Cisco-Linksys WPC54GS Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster

by Cisco

Product Details

Product Manual [1.40mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001D3JXG
• Item model number: WPC54GS
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #21 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Network Adapters > Laptop Network Adapters
  • #29 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Components > Network Cards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 29, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer The Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster is the simple way to add or upgrade wireless connectivity in your notebook computer. Just slide it into your notebook's PC Card slot and enjoy high-speed wireless network access while retaining true mobility.

Once you're connected, you can keep in touch with your e-mail, access the Internet, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network, wherever you wander. At home, you can surf the web or use instant messaging to chat with friends while sitting out on the patio. Your wireless connection is protected by the industrial-strength security of Wireless Protected Access (WPA). The included Setup Wizard will walk you through configuring the adapter to your network's settings, step by step.

SpeedBooster
The Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster incorporates the next generation of Wireless-G. In standard Wireless-G (802.11g) mode, the Notebook Adapter can connect to wireless networks at an incredible 54 Mbps. With our new SpeedBooster technology enabled, your "real-world" wireless network performance increases by up to 35%! Unlike other speed-enhancing technologies, SpeedBooster is 802.11 compliant, fully compatible with standard Wireless-G, and a "good neighbor" to other wireless devices and technologies, using a single 2.4 GHz channel as specified by the official wireless standard. And, unlike other technologies, with SpeedBooster you'll see an overall speed improvement even when running a mixed network of SpeedBooster and regular Wireless-G devices.

You'll also be able to connect with any of the growing number of public Wireless-B (802.11b) hotspots springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels and convention centers. And as those hotspots upgrade to the high-speed Wireless-G standard, you'll be ready to take advantage of the increased speeds.

Get your notebook connected to Wireless-B, Wireless-G, and SpeedBooster wireless networks with the Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster from Linksys.

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 802.11a/g 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

The Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster is the simple way to add or upgrade wireless connectivity in your notebook computer. Just slide it into your notebooks PC Card slot and enjoy high-speed wireless network access while retaining true mobility. The Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster incorporates the next generation of Wireless-G. In standard Wireless-G (802.11g) mode, the Notebook Adapter can connect to wireless networks at an incredible 54Mbps. With our new SpeedBooster technology enabled, your real-world wireless network performance increases by up to 35 Unlike other speed-enhancing technologies, SpeedBooster is 802.11 compliant, fully compatible with standard Wireless-G, and a good neighbor to other wireless devices and technologies, using a single 2.4GHz channel as specified by the official wireless standard. And, unlike other technologies, with SpeedBooster youll see an overall speed improvement even when running a mixed network of SpeedBooster and regular Wireless-G devices.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Adapter, March 8, 2005

By 

citan-uzuki "citan-uzuki" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WPC54GS Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster (Personal Computers)

This is another solid product from Linksys. The adapter functions like an adapter should function. The installation was simple and free of complications. I have not experienced any break in communication between the laptop and the router.

For your information, this card is installed on a Dell Latitude C610 laptop. The operating system on the laptop is Windows 2000. The other components of my network are as follows: A Dell Dimension 8200, with a Linksys desktop adapter(with Speedbooster also). The Dell is running with Windows XP Pro. The second PC in the system is an old IBM 300PL, which is connected directly to the router through ethernet. A Linksys WRT54GS (Speedbooster) ties it all together. The network has been solid. No drop-offs.

There is really only reason that this adapter did not get five stars from me. In my opinion, the range of the card should have been greater. Even with a straight line of sight from the router, I cannot go far without losing a high percentage of the signal. So far, that has not caused any issues. However, I probably cannot go to the garage and surf the internet, for example.

I can recommend this card to a home user. In a home environment, the limited range of the card should not be an issue at all. For business use, I would probably try to find a Cisco Aeronet.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great g card but Customer Services drops the ball, May 14, 2004

By 

Geoff Oleszkowicz (MI, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WPC54GS Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster (Personal Computers)

Well, I purchased my card (WPC54GS) and the router to match (WRT54GS) last Sunday for my work computer and after a week I finally got it to work no thanks to customer service at Linksys. There only help was to tell me the card was broken and I had to reinstall my operating system after 4 hours on the phone with them trying the same thing over and over again. But I'm sure that if you have windows XP or 2000 you wont have any problems but, my company gave me a great laptop but with windows 98SE which for those of you who have moved on to XP as I did with my home PC remember what a piece it was. If any of you purchase this card with 98SE and get stuck you can e-mail me at [e-mail] and I can help you get it up and running. But as far as the product goes it gets great reception and as long as one of the antennas is pointed in the direction you are using the laptop or pc you can go through 3 well built floors and at least 100ft that I know of from my experience. Oh one more down side to this card if you have Windows 98SE you can't use the SpeedBooster unless you are using XP or 2000 just some info that I think was left out on this website but will be on the box when you get the card or router. I would give the Router 5 stars the Card 4 Stars and the customer service negative 5 stars.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm actually... pleased!, July 24, 2005

By 

Christopher Wanko "-C" (Nutley, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cisco-Linksys WPC54GS Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster (Personal Computers)

I've taken Linksys to task on the 54GS series in other reviews, and I did not think highly of their install software for the WUSB11 either. So, when I needed a laptop card to connect to my home network, I bought the WPC54GS expecting some installation challenges... and didn't have any.

I mean, I had absolutely no problems with the installer this time around. Linksys puts "Run CD First" stickers on the card, on the CD, all over the box. So I ran the CD first. It installed all of the software, exited. Then nothing, as in, "what next?" I inserted the card, and several Microsoft digital signature warnings later, my card found my access point.

I had to log into my router from another machine to add the laptop's MAC, then key-in the password on the laptop for access to the router... and that was it. A fully encrypted connection, pretty fast from what I can tell, and no drops. I don't get the 125% speeds I should be getting (my other wireless link is the internal PCI card, and it goes 108Mbps almost always), but I'm satisfied.

One star withheld for the lack of Speedboosting, but the improved installer and sticker madness made me feel better about Linksys gear.

Fred