Customer Reviews

SMC Networks SMC SMCWUSB-G IEEE 802.11b/g USB 2.0 EZ Connect 2.4GHz Wireless Adapter

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I needed a replacement Wifi adapter for my HP laptop because the OEM built in chip died. I bought this adapter because a review I read said it worked well with their Linux computer. In Linux it is true plug and play. I use Mepis Linux and I plugged it in, went to the Mepis control to input my WEP key and clicked apply and I was surfing the web. The link level of the OEM chip indicated 52. From the same spot in the house with this adapter my monitor reads 82.
I have Windows Vista installed on this computer also and it works well with Vista too. The included software CD was needed for Vista and after inputting the WEP key in Vista I had to reboot Windows to get it to work, but it works well once it is installed.

I'm amazed by this low cost usb wireless adapter. First things first, the package arrived as estimated in perfect condition. When plugged into my pc, Ubuntu 9.10 64-bit (karmic koala) recognized the adapter right-away and worked flawlessly out of the box. The beauty with ubuntu is, you don't have to install any drivers if your adding a compatible hardware which is not really hard to find. This thing is 100% compatible so, linux users buy with confidence. The range is acceptable (found 8 wifi networks) plus WPA/2 works!

Once I ran the setup disk and installed the software (which took less than five minutes) I was hooked up and ready to go. After setting up the connection once, all you have to do is plug it into the USB port. It doesn't overheat fast (maybe after 3 days continuous hook-up) and cools down in about 5 minutes. I've experienced no problems with it finding the signal of our router, upstairs and through several walls. It came with a USB extension cord and installation disk. Has no problem handling our speed of (far under what it claims to be able to handle) 1Mbps. I've had it for over two years with no problems. Fantastic for the price.

Easiest installation ever, just plug it in to any Linux machine and your ready to surf the interwebz at your pleasure. I'm running Ubuntu 9.10 and like other reviewers have said just plug it in and go! Only gripe is that it doesn't have the best signal strength, but it works well enough.

Very happy with this adaptor. I bought it specifically to work with a Thecus N299 network attached storage unit. It was one of just 4 recommended adaptors. I think because it doesn't get hot like many of these do. Very happy.

This product works great for Ubuntu. I plugged it in, booted up and did not need to even install any drivers. Works excellent and I appreciate the manufacturers' consideration for Linux users.

I purchased this USB wireless adapter for a Windows 7 64-bit desktop (clean install) to connect to our internet router. I downloaded the latest driver from the SMC website in order to enable use in Windows 7, and all seemed well at first.

I've used this adapter for about 2 months now, and performance has been pretty spotty. After waking from sleep, I'd say there's only a 50% chance that the adapter will reconnect. When it doesn't, I have to go to Device Manager to disable and enable the adapter, or else reboot. I know that some computers have issues with USB devices and coming out of sleep mode generally, but I did try to follow various troubleshooting tips I saw online (to no effect). Also, the other USB devices on the computer do not have any issue coming out of sleep, so I am skeptical that this is the source of the problem.

Aside from the problems coming out of sleep, I've had other random periods where the adapter will disconnect and the only solution to get my connection back is to reboot. The laptop sitting next to my desktop remains connected the whole time, so I know that the issue is at the computer and not with the router.

Overall, I have been pretty disappointed with this adapter's performance and am looking for a replacement device that will be more reliable.

*** EDIT *** added info below re: WPA2 on router
This weekend I switched the encryption on my router from WPA to WPA2... and the result was that this computer intermittently but repeatedly crashed (blue screen) when accessing the internet. Switching back to WPA has seemed to restore stability. Just a word of caution if you plan to use this adapter with Windows 7 64-bit and WPA2 security on your router.

I started with a Linux Ubuntu computer with no internet connection. I heard this product worked out of the box for Ubuntu, but I found this to be a false statement at first. I had problems connecting this adapter to Ubuntu version 5, but after updating the system to Ubuntu 9.10, the smcwusb-g is readable.

it was easy to install and has never given a problem. bought it 2 years ago. using it on a computer downstairs to link to router upstairs. I would recommend happily to anyone.

Purchased this for a computer without a built in wireless receiver so I could move it away from the cable. The unit would not install the necessary software and I could not locate it on the accompanying disk. Tried to location it on the web page but that was difficult to navigate and was not a solution. The "contact us" function allowed me to send an email but never got an answer.