Cisco-Linksys WCF12 Wireless-B Network CompactFlash Card (Type I)

by Cisco

Product Details

Product Manual [409kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.7 x 2.4 x 0.1 inches ; 0.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006ELLL
• Item model number: 90373489
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 11, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description Experience the speed and convenience of wireless networking on your PDA. The Linksys wireless CompactFlash card installs directly into your Pocket PC using a CompactFlash Type I or Type II slot. The user-friendly software makes it a snap to set up, and then you're ready to share data, printers, or high-speed Internet access over your existing wireless network at speeds up to 11 Mbps.

Use the wireless CompactFlash card to connect your PDA to the wireless network at the office, at home, or in any of the growing number of public wireless hot spots springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels, and convention centers.

With the Linksys wireless CompactFlash card you'll get more of what you own a PD A for--information at your fingertips with total mobility.

The Linksys wireless CompactFlash card is compatible with Pocket PCs with a Type I or Type II CompactFlash slot; any ARM-, SH3-, or MIPS-based PDA running Windows CE 3.0 or later and Microsoft ActiveSync Utility 3.5 or later; and PCs or notebooks with at least a 200 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM, a CD-ROM drive, and running Microsoft Windows 98 SE, 2000, Me, NT 4.0 SP6, or XP.

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 of 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. What 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 Description

MODEL- WCF12 VENDOR- LINKSYS FEATURES- Instant Wireless Series Wireless CompactFlash Card Connect your PDA to a wireless network. Experience the same speed and ease of wireless networking with your CompactFlash Type I ready personal digital assistant as you do with your laptop or desktop computer. The Wireless CompactFlash Card is a Type I CompactFlash card that connects directly to your PDA. Just plug it in and youre ready to share data printers or high- speed Internet access over your existing wireless network. Plus user-friendly software makes it a snap to set up. The Wireless CompactFlash Card is not only esy to install and use but also powerful. Your PDA can send and receive data at speeds up to 11Mbps. A high-powered built-in antenna keeps you connected at distances of up to 984 fett. The Wireless CompactFlash Card is also versatile and easily configurable through your PDA. Includes Wireless CF Card CD-ROM with drivers and user guide. * Up to 11 Mbps high-speed data transfer rate with automatic fallback. * Compatible with Windows CE 3.0 and higher. * Built-in Power Management saves battery power. * Supports up to 128-bit WEP encryption security. * Compliant with 802.11b DSSS 2.4GHz standard. STANDARDs - IEEE 802.11b INTERFACE - Type I CompactFlash standard CHANNELS - 11 Channels (US Canada) RANGE - Indoor: 196 ft. (60m) Outdoor: 984 ft. (300m) DATA RATE - up to 11Mbps (with Automatic Fall Back) INDICATORs- LED for Link APPROVALS - FCC B CE MARK REQUIRES- Pentium 200MHz or faster 64MB RAM CD-ROM drive Microsoft ActiveSync Utility PDA with available Type I CompactFlash slot Windows CE 3.0 or higher Windows 98/Me/2000/XP to load drivers. POWER- 3.3V DC 250mA SIZE - 2.37 x 1.70 x 0.13 WT.- 0.63 oz. MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 1 YEAR

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Could it be any easier?, December 7, 2002

By 

G. Eytcheson (Independence, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WCF12 Wireless-B Network CompactFlash Card (Type I) (Personal Computers)

Bought this to use in my Dell Axim X5 device, and it works perfectly! The install was very smooth. The configuration utility was simple to master and handled both my 128 bit WEP and my non-standard SSID like a champ.

I routinely use it between two different wireless networks and can switch between their configurations with a couple of taps on the Axim's screen. Link and signal quality have been excellent even sitting in my car a couple of hundred feet away from the SMC2655W AP located in my home.

The only trouble I've had is with physically inserting the card in the Dell Axim device -- it takes quite a bit of alternating force and finesse to get it started into the CF slot. This thing is just a smidge wider than other CF cards which insert into the device with no resistance.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to get this to work with the Zaurus SL-5500, January 15, 2003

By 

firecrafter695 (Bloomington, Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WCF12 Wireless-B Network CompactFlash Card (Type I) (Personal Computers)

I purchased this card to work with my Zaurus SL-5500 and had a difficult time setting it up. There was a user that gave some advice in a review of the product and made it sound so easy. Well, his method did not work for me. Here is the method that did work.

Hard reboot the system. When the reboot is finished, install the terminal ipk file. Once that is installed, use vi to edit the /etc/pcmcia/wlan-ng.conf file. Add an entry that says:

device "prism2_cs"
class "wlan-ng" module "prism2_cs"

at the top of the file. At the end of the file, ad an entry that says this:

card "Linksys WCF12 11Mbps 802.11b WLAN Card"
version "Linksys", "Wireless CompactFlash Card"
bind "prism2_cs"

Once you have done this, reboot the Zaurus and once it has restarted, insert the WCF12 card. The link light should flash and the ifconfig eth0 should return useful information.

Other than the difficulty that I had setting up the card and getting it to work the first time, I've not had any problems with the WCF12. It's a great card but it's hard to get it setup on the Zaurus if you don't know much about Linux.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your PDA needs this., August 8, 2002

By 

Benjamin Park "bpcomp" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WCF12 Wireless-B Network CompactFlash Card (Type I) (Personal Computers)

Well I just got this card in the mail today and it is performing flawlessly. I have an iPaq 3640 which has the PCMCIA jacket. I am actually writting this review and listening to streaming music on my iPaq right now. For those of you wondering, I am using a PCMCIA to CF adaptor.

When I turn my iPaq on it it takes about 2 seconds to link up to my wireless router. The drivers are very good. A small icon shows up in the bottom right corner of the iPaq on the "today" screen. From there you can change the speed of your conection, encryption, and a bunch of other network settings. You can also keep an eye on how good of a conection you have. At 11mb I only get down to a 60% conection quality at the bottom, inside of my house. That is going through brick walls and all.

My advice is to buy a wireless network and get this card for your PDA to greatly increase its usefulness, functionality, and gadgetyness.