on the router!
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Driver Fails To Work Correctly On Windows 2000, September 9, 2005
By G. Rosser (Upstate NY)
With an out of the box installation, the Linksys Monitor (the utility to monitor and configure the adapter) could not see the adapter as being "Active." Linksys Technical Support consisted of (1) asking what O/S I was using (Windows 2000 Professional - which is supposed to be supported), (2) directing me to reinstall the drivers, (3) download latest drivers from their web site even though it was the same version that came on the CD, and (4) suggested I return the adapter.
I tried the installation on 4 different laptop computers. Three were W2K, and 1 was XP. Installation on the XP laptop worked as described in the installation guide. I never got a successful installation on any W2K laptop.
I cannot recommend this product if being installed on a W2K laptop.
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Not good on Dell Notebooks, September 9, 2005
By Jayne B. (Colorado)
I purchased all of the Wireless-G equipment for use with my Dell Lattitude D600 notebook (Router, Adapter, Print Server). Router and print server seem to work fine, but nothing but trouble with this adapter.
It wouldn't keep a signal and eventually started making my system hang - had to remove the card to get my other programs to unhang.
I hired a "computer guru" to come and fix it, assuming that a rookie like me had just screwed up the installation somehow. $160 bucks later, he couldn't fix it either. Bad card? Incompatibility? Who knows, but I found other Dell notebook users on other forums who were banging their head against the same brick wall.
Anyway, for anyone with the Dell notebook using the older Intel PRO/LAN 2100 3A built-in adapter (which also didn't like the new router), there is new firmware for the Intel adapter that you can download from the Dell support site. It will make the old adapter work fine with the WRT54G router, EXCEPT for the fact that this older card doesn't support WAP security. Anyway, to make an already long story a bit shorter, Dell has a replacement Mini PC card (replaces the old Intel PRO 2100 Card in the little door on the bottom of your notebook) that supports a/b/g wireless and all of the newer security. I wasn't too crazy about having an adapter that sticks out of the side of my computer, anyway! It is the Dell 1450 network adapter and Dell support will help you install it. Plus, it only costs $49.
Good luck to everyone! This wireless stuff can be a little confounding, so hope this might help someone.
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Great buy, August 28, 2005
By A. deArmas
I did my research before purchasing this wireless card and am very pleased. Its worked everywhere that has had a wireless network, easy to set-up.
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Not the best wireless adapter, August 15, 2005
By Jami Dwyer
I have a built-in Atheros AR50004G wireless card, but my boyfriend has the WPC54G. The WPC54G is sturdy as heck, and worked great on our own home wireless network. But when we're traveling, I see five available networks for every one he sees. We've just moved to a new apartment, and I could leech Internet off a neighbor instead of paying $52 a month, but his adapter doesn't even know they exist. We're hoping to find a better external network card and save ourselves $600 a year!
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Plug and Play, August 2, 2005
By Frank (San Francisco, CA)
This installation went pretty straightforward. It was my first WI-FI wireless card. The reception is very good unless you plan to use this card 3 concrete walls away from your Access Point.
In a nutshell:
1) Install the CD
2) Plug in the card
3) Configure the Wep address
After that, the card is hot-pluggable as you can remove it or replug while your PC is on.
Bingo. Done. I have nothing to complain about.
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Excellent, July 29, 2005
By Hyderabadi (HAMDEN, CT USA)
Great product, I bought it nearly three years ago and still works like a charm. We don't have a big house but it works every where, the router is on the second floor and the connection works from the basement, porch, deck, garage and all of the first floor. Never drops the connection and speed always close to 54 Mbps. Linksys has excellent customer service.
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The perfect peripheral!, July 24, 2005
By original_star_gazer (Clinton, SC USA)
Of course you can't access the wireless network without this unit on your laptop. Not having your laptop directly wired into the home network is the ultimate in flexibility using this unit. With even less than 50% signal strength, I still never get dropped from the network. The WPC54G is the next best thing to being hard-wired! If I need another one of these units in the future, I'll buy it again in a heartbeat! My Dell c640 and I love it!
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How to Install this Wireless Adapter, July 12, 2005
By Mark (Pleasanton, Ca)
My wireless adapter is WPC54G ver.4 This product can not work on Win 98SE. I have tried and not success even I reformated my HD and reinstalled the OS. However, it works just fine for XP. The driver did not work with XP, so I used Wireless Zero Configuration or WZC to install the adapter. In additional, setting up WAP in the router requires a little bit time consuming, but it works. My notebook is an old Dell Inspiron 5000 with 600 MHz and 192 ram.
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