Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter, PCMCIA Card

by Cisco

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002AFU4E
• Item model number: WPC11
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 17, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Whether you're at your desk or in the boardroom, the Linksys Instant Wireless Network PC card allows you to share printers, files, and more anywhere within your wireless LAN infrastructure, increasing your productivity and keeping you in touch.

The Instant Wireless card gives you the freedom to work your way, from where you want--letting you take full advantage of your notebook PC's portability while providing you with access to all your network resources. A high-powered built-in diversity antenna means that you're covered--at a distance of up to 150 meters (492 feet) inside and 500 meters (1,640 feet) outside. And because it occupies only one Type II PCMCIA slot, you're free to use your other slots for additional accessories.

Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Because 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, and 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

Product Description

Linksys WPC11 Wireless-b Pcmcia Wireless Network Adapter 802.11b Laptop Card

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid performer, November 28, 2005

By 

Lavode (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter, PCMCIA Card (Personal Computers)

I bought the Linksys WPC11 to go into a Toshiba Tecra 780CDM notebook running Windows 98 SE. The network I have is an Airport Express bridge connected to a Belkin 4 port router. After following the instructions and installing the software, I got a couple error messages indicating that I couldn't have more than 6 TCP/IP configurations, and no more than 4 PPP configurations. But the software seemed to install just fine. However, I could only connect to the Airport basestation, but couldn't access the internet, nor the network.

I called Tech Support, and got a very polite and knowledgable service rep in about 5 minutes (on a Sunday night). He troubleshot the installation, and agreed that the software was installed correctly, and the card was working correctly. His diagnosis was that the card was communicating with the basestation, but not to the router. He suggested I speak to Belkin.

Then I called a friend, who suggested I open the Device Manager and remove all the network devices. When I restarted the computer, only 2 (out of an original 6) were recognized by Windows, and it installed both devices. Then I connected to the Airport Basestation, and voila! Full connectivity and compatibility!

I take away 1 star because Tech Support was not able to correctly identify and fix the problem. Otherwise, this is an excellent card, and can be found at an excellent price.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm happy with this card, June 22, 2006

By 

Jorge Alvarez "Yeye" (Nevada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter, PCMCIA Card (Personal Computers)

I'm really happy this card because it is very cheap and performs well, you must know that there are other devices that offer a greater range and speed but at higher prices, the cheapest wireless g notebook adpter i've seen costs 20 bucks, but why spend 6 more bucks and shipping (cause it is not eligile for amazon prime) for 43 Mbps more when the fastest internet for home and small business is 8 Mbps, Think about it, i highly recomend this card


*****update July 23*****,
This card drains the battery life of my notebook much more faster that my last dell wireless-g card. i get 1 hour and 30 miuntes with out the card and 45 minutes with this card using a fulla charged battery, my laptop is an inspiron 1000 equipped qith a rechargeable Li-ion battery 14.8 V------ 44--mAh with a capasity of 65WH

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well after I downloaded another driver, March 23, 2006

By 

BunnyGrampa (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter, PCMCIA Card (Personal Computers)

I purchased this Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter PCMCIA Card for my two year old Toshiba laptop running Windows XP. Like the reviewer Lavode below, I ran into a little trouble at first, but got it working well in the end.

My household already had the Lynksys Wireless-G router (model WRT54G), which works great on my wife's new Sony Vaio laptop running Windows XP which is wireless ready, but this Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter PCMCIA Card is for Wireless-B, versus the Wireless-G router that we have. This may have been the scource of my problems on my old Toshiba.

Anyway, when I first installed the software onto my Toshiba that came with the Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter PCMCIA Card, my computer said that it was connected to the router, but not to the internet. I went to www.linksys.com and downloaded and installed the driver from their website, which also came with a program called Boingo, and now everything works great. The Boingo program is supposed to work when you go to a public place with wireless internet, but I haven't tried that yet.

So in conclusion, the Linksys WPC11 Instant Wireless-B Networking Adapter PCMCIA Card is a great deal for the money, but you should be prepared that you may have to fiddle with the driver like in my case, or with your computer's settings like in Lavode's review below.