Linksys WMP54G Wireless-G PCI Adapter

Product Details

The Linksys Wireless-G PCI card connects you with Wireless-G networks at an incredible 54 Mbps. And for added versatility, it can interoperate with all the 11 Mbps Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hot spots around the country. And in either mode, your wireless communications are protected by up to 128-bit encryption, so your data stays secure.

Don't hassle with running cables through your house--get your desktop connected the easy way with the Linksys Wireless-G PCI card.

See a comparison diagram of the different wireless technologies.

Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Since they don't require cables, you can use the devices anywhere in an office or home, even out on the patio. There's no need to roll out an Ethernet network cable to each room of a house; you can network anywhere--without wires. Outside the home, wireless networking is available in hotspots at coffee shops, businesses, airports--great when you're on the road and need to get some work done. For convenience, wireless networking is the answer. Which Wireless Standard Is Right for Me? Now that you've decided to create a wireless network, the next step is to figure out which wireless standard to use. Basically, a standard is a set of specifications for a device. All devices that follow a specific standard share operating characteristics, such as the radio frequency used and maximum data transfer speed. For wireless networking, there are three standards to choose from at this time: 802.11b 802.11a 802.11g To learn about the differences between the standards and select the right one for your network, click here for an easy-to-understand chart.

Product Reviews

(4 stars) - Linksys WMP54G Wireless PCI adapter
This card is very easy to install. It has great signal strength and is very easy to configure.

(4 stars) - No surprises
Everything worked as advertised: just followed the instructions in the box, and it was smooth sailing.

(4 stars) - Preparation is everything
The adapter I received did not look like Amazon's picture, was a half-height card. No matter.

Requested one-day delivery and it was here in 24 hours; $17 extra. Very pleased.

Installation went perfectly and the card is working perfectly, BUT not until I uninstalled through all normal means (Control Panel Programs, Device Manager, etc.) all signs of previous Linksys programs and drivers. Then, with Regedit, did repeated 'finds' and removed (deleted) EVERY Linksys reference - keys and values, etc.

Then simply followed Linksys directions (Software first, then card) and all went without pause.

Was surprised that the network connections to Internet and other computers in the house were not affected in any way - all were present as before with the old 802.11b card as soon as entered the SSID and 64bit WEP (went to the right channel automatically).

Won't even say how many days I spent learning this procedure with another card (which I now think would have worked just fine if I had known what I know now).

I don't think there is any way of installing a new different wireless adapter card without going through the steps I outline above. I guess Linksys is afraid of recommending any procedures involving modifications to the Registry, but I see no choice.

(4 stars) - It works.
I've had to re-setup twice, in the past month, but it's easy enough to do, and I don't know whether that was caused by the adapter or my modem/router, which has its own problems.

(2 stars) - There are far better solutions than this...
My experience with this card is while repairing and updating a 2006 Dell Dimension 3000 (after a reformat and complete reinstall of all original XP software.) It worked with Service Pack 2. When I installed Service Pack 3 I immediately began to get an error message on boot: "Access violation at address 004074CD in module 'WMP54GSv1_1.exe'. Read of address 00000368". This is a reference to the driver for the model I had: WMP54GS. Went to Dell site and did a reinstall of Wireless drivers recommended for this system. No improvement. When I tried to use the Windows uninstall utility to uninstall this driver, the UNINSTALL LOCKED UP AT 30%. No wanting to abort, I looked at the task manager and discovered a new task running -- "Aegis protocol - installation". I suspect this was initiated by the Linksys driver. (Other than the OS there is almost nothing on my system.) I deleted this task and the uninstall unlocked and went forward. After rebooting the "Access violation..." error disappeared. I now have connectivity to my wireless network but it is not nearly as good as the connectivity from my Dell laptop. (Connection tends to break much more frequently.) I am ommitting the extensive research I did (many people are having the "Access violation" problem with this card under a variety of circumstances) and the extremely polite but totally useless chat session I had with a Linksys representative in India, who immediately told me that this product was no longer supported and so they could not tell me whether it worked with SP3 or not unless I was willing to pay for support.

Cisco is an excellent company. I have two Linksys routers I am very happy with but I think the technology of this card is too long in the tooth.

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