pc cards

I prepared myself for trouble after reading some of the horror stories in regards to setting up wireless networks, but was pleasant surprised. I first hooked up the NetGear WGR614 router to our DSL modem (no configuration needed. The WGR614 wireless router is a DHCP server to your network and client to the ISP so it manages hooking your network together and then al of it to the web automatically). After the router was up and running with my PC, I installed this card with the simple and brief descriptions included on my wifes laptop and it automatically linked to the wireless access point of the router. The whole affair took about 15 minutes without any configuration need. This set up is TRULY plug-and-play.....a day later I had our computers hooked into a nice little home-LAN with print and file sharing on Windows XP. Connection speed varies and is only at 100% in the same room and close to the router. However we still have fully sufficient connection speed on the deck and in the basement office of my wife. Even at 50% connection, the g-standard network transfers at 15 to 20 Mbps....fast enough and way faster than the b-standard at only 10Mbps. Besides, the Netgear equipment is small and has an excellent design and not as flashy as the competition. RECOMMENDED !!

This card is a vast improvement over my previous 802.11b 11mbps D-Link (POS) card with the Netgear WGR614 router. The price is good and the 3 year warranty (with online registration) can't be beat. I bought this card for 2 reasons, it was cheapest 54g card and it "supports" WPA security. However, at this time none of Netgear's version 2.x drivers that were written to support WPA work. So you can't even get basic, unsecured connectivity with this version of the driver. Even if you apply the Microsoft patches for XP to support WPA, the Netgear's drivers are still required for the install, so you're still hosed. Netgear states that this will be fixed in the next driver release, hopefully soon.

But if you aren't concerned about better wireless security/encryption, WEP with MAC address access control works without a hitch.

All tech support calls are routed to India, but support none the less, has been very good.

While many people who have purchased this product were able to plug it right in and go, I actually had some problems in the setup of my Netgear Acccess point and this PC card. The technical support by Netgear is horrible. If you have any problems you are going to spend a long time on hold and then speak with technical support people who only know how to fix the basic items that can go wrong. At this point I was referred to second level support and told I would receive a call back in 24 hours. Over a week has passed and I haven't received the phone call. I've since purchased a Linksys wireless router and PC card and was able to connect right away.