Cisco-Linksys WPC300N Wireless-N Notebook Adapter by Linksys
|
List Price: Our Price: $26.08 You Save: $90.91 (78%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $11.90 (click here) Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Cisco-Linksys WPC300N Wireless-N Notebook Adapter
Digital camera Review: Inexpensive, connects reliably to Linksys WRT54G router
Summary: 5 Stars
With 4 laptops, 3 desktops, and several WiFi nanny cams connecting to my Wifi-G network at home, I'm sticking to my good ol' standby Linksys WRT-54G and not going to mess with upgrading to N. That being said, two of the laptops are older ones w/o built-in Wifi connectivity, and the old USB Wifi-B adapters didn't support WPA2. So I picked up two of these Linksys Wifi-N PC Card adapters, and they work very well on my G network. Very happy with them.Digital camera Review: Linksys Adapter
Summary: 5 Stars
This wireless adapter arrived in a timely manor and was brand new. Just like purchasing from a store. Extremely happy with purchase.Digital camera Review: Linksys WPC300N
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a PC that has USB problems but was able to get connected using the Notebook adapter. Works Great.Digital camera Review: Linksys WPC300N - Wireless-N Notebook Card With Some Limitations
Summary: 3 Stars
Linksys WPC300N Wireless-N Notebook Adapter
The Linksys WPC300N has some nice features in a PCMCIA card. Unfortunately, many high expectations based upon the wireless N standard will leave a lot of people disappointed. I'm going to discuss Windows XP and Vista separately, since I bought the card a long time ago and have used it on both.
First and foremost, this card was created when the Wireless-N standard was still in draft form. In fact, I have had this card for more than 2 years, which tells you just how long ago that was. There's nothing wrong with that, just be aware that there are several limits in this card.
First, this card can be configured to achieve greater throughput by setting up multiple data channels. That's the `MIMO' technology that uses multiple radios, which they vastly over-hype on the packaging.
However, the improved range of the wireless N standard as compared to wireless G just never materialized. That's because this is still a 2.4 GHz card. Newer wireless N products with 5 GHz capabilities are on the market which give much better range than this.
Second, the firmware AND software for this product initially were each very buggy. I first installed this product on Windows Vista and have tested it on some 2003 boxes. All of those required multiple reinstalls and driver downloads. In the end, the GUI configuration tool is very limited in explicitly give you the information you need to know whether you are getting a faster connection with this device. So if you're not techy, this can be a drag.
The wireless security support of WPA2 is nice, and most legacy cards don't have that. It gives you stronger encryption (256 bit). But this only really works if your access point is configured that way too. Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router And in that case, there are newer cards and access points that give you this and more.
Still, I can say without a doubt, that when I needed to add another wireless connection to my Vista Ultimate box, this guy worked much better.
Bottom line, there seems to be a lot of people clinging to XP. If you're one of those, plan on downloading and updating your driver software and firmware before even testing this card.
If you are a Windows Vista user, only get this if you need a spare card for backup machines or multi-card setups. If you need something for your primary wireless access, you may want to avoid this and the WPC600N Linksys WPC600N Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N PC Card altogether and go with the 5 GHz Netgear line. NETGEAR HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit (WNHDEB111)
Pros
+ Works well on Windows Vista
+ Does give you MIMO support for greater capacity
+ Once you set it up, seems to work well with Wireless G
+ PCMCIA slot saves you from using a USB port
+ Nice WPA2 support
Cons
- Doesn't give you full Wireless N capabilities (only 2.4GHz, no 5GHz)
- Legacy OS users need to download and install many updates
- Price is still surprisingly high
- Somewhat buggy software requires frequent shutdowns
- Better options available for the price
This card might be worth looking into if you can get it on sale and need an extra one for an older laptop.
Enjoy!
Digital camera Review: Linksys WPC300N Wireless
Summary: 5 Stars
It was easy to install and works better and faster than what I had before.