| Linksys WUSB11 Wireless-B USB Network Adapter v4 |
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Model: WUSBF54G
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 368
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: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
Product Type - Adapter
Warranty - 3 Years Limited
Transmitted Power - 18dBm (Typical)11Mbps, 16dBm (Typical)54Mbps
Receive Sensitivity - -84dBm (Typical)11Mbps, -73dBm (Typical)54Mbps |
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| Description: |
| If you've been searching for an easy way to integrate any PC or laptop into your wireless network, you'll find just the solution with the Instant Wireless USB Network Adapter. The Plug-and-Play Wireless USB Network Adapter connects directly to any USB-ready PC - just plug it in and you're ready to share data, printers, or high speed Internet access over your existing wireless network. For desktop installation, you don't even have to open your PC's case. And user-friendly software makes it simple to set up. Not only is the Instant Wireless USB Network Adapter easy to install and use, it's also powerful. You can send and receive data at speeds up to 11Mbps and a new higher-powered antenna provides greater ranges than ever. The increased sensitivity helps filter out interference and "noise" to keep your signal clear. Improved error correction keeps you operating at higher transmission rates over longer distances. It's also versatile. Need to use it temporarily on another PC? No problem. Plug it into the USB port, set it up, and you're ready to go. So for full desktop and notebook PC flexibility and wireless convenience, the Instant Wireless USB Network Adapter provides an all-in-one solution! |
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| User Reviews (368 total): |
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I'd rate it lower if I could, January 27, 2002
By user (Jersey City, NJ USA)
Simply put, the Linksys group hasn't really updated their Windows XP drivers as far as I can tell--I've tried to install the driver every which way, have the wireless router/access point up and running but have to use good old cables to connect. Unless I "nag" the one person who's sent me email from tech support, nothing happens (and even after I get a response, it has referenced for the past 2 weeks a mythical level 2 support group, whose contact I'm still waiting for). I have 2 separate, uniquely configured XP machines that both have a useless piece of technology connected to them (the Linksys adapter), so I don't suspect this is an isolated incident.
Unfortunately, there is no "zero" rating--which is what I would suspect anyone who purchases a theoretically XP-compatible, allegedly plug-n-play device would rank it if it couldn't be made to work. In fairness, if the thing worked at all, it would get at least 3 from me; the ridiculous wait times on tech support, and one particular techie's bad attitude and misinformation have made it a stupefyingly bad experience to own this product.
I will never knowingly buy a Linksys product again, and if the level 2 guys can't fix my problem, I will call every single executive in the company until I am issued a refund.
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I can't get it to work to save my life..., January 23, 2002
By user (NC, USA)
I would have giving it no stars if all possible. I spent my money with the hopes that it would make my life easier, no. I can't get it to install at all. i tried installing it a computer with windows xp, got the new drivers and all. Nope. I tried it on a computer with windows millenium, nope. easy install is a joke. I tried to install it ever way i could think of, I tried forcing the drivers and all, but on both systems it just comes up as an unknown usb device and won't even install period, much less me having any comment on speed or reliability.... get something else from linksys or maybe another company all together.
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If it works, it works great, January 3, 2002
By user (United States)
I set up a network of 4 pcs with the Linksys router. Of the three of these cards I've tried, only one works. The one that works, works great and couldn't have been simpler to install. I returned the defective one and got another defective one in replacement. I called Linksys tech support - tech said I just had bad luck in getting two bad cards - maybe I got an older version of the same model number....not a great response.
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Just like in the Movies, December 31, 2001
By user (West Caldwell, NJ USA)
Ever see a movie where everything works just like it should? No rebooting when the hero tried to go online with the alien motherships's mainframe? Just connected right away.... Well, here's a device that works just like that. I received this Wireless adapter, along with a Linksys BEFW11S4 Router (See my review and setup for that item) for Christmas. While I may have some issues setting up the router, this Wireless adapter worked right out of the box. I installed the software, plugged it into my daughter's computer in the kitchen and, Boom, it found the wireless router upstairs in my office. I set up Internet Explorer to use the LAN and she was up and surfing in no time. She is getting about 5mbps in the kitchen when connected to the router upstairs and across the house. I've got to say this was a great gift, and easy to set up.
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Everything's ok, but the range is very poor, December 13, 2001
By user
I used this in a home setup between 2 PCs, in conjunction with the etherfast wireless access point BEFW11S4 and the above mentioned network adapter. The range was much worse than I expected. If there is a standard brick wall blocking both appliances, the signal strength could fall by almost a quarter to a half! If that is the case, I don't know how the signal could pass through one floor.
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Quick, Easy, Works..., December 3, 2001
By user (Marlborough, MA USA)
I Bought this item along with Linksys wireless router/switch and after an hour (of which 50 minutes were consumed because of my manly behaviour of insisting not to read the manual), I had both computers traveling in a lightning speed (well, I maybe over excited here, but it was very fast none the less).
One thing to add, it seems that having a computer with Windows XP as an OS connected to electricity is just enough to surf the net.
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Unresolved problems with Win98, December 1, 2001
By user (Boston, MA)
This unit is so good in so many ways, I really wanted to give it a positive review. In general, I have been very satisfied with other Linksys products. Unfortunately, the driver refuses to load properly after a reboot (a frequent occurance on Win98). The only fix I found was to unplug and then plug-in the USB cable after every reboot or stand-by. I very tedious process! Tech support simply told be to repeatedly re-install the software, which never worked. Naturally, by the time I finally concluded there was no way to fix the problem, It was past the point where I could simply return it.
However, once the driver is running, It seems to work fine.
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Wonderful, November 14, 2001
By user (Garland, TX)
After issues with installing the firmware and latest drivers on the Lynksys WAP11 Access Point, this USB Adapter worked flawlessly. I can access my home-based LAN as well as the Internet from anywhere on my property with great speed.Tip. Make sure you are running Windows XP Professional on the machine hosting the Access Point and that you download the latest drivers from Lynksys. XP Pro's simple wizard based ICS (Internet Connection Service) eliminates the need for a the router and a separate Proxy. I checked its built in Firewall for Stealth and it passes with flying colors. I have two computers running Win98 on these adapters. Great fun. Small criticism... I wish there was an activity light on the Adapter. There is a power LED and a link LED but neither provide any sense of activity.
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Poor instructions but great product, November 4, 2001
By user (Atlanta, GA United States)
I bought this to use with my Win98SE computer. When I decided to upgrade to XP I was worried that it wouldn't work because Linksys has no XP driver (yet). Not to worry. Setup was smooth (even though the directions are not helpful for XP or even 2000 or NT) and I now regularly connect at 11mbs over a distance of about 125 feet. Internet speeds are excellent (I broadcast from a Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless router/firewall) and file transfers are very good. Also nice to be able to print from either of the printers connected to the computers.If you are in a position where running wires is just not feasible or too complicated, this USB device is a very good alternative.
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Good, but remember to update the firmware!, September 27, 2001
By user (Arcadia, CA)
In general This is a good product. It works almost instantly after I pluged it into a Windows 2000-based system. FYI, the router in the network is SMC7004AWBR.However, on a Windows ME-based PC, it did not work the first time. I kept verifying all my settings, but I didn't see anything wrong. Finally, I downloaded the latest firmware and driver update from Linksys website, and it works fine since then! I am very happy that I have setup a home network with 3 computers sharing the super-fast cable modem connection.
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Great Addition to the Wireless in a Box, September 21, 2001
By user
This is a great complimentary item to the WAP11. Plus the cost is somewhat lower than purchasing the PCI Adapter/Wireless card combo.
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It simply didn't work., September 21, 2001
By user (Pflugerville, TX United States)
I use a Linksys wireless router, which works perfectly with my notebook's wireless PCMCIA card (made by Linksys). I naturally expected to have no problem with the wireless USB adapter ... but no luck at all! The configuration routine for the USB hub doesn't duplicate the capability of the configuration routine for the hub --- I couldn't input a security phrase and generate a 64-bit WEP "key" to match the one programmed into the hub. When I disabled WEP on both the hub and the USB adapter, or manually duplicated the key, there was still no joy.
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Difficult to set up, works with some glitches, September 13, 2001
By user
My setup has five PCs located widely scattered through my home. Two are notebooks using the Linksys PC Card wireless adapter, and the other three are desktops using this USB adapter. It took me over a week to get the first two desktops working correctly, and I still note that their ability to talk to each other is somewhat intermittant. I expect that it will take another month to get the rest of the PCs all talking to each other. In the process of setting these adapters up, I found that each of the PCs where I have it working has now lost the ability to access email and the Internet via their dial-up modem (no DSL or cable broadband in my neighborhood yet). This will probably have to be fixed through a complete reinstall of dial-up networking. Finally, I note that this equipment does not provide the software necessary to have one PC be an Internet host, using it's modem to access the Web with all the other PCs able to get to the Web through that one connection. My installation was probably complicated by the fact that I was using an Intel phoneline network before this, and there may be some installed software that is competing with this new equipment.
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Good, not perfect, but good, July 28, 2001
By user (San Antonio TX)
This is what I use for my laptop, since my PC Card slot is broken. It was very easy to install and use. The only drawback I see is that just on the other side of the house, I tend to get a number of slowdowns to 1 mbps, while watching the comm status, but maybe that's the nature of wireless. Just like your cordless phone, it transmits much less distance than they advertise.
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Excellent device with one exception, July 20, 2001
By user (Parker, CO)
When the cable guy finished installation of my cable Internet, and left me with a six foot network cable, I was more than happy that I was surfing a blinding speeds. The one catch however was that the only cable outlet in my house was in a small nook, behind the TV, in my living room on the first floor of my house. I knew I had to go wireless.I've never set up a network before, so needless to say I was nervous even ordering the parts. And I've always been weary of USB as well, so that just added to the stress. But when it finally came, I hooked it up, installed the software on my PC, and had it configured and running in less than five minutes. I love the little icon in my system tray that let's me know how well the connection is going. And I can open it up to get exact statistics for both signal strength, and signal quality (as well as much more). I have multiple PC's in my office, and I use a switch so I only have to worry about one monitor, one mouse, and one keyboard. The switch has USB ports on it, so I can use this one device for two of my three computers. The one computer I can't use it for, and this is what really gets me, is my G3. Who's had USB for years before it was popular? Apple. Who do they make software for? Only Windows. Big let down here guys. I don't know too much about the technology being used so I can hardly rate the devices functioning itself, but if you're a novice like me looking for a quick way to go wireless, this device makes it a snap.
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This network adapter works as advertised..., June 28, 2001
By user
I purchased this to work with the BEFW11S4 Wireless Access Point & Cable/DSL Router w/4 Port Switch. It was very easy to install. Simply plug in this usb device, install the included software, type in the necessary info in the config window, and you're set! I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5 because I was not able to get the full 11mbps speed. I got at the most 3.5mpbs speed, and that's when I was only directly upstairs, approximately 20 feet away. Actually I'm not sure if the result was because of this, or the access point. But it does advertise 11mbps at 100ft indoors. I don't transfer files back and forth much between my desktop and server, so it's not too big of a deal. A plus is that there is no latency when I'm on the wireless network.
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Almost perfect product has a serious flaw, June 24, 2001
By user (St. Maarten)
This wireless ethernet transceiver can be very helpful in setting up a network not only because it's extremely easy to install (USB plug and play) but because it's the cheapest 802.11 transceiver I've found. It does, however, have a serious drawback... the internal antenna which has a limited range compared to every other 802.11 device I have tested, including PC cards. Even with "line-of-sight" to an Access Point only 100 feet away, the signal strength ranges from good to weak, occassionally dipping down to 2 Mbps. This is, of course, with other 802.11 devices operating in the same building even though they're designed to work with each other in proximity.There is one real nice feature in the configuration software... just double click on the icon on your task bar and you can pull up a "Site Survey" of all available access points with their respective name, ESSID, channel#, MAC address, and signal strength. This feature alone well justifies the cost because it acts as a conservative diagnostic tool when setting up an 802.11 network. P.S. It's self-powered via USB and you may want to invest in a USB extension cable to allow placement of this device in a better location.
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