| Netgear WG121 Wireless 802.11g USB Adapter |
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Model: WG121NA
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 21
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
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| Features: |
54 Mbps standard 802.11g wireless Internet access
USB 2.0 powered
Easy setup via Smart Wizard install assistant
Works with all standard 802.11g and 802.1b wireless routers and access points |
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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. New antenna technology delivers greater range so you can move extended distances without losing your connection. Setup is now made quick and easy with a new Smart Wizard install assistant. High-level WEP encryption shields your network from wireless eavesdroppers without sacrificing performance. |
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| User Reviews (21 total): |
Page 1 of Total 1 Pages
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With the exception of a few systems - the best, April 21, 2006
By - www.sysedco.com (Marysville, OH)
Note the Athlon processor and VIA chipsets - on the system board - have shown problematic with this device. If you do not have these, there is question - in my tests - that this is the best USB WiFi client on the market. It provides greater range than the others and is very easy to install and configure. The software, however, does not support WPA so you will need to use a third-party wpa supplicant (understood as client) or the built-in Windows XP WZC (wireless zero configuration).
The device is fast, reliable and compatible. I tested it with thirteen different access points, as I do all client devices I test, and it worked with all of them and provided approximately the same throughput. This device is not as fast as the buffalo cardbus wifi clients, but if you're using a desktop and don't want to plug in a PCI card, this is about the best way to go.
I hope this helps you make your decision.
Tom Carpenter, Wireless# Author, Father, Husband, Techno-Geek
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Piece of junk, March 4, 2006
By Arun Kumar (Cary, NC United States)
I received an online notice from Netgear for a firmware upgrade. Unit stopped working after upgrade. Dead as a doornail. Website support is poor. Email support is poor.
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Great Item., November 25, 2005
By Vasil N. Lalov
This USB wireless adapter worked and still works like a charm. Installation is a brease and works on every computer and laptop I tried it.
Pros:
1. Great operation
2. Catches excellent signal over long distance due to the external antenna
3. Virtually plug and play
Cons:
1. The little prop-up antenna can break easy. The plastic is not too strong
2. If you switch USB ports it will ask for the driver again!
3. Does not work with Linux, but I did not fight with it too much!
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***forward compatible with WPA***, May 19, 2005
By soo007 (LOS ANGELES, CA)
This item does not actually have a hardware based WPA security nor the deciphring capabilities of WPA such as TKIP and AES.Do not use the software provided from Netgear. Use it only to install its drivers. Use XP's wireless utility program and YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SET WPA security.
This utility implements this security via software, which just as good as the hardware based, and of course with greater flexibility. This adapter with all WPA compatible devices are most likely to be forward compatible when WPA 2 comes into implementation using XP's wireless utility.
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constant lockups, November 6, 2004
By yep (Campbell, CA)
I've had nothing but trouble with this adapter on my system. My system locks up constantly if it is connected. Apparently, a lot of other people with Athlon systems are having the same problem - so buyer beware.
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Terrible just Terrible, September 22, 2004
By C. Douglas
I bought this about three months ago with a netgear router , I had to RMA the router and get a refund just two weeks after buying it , I should have sent the This back as well .
NOT a good product freezes Windows XP if your motherboard has the VIA chipset and/or an AMD Athlon CPU which was two strikes for me , the third strike came today when it just plain died the lights aren't on and the computer doesn't recognize it as a wireless adapter and no amount of installing, uninsatlling the software/drivers help.
I wish netgear had listed this on the box instead of just waiting until I emailed them to inform me.
Save your money but a linksys router & Usb adapter instead.
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Works Fine, June 23, 2004
By vinsanity023 (Costa Mesa, CA USA)
I bought this same product. I use it with a Netgear 802.11g router. I use all Netgear products to hopefully prevent any conflicts between hardware, but I'm not an networking expert so I'm not sure if that will really prevent any problems. But from my POV this is a safe buy. No problems so far. What I like about this product is that i can place it on a high shelf out of the way of metal objects and other stuff that would potentially interfere with the radio signal, because it's connected by USB.
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Netgear WG121 Wireless 802.11g USB Adapter, June 13, 2004
By unknown
This works great with newer computers utilizing windows xp. Have been using 3 in my home with a netgear wgt624 v2 wireless modem for months with trouble free daily usage. Set up was a breeze.
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Didn't work with my TiVo, worked fine with Windows XP..., June 6, 2004
By unknown
...but sadly, I purchased it for my TiVo Series 2 (240 series). It's not on the recommended or even the 'reported compatible' list for the TiVo (see http://customersupport.tivo.com/tivoknowbase/root/public/tv2006.htm? for that) but I figured it was worth trying. All the ones on that list are 802.11b, and since I have an 802.11g network I didn't want to slow it down by adding a b client.I will probably keep this, as it is very lightweight and portable, and it will probably be handy for adding wireless capability to computers I'm doing short-term evaluations on, esp during business travel. Setup on Windows, for those of you concerned with such things, was a snap. I particularly liked the NetGear software's more detailed signal strength graph than the standard Windows XP wireless software; this made it easier to position the adapter for best reception.
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Computer freezes, May 28, 2004
By timcam01 (nyc)
Setup was fine. But after a few days, the computer would freeze up. It took awhile to determine the cause. I finally found that it was the wg121 causing the issue. It's a random occurance, basically it could happen in a few minutes or several hours. Tech Support is a shame. Still trying to get it to work, but from the www.broadbandreports.com forum, it doesn't look good. This seems to happen if you have an AMD motherboard.
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Blue Screen, May 14, 2004
By unknown
Packaging is misleading. Did not work on Win98. Tech support answered quick enough, but told me to upgrade from Win98 to at least Win98SE. Package says mimimum requirement is Win98 and a USB. Got a "KEBUGCHECKEX Error 44 Blue Screen" on several install attemps.
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O.K. with Windows - Crap with Linux, May 10, 2004
By jsm008us (Florida)
When I installed it on my computer, things werent so easy. I had to boot my XP into safe mode a few times just to get it to work. Then by some miracle, things start to work flawlessly. When I moved it to another machine, the software refused to remember the WEP key.Next comes Linux...
I had an old Linksys WDT11-WPC11 (PCI-to-PCIMCIA Card [802.11B]) that would work, but barely got the signal. I bought the Netgear WG121 because it was external, it was cheap (rebates and how it was .G, so it was a good buy), and it was good if and when I upgrade to 802.11G. So now I install Linux, and the card does not work, following the linux-wlan-ng guide. Suggestions:
-If you need 802.11 and want USB2.0, go ahead!
-If you are a power user (e.g. you want to build an antenna and use linux), this product does not allow for a seperate antenna (unless you maybe disassemble) and it does not work with Linux... yet.
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Works as described: No problems!, April 29, 2004
By Kevin (Australia)
Reason for purchase:
I bought the WG121 as I required a wireless USB card, preferably 802.11g with better range than the 802.11b pcmcia card I had previously. I chose netgear as it is the same brand as my router.
Installation:
The install CD installed onto WinXP-pro flawlessly and easily following the web-based installation instructions. This adapter DOES NOT work on win98 first edition - a fact verified by support. Attempts to do will result in a BSOD.
Features: Worked with WEP and 802.11g via a USB2 port. Speed is limited to <14mps if using USB 1.0. Back-compatible with 802.11b. Comes with own wireless-detection and configuration software.
Range:
Unless you are within a few metres of your AP, do not expect full transmission speed. However, an acceptable and reliable signal between 18-24mps was achieved at a range of 20 metres through 4 walls. For ADSL purposes, this should provide mroe than satisfactory range and speed throughout the average house.
Support:
Netgear have 24/7 support via their phone-line for the first 90 days purchase. 1 year warantee.
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One big security hole, April 29, 2004
By unknown
Maybe a good enough piece of hardware. Signal and speed are average. But drivers, tools and support are extremly bad.
The adapter needs an administrators account to login before it starts working. Setting it up with admin rights is not enough to use it. It doesn't come online at all before anyone has logged in and the stupid configuration utility has been able to start up. There's no way to get this working in a multiuser environment with a minimum of security. Besides, Netgear support is a joke.
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Product stopped working after 3 days of use., April 7, 2004
By CoprateScamed (Colorado Springs, CO USA)
This product was a simple install software and plug into the USB port. However after three days of use it started acting very sparatic. It was not only not getting connected but the indicator saying it was plugged into the USB port won't even light up now. This unit died in less then a week. We have tried it on 3 different PC's. It's not even heavy enough for a good paper weight now.
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Not a very good receiver, March 30, 2004
By Mark W. Davis (Bellevue, WA USA)
I have a Netgear MA101 802.11b USB adapter sitting next to the WG121 adapter. The MA101 consistently receives a stronger signal by FAR compared to the WG121. Both adapters are less than 20 feet from the access point. The WG121 cannot sustain a good connection (i.e a relative signal strength of 5-8 on a scale of 10). The MA101 indicates a perfect connection (10 on a scale of 10) ALWAYS. I will put up with the slower speed to get a stable, consistent, strong connection. The WG121 is being returned and I will stick with the MA101 (USB1.1, 802.11b adapter).
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easy, March 15, 2004
By rxajb (mahopac, ny United States)
This was the simplest connection to my dsl wireless system. It took less than 5 minutes to connect. I am using a d-link wirelss router, works very well.
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no probs here, February 16, 2004
By bartlebysniveler (Albuquerque, NM United States)
I'm using this with Netgear WGR614. Install was a snap and the signal is strong. Browser-based control is nice - make sure to look for firmware upgrades if you get this.
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Acceptable but not very great, January 15, 2004
By Benjamin Wilber (Hell)
I bought this reciever to use with the Netgear wireless g router/firewall. Setup was fairly easy, although this is my first set of wireless equiptment. My three big complaints are that this usb reciever doesn't support WPA encryption, I can't for the life of me figure out how to use WEP encryption, and even on g only mode it maxes out at 24 Mbps. Although that is a strong signal by conventional standards, it leads me to believe that it is a weak reciever because my router is only about 30 ft away while the manual promises an acceptable signal from up to 150 ft. Despite my complaints I should mention that the signal stays relatively near 24 Mbps with only temporarily slow moments when someone in my house is using the microwave or talking on a cell phone, but the signal has never dropped off completely. The unit itself is about 3 inches wide, 6 inches long and the antenna is about 4 inches tall, so it is quite small. Overall this reciever is acceptable, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if those of you who have a lot of experience in wireless networking would pass on buying this reciever.
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Simple but Expensive, January 1, 2004
By raventime (NYC)
The Netgear WG121 is a wonderful adapter. Looks great, silver casing. Powerful antenna, goes through brick walls. Great software, no hunting through XP's set up, Netgear's configure for dummies interface. Works great with the new Super G router. Four stars because it's not as small as the Linksys or as cheap.
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