PRO:

The card installed perfectly, connection comes up as "excellent" every time and I was into my network and Internet connection within 5 minutes. SMC has 24/7 toll-free tech support.

CON:
The drivers are not certified for Windows XP and the so-called setup utility crashes itself. It's in the "Add/Remove Programs" area but won't uninstall. Don't try to use the utility if using XP... allow XP to manage the network settings and you'll be fine. SMC even recommends it after calling them. The useless utility is there and I leave it alone and use XP to manage settings.

Bottom Line:

Decent wireless adapter if you're running "b" and it does great with my D-Link 614+ router but don't pay much for this adapter. It's worth $25-$30 but not the $58 that I paid for it.

I decided to repartition that test boxes hard drive and install Win2k so as to get *some* use from this card while waiting for the BSD driver wizards to put something out. The card installs fine but then when I launch the configuration utility the box freezes completely and I have to manually power it off, then boot into safe mode and take the utility out of startup to avoid a cycle of freezes. SMC's web site was useless as there is no updated config utility; I couldn't even find the version that came with the card, leaving me to wonder what I would do if I lost the CD. I guess WinXP people could still use this card but I'm not upgrading my OS just so I can use this card.

My win2k box is service pack 4 with a million hotfixes, and there was no anti-virus or any other weird software on the box at the time (it was a test box!). This product is useless and I feel very much deceived by the chipset switch-a-roo. I will never buy SMC again.

Installing Card: The hardest part was getting the case open! After that I screwed in the new card in a few seconds, put the case back on, and was ready to go.

Installing Software: I put the CD in, clicked a few times, and I was done. All I did is follow the on-screen instructions. After about 2 or 3 minutes I was getting a signal from the basestation.

This card is great! Extremely easy to install, and the connection is way faster than on my laptop. We have a steady, fast connection across the house and through a bunch of walls. A great card at a great value.

Conclusion: With any hardware/software you buy, it's a good idea to install it and check to see if there are updates and security patches available.

Check for pci cards with external antenna that can be positioned away from the body of the pc or pci cards with removable antenna, so that it can be upgraded with a higher gain antenna.

This was my first try at networking. It couldn't have gone better. I highly recommend the SMC 2602W.