D-Link DCF-650W Wireless CompactFlash Adapter

Average customer rating: 3.0

Stable, reliable & easy to setup
Works good for Sharp Zaurus.
Larger than necesary, poor range.
Disappointed
Great price, great performance.

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D-Link DCF-650W Wireless CompactFlash Adapter

Manufacturer: D-Link Systems, Inc.
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B00005OSTN

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CompactFlash Adapters

CompactFlash Adapters

Product Description

The D-Link DCF-650W is a wireless Compact Flash Type II card that is IEEE 802.11b compliant. The DCF-650W provides a solution to connect PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) such as the Compaq iPAQ and Casio 125 to an existing IEEE 802.11b wireless network. The DCF-650W utilizes Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS). The DCF-650W is targeted at users with PDAs that want the convenience offered by connecting to an existing wireless local area network without wires. The DCF-650W will operate in either Ad-Hoc mode (networking without an Access Point) or in Infrastructure mode (networking using an Access Point). The DCF-650W will transmit data at 11, 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps. Also, the DCF-650W provides an "Auto Fall-Back" feature to automatically adjust the speed of the adapter depending on the distance from the Access Point. In an open environment, the DCF-650W with its built-in antenna has a range of up to 460 feet (11.68 m) at 11Mbps and up to 1,311 feet (33.30 m) at 1Mbps. The DCF-650W requires a Compact Flash Type II interface (available in most current PDAs).

Customer Reviews:

Stable, reliable & easy to setup.......2002-07-12

I purchased the DCF-650W to use with a Casio E-125 PDA and wireless LAN . The D-Link works very well for it's compact size . I am able to access the internet & network to a distance of approx 200 Ft ( line of sight works best ) .

The two status LED's display link quality ( the green LED starts to flash when the range drops out) , this is useful for determining effective range.

Most impressive is the power consumption. The E-125 will run for approx 3-4 hours continuous operation (Internet browsing) .

I was hesitant to purchase this having read some negative reviews, but after daily use would recommend it to anyone running CE3.0 PDA's ( I have not tested it on my notebook!)

Works good for Sharp Zaurus........2002-07-10

**This review is for the D-Link DCF-650W Wireless Compact Flash Card used with the Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 ONLY**

I bought one of the D-Link DCF-650W Wireless Compact Flash Cards for my Sharp Zaurus SL-5500. (802.11B) The Zaurus automatically reconized the card; I did not have to install any drivers, but I had to set up the network settings manually. I haven't had much of a chance to test the distance, but it works great in every room of my house.

Pros:
-Excellent price (way cheaper than others)
-Fairly easy to set up
-40bit or 128bit WEP security
-No drivers needed for Sharp Zaurus SL-5500
-Pretty quick for a PDA 802.11b card

Cons:
-HUGE! This thing is a lot bigger than other brands
-No signal meter for Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 (at this time)
-Lowers battery life from about 10 hours to about 1 hour

Overall:
I like it. It does everything I want it to do. The only things that really bug me is the gigantic size and not having a signal meter. (The signal meter is a Sharp Zaurus thing only. If you use Windows it DOES have a signal meter.) You can't get anything better for the price. You can spend an extra [money] for the Linksys, but I doubt it would perform any better.

Larger than necesary, poor range........2002-04-05

I'm returning this unit. It's too large to truly be flexible with a Pocket PC, the range is very limited, and it requires a Compact Flash II slot while others only require a CF I. I'm going to purchase the Socket Low Power CF card instead.

Disappointed.......2002-01-02

Well, even though DLink offers the 650W/K (650W w/CF-to-PCMCIA) on their website you cannot get drivers for anything other than PocketPC. I wanted to get this item and a CF-to-PCMCIA converter and use it in my laptop and my handheld, but DLink does not offer the drivers. Also, from the research I've done it looks like this card doesn't work with a lot of other wireless access points because they are using an old driver with antiquated security. DLink is nothing more than a reseller of hardware so there is an obvious lag in their driver support. I will probably be returning my 650W CF Wireless card and DI-713P Router/Switch/AP since their tech support has been less than abysmal.

Great price, great performance........2001-12-24

I've been looking for a CF-format, 802.11b wireless card for my Ipaq PDA for at least 6 months. There have been a few out there meant for industrial use (and priced accordingly), but this is the first one I've seen at the consumer-level price point. I am extremely pleased. The card was fairly easy to set up with the D-Link access point I bought at the same time (DWL-1000AP), and it has performed flawlessly for the last week.

It is so nice to be able to catch up on the news, get email, and even browse Amazon.com from anywhere in the house (and a good distance outside) without being tied to a desktop computer.

Overall, this card is great. It seems to get better reception than my notebook does with a larger wireless (802.11b) PC-card, and it has a pretty simple setup. The reason I give it four instead of five stars is that the manual does leave a little that you have to figure out yourself, especially if you want to use secure communications, but everything else is a no-brainer. I find that almost all 802.11 devices have the same problem.

Tip: if you want to use WEP, use the hexadecimal key option, NOT the passphrase key option.

One caveat: you take your chances with D-Link's tech support. I had to call them for a compatiblity issue this card was having with an access point also built by the same company - the problem was the access point, not the card. The first person I talked to must have just been pulled off the street a few minutes before I talked to him - he didn't understand how the product worked and was less acquainted with D-Link's product line than I am, and that ain't saying much. When he decided that my (rudimentary) question was far beyond his grasp, he directed me to another, non-toll-free, number that he purported was "second-level tech support". The number he gave had a recording that told me to call the first number, and had no other options. I called the first number again and got someone else who had the answers I needed right away. Again, that was a problem with the wireless access point, not this card.

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