Linksys WUSB11 Wireless-B USB Network Adapter v4

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Product Details

Product Manual [389kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 2.8 x 3.6 x 0.9 inches ; 14.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005AW1H
• Item model number: WUSBF54G
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (369 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Networking Products > Network Adapters > USB Network Adapters

• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 21, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Amazon.com Review If good things come in small packages, the WUSB11 from Linksys makes a great addition to a wireless network. Measuring about the size of a deck of cards and weighing just shy of 3 ounces, this little device fits nearly anywhereand is easily stowed in a notebook computer case. Simple USB connectivity makes it compatible with any modern PC, and also makes it easy to swap from one computer to another.

Provided you already have a wireless router or Internet gateway set up, installing the WUSB11 is a snap. We plugged it into a USB port on a test PC, executed the installation program on the included PC, and once the system rebooted we were connected to the network without being tethered to any wires. The unit draws its power directly from the USB port, leaving users with one less cord to lug around and one less device to plug into a wall outlet. We tested the device on a PC located 40 feet laterally and one floor above the wireless router and didn't even need to extend the tiny antenna to get good reception. Should you need to use the antenna, it extends at either 90 degrees or 180 degrees, meaning it will work whether the unit is sitting flat on a desk or mounted vertically on a wall using the included Velcro strips.

Performance was impressive. As an 802.11b product the WUSB11 supports a maximum speed of 11 Mbps and real-world speeds hovered around that mark in our tests. The signal was strong and consistent, making it great for gaming or transferring large files without worrying about a disconnect halfway through. There are only two indicator lights on the unit itself that tell you it's working--a power light and another light that blinks when data is transmitting--but the included software tools allow for a much more detailed picture. Using these utilities we were able to keep an eye on the signal strength (it never dipped below 95 percent), configure the built-in encryption settings, and perform other security and monitoring tasks.

The device is designed to fall back to lower speeds instead of cutting off trans missions completely when it reaches the limits of its range or experiences signal problems. In a normal-size home you should have no trouble maintaining the 11 Mbps signal, but if you wander outdoors with a notebook or are plagued by signal interference, overall transmission speed can step down to 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps, or even 1 Mbps depending on conditions. Even at the lowest speed the device is fast enough for speedy Internet browsing (most users won't see any slowdown at all in that area, even for downloads), although transferring files across the network is painfully slow at the lower speeds.

No matter what, if you plan mainly to transfer large files over your network, you'll probably want the extra speed 802.11a or 802.11g devices offer. Of course, you'll also have to absorb the extra cost associated with those products. The WUSB11 is a fantastic 802.11b device for the money, working perfectly straight out of the box, and its low weight and small size make it a viable alternative to a PCMCIA wireless network card for notebook users. Just make sure the computer you want to connect it to doesn't use Windows 95 or NT, because the unit is incompatible with those two operating systems. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Simple installation and configuration
• Mounts either horizontally or vertically
• Included software provides useful details without overwhelming users with mi nutia

Cons:

• So light that the weight of the USB cord can pull it off a desk
• Maximum 11 Mbps transmission speed may be too slow for some users

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 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 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

1.The Wireless-G USB Adapter with Wi-Fi Finder is a handy, pocket-sized device that combines an easy-to-use wireless network scanner with a USB-connected Wireless-G network adapter. Now you can scan for available wireless connectivity before turning on your computer. Discovered networks are listed in order of signal strength. With the Wi-Fi Finder built into the unit, you no longer need to power on your PC to determine if theres a wireless network connection available. 2.Features - High-speed Wireless-G networking for your desktop or notebook computer .Built-in Wi-Fi Finder detects Wireless-G and Wireless-B signals .Easy to read display shows network name, channel, signal strength, and security on/off .Wireless communications are protected by up to 128-bit WEP or WPA encryption .

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Warning TIVO users, March 23, 2005

By	Andy (Redwood City, CA) - See all my reviews

Make sure you are purchasing the 2.6 or 2.8 version, 3.0 and 4.0 will not work with TIVO units. Amazon does not clearly list the different versions.

97 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It DOES work with XP! Just CONFIGURE it correctly., April 8, 2003

By	"rejrejrej" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

Alright people, I'm not affiliated with Linksys, there are kids out there that have more answers than the Linksys technical support. But I did get this WUSB11 to work with XP automatically, even with my access point's SSID being disabled. So whoever is saying that it doesn't work with XP... at least try this out. It works, I've done it, I'm running WinXP, the WUSB11 sees and connects to my non-SSID-broadcasing access point automatically at every cold boot and restart. Who knows, maybe this will make you XP users wanna buy this product. (It does have better range than the Netgear MA101.)

First of all, install the WUSB11 like linksys says. Make sure your WUSB11 works first. Turn on your AP's SSID broadcasting, turn off WEP, just to see if everything is working fine. Return the POS if its DOA. If it does work, turn your AP's security back on, obviously.

I'm sure you know about WinXP's Wireless Zero Configuration service/utility, and how its the heart of the WUSB11's compatibility problem. Quite simply, if your AP is not broadcasting an SSID, WinXP will have a fitz about not seeing you non-SSID-broadcasting AP, unless you refresh a couple of times. Refreshing is a pain in the neck, and isn't inherently obvious to someone like your non-techie parents.

So why not disable WZC? Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > Wireless Zero Configuration, then change the Startup type to "disabled". Restart the computer.

"BLAH BLAH BLAH, I've done that, it doesn't work, you're a nut, BLAH BLAH BLAH." Now take the standpoint of installing this thing from a Windows 2000 perspective. "Hmm... I guess I have to somehow install the linksys utility that is included in the setup CD that came with my WUSB11, that usually lets Windows 2000 users connect to an AP. But it doesn't work! I click on it, and the CD doesn't even autorun! What's the deal?"

This is what I did. Pop the WUSB11 CD into your CD drive, and explore it. For some reason, the setup.exe in the root folder of the CD won't run under XP, probably to avoid incompatibilities. Right click on the CD-ROM drive icon, and click "explore". Then navigate to the "Utilities" folder, and double-click on Setup.exe. This will install the Linksys Instant Wireless LAN Monitor. It will not alert you when the install is complete, but you should see it in your program files list when it is done.

Next, copy all the files except setup.exe from the D:\Utilies folder, into your C:\Program Files\WUSB11 WLAN Monitor folder. Copy the WLAN.in file from the CD's root folder into your C:\Program Files\WUSB11 WLAN Monitor folder. The Setup.exe didn't install everything you needed, so you have to put these files in manually, hence the copy and paste.

Next, set a shorcut of the Instant Wireless LAN monitor to your Startup folder in program files, so that the Instant Wireless LAN monitor starts up automatically when you boot up.

Restart for good measure.

When your computer boots up again, open the Instant Wireless LAN monitor, and you should be able to access a tab labeled "Profiles". That was the whole point of this mess. That profiles tab allows you to configure which SSID to connect to, WEP settings, etc. Enter all your AP's settings. Reboot for good measure?

Your WinXP machine should now use the Instant Wireless LAN monitor to automatically connect to your WAP at every boot.

If I missed something and it didn't, hopefully you get the jist of what I'm trying to do. Disable XP's WZC service, and use a 3rd party utility to connect to your WAP. In my case, I used the included Linksys utility, and it worked with some minor tweeking.

All in all, when I got everything working, the WUSB11 works fine. You will most likely lose throughput due to WEP constraints, thats just the nature of wireless. This wireless USB adapter is cheap compared to Orinoco's card ($100+), and performs better than Netgear's MA101. You just gotta know how to configure it.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars TiVo - No Go!, January 7, 2005

By	Trey Ray - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Don't buy this if your are a TiVo Series 2 owner. Older versions of this adapter worked with TiVo but not the version 4.0 which you'll get from Amazon. You'll now be forced to order the WUSB12 which is $20 more expensive.