Netgear MA101 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter

by Netgear

Product Details

Product Manual [295kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005NWVJ
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 28, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

With Netgear's MA101 802.11b wireless USB adapter, you can easily network all of your employees at 11 Mbps speed without installing any new wires. Because the MA101 is USB-powered, there is no need to open the case of the PC. Set up a new wireless network or extend your existing workplace to remote sites in your building in no time, and escape the hassles and expense of Ethernet cabling. Your work force can immediately use your wireless network to access e-mail, file servers, printers, and cable/DSL Internet access.

Standards-based 802.11b technology plus Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption provide your wireless network with the highest level of reliability and privacy. The MA101 is equipped with automatic speed adjustment to extend the communication range for longer distances from other 802.11b PC nodes or 802.11b access points. Designed for PCs running Windows 98, Me, and 2000, the MA101 performs with the vast majority of PCs, supports plug-and-play installation, and includes a five-year limited warranty.

Product Description

Wireless networking over USB!This Netgear MA101 Wireless USB Adapter delivers fast, reliable Internet access over the highly compatible Universal Serial Bus (USB)! There's no need to open up your PC, or install a network, just plug it in to any system needing wireless access! The MA101 effortlessly connects your desktop PC at home, or even your notebook PC at a hotspot over any 802.11b network!Save on effortless wireless networking, order now!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars MA101 RF Flaw, December 12, 2002

By 

Jerome Blaha, Jr. "Jerome Blaha Jr" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Netgear MA101 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

I purchased the MA101 in the UK which may have a slightly lower output power that the US version mandated by the FCC. I must admit that the software installed easily enough on Win 98 and had some nice features like scanning for new SSIDs to find your network however it did not install properly on my XP machine.

The problem with the unit is that it is POORLY designed RF wise. I was attempting to connect to my neighbor who lives 250 feet up the street with little success. Even when the two antennas were line of site between the access point and Netgear MA101, the link seemed very poor.

Having worked in the wireless industry for the past three years as an engineer, my curiousity go the best of me and I opened the Netgear MA101 to discover to my horror that the antenna lead is just a piece of wire soldered into the motherboard that travels down the length of the unit and then up into the plastic antenna. In other words, the actual wire antenna will always act as if it is in a L shape when the platic anntenna is up and as two parallel antennas when the plastic antenna is down. This is very bad as the antenna is supposed to act as an isotropic radiator.

To prove just how poor the design is, I was able to increase the signal strength significatly by adding a piece aluminum foil to the bottom and back side of the antenna to act as a ground plane/ reflecting back. After doing this, my signal strength shot up by more than 50%.

I wish Netgear would put a little more effort into their RF design even though the case looks nice and the user interface was good.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works perfectly, installs instantly, May 30, 2002

By 

Ralph (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Netgear MA101 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

It took me all of 20 minutes to set up a network using this terrific USB wireless adapter and the MR314 wireless router/switch/access point. Of the total time, maybe five minutes was spent installing the MA101 adapter. As a network novice, I was amazed that everything worked exactly as it was supposed to, without my having to reinstall anything, call tech support or tear my hair out.

The PC with the adapter is located two floors up from the router, about 50 feet point to point. Signal strength registers as "low" (2 pips out of 5 on the utility display), but I am getting an unbroken connection at a speed indistinguishable from that of the PC that's wired to the router.

I'm running Windows XP. The Netgear Web site has an updated driver, but I decided to live dangerously and use the driver on the CD-ROM that's supplied with the adapter. No problem -- I clicked through the warning about an "unsigned" driver, and it installed and worked fine. At this point I'm going to leave well enough alone and not install the new driver.

Highly recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MA101 Great USB - IEEE 802.11b adapter for Win98+, November 17, 2001

By 

Konrad and Sharon Roeder (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Netgear MA101 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

If you have a PC with Win98 or better and a spare USB port, the MA101 is really great. The installation is easy - you don't have to open up the PC, just plug it in and run the installation CD. The big advantage of the MA101 over the alternative, an MA301/MA401 combination is that you can position the unit on your table or desk to get the best link quality and signal strength.

If you are running XP, this unit may require a driver update to run properly. That should be available on the netgear website.

Konrad Roeder (...)