| NETGEAR WG111 Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter (54 Mbps) |
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Model: WG111
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 57
Platforms: Windows
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
Fast 54 Mbps speeds for your desktop or notebook PC; up to 5x faster than 802.11b
Experience improved range above most W-Fi networks
Plug into external USB slot for wireless connectivity at home, the office, or away
Compatible with existing 802.11b and 802.11g networks
Quick and easy setup with Smart Wizard install assistant |
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| Description: |
| NETGEAR's 54 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter enables 54 Mbps wireless Internet access to either your desktop or notebook PC. Its antenna technology delivers greater range so you can move extended distances without losing your connection. Setup is now made quick and easy with a Smart Wizard install assistant. High-level WEP encryption shields your network from wireless eavesdroppers without sacrificing performance.This adapter supports office roaming for notebook PC users for shared broadband Internet access and resources. Gives you untethered mobility at home, the office, the airport, and other public hotspots. NETGEAR's Wireless LAN Manager lets you create profiles that reflect specific WLAN settings for each place you travel.The WG111 simply plugs into the external USB port of your PC, eliminating the need to open up your desktop PC. Gain full mobility with your notebook, or place your desktop anywhere in your home, without the need to use unsightly Ethernet cables. 802.11g standard compliance ensures interoperability with existing 802.11b and 802.11g networks. Setup is now made quick and easy with a new Smart Wizard install assistant.This adapter's compact, pocket-sized design allows it to be easily carried anywhere. |
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| User Reviews (57 total): |
Page 1 2 3 of Total 3 Pages
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Wow! What a piece of junk!, August 2, 2008
By Odessa Computer Guy
I just spent hours of frustration trying to get this thing to work reliably. Never got it working correctly. Netgear won't just let you install the drivers and be done with it. No, they force you to install their bloated and buggy configuration software which doesn't play well with Windows XP(apparently). So, after much cursing and hair-pulling, I took it back and exchanged it for a comparable Linksys adapter. Now all is right again in my universe. If you are looking for a USB wireless adapter, do yourself a favor and go back to the search page and type in L-i-n-k-s-y-s.
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Constantly overheats, January 10, 2008
By ** (Arizona, USA)
I have this wireless adapter, and it works fine... when I am not uploading or downloading a lot of data. However, when I am doing so, it will constantly overheat. Sometimes it overheats within a matter of hours, but sometimes it will overheat within 15-30 minutes. It can be very frustrating to constantly have to unplug it, let it rest (or stick it in the fridge), and then plug it in again. I am currently looking to replace it, which is frustrating because it was comparitively expensive when I bought it.
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Awful, January 4, 2008
By Justin (Seattle, WA)
I'm normally very cautious when purchasing new hardware and I always shop around for the best deals. In this case, though, I rushed in like a fool and bought this for $50 at Office Depot b/c I really needed Internet access at my new place.
This adapter is horrible. It's supposed to get a very strong signal from where I am, but its signal strength is always low when plugged directly into my motherboard. When plugged into a USB 2.0 extension cable, I get very good or excellent signal strength, but it will often lose the signal when under heavy load. This is incredibly frustrating when I want to watch a streaming video, access multiple websites at once, or game. It also runs VERY hot with nothing in the way of keeping it cool. Horrible.
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Heat Issues, December 17, 2007
By B. Molinar (Los Angeles, CA USA)
As always, a crucial point to look for as a gamer is whether or not a wireless adapter will have heat issues down the line. I had this product for nearly fourteen months, and out of the blue it started getting heat issues, giving me 1.0mbps for hours on end if I was on Warcraft or even surfing the internet. After reinstalling the driver, I had about 36.0mbps to even 11mbps with a perfect signal, clearly indicating that it had heated up, or started working improperly. All my anti-virus scans and my spyware scans came up empty (as they should, since I do them regularly), and I have concluded that this heats up.
Simply stated, it heats up quite quickly as other reviewers have said, it is too fat, and that 1.0mbps stuff annoyed me.
Buy Linksys or D-Link instead.
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No problems at all, October 29, 2007
By Nickao
I have this and use it with the matching router. I think if you do not have the matching router it may not be the right item. Many negative reviews, but few if any negatives with people using the matching net gear router. This is in my daughters walk in closet as far away from the router as can be and behind as many walls as in my house and still gets a signal strong enough to work. Just beware if you are using any other router than the net Gear wireless 824 V2. 4 star because it does disconnect about once a week.
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Not bad, September 27, 2007
By lettylynton
It was a little tricky to get it to work. Because, the first time I (unknowingly) was picking up a wrong signal. When I called Netgear, they were helpful (although I had difficulty understanding them, they are in India.) A couple of months ago after a bad rainstorm I completely lost my connection. I called Netgear, but they told me the problem was with my router. So I called Linksys and they told me that I needed to set up a new network. Apparently they claimed that it was "erased" and my connection from the router to my adapter was lost permanently. But they (Linksys) walked me through the steps; they were helpful but also in India so it was again challenging to understand them. Since I got my new network set up I have had no problem getting online and keeping a connection. Other reviews state that their adapter cannot keep a connection for very long. Of course, I'm not a computer expert, but that sounds like either a manufacturer's defect or maybe the adapter or router isn't configured correctlt?
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Nightmare! Major issues with connection and overheating, September 22, 2007
By kallio (WA State, USA)
Oh, how I wish I would have read all the reviews before buying this thing. I had a terrible time getting it to connect with my router, but eventually got it to work. I noticed the device ran quite hot (within in minutes of being plugged in), but foolishly ignored it. I left it on for 24 hours and came back to find my hard drive *and* motherboard blown. I can't pin it on Netgear's device, but it sure seems odd to me. After getting a new hard drive and a new motherboard, I am looking elsewhere to find a wireless Internet adapter. Save your $12.00! My little purchase cost me over $200.00, huge data loss, and a ton of time to reinstall it all.
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Turns off frequently! Irritating!, September 8, 2007
By mgirishfan (Lutherville, MD United States)
I ordered this when I got a new Dell desktop and needed to connect with the wireless network in my home. It was easy to set up but that is the end of the good news.
This adapter just randomly looses its connection to the network. In the space of one hour, it will loose its connection at least twice, if not three times. Reconnecting is no problem - I just click on Repair and it goes through the motions and connects back right away. I reinstalled it a few times but the same thing happens.
This is a very irritating feature, especially when I am using Skype! I have had enough and I am ordering a new adapter from a different manufacturer!
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Go Wireless, September 3, 2007
By couldbeyou
At an inexpensive price I was able to Use a desktop wirelessly. No more wires or extra printers. File sharing made easy with this little gadget.
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WG111 and TIVO, September 1, 2007
By Edward M. Wright (Portland Orygun)
WG111 V2 is NOT recognized by TIVO. V1 is.
Verify with the seller BEFORE you buy.
Ilearned the hard way
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Ridiculous at best, July 28, 2007
By D-man (Cincy)
If you don't mind blue screens of death or having your PC lockup or reboot after 45 minutes to an hour, this is the product for you. Works fine until it gets warm and then the fun begins.
The longest I have been able to stay online is approximately an hour. No wonder they're selling for $15 used on here...they're lawn wafers.
I had no problems even remotely close to this until I plugged in this turd, so I know it's the culprit.
Back to Best Buy it goes.
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Piece of C%#$!, May 27, 2007
By Li Kenny (Granite Bay, CA United States)
The brilliant folks at Netgear sell this lovely wireless adapter w/o the driver to run it. Of course they include in the package a big bold note saying you can download the driver from their website. But wait! The function of the wireless adapter is to connect to the Internet. Duh! No driver, no Internet! Brilliant way to save a nickel!
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GOOD FOR MAC USERS, May 16, 2007
By Ayinde Smith
I am between Mac Book Pros and wanted to add wireless to an old iBook with no airport card. A card for this costs between $US80 and $US150. i was about to bite the bullet when I did some research and found drivers for this adapter on the Realtek website, maker of the chipset, http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/
It works best on PPC Mac right up to the latest OS. I have had no problems. The GUI app from Realtek is not the best designed but for the price its ok. I have used it on a secured and unsecured, and both Mac and PC networks. Be sure to get WG111v2 which uses the chipset from Realtek.
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i dont know if it works..., May 9, 2007
By umurs (Chicago, IL..)
worked but a weird deal, not sure if my computer was the problem or this thing....i cant say it is bad or good sorry...
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Works great!, May 8, 2007
By William Winkle (Florida, USA)
Can't beat the price and it works great. I do PC troubleshooting and it's nice to have an alternate way to connect when the users wireless nic fails or is misconfigured. Nice and small. Very durable.
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Vista Compatible Excellet 54 Mbps USB Adapter, March 19, 2007
By S. Ip
Found this Netgear USB adapter and ordered it. Wow, it is so easy to install and the wireless signal is so stronge. It connected at 54 Mbps most the time. I ordered one after another and have three already. Try it with Windows Vista Home Premium, just in a second it found the driver from my hard drive and connected in few seconds. Very impressive for this adapter.
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Has worked for me, January 14, 2007
By Curmudgeon99 (Manhattan, NY)
This particular piece of hardware has worked as advertised. Little sucker runs pretty hot but that does not appear to affect its functioning. It works and has not failed me and that's all I care about. Ran it on WindowsXP.
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P.O.S.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crashes, have to restart, can't find router, October 22, 2006
By Space_Mountain_Man
I have a Netgear router and this wireless USB adapter. I used the router WGT624 for several months just as a firewall directly hooked into my computer and never had any problems. A few days ago however I moved my computer and decided to use this USB card and have had nothing but problems since. Half the time on start up my computer will not be connected so I have to reboot. Sometimes multiple reboots and then it still doesn't work and I have to unhook everything, router, cable modem, etc. I don't know how or why this happens but it seems to make everything stuck and nothing can communicate again until I do this. This has happened several times so I am not imagining this. I try various things but ultimately I have to shut everything down and actually unplug the modem from the power source for a few seconds then start everything back up. I have cable and this is a procedure they have you do sometimes if things get locked up, usually when you have a bad connection. I didn't have to do this when it was just hooked into the router, but with this USB P.O.S. I am doing it every day, sometimes several times a day. Then it shows a connection of like 55% and the router is in the very next room. That is with the door open, not 20 feet away. Even now as I sit here writing this the little computer on the task bar showing my connection has dropped to yellow. At least it hasn't changed red...........crap, just did, not #%^%$ kidding! .....................Okay, back on line. This is an absolute P.O.S. which I would take back except I got it in a package deal with the router and I bought it a long time ago but never used it till now. When it does work it is quick. But WHEN is the key word there. Do yourself a favor, BUY SOMETHING ELSE! Don't corporations test this crap before they mass market it?!?
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Can't keep a signal, September 25, 2006
By Laura74
It works sometimes but most the time it can't pick up enough of a signal to work.
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Never really did work, September 14, 2006
By drpreposterous (Clawson, MI United States)
Perhaps I am luckier...my Netgear adapter "crapped out" five times in the first two weeks. After reading all these negative reviews, I decided just to take it back while I still could. Netgear support was spotty--some reps really tried. But I had one simply give up and walk away fromt the call!
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