NETGEAR MA311 - Network adapter - PCI - 802.11b

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• ASIN: B00006HXOG
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,947 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 1, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

You couldn't ask for an easier way to give your employees constant, untethered, fast 11 Mbps access to corporate resources, e-mail, and your cable/DSL Internet connection. Whether you're setting up a new office or relocating your employees to remote sites in your building, Netgear's 802.11b wireless PCI adapter networks any desktop PC without the time, trouble, or expense of Ethernet cabling. Standards-based 802.11b technology plus 128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provide your network with the highest level of reliability and protection.

It's incredibly easy to create a wireless network for sharing your broadband Internet access among multiple PCs anywhere in and around your office or home. All you need is Netgear's 802.11b wireless PCI adapter for desktop PCs. You'll save the hassle and expense of traditional Ethernet cabling, and everyone can benefit from cable/DSL Internet access, e-mail, and shared resources with a high, 11 Mbps data rate.

The MA311 is compatible with the vast majority of desktop PCs, supports Windows NT, 98, 2000, and Me, features easy plug-and-play installation, and comes with a three-year limited warranty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good and reliable card, February 18, 2004

By 

E. Fabrizio (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NETGEAR MA311 - Network adapter - PCI - 802.11b (Personal Computers)

I use this card with the Netgear MR814 802.11b Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router and they work together flawlessly.
I've had my network up since November every single day without spending more than 2 hours to set it all up. The signal strength I get is really good even with two floors between the router and the wireless card.
For those of you interested this card works great with Linux as well. I use kernel 2.4.24 and I never have a problem, while I had some issues with versions up to 2.4.20.

It works equally well with XP and 2K as well.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfectly fine wireless networking card, December 26, 2002

By 

"shanechao" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NETGEAR MA311 - Network adapter - PCI - 802.11b (Personal Computers)

I purchased a couple of MA311s and MA401 and a MR814 access point. Installation was very simple. It installs like most other PCI cards but the instructions say to install the drivers and configuration utility first. I installed the MA311s in a Windows Me machine and a Windows 98SE box and both went in without a hitch. The antenna is removeable which facilitates installation and onced installed is easily oriented to maximize signal reception. Signal strength is very good. The router is on the third floor and one computer is on the first. Signal strength is well above 70% and Link strength is >80%.

The configuration software is easy to use and setup. Offers basic functions that support WEP and MAC address filtering of the router.

Overall a solid wireless networking card and with the current rebate offered by Netgear a fair deal.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lousy Software & Support, Great Hardware, July 16, 2004

By 

I am the Torus "Twirling, twirling, twirling ... (Here) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NETGEAR MA311 - Network adapter - PCI - 802.11b (Personal Computers)

Software & support 1 star, card 5 stars. I have two of these, and they work quite well with M$ generic drivers for Windows 2000 & XP, and Linux Orinoco drivers.

Netgear's own software is lousy on Windows- aside from the installer corrupting my registry once and putting a bunch of icons on my desktop, it doesn't add anything beyond Microsoft's. Their drivers don't even exist for Linux, but since they use a generic chipset, most distributions can support it. Their telephone support doesn't exist, and it is nearly impossible to find any helpful information on the MA311 on their website.

Those negatives aside, the card works quite well, which is the most important issue for me. If you're technically competent and don't need any handholding, this isn't a bad card.