pc cards

Since my last review (below), I changed the motherboard (to an ECS k7s5a) on my son's computer. My wmp54g went back to the original problem. This time, there was no "byte merge" I could change in the bios. I purchased a D-link G520+ and it worked great, no hassles. Even seems to have a more reliable connection than the wmp54g. I'm not changing my rating on the wmp54g, however. Seems like wireless pci cards are hit and miss. From what I've read, it seems that the wmp54g will have problems in hardware that the D-link works perfectly, but the reverse also occurs. The moral of the story - make sure you happy with the return policy of the store from which you buy you wireless pci card.

I have the linksys wrt54g router/AP wired to my cable modem and XP machine. The wmp54g is on my Win98 PIII, Asus p3v4x m/b (Via chipset). My first attempts to use the pci card caused irq conflicts that I resolved by manually selected a non-conflicting irq for the slot in which the card was seated. But the card could still not see a signal. So I adjusted the antenna on the pci card. Bad move, as the connecter came off in my hand (a light breeze would have blown it off). After exchanging the card for one in which the connecter seemed to be better secured to the card, I tried again. Still no signal, no bars, even w/ the card and router both in the same room. After several phone calls to Linksys tech support (friendly, hardworking, and eager to help, but mostly clueless), I ran across a tech that had a useful suggestion - try the card out on my WinXp machine. The card worked on that machine. Unfortunately, tech support had no clue what to do w/ that info. Eventually, I realized that if the card was to work in the Win98SE machine, the problem would need to be resolved at the motherboard bios level. Disabling "Byte Merge" in the motherboard bios did the trick! Also, make sure that the router verification is set for "Auto" rather than "Shared Key", which will result in the same "no signal" problem. Difficult card to set up on an older pc, but it's running with a fair signal/fair link (3 to 4 bars) and 24 to 54 mbps (often 48-54) at about 50-60 ft through two floors. Hopefully, it will continue to work well.

I just received on 07/06/04 my WMP54G that I purchased here from Amazon.com. The product was well packed, and when it arrived it was brand new condition and it looked to be fresh from Linksys. When I opened it up, and followed the instructions for Windows XP which is pretty easy, the brass connector that you screw the antenna on on the back of the PCI came off. It looks like that small SMA connector is pressed into the card, not soldered, and it can't hold the weight of the antenna. I called Linksys and asked if this was a known problem and they said no, and they made excuses that it was my fault. I got an RMA from them and I am sending it back. I should have ordered the USB one, but I figured this would be better. I would never purchase this type item again!

Reliable is certainly a relative term in the world of PC networking. However, even by such a loose standard, Linksys wireless technology is terrible. Furthermore, when it does maintain an active connection for a meaningful amount of time, it's not as fast as a wired connection.

After hours on the tech-support hotline - yeah, I eventually decoded the script from which they were reading - and several dropped connections a day, I finally got it to be *kinda* stable by turning off the critical security features. Needless to say, I've returned the wireless router and PCI adapter.

Oh, I've heard that cordless phones interfere with wireless networks. I've also heard that wireless networks are unstable regardless. Frankly, I've heard lots of stuff, and now I've got my $.02 to add to the pool of dissatisfied people: If you're a casual user that does not mind loosing your connection all the time, then go ahead and waste your money. Otherwise, a hole in the wall and some cabling will save you lots of time, money, and peace of mind.